SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PROVIDING ACCESS TO VIRTUAL SPACES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH PHYSICAL ANALOGUES IN THE REAL WORLD

• US 20090307611A1
• Filed: 06/09/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Riley, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 9,403,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/757
• 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 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• 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 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6676 by dedicated player input
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A system and method for associating virtual spaces with physical analogues in the real world. Associating virtual spaces with physical analogues may enable various aspects of the virtual spaces, such as the content of the virtual spaces, the manner in which the virtual spaces are accessed by users, and/or other aspects of the virtual spaces, to correspond to the real world. For example, upon initiation of a client that provides a view of one or more virtual spaces to a user, the user may automatically be provided with a view of a virtual space associated with one or more physical analogues that are proximate to the user in the real world. As another example, content within the virtual space may reflect ambient conditions at or near associated physical analogue(s), the presence and/or condition of objects at or near the associated physical analogue(s), the location and/or condition of the physical analogue(s), and/or other information related to the physical analogue in the real world.

Claims

1. A system configured to provide a virtual space that is accessible to one or more users, the system comprising:

one or more servers configured to execute instances of a plurality of virtual spaces and to determine views of the individual spaces from the executed instances, wherein a virtual space is a simulated physical space that has a topography, expresses real-time interaction by the one or more users, and includes one or more objects positioned within the topography that are capable of experiencing locomotion within the topography, and wherein at least one of the virtual spaces corresponds to a physical analogue in the real world;

a storage module configured to store information related to the plurality of virtual spaces, the stored information including associations between virtual spaces of the plurality of virtual spaces and the corresponding physical analogues;

a client configured to provide a view of one of the plurality of virtual spaces to a user;

a client location module configured to obtain a physical location of the client in the real world;

a space correlation module configured to correlate the client with one of the plurality of virtual spaces based on the position in the real world of the physical location of the client, as obtained by the client location module, with respect to the physical analogues that correspond to the virtual spaces in the plurality of virtual spaces;

wherein, based on the correlation of the client to one of the virtual spaces in the plurality of virtual spaces, the client receives view information from the server that describes a view of the virtual space correlated with the client, and displays the view to the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a physical analogue is either a physical location or a physical object in the real world.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the physical analogues is mobile in the real world.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising an analogue location module that determines the physical location of the at least one physical analogue that is mobile in the real world.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the view of the virtual space correlated with the client that is described by the view information received by the client is dependent on the physical location, in the real world, of the physical analogue that is correlated with the client.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the view of the virtual space correlated with the client that is described by the view information received by the client is dependent on the position of the client with respect to the physical analogue associated with the virtual space that is correlated with the client.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the instance of the virtual space that is correlated with the client includes an object within its topography that represents the client.

8. A system configured to enable access to a virtual space, the system comprising:

a request receipt module configured to receive a request from a client for access to a virtual space, wherein a virtual space is a simulated physical space that has a topography, expresses real-time interaction by the one or more users, and includes one or more objects positioned within the topography that are capable of experiencing locomotion within the topography;

a client location module configured to obtain a physical location of the client in the real world;

a space correlation module configured to correlate the client with one of a plurality of virtual spaces, wherein at least one of the virtual spaces corresponds to a physical analogue in the real world, and wherein the correlation of the client with one of the plurality of virtual spaces is based on the position in the real world of the physical location of the client, as obtained by the client location module, with respect to the physical analogues that correspond to the virtual spaces in the plurality of virtual spaces; and

a server access module configured to generate a network location at which the client will be able to access a server executing an instance of the virtual space correlated with the client by the space correlation module, wherein accessing the server at the network location enables the client to receive view information from the server that describes a view of the instance of the virtual space to be displayed to a user by the client.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a physical analogue is either a physical location or a physical object in the real world.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the physical analogues is mobile in the real world.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising an analogue location module that obtains the physical locations in the real world of the physical analogues, wherein the correlation of the client with one of the plurality of virtual spaces by the space correlation module is based on the physical locations in the real world of the physical analogues obtained by the analogue location module.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein correlation of the client with one of the plurality of virtual spaces by the space correlation module is based on the physical locations in the real world of the physical analogues in that the correlation is based on the distances between the physical location in the real world of the client, as obtained by the client location module, and the physical locations in the real world of the physical analogues.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the request receipt module is further configured to securely identify a user of the client.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein correlation of the client with one of the plurality of virtual spaces by the space correlation module is based on the identification of the user of the client.

15. A method of enabling access to a virtual space, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a client for access to a virtual space, wherein a virtual space is a simulated physical space that has a topography, expresses real-time interaction by the one or more users, and includes one or more objects positioned within the topography that are capable of experiencing locomotion within the topography;

obtaining a physical location of the client in the real world;

correlating the client with one of a plurality of virtual spaces, wherein at least one of the virtual spaces corresponds to a physical analogue in the real world, and wherein the correlation of the client with one of the plurality of virtual spaces is based on the position in the real world of the physical location with respect to the physical analogues that correspond to the virtual spaces in the plurality of virtual spaces;

generating a network location at which the client will be able to access a server executing an instance of the virtual space correlated with the client, wherein accessing the server at the network location enables the client to receive view information from the server that describes a view of the instance of the virtual space to be displayed to a user by the client.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a physical analogue is either a physical location or a physical object in the real world.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the physical analogues is mobile in the real world.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising obtaining the physical locations in the real world of the physical analogues, wherein the correlation of the client with one of the plurality of virtual spaces is based on the physical locations of the physical analogues.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the correlation of the client with one of the plurality of virtual spaces is based on the distances between the physical location in the real world of the client and the physical locations in the real world of the physical analogues.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising identifying a user of the client.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the correlation of the client with one of the plurality of virtual spaces is based on the identification of the user of the client.