System for providing virtual spaces for access by users
First Claim
1. A system configured to provide a virtual space that is accessible to a user, wherein a virtual space is a simulated physical space that has a topography, expresses real-time interaction by the user, and includes one or more objects positioned within the topography that are capable of experiencing locomotion within the topography, the system comprising:
- a storage module that stores information related to a plurality of virtual spaces, wherein the information stored in the storage module that is related to a given virtual space comprises;
topographical information related to the topography of the given virtual space, andmanifestation information related to manifestation of the one or more objects positioned within the topography and/or unseen forces experienced by the one or more objects in the virtual space;
a server in operative communication with the database that receives the information stored in the database related to the given virtual space and instantiates the virtual space according to the received information; and
a client in operative communication with the server;
wherein the server implements the instantiation of the virtual space to determine a view of the virtual space,wherein the client receives view information that describes the view from the server, andwherein the client formats the view of the virtual space for viewing by the user by assembling the view information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system configured to provide one or more virtual spaces that are accessible to users. The system may implement a markup language to communicate information between various components. The markup language may enable the communication of information between components of the system via markup elements. A markup element may include a discrete unit of information that includes both content and attributes associated with the content. The implementation of the markup language may enable the instantiation of virtual spaces, and the conveyance to users of views of an instantiated virtual space via a distributed architecture in which the components (e.g., a server capable of instantiating virtual spaces, and a client capable of providing an interface between a user and a virtual space) are capable of providing virtual spaces with a broader range of characteristics than components in conventional systems capable of providing virtual spaces that are accessible to users. This may enable users to access virtual spaces from a broader range of platforms, provide access to a broader range of virtual spaces without requiring the installation of proprietary or specialized client applications, facilitate the creation and/or customization of virtual spaces, and/or provide other enhancements.
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Citations
55 Claims
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1. A system configured to provide a virtual space that is accessible to a user, wherein a virtual space is a simulated physical space that has a topography, expresses real-time interaction by the user, and includes one or more objects positioned within the topography that are capable of experiencing locomotion within the topography, the system comprising:
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a storage module that stores information related to a plurality of virtual spaces, wherein the information stored in the storage module that is related to a given virtual space comprises; topographical information related to the topography of the given virtual space, and manifestation information related to manifestation of the one or more objects positioned within the topography and/or unseen forces experienced by the one or more objects in the virtual space; a server in operative communication with the database that receives the information stored in the database related to the given virtual space and instantiates the virtual space according to the received information; and a client in operative communication with the server; wherein the server implements the instantiation of the virtual space to determine a view of the virtual space, wherein the client receives view information that describes the view from the server, and wherein the client formats the view of the virtual space for viewing by the user by assembling the view information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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5. The system of claim 5, wherein the client is associated with an incarnation located within the virtual space, and wherein interface enables the user to interact with the virtual space by inputting commands, via the interface, that control the actions of the incarnation within the virtual space.
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20. A server capable of instantiating a virtual space, wherein a virtual space is a simulated physical space that has a topography, expresses real-time interaction by the user, and includes one or more objects positioned within the topography that are capable of experiencing locomotion within the topography, the server comprising:
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a communication module that receives information related to a virtual space from a storage module, wherein the information comprises; topographical information related to a topography of the virtual space, and manifestation information related to manifestation of one or more objects positioned within the topography and/or unseen forces experienced by the one or more objects in the virtual space; an instantiation module that instantiates the virtual space according to the received information, wherein the topography of the instantiated virtual space is dictated entirely by the topographical information conveyed in the received information, and wherein the locomotion characteristics, unseen forces experienced by, and interaction characteristics of the one or more objects positioned within the virtual space are dictated entirely by the manifestation information conveyed in the received information; and a view module that implements the instantiation of the virtual space to determine a view of the virtual space, wherein the view module generates view information that describes the view, wherein the communication module further transmits the view information generated by the view module to a client, the client formatting the view of the virtual space, for viewing by a user on the client, by assembling the view information. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A client that enables interaction between a user and a virtual space, wherein a virtual space is a simulated physical space that has a topography, expresses real-time interaction by the user, and includes one or more objects positioned within the topography that are capable of experiencing locomotion within the topography, the client comprising:
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a server communication module that receives information from a server executing and instantiation of a virtual space, wherein the information comprises; view information that describes a view of the virtual space, the view being assembled by the server based on the position of the incarnation within the virtual space, and interface information that describes an interface provided to the user by the client that enables the user to interact with the virtual space; a view module that formats the view of the virtual space for viewing by the user by assembling the view information received by the server communication module; and an interface module that configures the interface based on the interface information received by the server communication module, wherein the interface enables the user to input commands to be executed within the virtual space, wherein the server communication module transmits the commands input by the user via the interface to the server for execution in the instantiation of the virtual space. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A storage module configured to store information related to a virtual space, wherein a virtual space is a simulated physical space that has a topography, expresses real-time interaction by the user, and includes one or more objects positioned within the topography that are capable of experiencing locomotion within the topography, the storage module comprising:
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information storage that stores information related to a plurality of virtual spaces, wherein the information stored in the information storage that is related to a given virtual space comprises; topographical information related to the topography of the given virtual space, and manifestation information related to manifestation of the one or more objects positioned within the topography and/or unseen forces experienced by the one or more objects in the virtual space; and a server communication module that communicates the information related to the given virtual space to a server to enable the server to instantiate the virtual space. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A system configured to enable a user to create a virtual space, wherein a virtual space is a simulated physical space that has a topography, expresses real-time interaction by the user, and includes one or more objects positioned within the topography that are capable of experiencing locomotion within the topography, the system comprising:
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a client that enables a user to create a new virtual space by selecting a set of characteristics of a virtual space, wherein selection of the set of characteristics dictate (i) aspects of a topography of the new virtual space, and (ii) manifestation of one or more objects positioned within the topography and/or unseen forces experienced by the one or more objects in the new virtual space; and a storage module in operative communication with the client that stores information related to a plurality of virtual spaces, wherein the information stored in the storage module that is related to a given virtual space comprises; topographical information related to the topography of the given virtual space, and manifestation information related to manifestation of the one or more objects positioned within the topography and/or unseen forces experienced by the one or more objects in the virtual space, wherein the storage module adds the new virtual space to the plurality of virtual spaces by storing the information conveyed from the client to the storage module. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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Specification