Bridging physical and virtual spaces

• US 10,356,136 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2013
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sococo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sococo, Inc.
• Inventors: Van Wie, David, Brody, Paul J., Jennings, Joseph W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nickerson, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sparks, Jonathan A
• Application Number:
  US14/056,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,098 Days
• Field of Search: 709 6, 709 23, 709 27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/157 defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Examples of systems and methods for bridging virtual and physical spaces are described. In some of these examples, a particular communicant'"'"'s real world state drives changes in one or more of the communications connections, virtual state, and communications interface of the particular communicant or another communicant.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method in a network communications environment comprising a network service implemented by at least one server network node and supporting realtime communications between co-present ones of a user and one or more other communicants in virtual locations that define different respective communication contexts in the network communications environment, the method comprising by the network service:

based on a request from a first client network node, logging the first client network node into a particular one of the virtual locations, wherein the first client network node and a first communicant are located in a particular real-world location;

based on a request from a second client network node located outside the particular real-world location to log a second communicant into the particular virtual location, establishing a presence for the second communicant in the particular virtual location, and administering between the first and second client network nodes a first realtime communication connection that enables realtime communications between the second communicant and communicants who are located in the particular real-world location;

based on a request from a third client network node located outside the particular real-world location to log the user into the particular virtual location, establishing a presence for the user in the particular virtual location, administering between the first and third client network nodes a second realtime communication connection that enables realtime communications between the user and communicants who are located in the particular real-world location, and administering between the second and third client network nodes a third realtime communication connection that enables realtime communications between the user and the second communicant; and

based on a determination that the real-world location of the user coincides with the particular real-world location, terminating the second and third realtime communication connections while maintaining the first realtime communication connection and maintaining the presences of the user and the second communicant in the particular virtual location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the third client network node is a mobile communication device associated with the user, and further comprising associating the first client network node with the user based on the determination that the real-world location of the user coincides with the particular real-world location.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the first client network node with the particular real-world location.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising associating the first client network node with the user based on the determination that the real-world location of the user coincides with the particular real-world location.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after terminating the second and third realtime communication connections and responsive to a determination that the real-world location of the user is outside the particular real-world location:

administering between the first and third client network nodes a fourth realtime communication connection that enables realtime communications between the user and other communicants who are located in the particular real-world location;

administering between the second and third client network nodes a fifth realtime communication connection that enables realtime communications between the user and the second communicant; and

maintaining the presences of the user and the second communicant in the particular virtual area.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising while the user is located in the particular real-world location:

responsive to receipt of a request from the third client network node to enter a second one of the virtual locations, terminating the presence of the user in the particular virtual location, establishing a presence for the user in the second virtual location, and administering a fourth realtime communication connection between the third client network node and a respective client network node of a communicant who is present in the second virtual location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminating of the second and third realtime communications connections is performed automatically in response to the determination that the real-world location of the user coincides with the particular real-world location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the real-world location of the user coincides with the particular real-world location is based on location information received from the third client network node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the real-world location of the user coincides with the particular real-world location is based on information received from the first client network node.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically identifying one or more of the communicants in the particular real-world location.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a presence in the particular virtual location for the first communicant.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising identifying the at least one communicant in the particular real-world location.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein, after the terminating, the first client network node transceives realtime communications between the second client network node and the user and the first communicant in the particular real-world location.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first client network node enables video conferencing between communicants in the particular real-world location and other communicants who are operating respective client network nodes that are connected to the first client network nodes via respective realtime communication connections administered by the network service.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising by the first client network node based on the determination that the real-world location of the user coincides with the particular real-world location:

transmitting to the second client network node communications corresponding to human perceptible stimulus broadcasted by the user and the first communicant into the particular real-world location over the first realtime communication connection; and

broadcasting into the particular real-world location human-perceptible stimulus corresponding to communications received from the second client network node over the first realtime communication connection.

16. Apparatus in a network communications environment comprising a network service implemented by at least one server network node and supporting realtime communications between co-present ones of a user and one or more other communicants in virtual locations that define different respective communication contexts in the network communications environment, the apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory memory storing processor-readable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, operable to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions operable to perform operations comprising

based on a request from a first client network node, logging the first client network node into a particular one of the virtual locations, wherein the first client network node and a first communicant are located in a particular real-world location;

based on a request from a second client network node located outside the particular real-world location to log a second communicant into the particular virtual location, establishing a presence for the second communicant in the particular virtual location, and administering between the first and second client network nodes a first realtime communication connection that enables realtime communications between the second communicant and communicants who are located in the particular real-world location;

based on a request from a third client network node located outside the particular real-world location to log the user into the particular virtual location, establishing a presence for the user in the particular virtual location, administering between the first and third client network nodes a second realtime communication connection that enables realtime communications between the user and communicants who are located in the particular real-world location, and administering between the second and third client network nodes a third realtime communication connection that enables realtime communications between the user and the second communicant; and

based on a determination that the real-world location of the user coincides with the particular real-world location, terminating the second and third realtime communication connections while maintaining the first realtime communication connection and maintaining the presences of the user and the second communicant in the particular virtual location.

17. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium in a network communications environment comprising a network service implemented by at least one server network node and supporting realtime communications between co-present ones of a user and one or more other communicants in virtual locations that define different respective communication contexts in the network communications environment, the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having processor-readable program code embodied therein, the processor-readable program code adapted to be executed by a processor to implement a method comprising:

based on a request from a first client network node, logging the first client network node into a particular one of the virtual locations, wherein the first client network node and a first communicant are located in a particular real-world location;

based on a request from a second client network node located outside the particular real-world location to log a second communicant into the particular virtual location, establishing a presence for the second communicant in the particular virtual location, and administering between the first and second client network nodes a first realtime communication connection that enables realtime communications between the second communicant and communicants who are located in the particular real-world location;

based on a request from a third client network node located outside the particular real-world location to log the user into the particular virtual location, establishing a presence for the user in the particular virtual location, administering between the first and third client network nodes a second realtime communication connection that enables realtime communications between the user and communicants who are located in the particular real-world location, and administering between the second and third client network nodes a third realtime communication connection that enables realtime communications between the user and the second communicant; and

based on a determination that the real-world location of the user coincides with the particular real-world location, terminating the second and third realtime communication connections while maintaining the first realtime communication connection and maintaining the presences of the user and the second communicant in the particular virtual location.