Virtual reality universe representation changes viewing based upon client side parameters

• US 10,320,946 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2017
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Cronin, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Salad, Abdullahi E
• Application Number:
  US15/832,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20180097915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70

Abstract

Systems and methods for enabling a visitor to access VR representations authored by different authors of images at different quality levels at various locations in a virtual universe via a computer network are provided. A plurality of data sets may be stored in memory. Each VR data set may define a VR representation of a location and may be independently authored by a respective author different from the other authors. In addition, each VR dataset may have a speed and quality metric to assist the visitors in an optimized experience. One or more VR data servers may access and transmit the VR data sets of various quality and speeds, each of which may be associated with a VR data server having access to the VR data set. A domain server may be adapted to access and transmit domain data comprising the location within the universe of each VR representation and the network address of the VR data server associated with the VR representation. Further, a client host may be adapted to communicate with the domain server to receive domain data representing the network address of the VR data server associated with a bets matched quality and speed VR representation and to communicate with that VR data server to access the VR data set defining the VR representation without leaving the virtual universe.

Claims

1. A system for providing virtual reality (VR) representations in a virtual universe, the system comprising:

memory that stores a plurality of VR data sets, each VR data set defining a VR representation of a location within the virtual universe and associated with a different set of client device operational characteristics;

a domain server that;

receives a user-selected path from a client device associated with a set of operational characteristics, and

provides domain data associated with the user-selected path to the client device, wherein the domain data includes a network address and corresponds to the operational characteristics of the client device; and

a VR data server corresponding to the network address, wherein the VR data server transmits the VR data set associated with the user-selected path and the operational characteristics to the client device, wherein the client device renders continuous movement along the user-selected path within the virtual universe using the transmitted VR data set without leaving the virtual universe.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the VR representation of the user-selected path includes a speed type representing a range of speeds at which to show an image of the user-selected path at a specified quality level.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the domain server further:

receives a user-selected speed type, the user-selected speed type having a lower speed than a speed type corresponding to the operational characteristics of the client device, and

matches the user-selected speed type with the speed type of the VR representation of the location.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user-selected path is selected from a plurality of available paths, each available path associated with a different quality level.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of operational characteristics associated with the client device include at least one of processor speeds, processor loads, connection speeds, and browser version.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein a journey within the virtual universe includes a plurality of available paths between a first point and a second point, the available paths selected to be compatible with the speed type of user device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein a preferred quality level for the plurality of available paths is modifiable at predetermined points along the journey.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each VR data set further includes user feedback related to image quality and access speed, and wherein the user feedback is provided to an author of the VR data set regarding additional representations of the location.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the VR representation of the location includes at least two different versions each having different quality levels.

10. A method for providing virtual reality (VR) representations in a virtual universe, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of VR data sets, each VR data set defining a VR representation of a location within the virtual universe and associated with a different set of client device operational characteristics; and

executing instructions stored in memory, the instructions being executed by a processor to;

receive a user-selected path from a client device associated with a set of operational characteristics,

provide domain data associated with the user-selected path to the client device, wherein the domain data includes a network address and corresponds to the operational characteristics of the client device, and

transmit the VR data set associated with the user-selected path and the operational characteristics to the client device, wherein the client device renders continuous movement along the user-selected path within the virtual universe using the transmitted VR data set without leaving the virtual universe.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the VR representation of the user-selected path includes a speed type representing a range of speeds at which to show an image of the user-selected path at a specified quality level.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein instructions are further executed to:

receives a user-selected speed type, the user-selected speed type having a lower speed than a speed type corresponding to the operational characteristics of the client device, and

matches the user-selected speed type with the speed type of the VR representation of the location.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the user-selected path is selected from a plurality of available paths, each available path associated with a different quality level.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of operational characteristics associated with the client device include at least one of processor speeds, processor loads, connection speeds, and browser version.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein a journey within the virtual universe includes a plurality of available paths between a first point and a second point, the available paths selected to be compatible with the speed type of user device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a preferred quality level for the plurality of available paths is modifiable at predetermined points along the journey.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein each VR data set further includes user feedback related to image quality and access speed, and wherein the user feedback is provided to an author of the VR data set regarding additional representations of the location.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the VR representation of the location includes at least two different versions each having different quality levels.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for providing virtual reality (VR) representations in a virtual universe, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of VR data sets, each VR data set defining a VR representation of a location within the virtual universe and associated with a different set of client device operational characteristics;

receiving a user-selected path from a client device associated with a set of operational characteristic;

providing domain data associated with the user-selected path to the client device, wherein the domain data includes a network address and corresponds to the operational characteristics of the client device;

transmitting the VR data set associated with the user-selected path and the operational characteristics to the client device; and

rendering continuous movement along the user-selected path within the virtual universe using the transmitted VR data set without leaving the virtual universe.