Object display system in a virtual world

• US 20050179685A1
• Filed: 04/14/2005
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohba, Akio, Kake, Tomokazu
• Application Number:
  US11/105,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20050179685A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/208 for storing personal settings or data of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• 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 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An apparatus for displaying an object such as a billboard in a virtual world is provided. An input history of a user'"'"'s operation for moving a character in the virtual world is obtained. The movement track of the character in the virtual world is also obtained. The position and direction of the billboard are changed according to the input history and the movement track so that the billboard is visible to the user. For instance, on a street where the user is expected to move at a high speed, the direction of the billboard is changed so that its display surface can face the front of the character and the billboard is displayed in a position far away from the user'"'"'s viewing position.

Claims

1. An object display apparatus comprising:

a selecting unit which selects individual information for each user who logs into a virtual world, the information being displayed in the virtual world and recognized by the each user,

wherein when a plurality of users log into the virtual world as a group, the selecting unit selects common information having a same content for the plurality of the users who form the group instead of selecting the individual information for each of the users.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display control unit which displays a display object on which the information selected by the selecting unit is displayed.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the display control unit displays information having a different content selected by the selecting unit on the display object for a user of a different group, even when the same display object is one on which the common information having the same content is displayed for a plurality of users which form one group.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the display control unit displays the individual information having a different content selected by the selecting unit on the display object for a user who logs into the virtual world alone, even when the same display object is one on which the common information having the same content is displayed for a plurality of users which form one group.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a visibility range judging unit which judges a range of visibility of a user who see the virtual world based on a direction of movement and a speed of movement of an operational object which the user operates in the virtual world, and wherein the display control unit displays the display object within the judged visibility range.

6. An object display system comprising a terminal and a server which are connected to a network, wherein the terminal comprises:

a communication unit which receives from the server data of an object in a virtual world; and

a display unit which displays an image of the virtual world using the data of the object, and

wherein the server comprises;

a selecting unit which selects individual information for each user who logs into a virtual world, the information being recognized by the each user in the virtual world; and

a display control unit which displays on the terminal a display object on which the information selected by the selecting unit is displayed, and

wherein when a plurality of users log into the virtual world as a group, the selecting unit selects common information having a same content for the plurality of the users who form the group instead of selecting the individual information for each of the users.

7. An object display method comprising:

selecting individual information for each user who logs into a virtual world, the information being recognized by the each user in the virtual world; and

displaying a display object on which the selected information is displayed, and

wherein when a plurality of users log into the virtual world as a group, common information having a same content for the plurality of the users who form the group is selected instead of the individual information for each of the users being selected.