Allowing an alternative action in a virtual world

• US 8,062,130 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2007
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Andrew Bryan, Bokor, Brian Ronald, Haggar, Peter Frederick, House, Daniel Edward, Nicol, William Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US11/941,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20090131166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 463 30- 32, 719/314, 705/1
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar

Abstract

A method for allowing an alternative action in a virtual world may include permitting a user to request an original action for an avatar of the user in the virtual world. The method may also include receiving the request for the original action and storing the request in a queue in response to the original action being unavailable to the user'"'"'s avatar. The method may additionally include determining if an alternative action is available for the user'"'"'s avatar in response to the original action being unavailable to the user'"'"'s avatar and presenting an interface to the user to permit the user to accept the alternative action in response to the alternative action being available. The method may yet further include allowing the user'"'"'s avatar to perform the alternative action in response to the user accepting the alternative action and permitting the user'"'"'s avatar to perform the alternative action while the request for the original action is still in the queue.

Claims

1. A method for allowing an alternative action in a virtual world, comprising:

permitting a user to request an original action for an avatar of the user in the virtual world;

receiving the request for the original action;

storing the request in a queue in response to the original action being unavailable to the user'"'"'s avatar;

determining, using a computer, if an alternative action is available for the user'"'"'s avatar in response to the original action being unavailable to the user'"'"'s avatar;

presenting an interface to the user to permit the user to accept the alternative action in response to the alternative action being available;

allowing the user'"'"'s avatar to perform the alternative action in response to the user accepting the alternative action; and

permitting the user'"'"'s avatar to perform the alternative action while the request for the original action is still in the queue.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the original action becomes available for the user'"'"'s avatar;

providing a graphical user interface to the user to allow the user to accept the original action in response to the original action becoming available for the user'"'"'s avatar; and

allowing the user'"'"'s avatar to perform the original action in response to the user accepting the original action.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising allowing the user'"'"'s avatar to continue to perform the alternative action in response to the user not accepting the original action when the original action became available.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing a predetermined time period for the user to accept the original action in response to the original action being available; and

dropping the user'"'"'s request from the queue in response to the user not accepting the original action within the predetermined time period.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a predetermined time period for the user to accept the alternative action in response to the original action being unavailable.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein permitting the user to request the original action comprises permitting the user to request at least one of transporting the user'"'"'s avatar to a selected location in the virtual world and the user'"'"'s avatar receiving a chosen service;

and

wherein allowing the user to accept the alternative action comprises allowing the user to accept at least one of transporting the user'"'"'s avatar to another selected location in the virtual world and the user'"'"'s avatar receiving another chosen service.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing the user with an option to select one of accepting the original action and delaying acceptance of the original action for a predetermined time period to finish the alternative action in response to the original action becoming available.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining any alternative action to present to the user based on at least one of virtual demographics, information about the user'"'"'s avatar, previously requested actions by the user, user searches and any other actions that are relevant to the original action.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if a plurality of alternative actions are available for the user'"'"'s avatar;

ranking the alternative actions based on a predetermined criteria in response to the plurality of alternative actions being available; and

presenting the ranked alternative actions to the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein ranking the alternative actions comprises ranking the alternative actions based on a relevance factor to the original action.

11. A method for allowing an alternative action in a virtual world, comprising:

permitting a user to request an original action for an avatar of the user in the virtual world;

determining if the original action is available for the user'"'"'s avatar at the time of the request;

determining, using a computer, if at least one alternative action is available for the user'"'"'s avatar in response to the original action being unavailable to the user'"'"'s avatar;

presenting the at least one alternative action as an option to the user, and

allowing the user'"'"'s avatar to perform the at least one alternative action in response to the user selecting the at least one alternative action.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining if the original action becomes available for the user'"'"'s avatar in response to the original action being unavailable to the user'"'"'s avatar when the user initially requested the original action;

notifying the user that the original action has become available for the user'"'"'s avatar in response to the original action becoming available;

allowing the user to accept the original action; and

allowing the user'"'"'s avatar to perform the original action in response to the user accepting the original action.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining the at least one alternative action to present to the user based on at least one of virtual demographics, information about the user'"'"'s avatar, previously requested actions by the user, user searches and other actions that are relevant to the original action.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising

ranking the at least one alternative action based on a predetermined criteria;

and

presenting the ranking of the at least one alternative action to the user.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising allowing the user'"'"'s avatar to continue the alternative action in response to the user not accepting the original action when the original action becomes available to the user'"'"'s avatar.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing a predetermined time period for the user to accept the original action in response to the original action becoming available to allow the user'"'"'s avatar to continue performing the alternative action.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising rescinding the request for the original action in response to the user not accepting the original action within the predetermined time period.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing the user'"'"'s request for the original action in a queue in response to the request for the original action being unavailable.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the original action is an action selected from one of transporting the user'"'"'s avatar to a selected location in the virtual world and the user'"'"'s avatar receiving a chosen service;

and

wherein the alternative action is an action selected from one of transporting the user'"'"'s avatar to another selected location in the virtual world and the user'"'"'s avatar receiving another chosen service.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising permitting the user to perform the alternative action while the request for the original action is pending.

21. A method for allowing an alternative action in a virtual world, comprising:

presenting an original graphical user interface to permit a user to request an original action for the user'"'"'s avatar in the virtual world;

receiving a request for the original action;

performing the original action in response to the original action being available for the user'"'"'s avatar; and

in response to the original action being unavailable for the user'"'"'s avatar at the time that the user requests the original action;

providing a notification that the original action is unavailable;

storing the request for the original action in a queue;

determining, using a computer, an alternative action to present to the user based on at least one of the group of virtual demographics, information about the user'"'"'s avatar, previously requested actions by the user and other actions that are relevant to the original action;

determining if the alternative action for the user'"'"'s avatar is available;

presenting a second graphical interface to the user to allow the user to request the alternative action

receiving a request for the alternative action;

permitting the user'"'"'s avatar to perform the alternative action while the request for the original action is still in the queue;

determining if the original action is available for the user'"'"'s avatar;

sending a notification of availability of the original action in response to the original action being determined to be available for the user'"'"'s avatar;

providing a graphical user interface to the user in response to the original action being determined to be available for the user'"'"'s avatar;

providing a predetermined time period for allowing the user to accept the original action;

performing the original action in response to the user accepting the original action within the predetermined time period;

allowing the user'"'"'s avatar to continue to perform the alternative action in response to the user not accepting the original action within the predetermined time period; and

dropping the user'"'"'s request for the original action from the queue in response to the user not accepting the original action within the predetermined time period.