System and Method for Enhancing Socialization in Virtual Worlds

• US 20150007062A1
• Filed: 09/18/2014
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Jones, Allan D., Parkis, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 9,987,563 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• 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: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

There is provided a system and method for inducing a reply from a first client connected to a virtual world to facilitate a social interaction using a second client connected to the virtual world. There is provided a method for inducing a reply from a first client connected to a virtual world to facilitate a social interaction using a second client connected to the virtual world, the method comprising locating, in the virtual world, an avatar of the second client in a proximity of an avatar of the first client, executing a social action using the avatar of the second client such that the social action is observable by the first client but not observable by the second client, receiving the reply from the first client in response to the social action, and rendering the reply from first client using the avatar of the first client.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method for use by a server hosting a virtual world and having a processor, the method comprising:

locating, using the processor, a first avatar of a first client in a proximity of a second avatar of a second client, in the virtual world;

retrieving a first history of the first avatar and a second history of the second avatar;

determining, based on the first history and the second history, whether to execute a social action for encouraging a social interaction between the first avatar and the second avatar;

if the determining determined to execute the social action, executing the social action using the first avatar of the first client such that the social action is observable on a second display of the second client but not on a first display the first client;

receiving a reply from the second client in response to the social action; and

rendering the reply for displaying on the first display of the first client and the second display of the second client using the second avatar of the second client.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first history includes a first behavior history of the first avatar in the virtual world and the second history includes a second behavior history of the second avatar in the virtual world.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the determining considers negative and positive behaviors in the first behavior history and the second behavior history executing the social action.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the first history includes a first registration history of the first avatar in the virtual world and the second history includes a second registration history of the second avatar in the virtual world.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first registration history includes a first registration date by the first avatar in the virtual world and the second registration history includes a second registration date by the second avatar in the virtual world.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the determining considers the first registration date and the second registration date before executing the social action.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the first history includes a first number of friends of the first avatar in the virtual world and the second history includes a second number of friends of the second avatar in the virtual world.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the determining considers the first number of friends and the second number of friends before executing the social action.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the social action includes a communication by text, voice or movement.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the communication includes a greeting.

31. A server for hosting a virtual world, the server comprising:

a processor configured to;

locate a first avatar of a first client in a proximity of a second avatar of a second client, in the virtual world;

retrieve a first history of the first avatar and a second history of the second avatar;

determine, based on the first history and the second history, whether to execute a social action for encouraging a social interaction between the first avatar and the second avatar;

if determined to execute the social action, execute the social action using the first avatar of the first client such that the social action is observable on a second display of the second client but not on a first display the first client;

receive a reply from the second client in response to the social action; and

render the reply for displaying on the first display of the first client and the second display of the second client using the second avatar of the second client.

32. The server of claim 31, wherein the first history includes a first behavior history of the first avatar in the virtual world and the second history includes a second behavior history of the second avatar in the virtual world.

33. The server of claim 32, wherein the determining considers negative and positive behaviors in the first behavior history and the second behavior history executing the social action.

34. The server of claim 31, wherein the first history includes a first registration history of the first avatar in the virtual world and the second history includes a second registration history of the second avatar in the virtual world.

35. The server of claim 34, wherein the first registration history includes a first registration date by the first avatar in the virtual world and the second registration history includes a second registration date by the second avatar in the virtual world.

36. The server of claim 35, wherein the determining considers the first registration date and the second registration date before executing the social action.

37. The server of claim 31, wherein the first history includes a first number of friends of the first avatar in the virtual world and the second history includes a second number of friends of the second avatar in the virtual world.

38. The server of claim 37, wherein the determining considers the first number of friends and the second number of friends before executing the social action.

39. The server of claim 31, wherein the social action includes a communication by text, voice or movement.

40. The server of claim 39, wherein the communication includes a greeting.