SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF VIRTUAL WORLD INTERACTION

• US 20130047098A1
• Filed: 08/20/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pfaqutruma Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Utherverse, Inc.
• Inventors: Shuster, Brian, Burch, Aaron, Neufeld, Ian, Herling, Dirk, Shuster, Gary, Kristiansen, Friso, Tyroler, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 8,621,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5586 for enforcing rights or rules, e.g. to prevent foul play
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/024 Multi-user, collaborative environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 : Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 : where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 : Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 : Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

Systems and methods of virtual world interaction, operation, implementation, instantiation, creation, and other functions related to virtual worlds (note that where the term “virtual world” is used herein, it is to be understood as referring to virtual world systems, virtual environments reflecting real, simulated, fantasy, or other structures, and includes information systems that utilize interaction within a 3D environment). Various embodiments facilitate interoperation between and within virtual worlds, and may provide consistent structures for operating virtual worlds. The disclosed embodiments may further enable individuals to build new virtual worlds within a framework, and allow third party users to better interact with those worlds.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

instantiating, in one or more computer memories, an instance of a three-dimensional scene defined by a collection of document objects, wherein the document objects are encoded in a descriptive language and define respective three-dimensional modeled objects or spaces;

controlling contents of the collection of document objects in response to signals received by a processor from one or more client devices;

recording, in the one or more computer memories, a sequence of three-dimensional scene states based on respective states of the scene at successive times of a time sequence, including at least position and orientation of three-dimensional objects modeled in the scene; and

providing data representing the sequence of three-dimensional scene states to the one or more clients.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising instantiating the instance of the scene at least in part by instantiating ones of the document objects in the collection.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising instantiating at least one of the document objects at least in part by creating, from a document template received by the processor, a copy of the at least one of the document objects in the collection of document objects.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising organizing the collection of document objects in a hierarchical tree based on document object properties.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising installing one or more components in the one or more computer memories adapted for supporting the instance of the scene, in response to receiving an instruction from a server.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising controlling the collection of document objects at least in part by detecting, using the one or more components executing by the processor, ones of the signals signifying events corresponding to ones of the document objects.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising generating an information signal in response to the detecting the ones of the signals signifying events, and transmitting the information signal to the server.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising communicating with the server using the one of more components executing by the processor to determine respective outcomes of the events.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising updating states of one or more of the document objects in the collection, according to the respective outcomes.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising formatting the data into a format enabling a three-dimensional animated display of the scene for a user interface of the one or more clients.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising interpreting the document objects according to the markup language selected from the group consisting of:

a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) object, an Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML) or Extensible Markup Language (XML).

12. An apparatus comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the memory holding instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

instantiate an instance of a three-dimensional scene defined by a collection of document objects, wherein the document objects are encoded in a markup language and define respective three-dimensional modeled objects or spaces;

control contents of the collection of document objects in response to signals from one or more client devices;

record a sequence of three-dimensional scene states based on respective states of the scene at successive times of a time sequence, including at least position and orientation of three-dimensional objects modeled in the scene; and

provide data representing the sequence of three-dimensional scene states to the one or more clients.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the memory holds further instructions for instantiating the instance of the scene at least in part by instantiating ones of the document objects in the collection.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the memory holds further instructions for instantiating at least one of the document objects at least in part by creating, from a document template received by the processor, a copy of the at least one of the document objects in the collection of document objects.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the memory holds further instructions for organizing the collection of document objects in a hierarchical tree based on document object properties.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the memory holds further instructions for installing one or more components in the one or more computer memories adapted for supporting the instance of the scene, in response to receiving an instruction from a server.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the memory holds further instructions for controlling the collection of document objects at least in part by detecting, using the one or more components executing by the processor, ones of the signals signifying events corresponding to ones of the document objects.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the memory holds further instructions for generating an information signal in response to the detecting the ones of the signals signifying events, and transmitting the information signal to the server.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the memory holds further instructions for communicating with the server using the one or more components executing by the processor to determine respective outcomes of the events.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the memory holds further instructions for updating states of one or more of the document objects in the collection, according to the respective outcomes.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the memory holds further instructions for formatting the data into a format enabling a three-dimensional animated display of the scene for a user interface of the one or more clients.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the memory holds further instructions for interpreting the document objects according to the markup language selected from the group consisting of:

a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) object, an Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML) or Extensible Markup Language (XML).

23. A system, comprising:

one or more objects defined according to a protocol for a virtual environment;

one or more scenes within the virtual environment;

one or more virtual environments, a subset of which are defined as part of at least one of the virtual environments not in the subset;

a database containing information defining permissions each of the objects, scenes, and virtual environments is permitted to grant to, or exercise against, one or more of the other objects, scenes, or virtual environments.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for realizing the permissions data in an instance of the one or more scenes by limiting the ability of objects, scenes, and virtual environments to interact to interactions compatible with the extent permissions, wherein virtual environments are permitted to require, permit, preclude, or a combination thereof, permissions of scenes below it in a hierarchy, and scenes are permitted to require, permit, preclude, or a combination thereof, permissions of objects below it in a hierarchy.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein database comprises data encoded into objects themselves and not centrally stored.

26. A computer system comprising:

an object or layer contained within a virtual environment holding templates for generation of one or more other objects or layers within a virtual environment;

means for generating said one or more objects or layers;

means for interacting with said one or more objects or layers by one or more users resulting in at least one alteration to the said objects or layers;

means for determining, by reference to permissions data, whether one or more such alterations should be made persistent with regard to one or more other objects, other layers, or users.

27. The computer system of claim 26, further comprising means for recording of the extent state of the objects or layers.

28. The computer system of claim 27, further comprising means for determining whether a object, layer or user making changes in the recorded state had permission to change the instantiation of such object or layer with regard to a second user, object or layer, wherein the second user, object, or layer attempts to instantiate an instance of the object or layer based stored on said template but also stored in said recorded state.

29. The computer system of claim 28, further comprising means for instantiating the template version where such permissions are insufficient, or the recorded version when such permissions are sufficient.

30. The computer system of claim 29, wherein persistence of the alteration may be time-limited or terminated by an event.