Patent Publication Number: US-2022214856-A1

Title: Shared control of a virtual object by multiple devices

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/947,083, filed Jul. 17, 2020, which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/876,361, filed on Jul. 19, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure generally relates to mobile and wearable computing technology. In particular, example embodiments of the present disclosure address systems, methods, and user interfaces to facilitate shared control of a virtual object by multiple devices over a network. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Many wearable and mobile devices such as “smart” glasses include an embedded camera. Virtual rendering systems implemented using these types of devices can be used to create engaging and entertaining augmented reality experiences, in which three-dimensional (3D) virtual object graphics content appears to be present in the real world. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element or act is first introduced. 
         FIG. 1  is a system diagram illustrating an example communication system for facilitating shared control of a virtual object by two or more users, according to some example embodiments. 
         FIG. 2  is block diagram illustrating further details of the communication system, according to example embodiments. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating a wearable companion device for use in sharing control of a virtual object, according to some example embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating aspects of the wearable device, according to some example embodiments. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram illustrating data which may be stored in a database of an application server system, according to example embodiments. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a message generated by a client application of the communication system, according to example embodiments. 
         FIG. 7  is an interaction diagram illustrating example interactions between components of the communication system in facilitating shared control of a virtual object by two or more users, according to example embodiments. 
         FIGS. 8-11  are flowcharts illustrating operations of the communication system in performing a method facilitating shared control of a virtual object by two or more users, according to example embodiments. 
         FIG. 12  is a block diagram illustrating a representative software architecture, which may be used in conjunction with various hardware architectures herein described, according to example embodiments. 
         FIG. 13  is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine able to read instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, according to example embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The description that follows includes systems, methods, techniques, instruction sequences, and computing machine program products that embody illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of various embodiments of the inventive subject matter. It will be evident, however, to those skilled in the art, that embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In general, well-known instruction instances, protocols, structures, and techniques are not necessarily shown in detail. 
     Aspects of the present disclosure include systems, methods, techniques, instruction sequences, and computing machine program products for facilitating shared control of a virtual object by two or more users. A virtual object is displayed by a first device associated with a first user. The virtual object may also be displayed by a second device associated with a second user. The first and second devices are separate devices that are in communication over a network and may be physically separate. Either of the users may view, interact with, and modify the virtual object. Modifications made by a first user to the virtual object will also be presented by the device of the second user. Hence, the first user can remotely control a display of a virtual object presented by the device of the second user. In this way, aspects of the present disclosure allow users to communicate directly by engaging in augmented reality experiences. 
     As a general example, based on the first user being approved by the second user to control a virtual object, the first user may interact with the display of the virtual object, for example, using gestures such as pinch, spread, tap, or press, to change aspects of the virtual object such as a size, shape, location, animation state, or other attributes of the virtual object. A modified virtual object based on the changes by the first user is then displayed by both the first and second devices without any further action or interaction with by the second user. In this way, the first and second users “share control” of the virtual object. The shared control of a virtual object enriches communication between users by enabling users to better express themselves, make decisions, plan and coordinate, or exchange feedback, for example. 
     The display of the virtual object (including any modifications made thereto) may be overlaid on a real-world environment to create an augmented reality experience for the first and second users. For example, the display of the virtual object may be overlaid on the real-world environment surrounding the second user. Depending on the embodiment, the augmented reality experience may be created by augmenting images produced by a camera coupled to one of the devices (e.g., the device on which the experience is presented) or by displaying the virtual object on a transparent display device through which the real-world environment may be viewed by a user. Depending on the embodiment, the first device may display the virtual object overlaid on a real-world environment surrounding the first user, or the real-world environment surrounding the second user. 
     In a first example, a first user is driving while using a first device that provides an augmented reality experience in which a marker is presented to the first user in augmented reality at the first user&#39;s destination. The first user may decide to get dinner and ask a second user for a suggestion. The second user may receive a notification of the request and in turn, identify a great restaurant to recommend to the first user. Utilizing a second device, the second user may move the augmented reality marker to the recommended restaurant, thereby changing a route of the first user and augmenting the surrounding environment as it appears to the first user. 
     In a second example, a first user may remotely add heart stickers to a wall in a room within an augmented reality experience of a second user to decorate the room. The first user may remotely change the heart stickers to flowers within the augmented reality experience without any interaction or action by the second user. 
     In a third example, a first user is engaging with an augmented reality experience within a grocery store and is unable to locate a particular item on their shopping list. A second user may join the augmented reality experience and add a marker within the augmented reality view of the second user to indicate a location of the item. 
     In a fourth example, a first user provides access to a remote second user to augment the first user&#39;s view of a surrounding environment. The first user may send a picture of the surrounding environment to the second user, and the second user can trigger an augmented reality experience for the first user that changes the first users&#39; view of the sky to red. In this way, the second user mutated the first user&#39;s view of their physical environment via augmented reality by changing the sky from blue to red. 
     In a fifth example, a first user lands at an airport and at that moment, the first user is presented with a welcome rainbow triggered by geo-located trigger established by a remote second friend. 
     In a sixth example, a first and second user can both view an augmented reality object such as a three-dimensional block. The second user can interact with the block, for example, by tapping on the block, and the block changes size with each interaction. As the second user interacts with the block, the first user can view the ever-changing size of the block caused by the second user&#39;s interaction with the block. 
     Notably, in the examples provided above, views of a surrounding environment of a first user is controlled and changed by a remote second user without any action by the first user. In this way, the first user can relinquish control of their view to create new opportunities for communication and fellowship with remote users. 
       FIG. 1  is a system diagram illustrating an example communication system  100  for facilitating shared control of a virtual object by two or more users  106 , according to some example embodiments. The communication system  100  may, for example, be a messaging system where clients communicate and exchange data within the communication system  100 , where certain data is communicated to and from wearable devices described herein. The data may pertain to various functions (e.g., sending and receiving image content as well as text and other media communication) and aspects associated with the communication system  100  and its users. Although the communication system  100  is illustrated herein as having a client-server architecture, other embodiments may include other network architectures, such as peer-to-peer or distributed network environments. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the communication system  100  includes an application server  130 . The application server  130  is generally based on a three-tiered architecture, consisting of an interface layer  124 , an application logic layer  126 , and a data layer  128 . As is understood by skilled artisans in the relevant computer and Internet-related arts, each module or engine shown in  FIG. 1  represents a set of executable software instructions and the corresponding hardware (e.g., memory and processor) for executing the instructions. In various embodiments, additional functional modules and engines may be used with a messaging system, such as that illustrated in  FIG. 1 , to facilitate additional functionality that is not specifically described herein. Furthermore, the various functional modules and engines depicted in  FIG. 1  may reside on a single server computer or may be distributed across several server computers in various arrangements. Moreover, although the application server  130  is depicted in  FIG. 1  as having a three-tiered architecture, the inventive subject matter is by no means limited to such an architecture. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the interface layer  124  consists of interface modules (e.g., a web server)  140 , which receive requests from various client-devices and servers, such as client devices  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  executing client application  112 . In response to received requests, the interface modules  140  communicate appropriate responses to requesting devices via a network  104 . For example, the interface modules  140  can receive requests such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests or other web-based application programming interface (API) requests. 
     The client devices  110  can execute conventional web browser applications or applications (also referred to as “apps”) that have been developed for a specific platform to include any of a wide variety of mobile devices and mobile-specific operating systems (e.g., IOS™, ANDROID™ WINDOWS® PHONE). In an example, the client devices  110  are executing the client application  112 . The client application  112  can provide functionality to present information to users  106 - 1  and  106 - 2  and communicate via the network  104  to exchange information with the application server  130 . Each of the client devices  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  can comprise a device that includes at least a display and communication capabilities with the network  104  to access the application server  130 . The client devices  110  comprise, but are not limited to, remote devices, work stations, computers, general-purpose computers, Internet appliances, hand-held devices, wireless devices, portable devices, wearable computers, cellular or mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smart phones, tablets, ultrabooks, netbooks, laptops, desktops, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, game consoles, set-top boxes, network personal computers (PCs), mini-computers, and the like. The users  106 - 1  and  106 - 2  can include a person, a machine, or other means of interacting with the client devices  110 . In some embodiments, the users  106 - 1  and  106 - 2  interact with the application server  130  via the client devices  110 - 1  and  110 - 2 , respectively. 
     As shown, the communication system  100  additionally includes a companion device  114  communicatively connected to the client device  110 - 1 . In various embodiments, the companion device  114  is configured for wired communication with either the client device  110 - 1  or the application server  130 . The companion device  114  may also be simultaneously configured for wireless communication with the client device  110 - 2 , the application server  130 , or both. The companion device  114  may be a wearable device such as glasses, a visor, a watch, or other network-enabled items. The companion device  114  may also be any device described herein that accesses a network such as network  104  via another device such as the client device  110 - 1 . 
     The companion device  114  includes image sensors  116  and wireless input and output (I/O)  118 . The companion device  114  may include one or more processors, a display, a battery, and a memory, but may have limited processing and memory resources. In such embodiments, the client device  110 - 2  and/or server devices used for the application server  130  may be used via network connections to provide remote processing and memory resources for the companion device  114 . In one embodiment, for example, the client companion device  114  may be a pair of network-enabled glasses, such as glasses  331  of  FIG. 3 , and the client device  110 - 1  may be a smartphone that enables access to the application server  130  to enable communication of image content captured with the image sensor(s)  116 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the data layer  128  has one or more database servers  132  that facilitate access to information storage repositories or databases  134 . The databases  134  are storage devices that store data such as member profile data, social graph data (e.g., relationships between members of the application server  130 ), and other user data. 
     An individual can register with the application server  130  to become a member of the application server  130 . Once registered, a member can form social network relationships (e.g., friends, followers, or contacts) on the application server  130  and interact with a broad range of applications provided by the application server  130 . 
     The application logic layer  126  includes various application logic modules  150 , which, in conjunction with the interface modules  140 , generate various user interfaces with data retrieved from various data sources or data services in the data layer  128 . Individual application logic modules  150  may be used to implement the functionality associated with various applications, services, and features of the application server  130 . For instance, a messaging application can be implemented with one or more of the application logic modules  150 . The messaging application provides a messaging mechanism for users of the client devices  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  to send and receive messages that include text and media content such as pictures and video. The client devices  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  may access and view the messages from the messaging application for a specified period of time (e.g., limited or unlimited). In an example, a particular message is accessible to a message recipient for a predefined duration (e.g., specified by a message sender) that begins when the particular message is first accessed. After the predefined duration elapses, the message is deleted and is no longer accessible to the message recipient. 
     Additionally, the application logic modules  150  embodying the messaging application or other application logic modules  150  may provide functionality to facilitate shared control of a virtual object by the users  106 - 1  and  106 - 2 . Within the context of shared control of a virtual object, client devices  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  may display a virtual object as part of an augmented reality experience. That is, the display of the virtual object is overlaid on a real-world environment. The users  106 - 1  and  106 - 2  may view, interact with, and modify the virtual object. Modifications made to the virtual object by either user are displayed as part of the augmented reality experience to both users  106 - 1  and  106 - 2 . 
     A virtual object may be included in one or more messages exchanged using the messaging application, for example. These messages may include media content comprising one or more images of a real-world environment that is augmented to include the display of the virtual object overlaid on the real-world environment. The media content may further include audio data recorded in conjunction with the capturing of the images. The media content may comprise a single image frame or a short video (e.g., comprising multiple image frames). 
     The camera  160  is communicatively coupled to the client device  110 - 1 . For example, in some embodiments, the camera  160  may be embedded in the client device  110 - 1  (e.g., a smartphone with an embedded camera). In some embodiments, the camera  160  may be embedded in the companion device  114  and may comprise or correspond to the image sensor(s)  116 . 
       FIG. 2  is block diagram illustrating further details regarding the communication system  100 , according to example embodiments. Specifically, the communication system  100  is shown to comprise the client application  112  and the application server  130 , which in turn embody a number of subsystems, namely an ephemeral timer system  202 , a collection management system  204 , and a virtual rendering system  206 . 
     The ephemeral timer system  202  is responsible for enforcing temporary access to content permitted by the client application  112  and the application server  130 . To this end, the ephemeral timer system  202  incorporates a number of timers that, based on duration and display parameters associated with a message, or collection of messages (e.g., a story), selectively display and enable access to messages and associated content via the client application  112 . 
     The collection management system  204  is responsible for managing collections of media (e.g., collections of text, image, video, and audio data). In some examples, a collection of content (e.g., messages, including images, video, text, and audio) may be organized into an “event gallery” or an “event story.” Such a collection may be made available for a specified time period, such as the duration of an event to which the content relates. For example, content relating to a music concert may be made available as a “story” for the duration of that music concert. 
     The collection management system  204  furthermore includes a curation interface  208  that allows a collection manager to manage and curate a particular collection of content. For example, the curation interface  208  enables an event organizer to curate a collection of content relating to a specific event (e.g., delete inappropriate content or redundant messages). Additionally, the collection management system  204  employs machine vision (or image recognition technology) and content rules to automatically curate a content collection. 
     The virtual rendering system  206  provides various functions that enable a user to augment or otherwise modify or edit media content (e.g., comprising image data and/or audio data). For example, the virtual rendering system  206  provides functions related to the generation, publishing, and shared control (including modifications) of virtual objects for messages processed by the communication system  100 . The virtual object may comprise a media overlay. A media overlay may include audio and visual content and visual effects. Examples of audio and visual content include pictures, texts, logos, animations, and sound effects. The audio and visual content or the visual effects can be applied to a media content item (e.g., an image). For example, the media overlay includes text that can be overlaid on top of an image generated by the camera  160 . The media overlays may be stored in the database(s)  134  and accessed through the database server(s)  132 . 
     In an example embodiment, the virtual rendering system  206  provides a user-based publication platform that enables users to select a geolocation on a map and upload content associated with the selected geolocation. The user may also specify circumstances under which a particular media overlay should be offered to other users. The virtual rendering system  206  generates a media overlay that includes the uploaded content and associates the uploaded content with the selected geolocation. 
       FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating a wearable companion device  114  in the example form of glasses  331  for use in a camera sharing session, according to some example embodiments. The glasses  331  can include a frame  332  made from any suitable material such as plastic or metal, including any suitable shape memory alloy. The frame  332  can have a front piece  333  that can include a first or left lens, display, or optical element holder  336  and a second or right lens, display, or optical element holder  337  connected by a bridge  338 . The front piece  333  additionally includes a left end portion  341  and a right end portion  342 . A first or left optical element  344  and a second or right optical element  343  can be provided within respective left and right optical element holders  336 ,  337 . Each of the optical elements  343 ,  344  can be a lens, a display (e.g., a transparent display), a display assembly, or a combination of the foregoing. In some embodiments, for example, the glasses  331  are provided with an integrated near-eye display mechanism that enables, for example, display to the user of preview images for visual media captured by cameras  369  of the glasses  331 . In some embodiments, integrated near-eye display mechanism allows for display of a virtual object such that the virtual object is overlaid on a real-world environment that is viewable through the optical elements  343  and  344 . 
     The frame  332  additionally includes a left arm or temple piece  346  and a right arm or temple piece  347  coupled to the respective left and right end portions  341 ,  342  of the front piece  333  by any suitable means, such as a hinge (not shown), so as to be coupled to the front piece  333 , or rigidly or fixably secured to the front piece  333  so as to be integral with the front piece  333 . Each of the temple pieces  346  and  347  can include a first portion  351  that is coupled to the respective end portion  341  or  342  of the front piece  333  and any suitable second portion  352 , such as a curved or arcuate piece, for coupling to the ear of the user. In one embodiment, the front piece  333  can be formed from a single piece of material, so as to have a unitary or integral construction. In one embodiment, the entire frame  332  can be formed from a single piece of material so as to have a unitary or integral construction. 
     The glasses  331  can include a device, such as a computer  361 , which can be of any suitable type so as to be carried by the frame  332  and, in one embodiment, of a suitable size and shape so as to be at least partially disposed in one of the temple pieces  346  and  347 . In one embodiment, the computer  361  has a size and shape similar to the size and shape of one of the temple pieces  346 ,  347  and is thus disposed almost entirely if not entirely within the structure and confines of such temple pieces  346  and  347 . In one embodiment, the computer  361  can be disposed in both of the temple pieces  346 ,  347 . The computer  361  can include one or more processors with memory, wireless communication circuitry, and a power source. The computer  361  comprises low-power circuitry, high-speed circuitry, and a display processor. Various other embodiments may include these elements in different configurations or integrated together in different ways. 
     The computer  361  additionally includes a battery  362  or other suitable portable power supply. In one embodiment, the battery  362  is disposed in one of the temple pieces  346  or  347 . In the glasses  331  shown in  FIG. 3 , the battery  362  is shown as being disposed in the left temple piece  346  and electrically coupled using a connection  374  to the remainder of the computer  361  disposed in the right temple piece  347 . One or more I/O devices can include a connector or port (not shown) suitable for charging a battery  362  accessible from the outside of the frame  332 , a wireless receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (not shown), or a combination of such devices. Given the limited size of the glasses  331  and the computer  361 , resource-intensive operations such as video streaming can quickly drain the battery  362  and can be a strain on the one or more processors of the computer  361  that can lead to overheating. 
     The glasses  331  include digital cameras  369 . Although two cameras  369  are depicted, other embodiments contemplate the use of a single or additional (i.e., more than two) cameras. For ease of description, various features relating to the cameras  369  will further be described with reference to only a single camera  369 , but it will be appreciated that these features can apply, in suitable embodiments, to both cameras  369 . 
     Consistent with some embodiments, the cameras  369  are examples of the camera  160  of the first user  106 - 1  discussed above in reference to  FIG. 1 . Accordingly, in these embodiments, the glasses  331  may be worn by the user  106 - 1 . Further, in these embodiments, the user  106 - 2  may be enabled to control a virtual object displayed by the glasses  331 . That is, a virtual object displayed by the glasses  331  may also be displayed by the client device  110 - 2  and the user  106 - 2  may interact with the display of the virtual object to modify the virtual object. Modifications made by the user  106 - 2  to the virtual object are also presented by the glasses  331 . 
     In various embodiments, the glasses  331  may include any number of input sensors or peripheral devices in addition to the cameras  369 . The front piece  333  is provided with an outward-facing, forward-facing, front, or outer surface  366  that faces forward or away from the user when the glasses  331  are mounted on the face of the user, and an opposite inward-facing, rearward-facing, rear, or inner surface  367  that faces the face of the user (e.g., user  106 - 1 ) when the glasses  331  are mounted on the face of the user. Such sensors can include inward-facing video sensors or digital imaging modules such as cameras that can be mounted on or provided within the inner surface  367  of the front piece  333  or elsewhere on the frame  332  so as to be facing the user, and outward-facing video sensors or digital imaging modules such as the cameras  369  that can be mounted on or provided with the outer surface  366  of the front piece  333  or elsewhere on the frame  332  so as to be facing away from the user. Such sensors, peripheral devices, or peripherals can additionally include biometric sensors, location sensors, accelerometers, or any other such sensors. 
     The glasses  331  further include an example embodiment of a camera control mechanism or user input mechanism comprising a camera control button mounted on the frame  332  for haptic or manual engagement by the user. The camera control button provides a bi-modal or single-action mechanism in that it is disposable by the user between only two conditions, namely an engaged condition and a disengaged condition. In this example embodiment, the camera control button is a pushbutton that is by default in the disengaged condition, being depressible by the user to dispose it to the engaged condition. Upon release of the depressed camera control button, it automatically returns to the disengaged condition. 
     In other embodiments, the single-action input mechanism can instead be provided by, for example, a touch-sensitive button comprising a capacitive sensor mounted on the frame  332  adjacent to its surface for detecting the presence of a user&#39;s finger to dispose the touch-sensitive button to the engaged condition when the user touches a finger to the corresponding spot on the outer surface of the frame  332 . It will be appreciated that the above-described camera control button and capacitive touch button are but two examples of a haptic input mechanism for single-action control of the camera  369  and that other embodiments may employ different single-action haptic control arrangements. 
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating aspects of the wearable device in the example form of the glasses  331 , according to some example embodiments. The computer  361  of the glasses  331  includes a central processor  421  in communication with an onboard memory  426 . The central processor  421  may be a CPU and/or a graphics processing unit (GPU). The memory  426  in this example embodiment comprises a combination of flash memory and random-access memory. 
     The glasses  331  further include a camera controller  414  in communication with the central processor  421  and the camera  369 . The camera controller  414  comprises circuitry configured to control recording of either photographic content or video content based upon processing of control signals received from the single-action input mechanism that includes the camera control button, and to provide for automatic adjustment of one or more image-capture parameters pertaining to capturing of image data by the camera  369  and on-board processing of the image data prior to persistent storage thereof and/or to presentation thereof to the user for viewing or previewing. 
     In some embodiments, the camera controller  414  comprises permanently configured circuitry, such as firmware or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) configured to perform the various functions described herein. In other embodiments, the camera controller  414  may comprise a dynamically reconfigurable processor executing instructions that temporarily configure the processor to execute the various functions described herein. 
     The camera controller  414  interacts with the memory  426  to store, organize, and present image content in the form of photo content and video content. To this end, the memory  426  in this example embodiment comprises a photo content memory  428  and a video content memory  442 . The camera controller  414  is thus, in cooperation with the central processor  421 , configured to receive from the camera  369  image data representative of digital images produced by the camera  369  in accordance with some of the image-capture parameters, to process the image data in accordance with some of the image-capture parameters, and to store the processed image data in an appropriate one of the photo content memory  428  and the video content memory  442 . 
     The camera controller  414  is further configured to cooperate with a display controller  449  to cause display on a display mechanism incorporated in the glasses  331  of selected photos and videos in the memory  426  and thus to provide previews of captured photos and videos. In some embodiments, the camera controller  414  will manage processing of images captured using automatic bracketing parameters for inclusion in a video file. 
     A single-action input mechanism  435  is communicatively coupled to the central processor  421  and the camera controller  414  to communicate signals representative of a current state of the camera control button and thereby to communicate to the camera controller  414  whether or not the camera control button is currently being pressed. The camera controller  414  further communicates with the central processor  421  regarding the input signals received from the single-action input mechanism  435 . In one embodiment, the camera controller  414  is configured to process input signals received via the single-action input mechanism  435  to determine whether a particular user engagement with the camera control button is to result in a recording of video content or photographic content and/or to dynamically adjust one or more image-capture parameters based on processing of the input signals. For example, pressing of the camera control button for longer than a predefined threshold duration causes the camera controller  414  automatically to apply relatively less rigorous video processing to captured video content prior to persistent storage and display thereof. Conversely, pressing of the camera control button for shorter than the threshold duration in such an embodiment causes the camera controller  414  automatically to apply relatively more rigorous photo stabilization processing to image data representative of one or more still images. 
     The glasses  331  may further include various components common to mobile electronic devices such as smart glasses or smart phones (for example, including a display controller for controlling display of visual media (including photographic and video content captured by the camera  369 ) on a display mechanism incorporated in the device). Note that the schematic diagram of  FIG. 4  is not an exhaustive representation of all components forming part of the glasses  331 . 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram illustrating data  500  which may be stored in one or more of the databases  134  of the application server  130 , according to certain example embodiments. While the content of the data  500  is shown to comprise a number of tables, it will be appreciated that the data  500  could be stored in other types of data structures (e.g., as an object-oriented database). 
     The data  500  includes message data stored within a message table  502 . An entity table  505  stores entity data, including an entity graph  506 . Entities for which records are maintained within the entity table  505  may include individuals, corporate entities, organizations, objects, places, events, and so forth. Each entity is provided with a unique identifier, as well as an entity type identifier (not shown). 
     The entity graph  506  furthermore stores information regarding relationships and associations between entities. Such relationships may be social, professional (e.g., work at a common corporation or organization), interested-based, or activity-based, merely for example. 
     A video table  508  stores video data associated with messages for which records are maintained within the message table  502 . Similarly, an image table  510  stores image data associated with messages for which message data is stored in the message table  502 . 
     A conversation table  512  stores data regarding chat conversations and associated content (e.g., image, video, or audio data). A record for each chat conversation may be maintained in the conversation table  512 . Each record may include a unique identifier for the chat conversation, a retention duration attribute, identifiers of entities that are participants in the chat conversation (or pointers to the identifiers in the entity table  505 ), and message data (or pointers to corresponding message data in the message table  502 ). 
       FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a message  600 , according to some embodiments, generated by a client application  112  for communication to a further client application  112  or one or more application logic modules  150 . The content of a particular message  600  is used to populate the message table  502  stored within database  134 , accessible by the application logic modules  150 . Similarly, the content of a message  600  is stored in memory as “in-transit” or “in-flight” data of one of the client devices  110 - 1  or  110 - 2  or the application server  130 . The message  600  is shown to include the following components:
         A message identifier  602 : a unique identifier that identifies the message  600 .   A message text payload  604 : text, to be generated by a user via a user interface of one of the client devices  110 - 1  or  110 - 2  and that is included in the message  600 .   A message image payload  606 : image data, captured by a camera component of one of the client devices  110 - 1  or  110 - 2  or retrieved from memory of one of the client devices  110 - 1  or  110 - 2 , and that is included in the message  600 .   A message video payload  608 : video data, captured by a camera component or retrieved from a memory component of one of the client devices  110 - 1  or  110 - 2  and that is included in the message  600 .   A message audio payload  610 : audio data, captured by a microphone or retrieved from the memory component of one of the client devices  110 - 1  or  110 - 2 , and that is included in the message  600 .   A message duration attribute  612 : an attribute value indicating, in seconds, the amount of time for which content of the message  600  (e.g., the message image payload  606 , message video payload  608 , and message audio payload  610 ) is to be made accessible to a user via the client application  112  upon accessing the message  600 .   A conversation identifier  614 : an identifier indicative of the chat conversation to which the message belongs.   A message sender identifier  616 : an identifier (e.g., a messaging system identifier, email address, or device identifier) indicative of a user of one of the client devices  110 - 1  or  110 - 2  on which the message  600  was generated and from which the message  600  was sent.   A message receiver identifier  618 : an identifier (e.g., a messaging system identifier, email address, or device identifier) indicative of a user of one of the client devices  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  to which the message  600  is addressed.       

     The contents (e.g., values) of the various components of the message  600  may be pointers to locations in tables within which content data values are stored. For example, an image value in the message image payload  606  may be a pointer to (or address of) a location within the image table  510 . Similarly, values within the message video payload  608  may point to data stored within the video table  508 , values stored within the conversation identifier  614  may point to data stored within the conversation table  512 , and values stored within the message sender identifier  616  and the message receiver identifier  618  may point to user records stored within the entity table  505 . 
       FIG. 7  is an interaction diagram illustrating example interactions between components of the communication system in performing a method  700  for facilitating shared control of a virtual object by two or more users, according to example embodiments. As shown, the method  700  begins at operation  702  where the application server  130  provides instructions to the client devices  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  that causes the devices to display a virtual object. At operation  704 , the client device  110 - 1  displays the virtual object, and at operation  706 , the client device  110 - 2  displays the virtual object. The virtual object may be displayed by any of the devices  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  as part of an augmented reality experience. That is, the virtual object may be displayed overlaid upon a real-world environment to make the virtual object appear as if it were actually in the real-world environment. 
     In some embodiments, the virtual object may be displayed as part of separate augmented reality experiences on the client devices  110 - 1  and  110 - 2 . That is, the display of the virtual object by the client device  110 - 1  may be overlaid on a first real-world environment corresponding to a current location of the client device  110 - 1  while the display of the virtual object by the client device  110 - 2  may be overlaid on a second real-world environment corresponding to a current location of the client device  110 - 2 . 
     In some embodiments, the virtual object may be displayed as part of an augmented reality experience on a first device while the display of the virtual object on the second device comprises media content that captures the augmented reality experience provided by the first device. For example, the display of the virtual object by the client device  110 - 1  may be overlaid on a real-world environment corresponding to a current location of the client device  110 - 1 , and media content based on image data generated by the camera  160  may be augmented to depict the display of the virtual object overlaid on the real-world environment. Consistent with this example, the application server  130  may provide instructions to the client device  110 - 2  that causes the client device  110 - 2  to display the media content, thereby causing the client device  110 - 2  to display the virtual object overlaid on the real-world environment. 
     Consistent with some embodiments, the application server  130  may provide instructions to display the virtual object based on a location of the client device  110 - 1  or  110 - 2 . For example, the virtual object may be associated with a particular location such that the virtual object is displayed at the particular location. Accordingly, the application server  130  may provide instructions to one of the client devices  110 - 1  or  110 - 2  when the location of the virtual object is within the field of view of a user or a camera of the device. 
     At operation  708 , the client device  110 - 2  receives user input indicative of a modification to the virtual object. In some embodiments, the user input comprises one or more interactions with the virtual object itself, while in other embodiments the user input comprises one or more interactions with one or more interface elements that are operable to make modifications to the virtual object. The client device  110 - 2  transmits the user modification to the virtual object to the application server  130 , at operation  710 . 
     At operation  712 , the application server  130  receives the user modification to the virtual object. The application server  130  modifies the virtual object, at operation  714 , based on the user modification received from the client device  110 - 2 . For example, the application server  130  may maintain data that defines the display of the virtual object and in modifying the virtual object the application server  130  may update the data to reflect the user modification. 
     At operation  716 , the application server  130  provides instructions to the client devices  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  that cause the devices to display the modified virtual object, and the client devices  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  display the modified virtual object at operations  718  and  720 , respectively. The display of the modified virtual object may be a continuation of the augmented reality experience referenced above. 
     In some embodiments, prior to displaying the virtual object on the client device  110 - 2  and allowing a user of the client device  110 - 2  to modify the virtual object, a user of the client device  110 - 1  can establish user permissions that allows the user of the client device  110 - 2  to access, control, and augment virtual objects displayed by the client device  110 - 1 . In this way, the user of the client device  110 - 1  can relinquish control of the view of the surrounding environment to a remote user and the remote user can augmented the view of the user of the client device  110 - 1  without any further action by the user of the client device  110 - 1 . 
       FIGS. 8-11  are flowcharts illustrating operations of the communication system in performing a method  800  for facilitating shared control of a virtual object by two or more users, according to example embodiments. The method  800  may be embodied in computer-readable instructions for execution by one or more processors such that the operations of the method  800  may be performed in part or in whole by the functional components of the communication system  100 ; accordingly, the method  800  is described below by way of example with reference thereto. However, it shall be appreciated that at least some of the operations of the method  800  may be deployed on various other hardware configurations than the communication system  100 . 
     At operation  805 , the application server  130  causes display of a virtual object by a first device. The first device is associated with a first user. The virtual object may be a virtual object generated by a second user, selected from a predefined set of template objects by the second user, or generated based on one or more modifications to one the predefined template objects in the set of predefined set of template objects. The application server  130  may maintain object definition data that defines the display of the virtual object and in causing display of the virtual object, the application server  130  may provide the first device with the object definition data along with a set of instructions that causes the first device to display the virtual object in accordance with the object definition data. 
     The display of the virtual object on the first device may be further supported by a client application (e.g., client application  112 ) running on the device. For example, the client application may provide a graphical user interface (GUI) within which the virtual object may be presented. 
     The virtual object may be displayed as part of an augmented reality experience provided by the communication system  100 . For example, in some embodiments, image data including one or more images depicting the real-world environment are augmented to present the virtual object overlaid on the real-world environment, and the application server  130  causes the first device to display the augmented image data. In some embodiments, as part of the augmented reality experience, a second user can invite or otherwise allow the first user to view and augment a virtual reality object that is presented to the second user. That is, the first user may only be enabled to view the virtual object based on one or more user permissions established by the second user. 
     In some embodiments, the real-world environment may be a real-world environment visible within the field of view of a camera communicatively coupled to the first device. That is, image data produced by the camera of the first device may be augmented (e.g., by the application server  130 ) to include the virtual object overlaid on a real-world environment depicted in the image data. In some embodiments, the camera is an embedded camera of the first device (e.g., a smartphone camera). In some embodiments, the camera is an embedded camera of a companion device (e.g., companion device  114 ) of the first device such as a wearable device (e.g., glasses  331 ). 
     In some embodiments, the real-world environment may be a real-world environment visible within the field of view of a camera communicatively coupled to a second device. That is, image data produced by the camera of the second device may be augmented (e.g., by the application server  130 ) to include the virtual object overlaid on a real-world environment depicted in the image data, and the augmented image data is provided to the first device for display. In some embodiments, the camera is an embedded camera of the second device (e.g., a smartphone camera). In some embodiments, the camera is an embedded camera of a companion device (e.g., companion device  114 ) of the second device such as a wearable device (e.g., glasses  331 ). 
     In some embodiments, the first device comprises a transparent display device that can be worn by the first user (e.g., a heads-up display). Consistent with these embodiments, the transparent display device displays the virtual object while allowing the first user to also view the real-world environment through the device. 
     In some embodiments, the application server  130  may cause the first device to display the virtual object based on a current location of the first device. For example, the object definition data may specify a particular geo-location for the virtual object and the application server  130  may cause the first device to display the virtual object when the particular geo-location is within a field of view of the first user or the camera communicatively coupled to the first device. At operation  810 , the application server  130  receives, from the first device, user input indicative of a modification to the virtual object. The modification to the virtual object may, for example, comprise any one or more of: a change to a size of the virtual object, a change to a shape of the virtual object, a change to a location of the virtual object, a change to a color of the virtual object, a change to an orientation of the virtual object, or a change to an animation state of the virtual object. 
     In some embodiments, the user input may comprise one or more interactions with the display of the virtual object. For example, the first user may interact with the display of the virtual object by the first device using gestures such as a pinching, spreading, pressing or dragging the virtual object. In embodiments in which the virtual object is displayed on a touch screen of the first device, the gestures correspond to conventional touch-screen gestures. 
     In some embodiments, the user input may comprise one or more interactions with a separate GUI element configured for modifying a virtual object. In a first example, one or more buttons or other such elements may allow the user to change aspects of the virtual object such as size, color, shape, location, orientation, or animation state. In a second example, the GUI provided by the client application executing on the first device provides a map element that displays a current location of the virtual object that allows the first user to change a location of the virtual object, for example, by dragging or otherwise placing a marker corresponding to the virtual object to a desired geographic location on the map. 
     At operation  815 , the application server  130  modifies the virtual object based on the user input. That is, the application server  130  modifies the virtual object in accordance with the modification indicated by the user input. The modifying of the virtual object results in a modified virtual object. Depending on the user input, the application server  130  may modify the virtual object by performing any one or more of the following: changing a size of the virtual object; changing a shape of the virtual object; changing a location of the virtual object within the real-world environment; changing a color of the virtual object; changing an orientation of the virtual object; changing an animation state of the virtual object. Consistent with some embodiments, in modifying the virtual object, the application server  130  may cause the virtual object to change from a first state to a second state, where the second state corresponds to the modified virtual object 
     To effectuate the modification to the virtual object, the application server  130  may update object definition data defining the virtual object. For example, the object definition data may include one or more object attributes and the application server  130  may update one or more attribute values to effectuate one or more changes to the virtual object in accordance with the user modification. 
     At operation  820 , the application server  130  causes display, on a second device, of the modified virtual object overlaid on a real-world environment. For example, the application server  130  may provide the second device with updated object definition data along with instructions to display the modified virtual object in accordance with the updated object definition data. 
     In some embodiments, the application server  130  may work in conjunction with a client application executing on the second device to augment image data comprising one or more images of the real-world environment to include the modified virtual object overlaid on the real-world environment. In some embodiments, the one or more images are generated by an embedded camera of the second device (e.g., a smartphone camera). In some embodiments, the one or more images are generated by an embedded camera of a companion device (e.g., companion device  114 ) such as a wearable device (e.g., glasses  331 ). 
     As noted above, in some embodiments, prior to displaying the virtual object on the first device and allowing the first user to modify the virtual object, the second user can establish user permissions that allows the first user to access, control, and augment virtual objects displayed by the second device. In this way, the second user can relinquish control of the view of their surrounding environment to the first user to allow the first user to augment the view of the second user without further action by the second user. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , the method  800  may further include operations  905  and  910 , in some embodiments. Consistent with these embodiments, the operation  905  may be performed prior to operation  810  where the application server  130  receives the user input. That is, the operation  905  may be performed prior to, in parallel with, or subsequent to operation  805  but before operation  810 . At operation  905 , the application server  130  causes display of the virtual object on the second device. 
     The operation  910  may be performed subsequent to operation  815  where the application server  130  modifies the virtual object based on the user input. That is, the operation  910  may be performed prior to, in parallel with, or subsequent to operation  820  where the application server  130  causes display of the modified virtual object by the second device. At operation  910 , the application server  130  causes display of the modified virtual object by the first device. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the method  800  may, in some embodiments, include operations  1005  and  1010 . Consistent with these embodiments, the operation  1005  may be performed prior to operation  805 , where the application server  130  causes display of the virtual object on the first device. The image data includes one or more images of the real-world environment, and upon augmenting the image data, the virtual object is presented as an overlay on the real-world environment. The image data is generated by a camera in communication with the second device. 
     Consistent with these embodiments, the operation  1010  is performed as part of (e.g., as a sub-routine or sub-operation) operation  805  where the application server  130  causes display of the virtual object by the first device. At operation  1010 , the application server  130  causes the first device to display the augmented image data. That is, the application server  130  causes the first device to display one or more images of the real-world environment with the virtual object overlaid thereon. 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the method  800  may, in some embodiments, include operations  1105  and  1110 . The operation  1105  may be performed as part of the operation  805  where the application server  130  causes display of the virtual object by the first device. At operation  1105 , the application server  130  causes the first device to display first image data depicting the virtual object overlaid upon a first real-world environment. 
     The operation  1110  may be performed as part of the operation  820  where the application server  130  causes display of the modified virtual object by the second device. With reference to the operation  820 , in the context of  FIG. 11 , the real-world environment is a second real-world environment. At operation  1110 , the application server  130  causes the second device to display second image data depicting the modified virtual object overlaid upon the second real-world environment. 
     Software Architecture 
       FIG. 12  is a block diagram illustrating an example software architecture  1206 , which may be used in conjunction with various hardware architectures herein described.  FIG. 12  is a non-limiting example of a software architecture, and it will be appreciated that many other architectures may be implemented to facilitate the functionality described herein. The software architecture  1206  may execute on hardware such as a machine  1300  of  FIG. 13  that includes, among other things, processors  1304 , memory/storage  1306 , and I/O components  1318 . A representative hardware layer  1252  is illustrated and can represent, for example, the machine  1300  of  FIG. 13 . The representative hardware layer  1252  includes a processing unit  1254  having associated executable instructions  1204 . The executable instructions  1204  represent the executable instructions of the software architecture  1206 , including implementation of the methods, components, and so forth described herein. The hardware layer  1252  also includes memory and/or storage modules  1256 , which also have the executable instructions  1204 . The hardware layer  1252  may also comprise other hardware  1258 . 
     In the example architecture of  FIG. 12 , the software architecture  1206  may be conceptualized as a stack of layers where each layer provides particular functionality. For example, the software architecture  1206  may include layers such as an operating system  1202 , libraries  1220 , frameworks/middleware  1218 , applications  1216 , and a presentation layer  1214 . Operationally, the applications  1216  and/or other components within the layers may invoke API calls  1208  through the software stack and receive a response to the API calls  1208  as messages  1212 . The layers illustrated are representative in nature and not all software architectures have all layers. For example, some mobile or special-purpose operating systems may not provide a frameworks/middleware  1218 , while others may provide such a layer. Other software architectures may include additional or different layers. 
     The operating system  1202  may manage hardware resources and provide common services. The operating system  1202  may include, for example, a kernel  1222 , services  1224 , and drivers  1226 . The kernel  1222  may act as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the other software layers. For example, the kernel  1222  may be responsible for memory management, processor management (e.g., scheduling), component management, networking, security settings, and so on. The services  1224  may provide other common services for the other software layers. The drivers  1226  are responsible for controlling or interfacing with the underlying hardware. For instance, the drivers  1226  include display drivers, camera drivers, Bluetooth® drivers, flash memory drivers, serial communication drivers (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) drivers), Wi-Fi® drivers, audio drivers, power management drivers, and so forth depending on the hardware configuration. 
     The libraries  1220  provide a common infrastructure that is used by the applications  1216  and/or other components and/or layers. The libraries  1220  provide functionality that allows other software components to perform tasks in an easier fashion than by interfacing directly with the underlying operating system  1202  functionality (e.g., kernel  1222 , services  1224 , and/or drivers  1226 ). The libraries  1220  may include system libraries  1244  (e.g., C standard library) that may provide functions such as memory allocation functions, string manipulation functions, mathematical functions, and the like. In addition, the libraries  1220  may include API libraries  1246  such as media libraries (e.g., libraries to support presentation and manipulation of various media formats such as MPEG4, H.294, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, and PNG), graphics libraries (e.g., an OpenGL framework that may be used to render 2D and 3D graphic content on a display), database libraries (e.g., SQLite that may provide various relational database functions), web libraries (e.g., WebKit that may provide web browsing functionality), and the like. The libraries  1220  may also include a wide variety of other libraries  1248  to provide many other APIs to the applications  1216  and other software components/modules. 
     The frameworks/middleware  1218  provide a higher-level common infrastructure that may be used by the applications  1216  and/or other software components/modules. For example, the frameworks/middleware  1218  may provide various GUI functions, high-level resource management, high-level location services, and so forth. The frameworks/middleware  1218  may provide a broad spectrum of other APIs that may be utilized by the applications  1216  and/or other software components/modules, some of which may be specific to a particular operating system  1202  or platform. 
     The applications  1216  include built-in applications  1238  and/or third-party applications  1240 . Examples of representative built-in applications  1238  may include, but are not limited to, a contacts application, a browser application, a book reader application, a location application, a media application, a messaging application, and/or a game application. The third-party applications  1240  may include an application developed using the ANDROID™ or IOS™ software development kit (SDK) by an entity other than the vendor of the particular platform and may be mobile software running on a mobile operating system such as IOS™, ANDROID™, WINDOWS® Phone, or other mobile operating systems. The third-party applications  1240  may invoke the API calls  1208  provided by the mobile operating system (such as the operating system  1202 ) to facilitate functionality described herein. 
     The applications  1216  may use built-in operating system functions (e.g., kernel  1222 , services  1224 , and/or drivers  1226 ), libraries  1220 , and frameworks/middleware  1218  to create user interfaces to interact with users of the system. Alternatively, or additionally, in some systems interactions with a user may occur through a presentation layer, such as the presentation layer  1214 . In these systems, the application/component “logic” can be separated from the aspects of the application/component that interact with a user. 
       FIG. 13  is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine  1300 , according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Specifically,  FIG. 13  shows a diagrammatic representation of the machine  1300  in the example form of a computer system, within which instructions  1310  (e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code) for causing the machine  1300  to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. As such, the instructions  1310  may be used to implement modules or components described herein. The instructions  1310  transform the general, non-programmed machine  1300  into a particular machine  1300  programmed to carry out the described and illustrated functions in the manner described. In alternative embodiments, the machine  1300  operates as a standalone device or may be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine  1300  may operate in the capacity of a server machine or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine  1300  may comprise, but not be limited to, a server computer, a client computer, a PC, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a PDA, an entertainment media system, a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance), other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of executing the instructions  1310 , sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions to be taken by the machine  1300 . Further, while only a single machine  1300  is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include a collection of machines that individually or jointly execute the instructions  1310  to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. 
     The machine  1300  may include processors  1304 , memory/storage  1306 , and I/O components  1318 , which may be configured to communicate with each other such as via a bus  1302 . In an example embodiment, the processors  1304  (e.g., a CPU, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a (GPU, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, a processor  1308  and a processor  1312  that may execute the instructions  1310 . Although  FIG. 13  shows multiple processors  1304 , the machine  1300  may include a single processor with a single core, a single processor with multiple cores (e.g., a multi-core processor), multiple processors with a single core, multiple processors with multiple cores, or any combination thereof. 
     The memory/storage  1306  may include a memory  1312 , such as a main memory, or other memory storage, and a storage unit  1314 , both accessible to the processors  1304  such as via the bus  1302 . The storage unit  1314  and memory  1312  store the instructions  1310  embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions  1310  may also reside, completely or partially, within the memory  1312 , within the storage unit  1314 , within at least one of the processors  1304  (e.g., within the processor&#39;s cache memory), or any suitable combination thereof, during execution thereof by the machine  1300 . Accordingly, the memory  1312 , the storage unit  1314 , and the memory of the processors  1304  are examples of machine-readable media. 
     The I/O components  1318  may include a wide variety of components to receive input, provide output, produce output, transmit information, exchange information, capture measurements, and so on. The specific I/O components  1318  that are included in a particular machine  1300  will depend on the type of machine. For example, portable machines such as mobile phones will likely include a touch input device or other such input mechanisms, while a headless server machine will likely not include such a touch input device. It will be appreciated that the I/O components  1318  may include many other components that are not shown in  FIG. 13 . The I/O components  1318  are grouped according to functionality merely for simplifying the following discussion, and the grouping is in no way limiting. In various example embodiments, the I/O components  1318  may include output components  1326  and input components  1328 . The output components  1326  may include visual components (e.g., a display such as a plasma display panel (PDP), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), acoustic components (e.g., speakers), haptic components (e.g., a vibratory motor, resistance mechanisms), other signal generators, and so forth. The input components  1328  may include alphanumeric input components (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen display configured to receive alphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or other alphanumeric input components), point-based input components (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointing instruments), tactile input components (e.g., a physical button, a touch screen display that provides location and/or force of touches or touch gestures, or other tactile input components), audio input components (e.g., a microphone), and the like. 
     In further example embodiments, the I/O components  1318  may include biometric components  1330 , motion components  1334 , environment components  1336 , or position components  1338 , among a wide array of other components. For example, the biometric components  1330  may include components to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial expressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), measure biosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person (e.g., voice identification, retinal identification, facial identification, fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram-based identification), and the like. The motion components  1334  may include acceleration sensor components (e.g., accelerometer), gravitation sensor components, rotation sensor components (e.g., gyroscope), and so forth. The environment components  1336  may include, for example, illumination sensor components (e.g., photometer), temperature sensor components (e.g., one or more thermometers that detect ambient temperature), humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g., barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphones that detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g., infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g., gas sensors to detect concentrations of hazardous gases for safety or to measure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other components that may provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding to a surrounding physical environment. The position components  1338  may include location sensor components (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver component), altitude sensor components (e.g., altimeters or barometers that detect air pressure from which altitude may be derived), orientation sensor components (e.g., magnetometers), and the like. 
     Communication may be implemented using a wide variety of technologies. The I/O components  1318  may include communication components  1340  operable to couple the machine  1300  to a network  1332  or devices  1320  via a coupling  1324  and a coupling  1322 , respectively. For example, the communication components  1340  may include a network interface component or other suitable device to interface with the network  1332 . In further examples, the communication components  1340  may include wired communication components, wireless communication components, cellular communication components, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components to provide communication via other modalities. The devices  1320  may be another machine or any of a wide variety of peripheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a USB). 
     Moreover, the communication components  1340  may detect identifiers or include components operable to detect identifiers. For example, the communication components  1340  may include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detection components, optical reader components (e.g., an optical sensor to detect one-dimensional bar codes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code, multi-dimensional bar codes such as Quick Response (QR) code, Aztec code, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF4114, Ultra Code, UCC RSS-2D bar code, and other optical codes), or acoustic detection components (e.g., microphones to identify tagged audio signals). In addition, a variety of information may be derived via the communication components  1340 , such as location via Internet Protocol (IP) geolocation, location via Wi-Fi® signal triangulation, location via detecting an NFC beacon signal that may indicate a particular location, and so forth. 
     Glossary 
     “CARRIER SIGNAL” in this context refers to any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by a machine, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible media to facilitate communication of such instructions. Instructions may be transmitted or received over a network using a transmission medium via a network interface device and using any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols. 
     “CLIENT DEVICE” in this context refers to any machine that interfaces to a communications network to obtain resources from one or more server systems or other client devices. A client device may be, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, desktop computer, laptop, PDA, smart phone, tablet, ultra book, netbook, laptop, multi-processor system, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics system, game console, set-top box, or any other communication device that a user may use to access a network. 
     “COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK” in this context refers to one or more portions of a network that may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), the Internet, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a plain old telephone service (POTS) network, a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a Wi-Fi® network, another type of network, or a combination of two or more such networks. For example, a network or a portion of a network may include a wireless or cellular network, and the coupling to the network may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) connection, a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) connection, or another type of cellular or wireless coupling. In this example, the coupling may implement any of a variety of types of data transfer technology, such as Single Carrier Radio Transmission Technology (1xRTT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology, third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) including 3G, fourth generation wireless (4G) networks, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standard, others defined by various standard-setting organizations, other long-range protocols, or other data transfer technology. 
     “MACHINE-READABLE MEDIUM” in this context refers to a component, device, or other tangible medium able to store instructions and data temporarily or permanently, and may include, but is not limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), buffer memory, flash memory, optical media, magnetic media, cache memory, other types of storage (e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM)), and/or any suitable combination thereof. The term “machine-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, or associated caches and servers) able to store instructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium, or combination of multiple media, that is capable of storing instructions (e.g., code) for execution by a machine, such that the instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the machine, cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies described herein. Accordingly, a “machine-readable medium” refers to a single storage apparatus or device, as well as “cloud-based” storage systems or storage networks that include multiple storage apparatus or devices. The term “machine-readable medium” excludes signals per se. 
     “COMPONENT” in this context refers to a device, a physical entity, or logic having boundaries defined by function or subroutine calls, branch points, APIs, or other technologies that provide for the partitioning or modularization of particular processing or control functions. Components may be combined via their interfaces with other components to carry out a machine process. A component may be a packaged functional hardware unit designed for use with other components and a part of a program that usually performs a particular function of related functions. Components may constitute either software components (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium) or hardware components. 
     A “HARDWARE COMPONENT” is a tangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain physical manner. In various example embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone computer system, a client computer system, or a server computer system) or one or more hardware components of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) as a hardware component that operates to perform certain operations as described herein. A hardware component may also be implemented mechanically, electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, a hardware component may include dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured to perform certain operations. A hardware component may be a special-purpose processor, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an ASIC. A hardware component may also include programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. For example, a hardware component may include software executed by a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor. 
     Once configured by such software, hardware components become specific machines (or specific components of a machine) uniquely tailored to perform the configured functions and are no longer general-purpose processors. It will be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware component mechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations. Accordingly, the phrase “hardware component” (or “hardware-implemented component”) should be understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or to perform certain operations described herein. 
     Considering embodiments in which hardware components are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of the hardware components need not be configured or instantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where a hardware component comprises a general-purpose processor configured by software to become a special-purpose processor, the general-purpose processor may be configured as respectively different special-purpose processors (e.g., comprising different hardware components) at different times. Software accordingly configures a particular processor or processors, for example, to constitute a particular hardware component at one instance of time and to constitute a different hardware component at a different instance of time. 
     Hardware components can provide information to, and receive information from, other hardware components. Accordingly, the described hardware components may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multiple hardware components exist contemporaneously, communications may be achieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) between or among two or more of the hardware components. In embodiments in which multiple hardware components are configured or instantiated at different times, communications between such hardware components may be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiple hardware components have access. For example, one hardware component may perform an operation and store the output of that operation in a memory device to which it is communicatively coupled. A further hardware component may then, at a later time, access the memory device to retrieve and process the stored output. Hardware components may also initiate communications with input or output devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection of information). 
     The various operations of example methods described herein may be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanently configured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented components that operate to perform one or more operations or functions described herein. As used herein, “processor-implemented component” refers to a hardware component implemented using one or more processors. Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partially processor-implemented, with a particular processor or processors being an example of hardware. For example, at least some of the operations of a method may be performed by one or more processors or processor-implemented components. 
     Moreover, the one or more processors may also operate to support performance of the relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples of machines including processors), with these operations being accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an application programming interface (API)). The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed among the processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments, the processors or processor-implemented components may be located in a single geographic location (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other example embodiments, the processors or processor-implemented components may be distributed across a number of geographic locations. 
     “PROCESSOR” in this context refers to any circuit or virtual circuit (a physical circuit emulated by logic executing on an actual processor) that manipulates data values according to control signals (e.g., “commands,” “op codes,” “machine code,” etc.) and which produces corresponding output signals that are applied to operate a machine. A processor may, for example, be a CPU, a RISC processor, a CISC processor, a GPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a RFIC, or any combination thereof. A processor may further be a multi-core processor having two or more independent processors (sometimes referred to as “cores”) that may execute instructions contemporaneously. 
     “TIMESTAMP” in this context refers to a sequence of characters or encoded information identifying when a certain event occurred, (for example, giving date and time of day) sometimes accurate to a small fraction of a second.