METHOD, DEVICE AND PROGRAM FOR AUTOMATICALLY GENERATING REFERENCE MARK IN VIRTUAL SHARED SPACE

• US 20090132931A1
• Filed: 08/22/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tatsubori, Michiaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,276,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for automatically putting a reference mark on an object to pay attention to. A server device which provides a virtual reality space to multiple client devices connected to the server device via a network detects movement of an avatar related to a client device, the movement indicating an object in the virtual reality space displayed on a screen of the client device, as a trigger for generating a reference mark. In response to detection of the movement of the avatar, the server device generates a reference mark to be put on the object. The server device notifies another client device of the presence of the generated reference mark. Accordingly, the other client device is guided to the object by selecting the notification displayed on the screen.

Claims

1. A server device which provides a virtual reality space for a plurality of client devices connected to the server device via a network, comprising:

a movement detection part which detects movement of an avatar related to a client device of the plurality of client devices, the movement indicating an object in the virtual reality space displayed on a screen of the client device; and

a reference mark generation part which generates a reference mark to be put on the object in response to detection of the movement.

2. The server device according to claim 1, wherein the movement detection part detects a state where an input from the user of the client device allows the avatar to indicate the object for at least a certain period of time.

3. The server device according to claim 1, wherein the movement detection part detects a state where predetermined keywords are included in a chat message input by the user of the client device, in the state where the input from the user of the client device allows the avatar to indicate the object.

4. The server device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a message acquisition part which acquires a chat message input by the user of the client device before and after the object is indicated, in response to the detection of the movement of the avatar by the movement detection part; and

a reference mark storage part which stores the acquired chat message while relating the message to the reference mark.

5. The server device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reference mark storage part which stores at least one of;

creation time of the reference mark;

information about the object on which the reference mark is to be put;

movement information about the movement of the avatar, based on which the reference mark is generated; and

avatar information about the avatar who has performed the movement, while relating at least one of the above to the generated reference mark.

6. The server device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a policy acquisition part which acquires a policy registered in advance in the server device by another client device of the plurality of client devices, the policy defining a reference mark whose presence the other client device wishes to be notified of; and

a reference mark notification part which selects a reference mark that meets the policy from the generated reference marks by referring to the policy, and which notifies the other client device of the presence of the selected reference mark.

7. The server device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a reference mark notification part which transmits to the other client device a notification indicating the presence of the generated reference mark, the notification including at least one of;

creation time of the reference mark;

information about the object on which the reference mark is to be put;

movement information about the movement of the avatar based on which the reference mark is generated; and

avatar information about the avatar who has performed the movement.

8. The server device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a reference mark storage part which stores any one of a reference frequency indicating the number of times the reference mark is referred to and final reference time at which the reference mark is last referred to, in association with the generated reference mark;

a reference mark notification part which notifies the other client device of the presence of the generated reference mark together with information on any one of the reference frequency and the final reference time;

an operation information acquisition part which acquires, from the other client device, an event of a selection operation which a user of the other client device performs in response to the reference mark notification displayed on the screen of the other client device; and

an updating part which updates any one of the reference frequency and the final reference time in response to receipt of the event of the selection operation.

9. The server device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a discarding part which discards at least one of;

a reference mark that is less frequently referred to;

a reference mark left for a certain period of time after generation thereof; and

a reference mark left for a certain period of time after the final reference time.

10. The server device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a reference mark notification part which notifies the other client device of the presence of the generated reference mark;

an operation information acquisition part which acquires from the other client device an event of a selection operation which a user of the other client device performs in response to the reference mark notification displayed on the screen of the different client device; and

an updating part which updates at least one of positional information and visual line information on a second avatar related to the other client device so as to guide the second avatar to the object having the reference mark put thereon, in response to receipt of the event of the selection operation.

11. The server device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a discarding part which discards old reference marks.

12. A method for automatically generating a reference mark, which is executed in a server device providing a virtual reality space for a plurality of client devices connected to the server device via a network, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting movement of an avatar related to a client device, the movement indicating an object in the virtual reality space displayed on a screen of the client device; and

generating a reference mark to be put on the object in response to detection of the movement.

13. A server program for automatically generating a reference mark, which is executed in a server device providing a virtual reality space for a plurality of client devices connected to the server device via a network, the server program causing the server device to execute the steps of:

detecting movement of an avatar related to a client device, the movement indicating an object in the virtual reality space displayed on a screen of the client device; and

generating a reference mark to be put on the object in response to detection of the movement.

14. A computer program product for automatically generating a reference mark, for use in a system including:

a server device providing a virtual reality space and at least one client device connected to the server device via a network, the computer program product comprising a computer useable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes;

each client device to execute the steps of;

detecting an event caused by an input from a user of the client device, the input indicating an object in the virtual reality space displayed on a screen of the client device; and

notifying the server device of information on the detected event as trigger information for the server device to generate a reference mark to be put on the object, in response to detection of the event, and

the server device to execute the step of;

generating the reference mark to be put on the object, in response to receipt of the event information from the client device.

15. The program product according to claim 14, wherein the detection step includes the step of detecting a state where the object displayed on the screen of the client device is indicated by an input from the user for at least a certain period of time.

16. The program product according to claim 14, wherein the detection step includes the step of detecting a state where predetermined keywords are included in a chat message input by the user in the state where the object is indicated by the avatar related to the client device.

17. The program product according to claim 14, further causing the client device to execute the step of:

acquiring a chat message inputted to the client device by the user before and after the object is indicated,

wherein the notification step includes the step of notifying the server device of information about the detected event together with the chat message.

18. The program product according to claim 14, further causing the client device to execute the steps of:

generating a policy based on an input from the user, the policy defining a reference mark whose presence the user wishes to be notified of; and

registering the generated policy in the server device.

19. The program product according to claim 18, further causing the server device to execute the step of:

selecting a reference mark that meets the policy from the generated reference marks by referring to the policy and notifying the client device of the presence of the selected reference mark; and

the program causing the client device to execute the step of;

highlighting or hiding, on the screen, a notification indicating the presence of the reference mark received from the server device by referring to preference information registered in advance in the client device by the user.

20. The program product according to claim 18, further causing the server device to execute the step of:

selecting a reference mark that meets the policy from the generated reference marks by referring to the policy; and

notifying the client device of the presence of the selected reference mark; and

the program causing the client device to execute the steps of;

displaying on the screen a notification indicating the presence of the reference mark received from the server device;

detecting a selection operation by the user in response to the notification displayed on the screen; and

updating at least one of positional information and visual line information on the avatar related to the client device so as to guide the avatar to the object on which the reference mark corresponding to the selected notification is put, in response to detection of the selection operation.

21. The program product according to claim 20, wherein

the notification indicating the presence of the reference mark includes at least one of:

information about the object having the reference mark put thereon; and

information about the avatar related to the client device that has transmitted, to the server device, the event based on which the reference mark is generated, and

the updating step includes the step of updating at least one of the positional information and visual line information of the avatar, based on any one of the information about the object and the information about the avatar included in the notification.