Abstract: A computerized display device re-orientates panoramic images in a limited field-of-view immersive viewing environment. The display device orientates to affect the field of view (FOV) of a corresponding virtual panoramic reality FOV. Upon executing a user command, the orientation within the immersive viewing environment is disassociated from the orientation of the device in the real world. The device tracks changes in orientation, and detects when the change in orientation exceeds a threshold, and if so, smoothly re-orientate the virtual panoramic reality orientation and FOV to correspond to device orientation and implied FOV.

Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for monetizing advertisement locations of virtual tours. A virtual tour author generates a virtual tour for mobile devices, and reserves a suitable modifiable ad location in the virtual tour. One or more annotated links can be assigned to this ad location. The ad location can now be monetized by renting the ad location and/or the one or more annotated links assigned to this ad location. Examples of monetization strategies include auctions and direct/indirect sale channels.

Abstract: A virtual tour host server decomposes a virtual tour into a plurality of video faces which are stored. When a user desires to begin a virtual tour using a mobile device, the mobile device detects and reports a field of view to the host server. The host server then associates a subset of the plurality of video faces corresponding to the detected field of view, and sends a video stream of the virtual tour recomposed from the subset of video faces, enabling the mobile device to display the virtual tour video stream.

Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for reliably detecting motion control of mobile devices to navigate virtual tour applications. In one embodiment, a computerized hand-held mobile device is configured to telespot from a first virtual tour environment to a second virtual tour environment upon detection of an intentional user motion, such as a flick, using a motion sensor. Upon detection of a potentially telespotting motion that is greater than a threshold and a viewing field of the mobile device substantially overlapping with an annotated link of the virtual tour, the mobile device telespots from the first virtual tour environment of the virtual tour to the second virtual tour environment of the virtual tour.

Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for reliably detecting motion control of mobile devices executing virtual tour applications. In one embodiment, a computerized mobile device reliably detects angular rotations. The mobile device includes a magnetometer for generating directional values representing the respective angular rotations. The mobile device detects abrupt change(s) in additional directional values relative to the prior directional values, and if an abrupt change in an additional directional value is detected, then an appropriate weight is assigned to the additional data value. In addition to generating directional values, the magnetometer may also generate corresponding magnitude values. The mobile device evaluates the corresponding magnitude values and if an amplitude of a magnitude value is greater than a threshold, then the mobile device decreases a confidence value associated with the corresponding directional value.