Computer-implemented chat system having dual channel communications and self-defining product structures

• US 7,995,064 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IMVU Incorporated (IMVU)
• Original Assignee: IMVU Incorporated (IMVU)
• Inventors: Danzig, Matt, Gosling, Marcus, Harvey, William David, Guymon, Vernon Melvin III, Ries, Eric Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kimbinh T
• Application Number:
  US11/213,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20060077205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,174 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 345/474, 345/751, 715/757, 715/758, 715/751, 715/753, 463/31, 463/42
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

A computer-implemented chat system having dual channel communications and self-defining product structures is disclosed. The system and method includes providing a first logical communication channel between a first chat client and a second chat client, the first logical channel conveying text chat messages between the first chat client and the second chat client; providing a second logical communication channel between the first chat client and the second chat client, the second logical channel conveying text chat command/control information between the first chat client and the second chat client; and using the chat command/control information to modify a 3D chat scene displayed on each of the first chat client and the second chat client systems.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a first logical communication channel between a first chat client and a second chat client, the first logical channel conveying text chat messages between the first chat client and the second chat client;

providing a second logical communication channel between the first chat client and the second chat client, the second logical channel conveying text chat command/control information between the first chat client and the second chat client, the chat command/control information including special predefined text characters inserted into a text stream transferred in a common instant messaging (IM) text stream with the first logical communication channel;

using a processor and the chat command/control information to modify a 3D chat scene displayed on each of the first chat client and the second chat client systems; and

using the chat command/control information to identify a digital product for retrieval, the digital product being derived from one or more other digital products in a hierarchical product definition, at least one of the one or more other digital products being derived from a different one of the one or more other digital products, the one or more other digital products being separately identifiable as digital products for retrieval using chat command/control information, the derived digital products inheriting characteristics of ancestor digital products from which the derived digital products are derived, the derived digital products inheriting revenue values from the ancestor digital products, a value of a derived digital product corresponding to a combined value of the inherited revenue values associated with the ancestor digital products from which the derived digital product is derived.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further including a third communication channel, the third communication channel providing a communication link between the first chat client and a digital product server, the third communication channel also providing a communication link between the second chat client and the digital product server.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the chat command/control information includes digital product identifying information inserted into a text stream transferred in the common instant messaging (IM) text stream with the first logical communication channel, the method further including:

extracting the digital product identifying information from the chat command/control information on the second logical communication channel; and

using the digital product identifying information to obtain corresponding digital product information from the digital product server.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the chat command/control information includes digital product identifying information inserted into a text stream transferred in the common instant messaging (IM) text stream with the first logical communication channel, the method further including:

extracting the digital product identifying information from the chat command/control information on the second logical communication channel; and

using the digital product identifying information to validate ownership of a corresponding digital product in a validation transaction between a chat client and the digital product server.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 further including:

downloading the digital product.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 further including:

rendering the downloaded digital product in the 3D chat scene.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4 further including:

retaining the downloaded digital product in a local memory of the client system.

8. A method comprising:

providing a communication channel between a chat client and a digital product server;

providing a first logical communication channel between a first chat client and a second chat client, the first logical channel conveying text chat messages between the first chat client and the second chat client;

providing a second logical communication channel between the first chat client and the second chat client, the second logical channel conveying text chat command/control information between the first chat client and the second chat client, the chat command/control information including special predefined text characters inserted into a text stream transferred in a common instant messaging (IM) text stream with the first logical communication channel;

using a processor to extract digital product identifying information from the chat command/control information on the second logical communication channel; and

using the digital product identifying information to obtain a corresponding digital product file from the digital product server, the digital product file including digital product pattern information and digital product parts information to define a digital product, the digital product being derived from one or more other digital products in a hierarchical product definition, at least one of the one or more other digital products being derived from a different one of the one or more other digital products, the one or more other digital products being separately identifiable as digital products for retrieval using chat command/control information, the derived digital products inheriting characteristics of ancestor digital products from which the derived digital products are derived, the derived digital products inheriting revenue values from the ancestor digital products, a value of a derived digital product corresponding to a combined value of the inherited revenue values associated with the ancestor digital products from which the derived digital product is derived.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the digital product pattern information defines the structure of the digital product and the digital product parts information defines the component parts of the digital product.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the digital product file includes instructions for assembly of the digital product.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8 further including integrating visual effects and text chat with the digital product in the 3D chat scene.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8 further including:

extracting text chat messages from the first logical communication channel.

13. The method as claimed in claim 8 further including:

using information in the digital product file to obtain a derived product file from the digital product server.

14. The method as claimed in claim 8 further including:

rendering textured chat messages in a 3D chat scene along with the digital product.

15. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the digital product is an avatar.

16. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the digital product is a component part of an avatar.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a communication device to provide a first logical communication channel between a first chat client and a second chat client, the first logical channel conveying text chat messages between the first chat client and the second chat client, the communication device further to provide a second logical communication channel between the first chat client and the second chat client, the second logical channel conveying text chat command/control information between the first chat client and the second chat client, the chat command/control information including special predefined text characters inserted into a text stream transferred in a common instant messaging (IM) text stream with the first logical communication channel; and

a 3D chat scene generator to use the chat command/control information to modify a 3D chat scene displayed on each of the first chat client and the second chat client systems, the 3D chat scene generator to use the chat command/control information to identify a digital product for retrieval, the digital product being derived from one or more other digital products in a hierarchical product definition, at least one of the one or more other digital products being derived from a different one of the one or more other digital products, the one or more other digital products being separately identifiable as digital products for retrieval using chat command/control information, the derived digital products inheriting characteristics of ancestor digital products from which the derived digital products are derived, the derived digital products inheriting revenue values from the ancestor digital products, a value of a derived digital product corresponding to a combined value of the inherited revenue values associated with the ancestor digital products from which the derived digital product is derived.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein the chat command/control information includes digital product identifying information inserted into the text stream transferred in the common instant messaging (IM) text stream with the first logical communication channel.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a communication device to provide a first logical communication channel between a first chat client and a second chat client, the first logical channel conveying text chat messages between the first chat client and the second chat client, the communication device further to provide a second logical communication channel between the first chat client and the second chat client, the second logical channel conveying text chat command/control information between the first chat client and the second chat client, the chat command/control information including special predefined text characters inserted into a text stream transferred in a common instant messaging (IM) text stream with the first logical communication channel; and

a digital product processor to extract digital product identifying information from the chat command/control information on the second logical communication channel, and to use the digital product identifying information to obtain a corresponding digital product file from a digital product server, the digital product file including digital product pattern information and digital product parts information to define a digital product, the digital product being derived from one or more other digital products in a hierarchical product definition, at least one of the one or more other digital products being derived from a different one of the one or more other digital products, the one or more other digital products being separately identifiable as digital products for retrieval using chat command/control information, the derived digital products inheriting characteristics of ancestor digital products from which the derived digital products are derived, the derived digital products inheriting revenue values from the ancestor digital products, a value of a derived digital product corresponding to a combined value of the inherited revenue values associated with the ancestor digital products from which the derived digital product is derived.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19 including a rendering engine to render textured chat messages in a 3D chat scene along with the digital product.