OBJECT BASED AVATAR TRACKING

• US 20090267948A1
• Filed: 04/24/2008
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pickover, Clifford Alan, Finn, Peter George, O'Connell, Brian Marshall, Walker, Keith Raymond, Hamilton, Rick Allen II
• Granted Patent: US 8,184,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• 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 13/577 using determination of contact between game characters or objects, e.g. to avoid collision between virtual racing cars
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6653 for altering the visibility of an object, e.g. preventing the occlusion of an object, partially hiding an object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/10 Geometric effects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for object based avatar tracking. In one embodiment, a range for an object in a virtual universe is identified. The range comprises a viewable field of the object. Avatars in the viewable field of the object are capable of viewing the object. Avatars outside the viewable field of the object are incapable of viewing the object. In response to an avatar coming within the range of the object, an object avatar rendering table is queried for a session associated with the avatar unique identifier and the object unique identifier. The object avatar rendering table comprises a unique identifier of a set of selected objects and unique identifiers for each avatar in a range of a selected object in the set of selected objects. An object initiation process associated with the object is triggered.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for object based avatar tracking, the computer implemented method comprising:

identifying a range for an object in a virtual universe, wherein the range comprises a viewable field of the object, wherein avatars in the viewable field of the object are capable of viewing the object, and wherein avatars outside the viewable field of the object are incapable of viewing the object;

responsive to an avatar coming within the range of the object, querying an object avatar rendering table for a session associated with an avatar unique identifier and an object unique identifier, wherein the object avatar rendering table comprises a set of object unique identifiers for a set of selected objects, and an avatar unique identifier for each avatar within a range of a selected object in the set of selected objects; and

triggering an object initiation process associated with the object.

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

responsive to an absence of the session for the avatar unique identifier and the object unique identifier in the object avatar rendering table, creating a record in the object avatar rendering table for the object and the avatar, wherein the record comprises the object unique identifier of the object, the avatar unique identifier of the avatar, and a time stamp indicating a time when the avatar entered the range of the object.

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

responsive to creating the record in the object avatar rendering table for the object and the avatar, identifying the avatar as a first time viewer of the object and displaying content associated with the object that is first time viewing content.

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

responsive to identifying the session associated with the object unique identifier and the avatar unique identifier in the object avatar rendering table, identifying the avatar as a repeat viewer of the object and triggering an object re-initiation process identified by the object, wherein the object re-initiation process displays repeat viewer content associated with the object, wherein the repeat viewer content is content associated with a repeat viewing of the object, and wherein the repeat viewer content is different than a first time viewing content.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the object initiation process further comprises:

retrieving content associated with the object for display to a user when the avatar comes within the viewable field of the object, wherein the content is stored in a cache until the content is displayed to the user.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the range further comprises:

a detection area, wherein the detection area is located outside the viewable field of the object, and wherein avatars within the detection area are incapable of viewing the object.

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

responsive to a determination that the object is adjacent to an obstructing object, setting a focal point of the viewable field at a location that is a different location than a location of the object.

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

adding data describing the avatar to the object avatar rendering table, wherein the data further comprises;

a zone one enter time indicating a date and time when each avatar in the range of the object entered the viewable field;

a zone one leave time indicating a date and time when each avatar in the range left the viewable field;

a number of zone one enters indicating how many times each avatar in the range entered the first zone; and

last coordinates indicating coordinate data identifying a location of each avatar in the range of the object.

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

adding data describing the avatar to the object avatar rendering table, wherein the data further comprises;

a zone two enter time indicating a date and time when each avatar in the range of the object entered a detection area outside the viewable field;

a zone two leave time indicating a date and time when each avatar in the range left the detection area; and

a number of zone two enters indicating how many time each avatar in the range entered the detection area.

10. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium including computer usable program code for object based avatar tracking, said computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code for identifying a range for an object in a virtual universe, wherein the range comprises a viewable field of the object, wherein avatars within the viewable field of the object are capable of viewing the object, and wherein avatars outside the viewable field of the object are incapable of viewing the object;

computer usable program code for querying an object avatar rendering table for a session associated with an avatar unique identifier and an object unique identifier in response to an avatar coming within the range of the object, wherein the object avatar rendering table comprises a set of object unique identifiers for a set of selected objects and an avatar unique identifier for each avatar within a range of a selected object in the set of selected objects; and

computer usable program code for triggering an object initiation process associated with the object.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 further comprising:

computer usable program code for creating a record in the object avatar rendering table for the object and the avatar in response to an absence of the session for the avatar unique identifier and the object unique identifier in the object avatar rendering table, wherein the record comprises the object unique identifier of the object, the avatar unique identifier of the avatar, and a time stamp indicating a time when the avatar entered the range of the object.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising:

computer usable program code for identifying the avatar as a first time viewer of the object and displaying content associated with the object that is first time viewing content in response to creating the record in the object avatar rendering table.

13. The computer program product of claim 10 further comprising:

computer usable program code for responsive to identifying the session associated with the object unique identifier and the avatar unique identifier in the object avatar rendering table, identifying the avatar as a repeat viewer of the object and triggering an object re-initiation process identified by the object, wherein the object re-initiation process displays repeat viewer content associated with the object, wherein the repeat viewer content is associated with a repeat viewing of the object, and wherein the repeat viewer content is different than a first time viewing content.

14. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the object initiation process further comprises:

computer usable program code for retrieving content associated with the object for display to a user when the avatar comes within the viewable field of the object, wherein the content is stored in a cache until the content is displayed to the user.

15. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the range further comprises:

a detection area, wherein the detection area is located outside the viewable field of the object, and wherein avatars within the detection area are incapable of viewing the object.

16. The computer program product of claim 10 further comprising:

computer usable program code for responsive to a determination that the object is adjacent to an obstructing object, setting a focal point of the viewable field at a location that is a different location than a location of the object.

17. The computer program product of claim 10 further comprising:

computer usable program code for adding data describing the avatar to the object avatar rendering table, wherein the data further comprises;

a zone one enter time indicating a date and time when each avatar in the range of the object entered the viewable field;

a zone one leave time indicating a date and time when each avatar in the range left the viewable field;

a number of zone one enters indicating how many times each avatar in the range entered the first zone; and

last coordinates indicating coordinate data identifying a location of each avatar in the range of the object.

18. The computer program product of claim 10 further comprising:

computer usable program code for adding data describing the avatar to the object avatar rendering table, wherein the data further comprises;

a zone two enter time indicating a date and time when each avatar in the range of the object entered a detection area outside the viewable field;

a zone two leave time indicating a date and time when each avatar in the range left the detection area; and

a number of zone two enters indicating how many time each avatar in the range entered the detection area.

19. A virtual universe grid computing system for object based avatar tracking, the system comprising:

an object based avatar tracking controller, wherein the object based avatar tracking controller identifies a range for an object in a virtual universe, generates an object avatar rendering table, detects an avatar coming within the range of the object, queries the object avatar rendering table for a session associated with an avatar unique identifier for the avatar coming within range of the object and an object unique identifier for the object, and triggers an object initiation process for the object, wherein the range comprises a viewable field of the object, wherein avatars within the viewable field of the object are capable of viewing the object, and wherein avatars outside the viewable field of the object are incapable of viewing the object; and

the object avatar rendering table, wherein the object avatar rendering table comprises a set of object unique identifiers for a set of selected objects, and an avatar unique identifier for each avatar in a range of a selected object in the set of selected objects.

20. The system of claim 20 wherein the object based avatar tracking controller adds data describing the avatar to the object avatar rendering table, wherein the data further comprises:

a zone one enter time indicating a date and time when each avatar in the range of the object entered the viewable field;

a zone one leave time indicating a date and time when the each avatar in the range of the selected object left the viewable field;

a number of zone one enters indicating how many times the each avatar in the range entered the first zone; and

last coordinates indicating coordinate data identifying a location of the each avatar in the range of the object.