COLLAPSING AREAS OF A REGION IN A VIRTUAL UNIVERSE TO CONSERVE COMPUTING RESOURCES

• US 20090113338A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Seaman, James W., Moskowitz, Paul A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,214,750 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• 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 2300/5593 involving scheduling aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• 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 2200/04 involving 3D image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/36 Level of detail
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2405 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the server, e.g. server load allocation of resources in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/50; performance measurement of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Described herein are processes and devices that collapse areas in a region of a virtual universe to conserve computing resources. One of the devices described is a virtual resource conserver. The virtual resource conserver determines a first area of a region in a virtual universe. The first area has objects or avatars. A first computing resource processes data for presenting and controlling the objects or avatars in the first area. The virtual resource conserver determines a second area of the region that is similar in topology to the first area. The virtual resource conserver moves the objects or avatars from the first area to the second area and transfers data for presenting and controlling the avatars or objects from the first computing resource to a second computing resource. Finally, the virtual resource conserver reduces usage of the first computing resource, thus conserving resources in the virtual universe.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a first area of a region in a virtual universe, the first area comprising one or more topology objects and one or more avatars, wherein a first computing resource processes data for presenting the first area, and wherein the first computing resource processes session data for controlling the one or more avatars in the first area;

determining a second area of the region, wherein the second area is similar in topology to the first area, wherein a second computing resource processes data for presenting the second area;

moving the one or more avatars from the first area to the second area;

transferring the session data for controlling the one or more avatars from the first computing resource to the second computing resource; and

reducing usage of the first computing resource to process the data for presenting the first area.

2. The method of claim 1, reducing usage of the first computing resource comprises removing a display of the first area from the virtual universe.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more avatars are interacting with one or more interactive objects displayed in the first area, and further comprising moving the one or more interactive objects from the first area to the second area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more avatars are engaged in an activity, and wherein determining a second area of the region comprises determining that the second computing resource can process data for displaying the one or more avatars engaged in the activity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first area comprises a first topology with common regional properties that display any one of the region'"'"'s landscape or functionality, and wherein the second area comprises a second topology also with common regional properties.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the one or more avatars from the first area to the second area comprises any one or more of teleporting the one or more avatars, redrawing the one or more avatars, causing the one or more avatars to traverse on foot, and causing the one or more avatars to fly.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the session data for controlling the one or more avatars from the first computing resource to the second computing resource comprises using a virtual data transfer function.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein reducing usage of the first computing resource comprises any one or more of turning off the computing resource, reducing a rate of computer processor cycles on the computing resource, reducing a rate of data transfer by the first computing resource, and reducing a rate of memory access on the first computing resource.

9. A network, comprising:

a machine configured to connect to a communication network, the machine configured to process data in a virtual universe; and

a virtual resource conserver device configured to connect to any one of the machine and the communication network, wherein the virtual resource conserver device comprises

a virtual resource conservation controller configured to determine a first area of a region in the virtual universe, the first area controlled by a first computing resource, to determine a second area with a similar topology to the first area, the second area controlled by a second, computing resource, and to move one or more avatars from the first area to the second area; and

a resource collapsing unit configured to transfer session data between the first computing resource and the second computing resource, and to reduce a display quality of the first area.

10. The network, of claim 9, wherein the virtual resource conservation controller is configured to determine one or more interactive objects that the one or more avatars use in the first area and wherein the virtual resource conservation controller is configured to move the interactive objects from the first area to the second area.

11. The network of claim 9, wherein the virtual resource conservation controller is configured to determine one or more topology objects, and wherein the virtual resource conservation controller is configured to reduce a display of the one or more topology objects in the first area.

12. The network of claim 9, further comprising:

a first server comprising the first computing resource, the first server hosting the session data; and

a second server comprising the second computing resource, wherein the resource collapsing unit is configured to transfer the session data from the first server to the second server.

13. The network of claim 9, further comprising:

a compensator unit configured to provide a reward to any of the one or more avatars.

14. One or more machine-readable media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors causes the set of one or more processors to perform operations that comprise:

determining a first area of a region in a virtual universe, the first area comprising one or more topology objects and one or more avatars, wherein a first computing resource processes data for presenting the first area, and wherein the first computing resource processes session data for controlling the one or more avatars in the first area;

determining a second area of the region, wherein the second area is similar in topology to the first area, wherein a second computing resource processes data for presenting the second area;

moving the one or more avatars from the first area to the second area;

transferring the session data for controlling the one or more avatars from the first computing resource to the second computing resource; and

reducing usage of the first computing resource to process the data for presenting the first area.

15. The machine-readable media of claim 14, wherein the reducing usage operation comprises reducing a display of the one or more topology objects in the first area.

16. The machine-readable media of claim 14, wherein the reducing usage operation comprises cropping a display of the first area from the virtual universe.

17. The machine-readable media of claim 14, wherein the moving operation comprises any one or more of teleporting the one or more avatars, redrawing the one or more avatars, causing the one or more avatars to traverse on foot, and causing the one or more avatars to fly.

18. The machine-readable media of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise showing the one or more avatars, before they are moved, where they will be moved from in the first area to the second area.

19. A method comprising:

determining a first area of a region in a virtual universe, the first area comprising one or more avatars using one or more interactive objects related to a topology of the first area, wherein a first computing resource processes data for presenting the one or more avatars and the one or more interactive objects in the first area, and wherein the first computing resource processes session data for controlling the one or more avatars;

determining a second area of the region that can process data for presenting the one or more avatars and the one or more interactive objects of the first area in the second area, wherein the second computing resource processes data for presenting the second area;

moving the one or more avatars and the one or more interactive objects from the first area to the second area;

transferring the session data for controlling the one or more avatars from the first computing resource to the second computing resource; and

reducing usage of the first computing resource to process the data for presenting the first area.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

showing the one or more avatars, before they are moved, a path of movement demonstrating where they will be moved from in the first area to the second area.