System for managing encounters in a virtual world environment
First Claim
1. A computer implemented method, comprising:
- receiving navigational input for moving an avatar of a user through a virtual world;
responsive to the navigational input, moving the avatar through the virtual world;
during movement of the avatar through the virtual world, determining information relating to possible encounters with one or more other avatars the user desires to avoid encountering;
the information being determined according to predefined user-avoidance criteria specific to the user;
determining, for each of one or more locations in the virtual world, a probability that at least one of the one or more other avatars that the user desires to avoid will be in the one or more locations at a future time, wherein the probability is included in the information; and
providing the information to the user using visual indicators that represent the probability of each of the one or more locations.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for providing information for avoiding specific users of an immersive virtual environment. Generally, a primary user may specify other users to be avoided in a blacklist. The blacklisted users may be specified to be avoided at all times, or may be specified to be avoided in certain situations. In one embodiment, a user may be added to the blacklist during a specific situation, resulting in the characteristics of the situation being automatically stored in the blacklist. Subsequently, the blacklist may be used to determine the locations of the blacklisted users matching the current situation. The primary user may then avoid the locations having the greatest probability of encountering blacklisted users.
105 Citations
24 Claims
-
1. A computer implemented method, comprising:
-
receiving navigational input for moving an avatar of a user through a virtual world; responsive to the navigational input, moving the avatar through the virtual world; during movement of the avatar through the virtual world, determining information relating to possible encounters with one or more other avatars the user desires to avoid encountering; the information being determined according to predefined user-avoidance criteria specific to the user; determining, for each of one or more locations in the virtual world, a probability that at least one of the one or more other avatars that the user desires to avoid will be in the one or more locations at a future time, wherein the probability is included in the information; and providing the information to the user using visual indicators that represent the probability of each of the one or more locations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A computer-readable storage medium including a program, which when executed on a processor performs an operation, comprising:
-
receiving navigational input for moving an avatar of a user through a virtual world; responsive to the navigational input, moving the avatar through the virtual world; during movement of the avatar through the virtual world, determining information relating to possible encounters with one or more other avatars the user desires to avoid encountering; the information being determined according to predefined user-avoidance criteria specific to the user; determining, for each of one or more locations in the virtual world, a probability that at least one of the one or more other avatars that the user desires to avoid will be in the one or more locations at a future time, wherein the probability is included in the information; and providing the information to the user using visual indicators that represent the probability of each of the one or more locations. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A system, comprising:
-
a processor; and a memory containing a program, which when executed by the processor is configured to perform the steps of; receiving navigational input for moving an avatar of a user through a virtual world; responsive to the navigational input, moving the avatar through the virtual world; during movement of the avatar through the virtual world, determining information relating to possible encounters with one or more other avatars the user desires to avoid encountering; the information being determined according to predefined user-avoidance criteria specific to the user; determining, for each of one or more locations in the virtual world, a probability that at least one of the one or more other avatars that the user desires to avoid will be in the one or more locations at a future time, wherein the probability is included in the information; and providing the information to the user using visual indicators that represent the probability of each of the one or more locations. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
-
Specification