INITIATE EVENTS THROUGH HIDDEN INTERACTIONS

• US 20140237392A1
• Filed: 02/15/2013
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Crocker, John, Hoomani, Cyrus
• Granted Patent: US 9,259,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/847 Cooperative playing, e.g. requiring coordinated actions from several players to achieve a common goal
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• 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: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

System, method, and computer program product to trigger events in a virtual environment, by monitoring a communication in the virtual environment between at least a first user represented by a first avatar and a second user represented by a second avatar, the communication having an explicit meaning to the first and second users, determining whether the communication is predefined as a trigger associated with a corresponding event based on the communication having a secondary meaning not discernible from the explicit meaning, and upon determining that the communication is predefined as the trigger, triggering the corresponding event in the virtual environment.

Claims

1. A method to trigger events in a virtual environment, comprising:

monitoring a communication in the virtual environment between at least a first user represented by a first avatar and a second user represented by a second avatar, the communication having an explicit meaning to the first and second users;

determining, by operation of one or more computer processors, whether the communication is predefined as a trigger associated with a corresponding event based on the communication having a secondary meaning not discernible from the explicit meaning; and

upon determining that the communication is predefined as the trigger, triggering the corresponding event in the virtual environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication comprises at least one of:

(i) a text communication between the first user and the second user, and (ii) a gesture from one of the first avatar and the second avatar to the remaining one of the first avatar and the second avatar.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the corresponding event can only be invoked in the virtual environment by occurrence of the communication, the method further comprising displaying the event in the virtual environment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the event is triggered by a virtual world application, wherein the virtual world application is configured to individually trigger each event selected from:

(i) a first event comprising a predefined activity in which the first user and the second user participate;

(ii) a second event comprising a predefined group activity in which the first user, the second user, and a third user participate, wherein the third user is invited responsive to user input from at least one of the first user and the second user;

(iii) a third event comprising a predefined graphical effect; and

(iv) a fourth event comprising a predefined audio effect.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the event is triggered upon determining that the first avatar and the second avatar are in a predefined location in the virtual environment, wherein the predefined location is specific to the event, wherein a second event is triggered upon determining the first avatar and the second avatar are in a second predefined location in the virtual environment, wherein the second event is different from the event, wherein the second predefined location is different from the predefined location.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the virtual world application is configured to determine that the communication is predefined as a trigger based further on each of a plurality of communication properties selected from:

(i) a first communication property comprising a length of time of the virtual interaction;

(ii) a second communication property comprising a number of previous virtual interactions between the first user and the second user;

(iii) a third communication property comprising a user-specified condition indicating when to trigger the event; and

(iv) a fourth communication property comprising a virtual interaction type selected from a plurality of different virtual interaction types.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the virtual world application is configured to trigger events based individually on each of a plurality of event characteristics selected from:

(i) a first event characteristic comprising a user-defined event associated with the virtual interaction;

(ii) a second event characteristic comprising a location of the first avatar and the second avatar in the virtual environment; and

(iii) a third event characteristic comprising a number of avatars participating in the virtual interaction.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the virtual world application is configured to determine that the communication is predefined as a trigger further based on each of a plurality of user characteristics stored in a user profile selected from:

(i) a first user characteristic comprising an age of the user;

(ii) a second user characteristic comprising a gender of the user;

(iii) a third user characteristic comprising an affiliation of the user;

(iv) a fourth user characteristic comprising a hobby of the user;

(v) a fifth user characteristic comprising a skill level of the user;

(vi) a sixth user characteristic comprising an indication of time spent in the virtual environment;

(vii) a seventh user characteristic comprising a count of completed objectives in the virtual environment; and

(viii) an eighth user characteristic comprising a predefined friendship between the first user and the second user.

9. A computer program product to trigger events in a virtual environment, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code comprising;

computer-readable program code configured to monitor a communication in the virtual environment between at least a first user represented by a first avatar and a second user represented by a second avatar, the communication having an explicit meaning to the first and second users;

computer-readable program code configured to determine whether the communication is predefined as a trigger associated with a corresponding event based on the communication having a secondary meaning not discernible from the explicit meaning; and

computer-readable program code configured to, upon determining that the communication is predefined as the trigger, triggering the corresponding event in the virtual environment.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the communication comprises at least one of:

(i) a text communication between the first user and the second user, and (ii) a gesture from one of the first avatar and the second avatar to the remaining one of the first avatar and the second avatar.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the corresponding event can only be invoked in the virtual environment by occurrence of the communication, further comprising displaying the event in the virtual environment.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the event is triggered by a virtual world application, wherein the virtual world application is configured to individually trigger each event selected from:

(i) a first event comprising a predefined activity in which the first user and the second user participate;

(ii) a second event comprising a predefined group activity in which the first user, the second user, and a third user participate, wherein the third user is invited responsive to user input from at least one of the first user and the second user;

(iii) a third event comprising a predefined graphical effect; and

(iv) a fourth event comprising a predefined audio effect.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the event is triggered upon determining that the first avatar and the second avatar are in a predefined location in the virtual environment, wherein the predefined location is specific to the event, wherein a second event is triggered upon determining the first avatar and the second avatar are in a second predefined location in the virtual environment, wherein the second event is different from the event, wherein the second predefined location is different from the predefined location.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the virtual world application is configured to determine that the communication is predefined as a trigger based further on each of a plurality of communication properties selected from:

(i) a first virtual interaction property comprising a length of time of the virtual interaction;

(ii) a second virtual interaction property comprising a number of previous virtual interactions between the first user and the second user;

(iii) a third virtual interaction property comprising a user-specified condition indicating when to trigger the event; and

(iv) a fourth virtual interaction property comprising a virtual interaction type selected from a plurality of different virtual interaction types.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the virtual world application is configured to trigger events based individually on each of a plurality of event characteristics selected from:

(i) a first event characteristic comprising a user-defined event associated with the virtual interaction;

(ii) a second event characteristic comprising a location of the first avatar and the second avatar in the virtual environment; and

(iii) a third event characteristic comprising a number of avatars participating in the virtual interaction.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the virtual world application is configured to determine that the communication is predefined as a trigger based further on each of a plurality of user characteristics stored in a user profile selected from:

(i) a first user characteristic comprising an age of the user;

(ii) a second user characteristic comprising a gender of the user;

(iii) a third user characteristic comprising an affiliation of the user;

(iv) a fourth user characteristic comprising a hobby of the user;

(v) a fifth user characteristic comprising a skill level of the user;

(vi) a sixth user characteristic comprising an indication of time spent in the virtual environment;

(vii) a seventh user characteristic comprising a count of completed objectives in the virtual environment; and

(viii) an eighth user characteristic comprising a predefined friendship between the first user and the second user.

17. A system, comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

a memory containing a program, which when executed by the one or more computer processors, performs an operation to trigger events in a virtual environment, the operation comprising;

monitoring a communication in the virtual environment between at least a first user represented by a first avatar and a second user represented by a second avatar, the communication having an explicit meaning to the first and second users;

determining whether the communication is predefined as a trigger associated with a corresponding event based on the communication having a secondary meaning not discernible from the explicit meaning; and

upon determining that the communication is predefined as the trigger, triggering the corresponding event in the virtual environment.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the communication comprises at least one of:

(i) a text communication between the first user and the second user, and (ii) a gesture from one of the first avatar and the second avatar to the remaining one of the first avatar and the second avatar.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the corresponding event can only be invoked in the virtual environment by occurrence of the communication, further comprising displaying the event in the virtual environment.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the event is triggered by a virtual world application, wherein the virtual world application is configured to individually trigger each event selected from:

(i) a first event comprising a predefined activity in which the first user and the second user participate;

(ii) a second event comprising a predefined group activity in which the first user, the second user, and a third user participate, wherein the third user is invited responsive to user input from at least one of the first user and the second user;

(iii) a third event comprising a predefined graphical effect; and

(iv) a fourth event comprising a predefined audio effect.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the event is triggered upon determining that the first avatar and the second avatar are in a predefined location in the virtual environment, wherein the predefined location is specific to the event, wherein a second event is triggered upon determining the first avatar and the second avatar are in a second predefined location in the virtual environment, wherein the second event is different from the event, wherein the second predefined location is different from the predefined location.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the virtual world application is configured to determine that the communication is predefined as a trigger based further on each of a plurality of communication properties selected from:

(i) a first virtual interaction property comprising a length of time of the virtual interaction;

(ii) a second virtual interaction property comprising a number of previous virtual interactions between the first user and the second user;

(iii) a third virtual interaction property comprising a user-specified condition indicating when to trigger the event; and

(iv) a fourth virtual interaction property comprising a virtual interaction type selected from a plurality of different virtual interaction types.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the virtual world application is configured to trigger events based individually on each of a plurality of event characteristics selected from:

(i) a first event characteristic comprising a user-defined event associated with the virtual interaction;

(ii) a second event characteristic comprising a location of the first avatar and the second avatar in the virtual environment; and

(iii) a third event characteristic comprising a number of avatars participating in the virtual interaction.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the virtual world application is configured to determine that the communication is predefined as a trigger based further on each of a plurality of user characteristics stored in a user profile selected from:

(i) a first user characteristic comprising an age of the user;

(ii) a second user characteristic comprising a gender of the user;

(iii) a third user characteristic comprising an affiliation of the user;

(iv) a fourth user characteristic comprising a hobby of the user;

(v) a fifth user characteristic comprising a skill level of the user;

(vi) a sixth user characteristic comprising an indication of time spent in the virtual environment;

(vii) a seventh user characteristic comprising a count of completed objectives in the virtual environment; and

(viii) an eighth user characteristic comprising a predefined friendship between the first user and the second user.