# US 12,003,554 B2 · Systems and methods for providing individual and/or synchronized virtual tours through a realm for a group of users > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,003,554 B2 - Document ID: US12003554B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/106,785 - Filed: 2023-02-07 - Published: 2023-06-15 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-29 - Assignees: Smarter Systems, Inc. - Applicants: Smarter Systems, Inc. - Inventors: James Schoonmaker; Matthew Dunn; Keno Mullings - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12003554B2 ## CPC - H04L 65/403: Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15) - H04L 65/1069: Session establishment or de-establishment - H04L 65/1093: by adding participants; by removing participants - H04L 65/4015: {where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference} - H04L 67/131: Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality - H04L 67/146: Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding - H04L 67/34: {involving the movement of software or configuration parameters (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416)} - H04L 67/52: specially adapted for the location of the user terminal - G06Q 30/0613: {using intermediate agents} - G06Q 50/16: Real estate - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A method of coordinating real-time experiences of a realm among members of a group of users, the group of users including an administrative user and at least one participating user, is provided. The method includes transmitting by a server from a computing device of the administrative user, to a computing device of a first participating user of the group, in a real time session that allows the first participating user to experience the realm in real time, (a) data characterizing a series of locations in the realm, the series of locations comprising a first location and a second location, wherein the first location is associated with a first panoramic image and the second location is associated with a second panoramic image, and (b) executable code. The executable code is configured to: receive, from the server, an instruction to display, in real-time and during the session, the realm at a location selected by a member of the same group of users other than the first participating user; display, in real-time and during the session, on the computing device of the first participating user, a portion of a panoramic image corresponding to the realm at the selected location such that the displayed portion is determined by the member of the same group of users other than the first participating user; and display, in real-time and during the session, an embedded object(s) within the panoramic image, which the user may interact with. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of coordinating real-time experiences of a realm among members of a group of users, the group of users including an administrative user and at least one participating user, the method comprising: transmitting by a server from a computing device of the administrative user, to a computing device of a first participating user of the group, in a real time session that allows the first participating user to experience the realm in real time, (a) data characterizing a series of locations in the realm, the series of locations comprising a first location and a second location, wherein the first location is associated with a first panoramic image and the second location is associated with a second panoramic image, and (b) executable code configured to: receive, from the server, an instruction to display, in real-time and during the session, the realm at a location selected by a member of the same group of users other than the first participating user, display, in real-time and during the session, on the computing device of the first participating user, a portion of a panoramic image corresponding to the realm at the selected location such that the displayed portion is determined by the member of the same group of users other than the first participating user, and display, in real-time and during the session, an embedded object, which the user may interact with. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the embedded object is a chat box on the computing device of the first participating user, the chat box configured to provide communication between the first participating user and at least the member of the same group of users other than the first participating user. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, further comprising transmitting by, the server from a computing device of the administrative user, to a computing device of the at least the member of the same group of users other than the first participating user, executable code configured to display, in real-time and during the session, the chat box configured to provide communication between the first participating user and at least the member of the same group of users other than the first participating user. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the embedded object is a tag marking a feature, and wherein when the first participating user selects a tag, an information box is further displayed on the computing device of the first participating user. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein the information box includes information pertaining to the feature marked by the selected tag. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein the first participating user selecting a tag includes utilizing a point and click device, the tag selected when the first participating user clicks while hovering over the tag. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein the first participating user selecting a tag includes utilizing a pointing device, the tag selected when the pointing device hovers over the tag. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the information box is displayed on the computing device of the first participating user until the pointing device is no longer hovering over the feature. ### Claim 9 A method of coordinating real-time experiences of a realm among members of a group of users, the group of users including an administrative user and at least one participating user, the method comprising: transmitting by a server from a computing device of the administrative user, to a computing device of a first participating user of the group, in a real time session that allows the first participating user to experience the realm in real time, (a) data characterizing a series of locations in the realm, the series of locations comprising a first location and a second location, wherein (i) the first location is associated with a first panoramic image, (ii) the second location is associated with a second panoramic image, and (iii) a given image selected from the group consisting of the first panoramic image, the second panoramic image, and a combination of the first and second panoramic images includes at least one feature marked with a tag, each tag associated with an information box, and (b) executable code configured to: receive, from the server, an instruction to display, in real-time and during the session, the realm at a location selected by a member of the same group of users other than the first participating user, and display, in real-time and during the session, on the computing device of the first participating user, a portion of the given image, including any tags within that portion of the given image, corresponding to the realm at the selected location such that the displayed portion is determined by the member of the same group of users other than the first participating user, wherein when the first participating user selects a tag, the information box is further displayed on the computing device of the first participating user. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, wherein the information box includes information pertaining to the feature marked by the selected tag. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, wherein the first participating user selecting a tag includes utilizing a point and click device, the tag selected when the first participating user clicks while hovering over the tag. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, wherein the first participating user selecting a tag includes utilizing a pointing device, the tag selected when the pointing device hovers over the tag. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein the information box is displayed on the computing device of the first participating user until the pointing device is no longer hovering over the feature. ### Claim 14 A method of coordinating real-time experiences of a realm among members of a group of users, the group of users including an administrative user and at least one participating user, the method comprising: transmitting by a server from a computing device of the administrative user, to a computing device of a first participating user of the group, in a real time session that allows the first participating user to experience the realm in real time, (a) data characterizing a series of locations in the realm, the series of locations comprising a first location and a second location, wherein (i) the first location is associated with a first panoramic image, (ii) the second location is associated with a second panoramic image, and (iii) a given image selected from the group consisting of the first panoramic image, the second panoramic image, and a combination of the first and second panoramic images includes at least one feature associated with an information box, and (b) executable code configured to: receive, from the server, an instruction to display, in real-time and during the session, the realm at a location selected by a member of the same group of users other than the first participating user, and display, in real-time and during the session, on the computing device of the first participating user, a portion of the given image corresponding to the realm at the selected location such that the displayed portion is determined by the member of the same group of users other than the first participating user, wherein when the first participating user selects the at least one feature associated with the information box, the information box is further displayed on the computing device of the first participating user. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein the information box includes information pertaining to the selected feature. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein the first participating user selecting a feature includes utilizing a point and click device, the feature selected when the first participating user clicks while hovering over the feature. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein the first participating user selecting a feature includes utilizing a pointing device, the feature selected when the pointing device hovers over the feature. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, wherein the information box is displayed on the computing device of the first participating user until the pointing device is no longer hovering over the feature.