Search, use of depth perception as an indicator of user's interests or preferences

摘要

Methods and apparatus are provided. The method provides a display of preference information using depth perception, such as on a three dimensional representation or in a virtual reality space. Objects are identified in images or image sequences and relevance information is assigned based on preference information. Preferred objects are shown on the foreground plane of the display to varying degrees based on the strength of the preferences. Undesirable objects are likewise shown on the background plane of the display, to varying degrees based on the strength of the preferences. Unspecified or natural objects are shown on reference planes that are neither foreground nor background. Exemplary embodiments are provided for movie database applications where various actors are shown pushed in or extruded. Another embodiment allows the user to adjust the plane of the object to change the user's preferences.