System and methods of virtual world interaction

• US 10,701,077 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2018
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pfaqutruma Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Pfaqutruma Research LLC
• Inventors: Shuster, Brian, Burch, Aaron, Kristiansen, Frisco, Neufeld, Ian, Herling, Dirk, Tyroler, Patrick, Shuster, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Bycer, Eric J.
• Application Number:
  US15/934,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20180227308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• 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 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5586 for enforcing rights or rules, e.g. to prevent foul play
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• 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 3/04815 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/024 Multi-user, collaborative environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 : Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 : where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• 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 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 : Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

Systems and methods of virtual world interaction, operation, implementation, instantiation, creation, and other functions related to virtual worlds (note that where the term “virtual world” is used herein, it is to be understood as referring to virtual world systems, virtual environments reflecting real, simulated, fantasy, or other structures, and includes information systems that utilize interaction within a 30 environment). Various embodiments facilitate interoperation between and within virtual worlds, and may provide consistent structures for operating virtual worlds. The disclosed embodiments may further enable individuals to build new virtual worlds within a framework, and allow third party users to better interact with those worlds.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one computer processor coupled to a memory containing instructions to instantiate two or more virtual environments, a subset of which is defined as at least one of the two or more virtual environments;

one or more objects defined according to a protocol for the subset virtual environment;

one or more scenes within the subset virtual environment;

data defining extent permissions each of the objects, scenes, subsets and virtual environments is permitted to grant to, or exercise against, one or more of other objects, scenes, or virtual environments,

means for realizing the permissions data in an instance of the subset by limiting the ability of objects, scenes, and the virtual environments to interactions compatible with the extent permissions, where the virtual environments are permitted to require, permit, preclude, or a combination thereof, permissions of scenes below it in a hierarchy, and scenes are permitted to require, permit, preclude, or a combination thereof, permissions of objects below it in a hierarchy; and

wherein the hierarchy within each subset is determined independently of hierarchy within any other subset.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data is encoded into the objects themselves and not centrally stored.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the encoded data is encrypted.

4. A method, comprising:

instantiating two or more virtual environments, a subset of which is defined as at least one of the two or more virtual environments;

defining one or more objects according to a protocol for the subset virtual environment;

instantiating one or more scenes within the subset virtual environment;

storing data defining extent permissions each of the objects, scenes, subsets and virtual environments is permitted to grant to, or exercise against, one or more of other objects, scenes, subsets or virtual environments;

realizing the permissions data in an instance of the subset by limiting the ability of objects, scenes, subsets and the two or more virtual environments to interactions compatible with the extent permissions, where the two or more virtual environments are permitted to require, permit, preclude, or a combination thereof, permissions of scenes below it in a hierarchy, and scenes are permitted to require, permit, preclude, or a combination thereof, permissions of objects below it in a hierarchy; and

wherein the hierarchy within each subset is determined independently of the hierarchy within any other subset.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the data is encoded into the one or more objects themselves and not centrally stored.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the encoded data is encrypted.