Method and Apparatus for Interrelating Virtual Environment and Web Content

• US 20100169795A1
• Filed: 12/28/2008
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Hatko, Christopher Andrew, Hyndman, Arn, Sauriol, Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 8,762,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

Interaction with web content in a web browser can control actions in an embedded virtual environment, and events in the virtual environment can be used to update content and applications running in the web browser. In one embodiment, particular events in the virtual environment are passed to a mapping component that listens for triggers and issues commands in the web browser. A JavaScript mapping component may be used to listen for the triggers, capture parameters associated with the trigger, lookup the trigger type in a mapping table, and call a mapped JavaScript function with the trigger parameters. In the reverse direction, if a JavaScript function call is entered in the web browser, the JavaScript function invokes a function exposed by a virtual environment plugin. The plug-in invokes an event within the virtual environment so that interaction with the web content can control actions in the virtual environment.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of interrelating web content and a three-dimensional computer-generated virtual environment, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting an action within the virtual environment to generate an event;

capturing, by a JavaScript function, parameters associated with the event.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the parameters include an event type.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the parameters include an identity of the user who caused the event, and a string which can be used by JavaScript logic associated with the JavaScript function to select one of a plurality of secondary JavaScript functions.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the JavaScript function resides in a web browser.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the step of calling the JavaScript function causes the JavaScript function to call a second JavaScript function based on the parameters.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the second JavaScript function enables the web browser to obtain updated web content.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the second JavaScript function enables the web browser to enter a command to an application running in the web browser.

8. An integrated web browser and virtual environment, in which selected actions taken in the virtual environment are reflected as changes to content or to applications running in the web browser, and selected changes to content or to applications running in the web browser are reflected as changes to the virtual environment.

9. The integrated web browser and virtual environment of claim 8, wherein the web browser includes an exposed JavaScript function, wherein the virtual environment includes a JavaScript mapping function which listens for events, captures parameters associated with the events, and passes the parameters to the exposed JavaScript function to enable the selected actions taken in the virtual environment to be reflected as changes to content or to applications running in the web browser.

10. The integrated web browser and virtual environment of claim 9, wherein the exposed JavaScript function calls secondary JavaScript functions in the web browser to enable the selected actions taken in the virtual environment to be reflected as changes to content or to applications running in the web browser.

11. The integrated web browser and virtual environment of claim 8, wherein the virtual environment includes an exposed function configured to receive events from the web browser and use virtual environment scripting to invoke an action in the virtual environment associated with the event to enable the selected changes to content or to applications running in the web browser to be reflected as changes to the virtual environment.

12. A computer-implemented method of interrelating web content and a three-dimensional computer-generated virtual environment, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a JavaScript function call from the web browser;

invoking a function exposed by a virtual environment to invoke an event within the virtual environment; and

using virtual environment scripting to invoke an action in the virtual environment associated with the event.

13. The computer-implemented method of interrelating web content and three-dimensional computer-generated virtual environment of claim 12, wherein the function is invoked using Active X and is exposed by the virtual environment via a plugin

14. The computer-implemented method of interrelating web content and three-dimensional computer-generated virtual environment of claim 12, wherein the JavaScript function call is received from an application running in the web browser and relates to an object residing within the virtual environment.

15. The computer-implemented method of interrelating web content and three-dimensional computer-generated virtual environment of claim 14, wherein the JavaScript function call invokes the event to causes the object to move within the virtual environment.

16. The computer-implemented method of interrelating web content and three-dimensional computer-generated virtual environment of claim 14, wherein the JavaScript function call invokes the event to causes the object to change shape within the virtual environment.

17. The computer-implemented method of interrelating web content and three-dimensional computer-generated virtual environment of claim 14, wherein the JavaScript function call invokes the event to enable web content to be mapped to a surface of the virtual environment.