Updating data stores of virtual worlds based on data stores external to the virtual worlds

• US 8,145,725 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DAWSON, Christopher J., Hamilton, II, Rick A., Kendzierski, Michael D., Schreitmueller, Susan K., Seaman, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, Jeong S
• Application Number:
  US11/930,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,609 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709/248
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web

Abstract

In a method of updating virtual worlds, a specification of a data store of a user is received from the user. The data store is external to the virtual world. Data from the data store of the user is automatically gathered in response to receiving the specification. A representation of the data is generated. The representation of the data is transmitted to the virtual world. A data store of the virtual world is updated based on the representation of the data. The data store of the virtual world is displayed in a personal area of the user in the virtual world responsive to updating the data store. An icon representing the data store of the virtual world is displayed in the personal area of the user. The data store of the virtual world is kept private to the user.

Claims

1. A method of updating virtual worlds, the method comprising:

receiving from a user a specification of a data store of the user, the data store external to a virtual world, wherein the data store comprises records and the receiving comprises receiving a specification of one or more of the following types of data stores;

bookmarked web sites;

recently visited sites;

RSS feeds;

blogs;

social networking sites;

integrated e-mail alerts;

calendar entries;

encrypted vaults for passwords;

cookies;

form-fill information;

documents;

spreadsheets;

data bases;

music files;

videos;

pictures; and

other media files;

automatically gathering data from the data store of the user, responsive to the receiving of the specification of the data store of the user;

generating a representation of the data;

transmitting the representation of the data to the virtual world;

updating a data store of the virtual world, based upon the representation of the data; and

displaying the data store of the virtual world in a personal area of the user in the virtual world, the displaying responsive to the updating, wherein;

the data store of the user and the data store of the virtual world comprise data stores of the one or more types of data stores;

the data store of the virtual world comprises an object of the virtual world; and

the displaying the data store of the virtual world in the personal area of the user comprises displaying an icon representing the data store of the virtual world in the personal area of the user and keeping the data store of the virtual world private to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the specification of the data store of the user, the gathering, the generating, and the transmitting comprise receiving, gathering, generating and transmitting by a software agent installed upon a local computer of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting to an intermediary web service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the icon comprises displaying one of the following types of icons:

notes on a wall;

bookmarks;

address books;

books; and

calendars.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating comprises replacing the contents of the data store of the virtual world with the complete contents of the data store of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the data store of the user comprises records; and

the gathering, generating, and transmitting comprise;

tagging the records, thereby designating records to be used to update the data store of the virtual world;

selecting records of the data store of the user from the records tagged for updating the data store of the virtual world;

generating a representation of a difference between the records tagged for updating currently in the data store of the user and the records tagged for updating previously in the data store of the user; and

transmitting the representation of the difference to the virtual world.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the data store of the user comprises records, the records comprising fields; and

the gathering and generating comprise;

comparing the data currently in the data store of the user to data previously in the data store of the user;

determining values of fields comprising a difference between the data currently in the data store of the user and the data previously in the data store of the user; and

generating a representation comprising a specification of the fields and a specification of the values of the fields.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises providing security checking before the displaying of the data store of the virtual world in the personal area of the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the providing security checking comprises requiring a log in and password from the user to access the personal area of the virtual world.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the method further comprises the user accessing the data store of the user from a non-virtual world application on a computing device; and

wherein the user accesses the personal area of the user in the virtual world from a virtual world application on the computing device.

11. A computer system to update virtual worlds, the computer system comprising:

a processor, a computer readable memory and a computer readable tangible storage device;

first program instructions to receive from a user a specification of a data store of the user, the data store external to a virtual world, wherein the first program instructions comprise program instructions to receive a specification of one or more of the following types of data stores;

bookmarked web sites;

recently visited sites;

RSS feeds;

blogs;

social networking sites;

integrated e-mail alerts;

calendar entries;

encrypted vaults for passwords;

cookies;

form-fill information;

documents;

spreadsheets;

data bases;

music files;

videos;

pictures; and

other media files;

second program instructions to automatically gather data from the data store of the user based upon the specification of the data store of the user;

third program instructions to generate a representation of the data;

fourth program instructions to transmit the representation of the data to the virtual world; and

fifth program instructions to update a data store of the virtual world based upon the representation of the data; and

sixth program instructions to display the data store of the virtual world in a personal area of the user in the virtual world in response to updating the data store of the virtual world based upon the representation of the data, wherein;

the data store of the user and the data store of the virtual world comprise data stores of the one or more types of data stores;

the data store of the virtual world comprises an object of the virtual world; and

the sixth program instructions comprise program instructions to display an icon representing the data store of the virtual world in the personal area of the user and program instructions to keep the data store of the virtual world private to the user, wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth program instructions are stored on the computer readable tangible storage device for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory.

12. The computer system of claim 11, the computer system further comprising an intermediary web service to receive the representation of data, to process the data, and to transmit the processed data to the virtual world.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein:

the data store of the user comprises records;

the first program instructions comprise;

program instructions to tag the records, thereby designating records to be used to update the data store of the virtual world;

program instructions to select records of the data store of the user from the records tagged for updating the data store of the virtual world; and

program instructions to detect a difference between a current state of the data store of the user and a previous state of the data store of the user; and

the second program instructions comprise program instructions to represent the difference between the records tagged for updating currently in the data store of the user and the records tagged for updating previously in the data store of the user.

14. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the first program instructions, second program instructions, third program instructions, and fourth program instructions comprise program instructions contained within a local computer of the user.

15. A computer program product to update virtual worlds, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable tangible storage device;

first program instructions to receive from a user a specification of a data store of the user, the data store external to a virtual world, wherein the first program instructions comprise program instructions to receive a specification of one or more of the following types of data stores;

bookmarked web sites;

recently visited sites;

RSS feeds;

blogs

social networking sites;

integrated e-mail alerts;

calendar entries;

encrypted vaults for passwords;

cookies;

form-fill information;

documents;

spreadsheets;

data bases;

music files;

videos;

pictures; and

other media files;

second program instructions to automatically gather data from the data store of the user;

third program instructions to generate a representation of the data;

fourth program instructions to transmit the representation of the data to the virtual world;

fifth program instructions to update a data store of the virtual world based upon the representation of the data; and

sixth program instructions to display the data store of the virtual world in a personal area of the user in the virtual world in response to updating the data store of the virtual world based upon the representation of the data, wherein;

the data store of the user and the data store of the virtual world comprise data stores of the one or more types of data stores;

the data store of the virtual world comprises an object of the virtual world; and

the sixth program instructions comprise program instructions to display an icon representing the data store of the virtual world in the personal area of the user and program instructions to keep the data store of the virtual world private to the user;

the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth program instructions are stored on the computer readable tangible storage device; and

the first program instructions, second program instructions, and third program instructions comprise program instructions to;

tag the records, thereby designating records to be used to update the data store of the virtual world;

select records of the data store of the user, the records tagged for updating the data store of the virtual world;

generate a representation comprising a difference between the records tagged for updating currently in the data store of the user and the records tagged for updating previously in the data store of the user; and

transmit the representation to the virtual world.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first program instructions, second program instructions, third program instructions, and fourth program instructions comprise a software agent installed upon a local computer of the user.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein;

the data store of the user comprises records;

the first program instructions, second program instructions, and third program instructions comprise program instructions to;

tag the records, thereby designating records to be used to update the data store of the virtual world;

select records of the data store of the user from the records tagged for updating the data store of the virtual world;

generate a representation comprising a difference between the records tagged for updating currently in the data store of the user and the records tagged for updating previously in the data store of the user; and

transmit the representation comprising the difference to the virtual world.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the fourth program instructions comprise program instructions to transmit to an intermediary web service.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the sixth program instructions comprise program instructions to display one of the following types of icons:

notes on a wall;

bookmarks;

address books;

books; and

calendars.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the fifth program instructions comprise program instructions to replace the contents of the data store of the virtual world with the complete contents of the data store of the user.