MANAGING USE LIMITATIONS IN A VIRTUAL UNIVERSE RESOURCE CONSERVATION REGION

• US 20090278841A1
• Filed: 05/06/2008
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Walker, Keith R., Hamilton II, Rick A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,199,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

A virtual universe can include regions that conserve natural resource usage. A virtual universe natural resource conservation system (“system”) can determine that an avatar is accessing a natural resource conservation region in a virtual universe. The natural resource conservation region is supported with one or more devices that adhere to restrictions on natural resource usage. The system can also apply one or more virtual universe restrictions while the avatar is accessing the natural resource conservation region.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining that an avatar is accessing a natural resource conservation region in a virtual universe, wherein the natural resource conservation region is supported with one or more devices that adhere to restrictions on natural resource usage; and

applying one or more virtual universe restrictions while the avatar is accessing the natural resource conservation region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said applying the one or more virtual universe restrictions while the avatar is accessing the natural resource conservation region comprises

imposing limitations on processing the natural resource conservation region.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said limitations comprise any one or more of time limits on access by the avatar, image quality restrictions on virtual objects, penalties, restrictions on abilities of the avatar, restrictions on the data transmitted to a client device associated with the avatar, removal of the avatar from the natural resource conservation region, and restrictions on teleportations associated with the natural resource conservation region.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

indicating the natural resource conservation region to the avatar before the avatar accesses the natural resource conservation region;

offering one or more awards to the avatar to incentivize the avatar to visit the natural resource conservation region; and

assigning the one or more awards to the avatar if the avatar visits the natural resource conservation region.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said offering the one or more awards to the avatar to incentivize the avatar to visit the natural resource conservation region comprises offering the one or more awards based on a history of activity by the avatar.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing one or more indicators to the avatar, within the virtual universe, indicating any one or more of a conservation status of the natural resource conservation region, a degree of resource conservation achieved by the one or more virtual universe restrictions, and a description of the virtual universe restrictions that are applied in the natural resource conservation region.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the indicators comprise any one or more of images within a virtual universe user interface, video images, sounds, text messages, visual indications on a map of the virtual universe, a degraded image quality for one or more objects in the natural resource conservation region, colors, backgrounds, textures, and sign posts.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an offer for compensation by the avatar to remove the one or more virtual universe restrictions from the avatar; and

removing the one or more virtual universe restrictions on the avatar based on the compensation.

9. 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 comprising:

determining that an avatar is accessing a natural resource conservation region in a virtual universe, wherein the natural resource conservation region is supported with one or more devices that adhere to restrictions on natural resource usage; and

applying one or more virtual universe restrictions while the avatar is accessing the natural resource conservation region.

10. The machine-readable media of claim 9, wherein said operation of applying the one or more virtual universe restrictions while the avatar is accessing the natural resource conservation region comprises:

imposing limitations on processing the natural resource conservation region.

11. The machine-readable media of claim 9, wherein said limitations comprise any one or more of time limits on access by the avatar, image quality restrictions on virtual objects, penalties, restrictions on abilities of the avatar, restrictions on the data transmitted to a client device associated with the avatar, removal of the avatar from the natural resource conservation region, and restrictions on teleportations associated with the natural resource conservation region

12. The machine-readable media of claim 9, wherein said operations further comprise:

indicating the natural resource conservation region to the avatar before the avatar accesses the natural resource conservation region;

offering one or more awards to the avatar to incentivize the avatar to visit the natural resource conservation region; and

assigning the one or more awards to the avatar if the avatar visits the natural resource conservation region.

13. The machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein said operation of offering the one or more awards to the avatar to incentivize the avatar to visit the natural resource conservation region comprises offering the one or more awards based on a history of activity by the avatar.

14. The machine-readable media of claim 9, further comprising:

providing one or more indicators to the avatar, within the virtual universe, indicating any one or more of a conservation status of the natural resource conservation region, a degree of resource conservation achieved by the one or more virtual universe restrictions, and a description of the virtual universe restrictions that are applied in the natural resource conservation region.

15. The machine-readable media of claim 14, wherein the indicators comprise any one or more of images within a virtual universe user interface, video images, sounds, text messages, visual indications on a map of the virtual universe, a degraded image quality for one or more objects in the natural resource conservation region, colors, backgrounds, textures, and sign posts.

16. The machine-readable media of claim 9, wherein said operations further comprise:

receiving an offer for compensation by the avatar to remove the one or more virtual universe restrictions from the avatar; and

removing the one or more virtual universe restrictions on the avatar based on the compensation.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor configured to process data for a virtual universe; and

a system resource usage controller configured to,

determine that an avatar is the virtual universe is accessing a natural resource conservation region, and

apply one or more virtual universe limitations while the avatar is accessing the natural resource conservation region.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the system resource usage controller is configured to impose any one or more of time limits on access by the avatar, image quality limitations on virtual objects, penalties, limitations on abilities of the avatar, limitations on the data transmitted to a client device associated with the avatar, removal of the avatar from the natural resource conservation region, and limitations on teleportations associated with the natural resource conservation region.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a virtual conservation region indicator configured to

indicate the natural resource conservation region to the avatar before the avatar accesses the natural resource conservation region;

offer one or more awards to the avatar to incentivize the avatar to visit the natural resource conservation region; and

assign the one or more awards to the avatar if the avatar visits the natural resource conservation region.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the

virtual conservation region indicator is further configured to indicate any one or more of a conservation status of the natural resource conservation region, a degree of resource conservation achieved by the one or more virtual universe limitations, and a description of the virtual universe limitations that are applied in the natural resource conservation region.