Priority-based virtual environment

• US 6,329,986 B1
• Filed: 02/21/1998
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Cheng, Doreen Yining
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOOD JOHNSON, MOTILEWA
• Application Number:
  US09/027,459
• Time in Patent Office: 1,389 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/706
• US Class Current: 345/419
• 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

Abstract

A system enabling priority-based operation of a virtual environment, the system having a priority component that provides priorities for avatars and non-avatar objects, such that highest priority avatars/objects have (a) enhanced rendering and (b) increased quality of service from networks and operating systems. The priority component is responsive to selected parameters, including, for example, one or more of (i) objects'"'"' relative positions, (ii) the direction, orientation and span of sense and focus spaces, (iii) participants'"'"' profiles, (iv) predetermined parameters as set by developers and/or participants, (v) social parameters, (vi) economic models and (vii) combinations of these and other selected parameters. In some embodiments, the system employs only the attention component.

Claims

1. A system enabling a virtual environment, the virtual environment supporting virtual objects, the system enabling the participant to experience one or more virtual objects through one or more human senses, the system comprising:

a participant sensing device, the participant sensing device enabling the participant'"'"'s experience of the virtual environment as to at least one human sense; and

a priority component, the priority component supporting the participant sensing device and determining priority as to at least one of (i) which virtual object or objects are communicated for the participant to experience, (ii) the level of quality of that communication, (iii) which virtual object or objects to render, and (iv) the rendering detail of such virtual objects, which priority determination is implemented using one or more base parameters and one or more modifying parameters, the one or more modifying parameters representing one or more circumstances, characteristics, opinions, views and other matters of a personal nature relevant to the participant.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the participant sensing device comprises a display device.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the priority component determines priority using one or more predetermined modifying parameters, the participant being enabled to select among one or more of such modifying parameters.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the priority component determines priority using one or more predetermined modifying parameters, the participant being enabled to revise, characterize, calibrate or otherwise alter one or more of such modifying parameters.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the priority component determines priority using one or more modifying parameters which the participant is enabled to create.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modifying parameters comprise one or more of (i) the likes and dislikes of the participant directed to other avatars and virtual objects in the virtual environment, (ii) the desire of the participant to interact with an avatar of another participant having selected likes, dislikes, interests, skills and the like, (iii) the desire of the participant to interact with a non-avatar object of a selected type or having selected information, services and the like, (iv) economic models.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein virtual objects include source objects and media objects, and wherein the priority component determines priority of a source object using one or more base parameters and one or more modifying parameters, and determines priority of a media object that is or becomes associated with such source object by assigning to such media object the priority determined for the source object.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein media object are characterized by plural types and wherein the priority component assigns priority to selected media objects based on agreement of type.

9. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an attention component that enables the participant to interact with one or more virtual objects, in whole and via one or more features thereof, and wherein the priority component includes as a base parameter the circumstance of any such interaction.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the priority component enhances the priority of a virtual object, in whole and via one or more features thereof, with which the participant is interacting.

11. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the priority component determines priority using one or more base parameters that objectively represent a characteristic of the virtual environment.

12. A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the virtual environment includes a virtual object being an avatar representing the participant, the avatar having an attention orientation, and wherein the priority component provides an attention space, and the one or more base parameters objectively represent at least one of (a) the relative distance between the avatar and a virtual object resident in the attention space, and (b) the angle describing the attention orientation relative to a vector associating the positions of the avatar relative to a virtual object resident in the attention space.

13. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the one or more base parameters comprise both the relative distance and the angle, the priority component associating relative weight coefficients with such parameters.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising an attention component that enables the participant to interact with one or more virtual objects, in whole and via one or more features thereof, and wherein the priority component includes as a base parameter the circumstance of any such interaction and associates a weight coefficient with such base parameter.

15. A system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising an immersion point at which the participant experiences the virtual environment, the immersion point having an associated attention orientation, and wherein the priority component provides an attention space, and the one or more base parameters objectively represent at least one of (a) the relative distance between the immersion point and a virtual object resident in the attention space, and (b) the angle describing the attention orientation relative to a vector associating the positions of the immersion point relative to a virtual object resident in the attention space.

16. A system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the one or more base parameters comprise both the relative distance and the angle, the priority component associating relative weight coefficients with such parameters.

17. A system as claimed in claim 16, further comprising an attention component that enables the participant to interact with one or more virtual objects, in whole and via one or more features thereof, and wherein the priority component includes as a base parameter the circumstance of any such interaction and associates a weight coefficient with such base parameter.