Dynamic spawning of focal point objects within a virtual universe system

• US 8,214,751 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2008
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dawson, Christopher J., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Moskowitz, Paul A., Pickover, Clifford A.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, THANH T
• Application Number:
  US12/103,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20090259946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 715/757, 715/747, 715/751, 715/753, 715/706, 715/849
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

In various embodiments, the density of a plurality of virtual universe avatars within a predetermined proximity from a designated focal point object in a virtual universe is determined. One or more auxiliary focal point objects associated with the designated focal point object are dynamically spawned within the virtual universe based on the determined density of the virtual universe avatars. Dynamic spawning of auxiliary focal point objects can reduce the load on virtual universe host servers and the corresponding client devices, and thus may improve performance of the virtual universe system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a computer determining a density of virtual universe avatars within a predetermined proximity from a designated focal point object in a virtual universe, wherein the designated focal point object is associated with transmissions of information within the virtual universe; and

the computer dynamically spawning a first auxiliary focal point object at a first virtual universe location within the virtual universe in response to the computer determining that the density of the virtual universe avatars within the predetermined proximity from the designated focal point object is greater than a first predetermined density threshold, wherein the first auxiliary focal point object is associated with the designated focal point object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer dynamically spawning the first auxiliary focal point object at the first virtual universe location within the virtual universe comprises the computer dynamically spawning the first auxiliary focal point object at the virtual universe location in the virtual universe that is different than a location of the designated focal point object in the virtual universe.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer dynamically spawning a second auxiliary focal point object at a second virtual universe location within the virtual universe in response to the computer determining that the density of the virtual universe avatars within the predetermined proximity from the designated focal point object is greater than a second predetermined density threshold, wherein the second predetermined density threshold is greater than the first predetermined density threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer determining the first virtual universe location of the first auxiliary focal point object within the virtual universe.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer determining the first virtual universe location of the first auxiliary focal point object within the virtual universe based on at least one of load balancing between virtual universe servers, on-the-fly bidding, historical analysis of past placement of auxiliary focal point objects, and predicted migration patterns of the virtual universe avatars.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer notifying at least a subset of the virtual universe avatars within a predetermined proximity from the designated focal point object of at least one virtual universe location having a dynamically spawned auxiliary focal point object.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer transmitting requests to at least a subset of the virtual universe avatars within a predetermined proximity from the designated focal point object requesting that the at least a subset of the virtual universe avatars relocate to a virtual universe location having a dynamically spawned auxiliary focal point object.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computer reading preference data associated with profiles of the virtual universe avatars within a predetermined proximity from the designated focal point object; and

the computer teleporting a subset of the virtual universe avatars to a virtual universe location having a dynamically spawned auxiliary focal point object based on the preference data associated with profiles of the virtual universe avatars.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computer transmitting information to a first plurality of virtual universe avatars located within the predetermined proximity from the designated focal point object of the virtual universe; and

the computer transmitting the information to a second plurality of virtual universe avatars located within a predetermined proximity from a dynamically spawned auxiliary focal point object associated with the designated focal point object.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the information comprises at least one of news, music, an advertisement, multimedia, a video feed, financial information, and entertainment information.

11. A method comprising:

a computer determining a number of virtual universe avatars within a predetermined proximity from a designated focal point object in a virtual universe, wherein the designated focal point object is associated with transmissions of information within the virtual universe;

the computer determining one or more loading conditions on a virtual universe host server supporting the designated focal point object in the virtual universe; and

the computer dynamically spawning one or more auxiliary focal point objects within the virtual universe in response to the computer determining that the number of virtual universe avatars within the predetermined proximity from the designated focal point object is greater than a predetermined threshold and the determined one or more loading conditions on the virtual universe host server are greater than a predetermined overload threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the computer dynamically spawning one or more auxiliary focal point objects within the virtual universe comprises the computer dynamically spawning one or more auxiliary focal point objects at different virtual universe locations than the designated focal point object.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the computer determining a location of each of the one or more auxiliary focal point objects within the virtual universe based on at least one of load balancing between virtual universe servers, on-the-fly bidding, historical analysis of past placement of auxiliary focal point objects, and predicted migration patterns of virtual universe avatars.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

the computer transmitting information to a first plurality of virtual universe avatars located within the predetermined proximity from the designated focal point object of the virtual universe; and

the computer transmitting the information to a second plurality of virtual universe avatars located within a predetermined proximity from a dynamically spawned auxiliary focal point object associated with the designated focal point object.

15. A computer program product for implementing dynamic spawning of one or more objects in a virtual universe, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine a density of virtual universe avatars within a predetermined proximity from a designated focal point object in a virtual universe, wherein the designated focal point object is associated with transmissions of information within the virtual universe; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to dynamically spawn a first auxiliary focal point object at a first virtual universe location within the virtual universe in response to determining that the density of the virtual universe avatars within the predetermined proximity from the designated focal point object is greater than a first predetermined density threshold, wherein the first auxiliary focal point object is associated with the designated focal point object.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine the first virtual universe location of the first auxiliary focal point object within the virtual universe.

17. A computer system for implementing dynamic spawning of one or more objects in a virtual universe, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine a density of virtual universe avatars within a predetermined proximity from a designated focal point object in a virtual universe, wherein the designated focal point object is associated with transmissions of information within the virtual universe; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to dynamically spawn a first auxiliary focal point object at a first virtual universe location within the virtual universe in response to determining that the density of the virtual universe avatars within the predetermined proximity from the designated focal point object is greater than a first predetermined density threshold, wherein the first auxiliary focal point object is associated with the designated focal point object.

18. The computer system of claim 17, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine the first virtual universe location of the first auxiliary focal point object within the virtual universe.