CONFIGURING A VIRTUAL WORLD USER-INTERFACE

• US 20100050088A1
• Filed: 08/22/2008
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 83 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Fedorovskaya, Elena A., Neustaedter, Carman G., Gobeyn, Kevin M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,223,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/745
• 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 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6018 where the game content is authored by the player, e.g. level editor or by game device at runtime, e.g. level is created from music data on CD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet

Abstract

A particular user'"'"'s user-interface to a virtual world is customized based at least upon an analysis of behavioral characteristics of the user, the behavioral characteristics indicating how the user controls an avatar in the virtual world. In this regard, image-capture-or-sharing tools, avatar-appearance-editing tools, or both may be configured in the user-interface based at least upon the analysis of the behavioral characteristics. Information pertaining to results of the configuring of the user-interface may be stored in a processor-accessible memory system.

Claims

1. A method implemented at least in part by a data processing system, the method for configuring a particular user'"'"'s user-interface to a virtual world implemented by the data processing system, the user having an associated avatar in the virtual world, and the method comprising the steps of:

identifying behavioral characteristics of the user, the behavioral characteristics indicating how the user controls the avatar in the virtual world;

configuring image-capture-or-sharing tools, avatar-appearance-editing tools, or both in the user-interface based at least upon an analysis of the behavioral characteristics of the user; and

storing information pertaining to results of the configuring step in a processor-accessible memory system.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the analysis of the behavioral characteristics indicates that the user exhibits a particular degree of permanence in the virtual world, and

wherein the configuring step configures the image-capture-or-sharing tools based at least upon the particular degree of permanence.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein the analysis of the behavioral characteristics indicates that the user exhibits a high degree of permanence in the virtual world, and

wherein the configuring step configures the image-capture-or-sharing tools to include or more efficiently include a posed image-capture tool, a collocated image-sharing tool, or both, based at least upon the exhibition of the high degree of permanence.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the high degree of permanence is determined at least by a determination that the avatar (a) has a job in the virtual world, (b) owns property in the virtual world, (c) has a residence in the virtual world, (d) has a partner in the virtual world, or (e) combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the image-capture-or-sharing tools are further configured to include or more efficiently include a spontaneous image-capture tool, a distributed image-sharing tool, or both.

6. The method of claim 2,

wherein the analysis of the behavioral characteristics indicates that the user exhibits a low degree of permanence in the virtual world, and

wherein the configuring step configures the image-capture-or-sharing tools to exclude a posed image-capture tool, a collocated image-sharing tool, or both, based at least upon the exhibition of the low degree of permanence.

7. The method of claim 6,

wherein the low degree of permanence is determined at least by a determination that the avatar (a) does not have a job in the virtual world, (b) does not own property in the virtual world, (c) does not have a residence in the virtual world, and (d) does not have a partner in the virtual world.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the image-capture-or-sharing tools are further configured to include or more efficiently include a spontaneous image-capture tool, a distributed image-sharing tool, or both.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the analysis of the behavioral characteristics of the user includes an analysis of data from an activity logger or a user profile associated with the user.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein the analysis of the behavioral characteristics indicates (a) a degree to which the user separates an identity of the avatar in the virtual world from an identity of the user in real life, (b) a number of identities the user presents in the virtual world, (c) a continuity of the avatar'"'"'s identity over time, (d) a degree to which the avatar'"'"'s identity visually resembles the user'"'"'s identity, (e) a degree to which the avatar appears to be photorealistic, or (f) combinations thereof;

and

wherein the configuring step configures the avatar-appearance-editing tools based at least upon the analysis of the behavioral characteristics.

11. The method of claim 1,

wherein the analysis of the behavioral characteristics indicates that the user controls the avatar to have a particular identity category, the particular identity category indicating a relationship between an identity of the avatar and an identity of the user, and

wherein the configuring step configures the avatar-appearance-editing tools based at least upon the particular identity category.

12. The method of claim 11,

wherein the analysis of the behavioral characteristics indicates that the particular identity category is a realistic-identity category indicating that the avatar'"'"'s identity and the user'"'"'s identity are consonant or substantially consonant, and

wherein the configuring step configures the avatar-appearance-editing tools to include or more efficiently include a real-life-appearance-generation tool, a photo-realistic rendering tool, or both, based at least upon the indication of the realistic-identity category.

13. The method of claim 11,

wherein the analysis of the behavioral characteristics indicates that the particular identity category is an ideal-identity category indicating that the avatar'"'"'s identity is an ideal or a substantially ideal representation of the user'"'"'s identity, and

wherein the configuring step configures the avatar-appearance-editing tools to include or more efficiently include a real-life-appearance-generation tool, an appearance-enhancing tool, or both, based at least upon the indication of the ideal-identity category.

14. The method of claim 11,

wherein the analysis of the behavioral characteristics indicates that the particular identity category is a fantasy-identity category indicating that the avatar'"'"'s identity is different or substantially different than the user'"'"'s identity, and

wherein the configuring step configures the avatar-appearance-editing tools to include or more efficiently include an appearance-refinement tool, based at least upon the indication of the fantasy-identity category.

15. The method of claim 11,

wherein the user has multiple identities in the virtual world,

wherein the analysis of the behavioral characteristics indicates that the user controls one or more avatars to have a particular identity category, the particular identity category indicating a relationship between the identities of the avatar or avatars and the user'"'"'s identity,

wherein the analysis of the behavioral characteristics indicates that the particular identity category is a roleplayer-identity category indicating that the identities of the avatar or avatars are different or substantially different than the user'"'"'s identity, and

wherein the configuring step configures the avatar-appearance-editing tools to include or more efficiently include an appearance-refinement tool, a photo-realistic rendering tool, an identity management tool, or combinations thereof, based at least upon the indication of the roleplayer-identity category.

16. A processor-accessible memory system storing instructions configured to cause a data processing system to implement a method for configuring a particular user'"'"'s user-interface to a virtual world implemented by the data processing system, the user having an associated avatar in the virtual world, wherein the instructions comprise:

instructions for identifying behavioral characteristics of the user, the behavioral characteristics indicating how the user controls the avatar in the virtual world;

instructions for configuring image-capture-or-sharing tools, avatar-appearance-editing tools, or both in the user-interface based at least upon an analysis of the behavioral characteristics of the user; and

instructions for storing information pertaining to results of the configuring in a processor-accessible memory system.

17. The system of claim 16,

wherein the instructions for configuring include instructions that configure the image-capture-or-sharing tools based at least upon an analysis of the behavioral characteristics that indicates that the user exhibits a particular degree of permanence in the virtual world.

18. The system of claim 16,

wherein the instructions for configuring include instructions that configure the avatar-appearance-editing tools based at least upon an analysis of the behavioral characteristics that indicates that the user controls the avatar to have a particular identity category.

19. A system comprising:

a data processing system; and

a memory system communicatively connected to the data processing system and storing instructions configured to cause the data processing system to implement a method for configuring a particular user'"'"'s user-interface to a virtual world implemented by the data processing system, the user having an associated avatar in the virtual world, wherein the instructions comprise;

instructions for identifying behavioral characteristics of the user, the behavioral characteristics indicating how the user controls the avatar in the virtual world;

instructions for configuring image-capture-or-sharing tools, avatar-appearance-editing tools, or both in the user-interface based at least upon an analysis of the behavioral characteristics of the user; and

instructions for storing information pertaining to results of the configuring in the processor-accessible memory system.

20. The system of claim 19,

wherein the instructions for configuring include instructions that configure the image-capture-or-sharing tools based at least upon an analysis of the behavioral characteristics that indicates that the user exhibits a particular degree of permanence in the virtual world.

21. The system of claim 19,

wherein the instructions for configuring include instructions that configure the avatar-appearance-editing tools based at least upon an analysis of the behavioral characteristics that indicates that the user controls the avatar to have a particular identity category.