COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACE AND A COMMUNICATIONS METHOD, A CORRESPONDING COMPUTER PROGRAM, AND A CORRESPONDING REGISTRATION MEDIUM
First Claim
1. A communications interface for communications between participants having respective screens available to them, said interface including a virtual space (1) and graphical avatars (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) that firstly represent respective ones of said participants and secondly are designed to move in said virtual space (1), said virtual space (1) and said graphical avatars (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) being designed to be displayed on said screens, said communications interface also including control means enabling each of the participants to control the movements of their respective graphical avatars (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11), said communications interface being characterized in that it is designed to set up a discussion channel automatically between two of said participants when either the distance (d) between the two graphical avatars (2, 3) representing respective ones of said two participants is less than or equal to a predetermined first value (D1), or the distances (d′
- ) between a graphical object (12, 13, 14) positioned in said virtual space (1) and each of the two graphical avatars (2, 3) representing respective ones of said two participants are less than or equal to a second predetermined value (D2), setting up said discussion channel enabling said two participants to converse with each other.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention provides a communications interface for communications between participants, said interface including a virtual space (1) and graphical avatars (2, 3) that firstly represent respective ones of said participants and secondly are designed to move in said virtual space (1), said communications interface also including control means for controlling the movement of each graphical avatar, said communications interface being characterized in that it is designed to set up a discussion channel automatically between two of said participants when either the distance (d) between the two graphical avatars (2, 3) representing respective ones of said two participants is less than or equal to a predetermined first value (D1), or the distances between a graphical object and each of the two graphical avatars (2, 3) are less than or equal to a second predetermined value.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A communications interface for communications between participants having respective screens available to them, said interface including a virtual space (1) and graphical avatars (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) that firstly represent respective ones of said participants and secondly are designed to move in said virtual space (1), said virtual space (1) and said graphical avatars (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) being designed to be displayed on said screens, said communications interface also including control means enabling each of the participants to control the movements of their respective graphical avatars (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11), said communications interface being characterized in that it is designed to set up a discussion channel automatically between two of said participants when either the distance (d) between the two graphical avatars (2, 3) representing respective ones of said two participants is less than or equal to a predetermined first value (D1), or the distances (d′
- ) between a graphical object (12, 13, 14) positioned in said virtual space (1) and each of the two graphical avatars (2, 3) representing respective ones of said two participants are less than or equal to a second predetermined value (D2), setting up said discussion channel enabling said two participants to converse with each other.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 18, 19, 20)
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12. A communications method for communications between participants having respective screens available to them, in which method:
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a virtual space (1) and graphical avatars (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) that represent respective ones of said participants are displayed on said screens; and each of the participants controls the movements of their respective graphical avatars (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) in said virtual space (1); said communications method being characterized in that a discussion channel is set up automatically between two of said participants when either the distance (d) between the two graphical avatars (2, 3) representing respective ones of said two participants is less than or equal to a first predetermined value (D1), or the distances (d′
) between a graphical object (12, 13, 14) positioned in said virtual space (1) and each of the two graphical avatars (2, 3) representing respective ones of said two participants are less than or equal to a second predetermined value (D2);
setting up said discussion channel enabling said two participants to converse with each other.- View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification