VIRTUAL WORLD TELEPORTATION

• US 20090276718A1
• Filed: 05/02/2008
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Di Luoffo, Vincent V., Dawson, Christopher J., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Seaman, James W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,584,025 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/55 Controlling game characters or game objects based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• 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 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• 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

Abstract

The present invention is directed to teleporting avatars between disparate virtual worlds. A system is disclosed that includes a facility for creating a persona profile for an avatar in a first virtual world when the avatar wants to be teleported out of the first virtual world; a facility for transferring persona profiles to and from a disparate virtual world; and a facility for instantiating an inbound avatar based on a received persona profile. Persona profiles may include, e.g., rendering information, trait information, and inventory information.

Claims

1. A teleportation system for teleporting avatars between disparate virtual worlds, comprising:

a system for managing a persona profile for an avatar in a first virtual world;

a system for transferring persona profiles to and from a disparate virtual world; and

a system for instantiating an inbound avatar in the first virtual world based on a received persona profile.

2. The teleportation system of claim 1, further comprising a system for receiving a request for teleportation.

3. The teleportation system of claim 1, wherein the system for transferring includes loading and unloading persona profiles from a remote shared database.

4. The teleportation system of claim 1, wherein the system for transferring sends and receives persona profiles directly to and from the disparate virtual world.

5. The teleportation system of claim 1, further comprising a checking system that can deny the inbound avatar access to the first virtual world.

6. The teleportation system of claim 1, further comprising an avatar locating system that selectively locates the inbound avatar in a region of the first virtual world.

7. The teleportation system of claim 1, wherein persona profiles are stored in a data construct common to all participating virtual worlds.

8. The teleportation system of claim 1, wherein persona profiles include rendering information, trait information, and inventory information.

9. A computer program product stored on a computer readable medium for teleporting avatars between disparate virtual worlds, comprising:

program code for creating a persona profile for an avatar in a first virtual world;

program code for transferring persona profiles to and from a disparate virtual world; and

program code for instantiating an inbound avatar at the first virtual world based on a received persona profile.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising program code for receiving a request for teleportation.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the program code for transferring includes program code for loading and unloading persona profiles from a remote shared database.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the program code for transferring sends and receives persona profiles directly to and from the disparate virtual world.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising program code that can deny the inbound avatar access to the first virtual world.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising program code that selectively locates the inbound avatar in a region of the first virtual world.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein persona profiles are stored in a data construct common to all participating virtual worlds.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein persona profiles include rendering information, trait information, and inventory information.

17. A method for teleporting avatars between disparate virtual worlds, comprising:

receiving a request for teleporting an avatar from a first virtual world to a destination virtual world;

updating a persona profile for the avatar in the first virtual world;

transferring the persona profile for use in the destination virtual world; and

disabling the avatar in the first virtual world.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the transferring includes loading the persona profile to a remote shared database.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the transferring sends the persona profile directly to the disparate virtual world.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the persona profile includes rendering information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the persona profile further includes traits and an inventory.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the persona profile further includes an audit trail and a record of past violations.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the persona profile is stored in a data construct common to all participating virtual worlds.

24. A method for deploying an application for providing teleportation for avatars between disparate virtual worlds, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

create a persona profile for an avatar in a first virtual world;

transfer persona profiles to and from a disparate virtual world; and

instantiate an inbound avatar based on a received persona profile.