Networked computer system for communicating and operating in a virtual reality environment

• US 7,269,632 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2001
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xdyne, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Xdyne, Inc.
• Inventors: Syomik, Anatoly P., Edeker, Ada Mae, Siyanko, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia; Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shingles; Kristie D.
• Application Number:
  US09/874,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20020188678A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,289 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/204, 709/201, 709/217, 709/227, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions

Abstract

The present invention relates to interactive virtual reality networked computer systems and methods that facilitate communication and operation in a virtual reality environment. The virtual reality networked computer system has an infrastructure that includes a number of users, hosts and servers. The interconnected hosts and servers allow users to effectively locate, activate, access and interact within virtual reality environments in a variety of different ways. For example, users can establish user groups such that interaction within the virtual reality environment occurs between hosts (accessed by users) without the need of a central or dedicated server.

Claims

1. A networked computer system for enabling a plurality of users to access a virtual reality environment and interact in the virtual reality environment, the system comprising:

data representing the virtual reality environment including static virtual reality data and dynamic virtual reality data wherein the static virtual reality data is object information representing virtual reality objects wherein the object information of the static virtual reality data represents any one of a three-dimensional model, a graphic texture, a sound, a program module or a script wherein the dynamic virtual reality data represents parameter values of exemplars of the virtual reality objects within the virtual reality environment wherein the parameter values represent geometric coordinates and describe a state of the exemplars of the virtual reality objects within the virtual reality environment;

a server host receiving and storing the data representing the virtual reality environment wherein the server host changes, stores and transmits the dynamic virtual reality data representing the virtual reality environment wherein a host name of the server host has been assigned to the server host wherein the host name of the server host represents a network location of the server host wherein the server host is accessible via the host name of the server host;

a plurality of servers storing and transmitting the data representing the virtual reality environment and data representing the location of the server host wherein the data representing the network location of the server host identifies a network address of the server host wherein at least one of the plurality of servers communicates with the server host; and

a client host communicating with at least one of the plurality of servers wherein the client host obtains the data representing the location of the server host from at least one of the plurality of servers to establish network communication with the server host wherein the client host requests and receives the network address of the server host from one of the servers by providing the host name representing the network location of the server host wherein the client host connects to the server host via the network address of the server and receives the dynamic virtual reality data from the server host wherein the client host identifies the static virtual reality data of the virtual reality environment from the dynamic virtual reality data received from the server host wherein the client host requests and receives the static virtual reality data from one of the servers to access the virtual reality environment wherein the client host activates the virtual reality environment with the dynamic virtual reality data and the static virtual reality data.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the servers is a data server which stores static virtual reality data and transmits the static virtual reality data to the client host.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of servers has a plurality of session servers which store and transmit host informational data associated with the server host and the client host wherein the client host and the server host are located via the host informational data.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein each of the session servers has a database which stores the host informational data wherein the server host accesses the host informational data via at least one of the plurality of servers.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of servers has a plurality of name servers which store and transmit server informational data associated with the plurality of session servers and a plurality of data server wherein the client host accesses the server informational data via at least one of the plurality of servers.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the server informational data identifies a session server name of at least one of the plurality of session servers, a session server IP address of at least one of the plurality of session servers or a session server status of at least one of the plurality of session servers.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for assigning access restrictions to the server host wherein the access restrictions prevent the client host from communicating with the server host.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for registering the host with at least one of a plurality of session servers wherein the host is identified from the registration data provided by the host to the session server during host registration and stored at the session server as a part of host informational data.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the virtual reality environment is activated in an active mode between the client host and the server host wherein the dynamic virtual reality data is modified by the client host and transmitted to the server host.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the client host and the server host establish a continuous network communication which facilitates interaction within the virtual reality environment between the server host and the client host.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the dynamic virtual reality data is communicated between the server host and the client host wherein the server host and the client host modify the virtual reality environment.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the server host simultaneously functions as a server host and a client host relative to a plurality of different virtual reality environments.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the virtual reality environment is activated in a passive mode between the client host and the server host wherein the passive mode prevents the client host from modifying the dynamic virtual reality data at the server host.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the server host transmits a copy of the virtual reality environment to the client host wherein the client host stores the copy of the virtual reality environment.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

a network communication between the client host and the server host which is discontinued after the copy of the virtual reality environment was transmitted to the client host.

16. A method for users to interact within a virtual reality environment, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of hosts which are connected to a network wherein each of the plurality of hosts are accessed via the network wherein a host name is assigned to each of the plurality of hosts wherein the host name of each of the plurality of hosts identifies a network location of each of the plurality of hosts;

providing a plurality servers interconnected with the plurality of hosts wherein at least one of the plurality of servers stores and transmits host informational data, dynamic virtual reality data and static virtual reality data to each of the plurality of hosts via the network wherein the static virtual reality data is object information representing virtual reality objects wherein the object information of the static virtual reality data represents any one of a three-dimensional model, a graphic texture, a sound, a program module or a script wherein the dynamic virtual reality data represents parameter values of exemplars of the virtual reality objects within the virtual reality environment wherein the parameter values represent geometric coordinates and describe a state of the exemplars of the virtual reality objects within the virtual reality environment wherein the host informational data identifies the host name assigned to each of the plurality of hosts;

identifying the location of each of the plurality of hosts via the host name assigned to each of the plurality of hosts wherein by the host informational data is accessed with at least one of the plurality of servers to determine the network location of each of the plurality of hosts; and

establishing a network communication between a server host and a client host of the plurality of hosts via the network wherein the server host stores the dynamic virtual reality data wherein the server host is a server to the client host wherein the client host is a client to the server host wherein the server host transmits the dynamic virtual reality data to the client host wherein the client host accesses the dynamic virtual reality data received from the server host and obtains the static virtual reality data which corresponds to the dynamic virtual reality data received from the server host from at least one of the plurality of servers.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

performing a plurality of computer applications within the virtual reality environment wherein the client host executes at least one of the plurality of computer applications within the virtual reality environment.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

creating and customizing a personal virtual reality environment wherein the server host modifies the dynamic virtual reality data to represent the personal virtual reality environment.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the personal virtual reality environment is a home or business environment wherein the personal virtual reality environment is accessible via the client host.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

establishing the network communication between the users within the virtual reality environment via the network wherein the users interact via the plurality of hosts.

21. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

identifying the network location of hosts temporarily redirected via dynamic host roaming wherein the host informational data of a redirected host is additionally stored at a roaming session server wherein the host informational data stored at a host home session server has a network address of the roaming session server.

22. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

identifying the network location of hosts permanently moved via host name aliasing wherein the host informational data of a moved host is relocated to a host new home session server wherein the host informational data stored at a host old home session server has a network address of the new home session server.

23. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

locating the server host in a follow user mode wherein the location of the server host is altered in the follow user mode wherein the server host name is identified by the name of the server host which a followed user is currently connected to from a client host.

24. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

locating the server host in a visit user home mode wherein the location of the server host is identified by the host name.

25. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

establishing the network communication by multi-cast messaging wherein one of the plurality of servers communicates with the two or more of the plurality of hosts via the multi-cast messaging.

26. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

establishing the network communication by uni-cast messaging wherein each of the plurality of servers communicates with one of the plurality of hosts.

27. The method of claim 16 wherein the client host accesses the virtual reality environment hosted at the server host in an active mode wherein the dynamic virtual reality data modified by the client host is transmitted over to and permanently stored at the server host.

28. The method of claim 16 wherein the client host accesses the virtual reality environment hosted at the server host in a passive mode wherein the dynamic virtual reality data modified by the client host is not transmitted over to and kept unchangeable at the server host.

29. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

registering the plurality of hosts and host owners with at least one of a plurality of session servers wherein the host informational data is identified by registering the plurality of hosts and host owners.