GEOMETRIC AND TEXTURE MODIFICATIONS OF OBJECTS IN A VIRTUAL UNIVERSE BASED ON REAL WORLD USER CHARACTERISTICS

• US 20100001993A1
• Filed: 07/07/2008
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• 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 8,471,843 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• 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 13/525 Changing parameters of virtual cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• 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 3/04815 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

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program product for modifying objects in a virtual universe. A user priority controller determines a real world identity of a set of users controlling a set of avatars within a viewable field of an object in a virtual universe. The user priority controller receives user information describing characteristics of the set of users based on the real world identity of each user in the set of users. The user priority controller generates a temporary and dynamic rule to control modification of the object based on the user information. The user priority controller modifies the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule to increase visibility of the object to an avatar in the set of avatars. The temporary and dynamic rule initiates implementation of geometric and texture modifications to modify the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for modifying objects in a virtual universe, the computer implemented method comprising:

responsive to detecting a presence of a set of avatars within a viewable field of an object, determining a real world identity of a set of users controlling the set of avatars;

receiving user information describing characteristics of the set of users from a set of user information sources based on the real world identity of each user in the set of users;

generating a temporary and dynamic rule to control modification of the object based on the user information; and

modifying the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule to increase visibility of the object to an avatar in the set of avatars, wherein the temporary and dynamic rule initiates implementation of a set of geometric and texture modifications for dynamically modifying the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule.

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

querying a set of user information sources for user information describing characteristics of the set of users based on the real world identity of each user in the set of users.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the set of user information sources comprises an external user information look-up table.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the set of geometric and texture modifications comprises at least one of floating the object above a surface in the virtual universe, moving the object along a fixed path in the virtual universe, changing a size of the object, changing a size of a set of elements associated with the object, changing a color of the object, and cloning the object.

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

assigning a priority to each avatar in the set of avatars based on the user information; and

creating the temporary and dynamic rule based on the priority assigned to each avatar within the viewable field of the object.

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

identifying subsets of avatars within the set of avatars, wherein a subset of avatars is a cluster of two or more avatars within the viewable field of the object;

assigning a priority to each subset of avatar in the set of avatars based on the user information;

creating the temporary and dynamic rule based on the priority assigned to each subset of avatars within the viewable field of the object; and

modifying the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule to increase visibility of the object to a subset of avatars in the subsets of avatars, wherein the temporary and dynamic rule initiates implementation of a set of geometric and texture modifications for dynamically modifying the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the user information comprises at least one of past purchasing history, credit rating, purchase trends, income level, hobbies, income, employment history, current employer, profession, education level, children, pets, and home ownership.

8. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium including computer usable program code for modifying objects in a virtual universe, said computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code for determining a real world identity of a set of users controlling a set of avatars, in response to detecting a presence of the set of avatars within a viewable field of an object;

computer usable program code for receiving user information describing characteristics of the set of users from a set of user information sources based on the real world identity of each user in the set of users;

computer usable program code for generating a temporary and dynamic rule to control modification of the object based on the user information; and

computer usable program code for modifying the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule to increase visibility of the object to an avatar in the set of avatars, wherein the temporary and dynamic rule initiates implementation of a set of geometric and texture modifications for dynamically modifying the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 further comprising:

computer usable program code for querying a set of user information sources for user information describing characteristics of the set of users based on the real world identity of each user in the set of users.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the set of user information sources comprises an external user information look-up table.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the set of geometric and texture modifications comprises at least one of floating the object above a surface in the virtual universe, moving the object along a fixed path in the virtual universe, changing a size of the object, changing a size of a set of elements associated with the object, changing a color of the object, and cloning the object.

12. The computer program product of claim 8 further comprising:

computer usable program code for assigning a priority to each avatar in the set of avatars based on the user information; and

computer usable program code for creating the temporary and dynamic rule based on the priority assigned to each avatar within the viewable field of the object.

13. The computer program product of claim 8 further comprising:

computer usable program code for identifying subsets of avatars within the set of avatars, wherein a subset of avatars is a cluster of two or more avatars within the viewable field of the object;

computer usable program code for assigning a priority to each subset of avatar in the set of avatars based on the user information;

computer usable program code for creating the temporary and dynamic rule based on the priority assigned to each subset of avatars within the viewable field of the object; and

computer usable program code for modifying the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule to increase visibility of the object to a subset of avatars in the subsets of avatars, wherein the temporary and dynamic rule initiates implementation of a set of geometric and texture modifications for dynamically modifying the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule.

14. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the user information comprises at least one of past purchasing history, credit rating, purchase trends, income level, hobbies, income, employment history, current employer, profession, education level, children, pets, and home ownership.

15. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the set of user information sources comprises an online user information database, wherein the query is sent to the online user information database via a network connection.

16. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the set of user information sources comprises an online user information database, wherein the query is sent to the online user information database via a network connection.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a bus system;

a communications system coupled to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes computer usable program code; and

a processing unit coupled to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to detect a presence of a set of avatars within a viewable field of an object;

determine a real world identity of a set of users controlling the set of avatars;

receive user information describing characteristics of the set of users from a set of user information sources based on the real world identity of each user in the set of users;

generate a temporary and dynamic rule to control modification of the object based on the user information; and

modify the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule to increase visibility of the object to an avatar in the set of avatars, wherein the temporary and dynamic rule initiates implementation of a set of geometric and texture modifications for dynamically modifying the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor unit further executes the computer usable program code to identify subsets of avatars within the set of avatars, wherein a subset of avatars is a cluster of two or more avatars within the viewable field of the object;

assign a priority to each subset of avatar in the set of avatars based on the user information;

create the temporary and dynamic rule based on the priority assigned to each subset of avatars within the viewable field of the object; and

modify the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule to increase visibility of the object to a subset of avatars in the subsets of avatars, wherein the temporary and dynamic rule initiates implementation of a set of geometric and texture modifications for dynamically modifying the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule.

19. A data processing system comprising:

virtual universe grid software, wherein the virtual universe grid software dynamically modifies objects based on real world identities of users controlling avatars in a virtual universe, wherein the virtual universe grid software comprises;

an object based avatar tracking controller, wherein the object based avatar tracking controller detects a presence of a set of avatars within a viewable field of an object; and

a user priority controller, wherein the user priority controller determines a real world identity of a set of users controlling the set of avatars;

receives user information describing characteristics of the set of users from a set of user information sources based on the real world identity of each user in the set of users; and

generates a temporary and dynamic rule to control modification of the object based on the user information, and wherein the virtual universe grid software modifies the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule to increase visibility of the object to an avatar in the set of avatars, and wherein the temporary and dynamic rule initiates implementation of a set of geometric and texture modifications for dynamically modifying the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule.

20. The data processing system of claim 19 wherein the set of user information sources further comprises:

an external user information look-up table associated with a remote data storage device, wherein the user priority controller receives the user information from the external user information look-up table across a network connection.