METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SPAWNING PROJECTED AVATARS IN A VIRTUAL UNIVERSE

• US 20090046102A1
• Filed: 08/16/2007
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pickover, Clifford Alan, O'Connell, Brian Marshall, Walker, Keith Raymond, Hamilton, Rick Allen II
• Granted Patent: US 7,990,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/474
• 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: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/16 involving adaptation to the client's capabilities

Abstract

The present invention provides a computer implemented method and apparatus to project a projected avatar associated with an avatar in a virtual universe. A computer receives a command to project the avatar, the command having a projection point. The computer transmits a request to place a projected avatar at the projection point to a virtual universe host. The computer renders a tab associated with the projected avatar.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for projecting a projected avatar associated with an avatar in a virtual universe, the method comprising:

receiving a command to project the avatar, the command having a projection point;

transmitting a request to place a projected avatar at the projection point to a virtual universe host; and

rendering a tab associated with the projected avatar.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

rendering a viewport associated with the tab and the projection point.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the projected avatar has a projected avatar unique identifier and an association with a avatar unique identifier, the request includes a setting of physics off;

and a location of the avatar is distinct from the projection point.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

adding the projection point to a queue of locations, wherein at least one queue of location is associated with the avatar unique identifier.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving an event associated with the projected avatar; and

in response to receiving the event, annihilating the projected avatar.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5 wherein the event is a client computer logging off a session with the virtual universe host.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving an annihilate command associated with the projected avatar;

transmitting a request to remove the projected avatar from the projection point to the virtual universe host; and

removing the tab associated with the projected avatar.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

rendering an annihilate button for the tab, wherein the annihilate command is a mouse click.

9. A computer implemented method for projecting an avatar in a virtual universe comprising:

receiving a command to project the avatar to form a projected avatar, the command having a projection point in the virtual universe;

copying a geometry of the avatar to form a projected avatar, wherein the projected avatar occupies the projection point; and

applying a rendering effect to the projected avatar the rendering effect being distinct from a rendering effect applied to the avatar, wherein the rendering effect is transmitted to a client computer.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a command to swap the avatar with the projected avatar, the avatar having a departure point;

teleporting the avatar to the projection point; and

teleporting the projected avatar to the departure point.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein teleporting comprises:

associating an avatar with the projection point to form an association of the avatar with the projection point;

transmitting the association of the avatar with the projection point to a client computer; and

transmitting an avatar attitude to the client computer.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

applying physics to the projected avatar such that a virtual universe object interacts with the projected avatar according to a conservation of momentum.

13. A data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein computer usable code is located in the storage device;

a communication unit connected to the bus;

a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code to project a projected avatar associated with an avatar in a virtual universe, the processing unit further executes the computer usable code to receive a command to project the avatar, the command having a projection point;

transmit a request to place a projected avatar at the projection point to a virtual universe host; and

render a tab associated with the projected avatar.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable code to render a viewport associated with the tab and the projection point.

15. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the projected avatar has a projected avatar unique identifier and an association with a avatar unique identifier, the request includes a setting of physics off;

and a location of the avatar is distinct from the projection point.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable code to add the projection point to a queue of locations, wherein at least one queue of location is associated with the avatar unique identifier.

17. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable code to receive an event associated with the projected avatar;

and in response to receiving the event, annihilate the projected avatar.

18. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the event is a client computer logging off a session with the virtual universe host.

19. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable code to receive an annihilate command associated with the projected avatar;

transmit a request to remove the projected avatar from the projection point to the virtual universe host; and

remove the tab associated with the projected avatar.

20. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable code to render an annihilate button for the tab, wherein the annihilate command is a mouse click.