Artificial Reality Environment with Glints Displayed by an Extra Reality Device

Abstract

The present embodiments relate to display of glints associated with real-world objects in an environment displayed on an extra reality (XR) device. The glint can include a virtual object associated with a real-world object, such as an indication of a social interaction associated with a real-world object, a content item tagged to an object, etc. The system as described herein can present glints on a display of an XR device based on a distance between the XR device and a location associated with the glint. Responsive to selection of a glint in the environment, additional information can be presented relating to the glint or another action can be taken, such as to open an application. In some instances, a glint can include a series of search results relating to a corresponding real-world object to provide additional information relating to the real-world object.

I/we claim: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 presenting multiple virtual objects in a user's viewable area of an artificial reality environment, provided on an artificial reality device, wherein each of the multiple virtual objects has at least a minimized version and a maximized version and the multiple virtual objects are presented in their minimized versions;   determining that a specified area has above a threshold amount of the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects; and   in response to the determining, grouping the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects and replacing the group with a single indicator virtual object, the single indicator virtual object indicating the group of minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the determining that the specified area has above the threshold amount of the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects is in response to a threshold change in viewpoint of the XR device as the user moves to changes the user's head position in the artificial reality environment. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the determining that the specified area has above the threshold amount of the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects is performed by determining that an area of a two dimensional plane, that is the user's field of view, has the threshold amount of the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the determining that the specified area has above the threshold amount of the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects is performed by determining that there is the threshold amount of minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects within a specified distance of each other in three-dimensional space. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the single indicator virtual object is a group virtual object with an indicator displaying the number of the minimized versions that the single indicator virtual object replaced. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, from the minimized version of at least one of the multiple virtual objects, the artificial reality device detects a selection action in relation to the minimized version of at least one of the multiple virtual objects and, in response, converts the minimized version of at least one of the multiple virtual objects to the maximized version of at least one of the multiple virtual objects. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the maximized version of at least one of the multiple virtual objects includes A) controls for interacting with that virtual object and B) additional content, associated with that virtual object, beyond what was included in the minimized version of at least one of the multiple virtual objects. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the threshold amount is a first threshold amount and wherein the method further comprises determining that one or more of the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects has been removed from the artificial reality environment or would no longer be in the specified area such that a second threshold amount of virtual objects are no longer in the specified area and, in response, replacing the single indicator virtual object with the remaining minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first threshold amount is different from the second threshold amount. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises receiving a user selection of the single indicator virtual object and, in response, replacing the single indicator virtual object with the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects. 
     
     
         11 . A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a process comprising:
 presenting multiple virtual objects in a user's viewable area of an artificial reality environment, provided on an artificial reality device, wherein each of the multiple virtual objects has at least a minimized version and a maximized version and the multiple virtual objects are presented in their minimized versions;   determining that a specified area has above a threshold amount of the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects; and   in response to the determining, grouping the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects and replacing the group with a single indicator virtual object, the single indicator virtual object indicating the group of minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects.   
     
     
         12 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the determining that the specified area has above the threshold amount of the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects is in response to a threshold change in viewpoint of the XR device as the user moves to changes the user's head position in the artificial reality environment. 
     
     
         13 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the determining that the specified area has above the threshold amount of the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects is performed by determining that an area of a two dimensional plane, that is the user's field of view, has the threshold amount of the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects. 
     
     
         14 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the determining that the specified area has above the threshold amount of the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects is performed by determining that there is the threshold amount of minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects within a specified distance of each other in three-dimensional space. 
     
     
         15 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the single indicator virtual object is a group virtual object with an indicator displaying the number of the minimized versions that the single indicator virtual object replaced. 
     
     
         16 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein, from the minimized version of at least one of the multiple virtual objects, the artificial reality device detects a selection action in relation to the minimized version of at least one of the multiple virtual objects and, in response, converts the minimized version of at least one of the multiple virtual objects to the maximized version of at least one of the multiple virtual objects. 
     
     
         17 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the maximized version of at least one of the multiple virtual objects includes A) controls for interacting with that virtual object and B) additional content, associated with that virtual object, beyond what was included in the minimized version of at least one of the multiple virtual objects. 
     
     
         18 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the threshold amount is a first threshold amount and wherein the process further comprises determining that one or more of the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects has been removed from the artificial reality environment or would no longer be in the specified area such that a second threshold amount of virtual objects are no longer in the specified area and, in response, replacing the single indicator virtual object with the remaining minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects. 
     
     
         19 . A computing system comprising:
 one or more processors; and   one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform a process comprising:
 presenting multiple virtual objects in a user's viewable area of an artificial reality environment, provided on an artificial reality device, wherein each of the multiple virtual objects has at least a minimized version and a maximized version and the multiple virtual objects are presented in their minimized versions; 
 determining that a specified area has above a threshold amount of the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects; and 
 in response to the determining, grouping the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects and replacing the group with a single indicator virtual object, the single indicator virtual object indicating the group of minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects. 
   
     
     
         20 . The computing system of  claim 19 , wherein the process further comprises receiving a user selection of the single indicator virtual object and, in response, replacing the single indicator virtual object with the minimized versions of the multiple virtual objects.