Bridging real-world web applications and 3D virtual worlds

• US 8,370,370 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2007
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roblox Corp.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Huang, Yunwu, Mahmud, Jalal Uddin, Pollak, Roger Alan, Ponzo, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vital, Pierre
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rostami, Mohammad S
• Application Number:
  US11/872,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20090100352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,940 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/755
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation

Abstract

A computer implemented method, data processing system, and computer program product for automating information sharing and propagation of control commands and events between software objects created in Web applications and 3D virtual world objects created in virtual world applications. A relationship is created to link a Web object with one or more virtual world objects, or to link a virtual world object with one or more Web objects. A Web application may retrieve the meta-data of one or more virtual world objects or send commands or events to manipulate one or more virtual world objects to which a Web object within the Web application is linked. A virtual world system may retrieve the meta-data of one or more Web objects or send commands or events to manipulate one or more Web objects to which a virtual world object within the virtual world system is linked.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for sharing information between software objects managed by a non-virtual world interface and virtual world objects managed by a virtual world interface, the computer implemented method comprising:

maintaining, by a mediator that enables communication between a non-virtual world and a virtual world, a mapping between web objects in a web application that provides a two-dimensional representation of the virtual world and virtual world objects in the virtual world using an information repository connected only to the mediator, wherein the information repository stores meta-data for both the web objects and the virtual world objects for retrieval by the mediator;

receiving, by the mediator, a request from the non-virtual world interface for particular meta-data about one or more virtual world objects in the virtual world that are linked to a web object of the web application, wherein the web object is a two-dimensional object, wherein the one or more virtual world objects are three-dimensional objects, and wherein the virtual world is a software application that provides a computer-based simulated environment represented in a three-dimensional representation that mimics a real-world environment;

obtaining, by the mediator, mapping information linking the web object to the one or more virtual world objects from the information repository;

retrieving, by the mediator, the meta-data about the one or more virtual world objects using identifiers in the mapping information; and

sending, by the mediator, the meta-data about the one or more virtual world objects to the non-virtual world interface.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the mediator, a request from the virtual world interface for meta-data about one or more web objects linked to a virtual world object;

obtaining, by the mediator, mapping information linking the virtual world object to the one or more web objects from the information repository;

retrieving, by the mediator, the meta-data about the one or more web objects using identifiers in the mapping information; and

sending, by the mediator, the meta-data about the one or more web objects to the virtual world interface.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the mediator, a request from the non-virtual world interface to store meta-data about the web object; and

storing, by the mediator, the meta-data about the web object in the information repository, wherein the meta-data about the web object is retrievable by the virtual world interface using the mapping information.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the mediator, a request from the virtual world interface to store meta-data about the virtual world object; and

storing, by the mediator, the meta-data about the virtual world object in the information repository, wherein the meta-data about the virtual world object is retrievable by the non-virtual world interface using the mapping information.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the receiving, obtaining, retrieving, and sending steps are implemented using the mediator, wherein the mediator is a server external to the virtual world interface and non-virtual world interface.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the server is a Web server.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the web application includes the non-virtual world interface, and wherein, a further request comprises sending a command to modify at least one of the virtual world objects that are linked to a given web object within the web application.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the mediator resolves the identifiers in the mapping information for the one or more virtual world objects and retrieves the meta-data about the one or more virtual world objects using the resolved identifiers.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

responsive to receiving multiple requests for meta-data, caching, by the mediator, results for the multiple requests;

responsive to receiving from the non-virtual world interface a periodic poll for requested virtual world object meta-data, forwarding, by the mediator, the requested virtual world object meta-data to the non-virtual world interface; and

responsive to receiving from the virtual world interface a periodic poll for requested web object meta-data, forwarding, by the mediator, the requested web object meta-data to the virtual world interface.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, at the virtual world interface, a command or event from the non-virtual world interface, wherein the command or event targets one or more virtual world objects; and

processing the command or event on the targeted one or more virtual world objects.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, at the non-virtual world interface, a command or event from the virtual world interface, wherein the command or event targets one or more web objects; and

processing the command or event on the targeted one or more web objects.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, generating an event handling request when a state change occurs for the one or more virtual world objects, wherein a web request handler communicates the event handling request to the web application.

21. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the non-virtual world interface is used to create one or more new virtual world objects.

22. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the virtual world interface is used to create one or more new web objects.

23. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a web request handler receives data from the web application and sends data to the web application.

24. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the virtual world objects and the web objects are each identified by a unique ID.

12. A data processing system for sharing information between software objects managed by a non-virtual world interface and virtual world objects managed by a virtual world interface, the data processing system comprising:

a bus of a mediator that enables communication between a non-virtual world and a virtual world;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains computer usable code;

at least one managed device connected to the bus;

a communications unit connected to the bus and to the Internet; and

a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code to;

maintain a mapping between web objects in a web application that provides a two-dimensional representation of the virtual world and virtual world objects in the virtual world using an information repository connected only to the mediator, wherein the information repository stores meta-data for both the web objects and the virtual world objects for retrieval by the mediator;

receive a request from the non-virtual world interface for meta-data about one or more virtual world objects of the virtual world that are linked to a web object of a web application, wherein the web object is a two-dimensional object, wherein the one or more virtual world objects are three-dimensional objects, and wherein the virtual world is a software application that provides a computer-based simulated environment represented in a three-dimensional representation that mimics a real-world environment;

obtain mapping information linking the web object to the one or more virtual world objects from the information repository on the server;

retrieve the meta-data about the one or more virtual world objects using identifiers in the mapping information; and

send the meta-data about the one or more virtual world objects to the non-virtual world interface.

13. A computer program product for sharing information between software objects managed by a non-virtual world interface and virtual world objects managed by a virtual world interface, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable storage device having computer usable program code tangibly embodied thereon, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code for maintaining, by a mediator that enables communication between a non-virtual world and a virtual world, a mapping between web objects in a web application that provides a two-dimensional representation of the virtual world and virtual world objects in the virtual world using an information repository connected only to the mediator, wherein the information repository stores meta-data for both the web objects and the virtual world objects for retrieval by the mediator;

computer usable program code for receiving, by the mediator, a request from the non-virtual world interface for meta-data about one or more virtual world objects of the virtual world that are linked to a web object of a web application, wherein the web object is a two-dimensional object, wherein the one or more virtual world objects are three-dimensional objects, and wherein the virtual world is a software application that provides a computer-based simulated environment represented in a three-dimensional representation that mimics a real-world environment;

computer usable program code for obtaining, by the mediator, mapping information linking the non-virtual web software object to the one or more virtual world objects from the information repository;

computer usable program code for retrieving, by the mediator, the meta-data about the one or more virtual world objects using identifiers in the mapping information; and

computer usable program code for sending, by the mediator, the meta-data about the one or more virtual world objects to the non-virtual world interface.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer usable program code for receiving, by the mediator, a request from the virtual world interface for meta-data about one or more web objects linked to a virtual world object;

computer usable program code for obtaining, by the mediator, mapping information linking the virtual world object to the one or more web objects;

computer usable program code for retrieving the meta-data about the one or more web objects using identifiers in the mapping information; and

computer usable program code for sending, by the mediator, the meta-data about the one or more web objects to the virtual world interface.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer usable program code for receiving, by the mediator, a request from the non-virtual world interface to store meta-data about the web object; and

computer usable program code for storing, by the mediator, the meta-data about the web object in the information repository, wherein the meta-data about the web object is retrievable by the virtual world interface using the mapping information.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer usable program code for receiving, by the mediator, a request from the virtual world interface to store meta-data about the virtual world object; and

computer usable program code for storing, by the mediator, the meta-data about the virtual world object in the information repository, wherein the meta-data about the virtual world object is retrievable by the non-virtual world interface using the mapping information.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

computer usable program code for caching, by the mediator, results for the multiple requests in response to receiving multiple requests for meta-data;

computer usable program code for forwarding by the mediator, in response to receiving from the non-virtual world interface a periodic poll for requested virtual world object meta-data, the requested virtual world object meta-data to the non-virtual world interface; and

computer usable program code for forwarding by the mediator, in response to receiving from the virtual world interface a periodic poll for requested web object meta-data, the requested web object meta-data to the virtual world interface.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

computer usable program code for receiving at the virtual world interface, a command or event from the non-virtual world interface, wherein the command or event targets one or more virtual world objects; and

computer usable program code for processing the command or event on the targeted one or more virtual world objects.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

computer usable program code for receiving, at the non-virtual world interface, a command or event from the virtual world interface, wherein the command or event targets one or more web objects; and

computer usable program code for processing the command or event on the targeted one or more web objects.