SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF MANAGING VIRTUAL WORLD AVATARS

• US 20130047217A1
• 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, Shuster, Gary, Neufeld, Ian, Herling, Dirk
• Granted Patent: US 8,522,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• 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 of communicating user data between virtual worlds systems, the method being performed on a virtual worlds server, the method comprising:

receiving, at a virtual worlds server including one or more processors, a request for a transfer of an avatar from an external virtual worlds server;

determining authorization rights of the avatar to access the virtual worlds server;

completing a transfer protocol with the external virtual worlds server;

converting characteristics associated with the avatar based on one or more conversion rules associated with the virtual worlds server; and

engaging the avatar for interaction with one or more worlds on the virtual worlds server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein completing the transfer protocol comprises performing a cryptographically secure transfer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the cryptographically secure transfer is configured to inhibit the avatar from appearing in multiple virtual worlds simultaneously.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the characteristics comprises matching the characteristics with comparable characteristics permitted by the virtual worlds server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein converting the characteristics further comprises determining a difference in value between the characteristics and the comparable characteristics, and providing a credit or charging a debit accounting for the difference in value.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein matching the characteristics comprises analyzing one or more attributes of the characteristics and one or more attributes of the comparable characteristics.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein matching the characteristics comprises processing one or more local-to-local conversion agreement rules associated with the virtual worlds server and the external virtual worlds server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the external virtual worlds server is housed on the same computing device as the virtual worlds server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual worlds server comprises a plurality of computing devices in a distributed network system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein converting the characteristics comprises modifying a global avatar state associated with the avatar to reflect the conversion of the characteristics.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein converting the characteristics comprises storing a local avatar state associated with the avatar to reflect the conversion of the characteristics, whereby a global avatar state associated with the avatar need not be modified.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein converting the characteristics comprises modifying one or more of the characteristics based on a previously stored local avatar state associated with the avatar, whereby effects of previous activities of the avatar on the virtual worlds server may be restored to the avatar.

13. A computer system configured to communicate user data between virtual worlds systems, the system comprising:

computer-readable storage having stored thereon a plurality of modules implemented as executable instructions;

one or more computer processors configured to execute the plurality of modules;

a transfer receipt module configured to receive a request for a transfer of an avatar from an external virtual worlds server;

an authorization module configured to determine authorization rights of the avatar to access the virtual worlds server;

a transfer module configured to complete a transfer protocol with the external virtual worlds server;

a conversion module configured to convert characteristics associated with the avatar based on one or more conversion rules associated with the virtual worlds server; and

an interaction module configured to engage the avatar for interaction with one or more worlds on the virtual worlds server.