Virtual World Embedded Security Watermarking

• US 20110066860A1
• Filed: 09/17/2009
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines SA (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Kulack, Frederick Allyn, Do, Lydia Mai, Paterson, Kevin Glynn, Dettinger, Richard Dean
• Granted Patent: US 8,489,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and program product are provided for using watermarks to embed security features on avatars in a virtual world. A watermark engine receives security information for an avatar in a virtual world. The watermark engine creates a watermark for the avatar using the security information and associates the watermark with the avatar. The watermark may comprise at least one of: security preferences for the avatar, contact information for an owner of the avatar, and graphical information to cause alteration of the avatar when the avatar is recorded.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving security information for an avatar in a virtual world;

creating a watermark for the avatar comprising the security information; and

associating the watermark with the avatar.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said security information comprises a security preference.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said security information comprises contact information for an owner of the avatar.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said security information comprises graphical information that causes alteration of an image of the avatar when the avatar is recorded.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said watermark comprises a security preference for the avatar and graphical information that causes alteration of an image of the avatar when the avatar is recorded, and further comprising:

in response to a user recording said avatar;

comparing a user identification with the security preference; and

in response to the user identification not satisfying the security preference, altering the recorded avatar image using the graphical information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said watermark further comprises contact information for an owner of the avatar;

and in response to a user recording said avatar, further comprising;

embedding the contact information in the recorded avatar image.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

in response to receiving a query of the recorded avatar image, presenting the embedded contact information.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the security preference comprises a listing of users authorized to access the avatar without alteration.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the alteration comprises at least one of:

pixilation, blurring, censoring, abstracting, mirroring, or distortion of at least a part of the avatar image;

change in the hue, tone, saturation, brightness, or scale of the avatar image;

graphical text, symbol, or icon over or under the avatar image;

aging, fading, or scrambling the avatar image relative to other images in an environment; and

slowing or accelerating movement of the avatar image relative to other images in an environment.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the security preference comprises a list of users who may contact the avatar user.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the security preference defines whether or not the avatar may be recorded.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the security preference defines what part of the avatar is privatized.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the contact information comprises at least one of:

avatar user'"'"'s identity, preferred method of contact, and social network information.

14. A computer system for using watermarks to embed security features on avatars in a virtual world, comprising:

a server interconnected with a plurality of clients through a network, the sever comprising an interconnected processor and memory;

a virtual world program stored on the memory and comprising a computer-readable program of instruction executable by the processor to provide an interactive virtual world environment to users of the plurality of clients; and

a watermark program stored on the memory and comprising a computer-readable program of instruction executable by the processor to;

receive security information for an avatar in a virtual world;

create a watermark for the avatar comprising the security information; and

associate the watermark with the avatar.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said watermark comprises a security preference for the avatar and graphical information that causes alteration of an image of the avatar when the avatar is recorded in response to the user identification not satisfying the security preference.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said watermark further comprises contact information for an owner of the avatar embedded in a recorded image of the avatar.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein

in response to receiving a query of the recorded avatar image, the watermark presents the embedded contact information to the client of a user making the query.

18. A computer program product for using watermarks to embed security features on avatars in a virtual world, comprising a computer-readable storage media having encoded thereon:

program instructions for receiving security information for an avatar in a virtual world;

program instructions for creating a watermark for the avatar comprising the security information; and

program instructions for associating the watermark with the avatar.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein said watermark comprises a security preference for the avatar and graphical information that causes alteration of an image of the avatar when the avatar is recorded, and further comprising:

program instructions for comparing a user identification with the security preference in response to a user recording said avatar; and

program instructions for altering the recorded avatar image using the graphical information in response to the user identification not satisfying the security preference.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein said watermark further comprises contact information for an owner of the avatar;

and further comprising;

program instructions for embedding the contact information in the recorded avatar image in response to a user recording said avatar.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising:

program instructions for presenting the embedded contact information in response to receiving a query of the recorded avatar image.