TIME-DEPENDENT CLIENT INACTIVITY INDICIA IN A MULTI-USER ANIMATION ENVIRONMENT
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for managing a multi-user animation platform is disclosed. A three-dimensional space within a computer memory is modeled. An avatar of a client is located within the three-dimensional space, the avatar being graphically represented by a three-dimensional figure within the three-dimensional space. The avatar is responsive to client input commands, and the three-dimensional figure includes a graphical representation of client activity. The client input commands are monitored to determine client activity. The graphical representation of client activity is then altered according to an inactivity scheme when client input commands are not detected. Following a predetermined period of client inactivity, the inactivity scheme varies non-repetitively with time.
15 Citations
47 Claims
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1-25. -25. (canceled)
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26. A method for multi-user animation, comprising:
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modeling a space within a computer memory; locating an avatar of a client within a space modeled in a computer memory, the avatar being responsive to client input commands to act within the space; monitoring the client input commands to determine how long the client is inactive; and controlling a degree of transparency of the avatar within the space to indicate how long the client is inactive, so that a degree of transparency of the avatar increases in proportion to a length of time the client is inactive. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions for causing a computer to perform the operations of:
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modeling a space within a computer memory; locating an avatar of a client within a space modeled in a computer memory, the avatar being responsive to client input commands to act within the space; monitoring the client input commands to determine how long the client is inactive; and controlling a degree of transparency of the avatar within the space to indicate how long the client is inactive, so that a degree of transparency of the avatar increases in proportion to a length of time the client is inactive. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method for multi-user animation, comprising:
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modeling a space within a computer memory; receiving client input commands from remote clients at a central host; modeling motion of avatars within the space responsive to the client input commands from corresponding ones of multiple clients; monitoring time elapsed from most recent client input for each of the multiple clients to obtain a corresponding measure of current inactivity level for each avatar; setting transparency values for respective ones of the avatars, the transparency values variable and responsive to the corresponding measure of current inactivity level for each avatar to indicate how long respective ones of the clients have been inactive; and serving the transparency values to the multiple clients configured for use by the clients to display the avatars with a corresponding measure of transparency against a background of the space. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A non-transitory computer-readable memory encoded with instructions for causing a computer to perform the operations of:
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modeling a space within a computer memory; receiving client input commands from remote clients at a central host; modeling motion of avatars within the space responsive to the client input commands from corresponding ones of multiple clients; monitoring time elapsed from most recent client input for each of the multiple clients to obtain a corresponding measure of current inactivity level for each avatar; setting transparency values for respective ones of the avatars, the transparency values variable and responsive to the corresponding measure of current inactivity level for each avatar to indicate how long respective ones of the clients have been inactive; and serving the transparency values to the multiple clients configured for use by the clients to display the avatars with a corresponding measure of transparency against a background of the space. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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Specification