Group licenses for virtual objects in a distributed virtual world

• US 8,433,656 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Evans, James, Walsh, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, STEVEN S
• Application Number:
  US11/762,459
• Time in Patent Office: 2,148 Days
• Field of Search: 705/59, 705/902, 463/29, 463/32, 463/42, 715/751, 715/757
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/30 Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6236 between heterogeneous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity

Abstract

A group licensing scheme for validating groups of virtual objects within a distributed virtual world is provided. Each of a number of distributed virtual world servers hosts a cell, or virtual space, of the virtual world. In operation, a first virtual world server categorizes virtual objects into a number of groups. Either before or after creating the groups, the first virtual world server validates each virtual object individually. Once the virtual objects are validated and the groups are formed, the first virtual world server generates a group license for each of the groups. When a group of virtual objects or an avatar associated with one or more groups of virtual objects moves to a virtual space hosted by a second virtual world server, the corresponding group licenses are provided to the second virtual world server, which validates the one or more groups of virtual objects based on the group licenses.

Claims

1. A method of validating virtual objects in a distributed virtual world comprising:

grouping by a virtual world server a plurality of virtual objects associated with an avatar within a first virtual space of the distributed virtual world hosted by a first virtual world server into a group of virtual objects;

generating by the virtual world server a group license for the group of virtual objects;

predicting that the avatar will move to a second virtual space of the distributed virtual world hosted by a second virtual world server based on a location of the avatar and previous activities of the avatar;

sending by the virtual world server the group license to the second virtual world server based on the prediction; and

validating the group of virtual objects at the second virtual world server based on the group license such that the virtual objects are validated for use in the second virtual space hosted by the second virtual world server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein grouping the plurality of virtual objects comprises grouping the plurality of virtual objects at the first virtual world server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein grouping the plurality of virtual objects comprises grouping the plurality of virtual objects at a virtual world authority based on validation requests from the first virtual world server.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the group license comprises generating the group license at a virtual world authority.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the group license comprises generating the group license at the first virtual world server.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising validating each of the plurality of virtual objects individually prior to generating the group license.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein grouping the plurality of virtual objects comprises grouping the plurality of virtual objects based on at least one of a group consisting of:

time of last interaction, frequency of interaction, location within the distributed virtual world, user rights, and relationships of the plurality of virtual objects.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein validating the group of virtual objects comprises validating the group of virtual objects at the second virtual world server based on the group license such that the virtual objects are validated for use by the avatar within the second virtual space hosted by the second virtual world server.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein providing the group license to the second virtual world server comprises providing the group license from the first virtual world server to the second virtual world server when the avatar moves from the first virtual space hosted by the first virtual world server to the second virtual space hosted by the second virtual world server.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the group license is stored by a client associated with the avatar, and providing the group license to the second virtual world server comprises providing the group license from the client to the second virtual world server when the avatar moves from the first virtual space hosted by the first virtual world server to the second virtual space hosted by the second virtual world server.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising predicting that the avatar will move to the second virtual space hosted by the second virtual world server before the avatar moves to the second virtual space.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein validating the group of virtual objects comprises validating the group of virtual objects at the second virtual world server based on the group license before the avatar enters the second virtual space hosted by the second virtual world server.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the group license comprises:

generating the group license at the first virtual world server; and

digitally signing the group license such that the group license comprises a digital signature of the first virtual world server;

wherein validating the group of virtual objects comprises validating the group license based on the digital signature of the first virtual world server.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the group license is a temporary group license.

15. A system comprising:

a) a first virtual world server comprising a processor and memory storing instructions such that when the processor executes the instructions, the processor causes the first virtual world server to;

i) host a first virtual space of a distributed virtual world

ii) identify a group of virtual objects including a plurality of virtual objects associated with an avatar;

iii) obtain a group license for the group of virtual objects;

iv) predict that the avatar will move to a second virtual space of the distributed virtual world hosted by a second virtual world server based on a location of the avatar and previous activities of the avatar; and

v) send the group license to the second virtual world server based on the prediction, wherein the group of virtual objects is validated for use within the second virtual space hosted by the second virtual world server based on the group license.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor further causes the first virtual world server to form the group of virtual objects to identify the group of virtual objects.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor further causes the first virtual world server to receive information identifying the group of virtual objects from a virtual world authority to identify the group of virtual objects.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor further causes the first virtual world server to obtain the group license from a virtual world authority.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor further causes the first virtual world server to generate the group license to obtain the group license.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor further causes the first virtual world server to validate each of the plurality of virtual objects individually prior to generating the group license.

21. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor further causes the first virtual world server to form the group the plurality of virtual objects in order to identify the group of virtual objects based on at least one of a group consisting of:

time of last interaction, frequency of interaction, location within the distributed virtual world, user rights, and relationships of the plurality of virtual objects.

22. The system of claim 15 wherein the system further comprises the second virtual world server and the second virtual world server validates the group of virtual objects based on the group license such that the virtual objects are validated for use in the second virtual space hosted by the second virtual world server.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the second virtual world server validates the group of virtual objects based on the group license such that the virtual objects are validated for use by the avatar within the second virtual space hosted by the second virtual world server.

24. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor further causes the first virtual world server to provide the group license to the second virtual world server when the avatar moves from the first virtual space hosted by the first virtual world server to the second virtual space hosted by the second virtual world server.

25. The system of claim 15 wherein the system further comprises the second virtual world server and the second virtual world server is configured to validate the group of virtual objects based on the group license before the avatar enters the second virtual space hosted by the second virtual world server.

26. The system of claim 15 wherein the system further comprises the second virtual world server and the processor further causes the first virtual world server to digitally sign the group license such that the group license comprises a digital signature of the first virtual world server, and the second virtual world server validates the group of virtual objects by validating the group license based on the digital signature of the first virtual world server.

27. The system of claim 15 wherein the group license is a temporary group license.

28. A device comprising:

a processor; and

memory associated with the processor, the memory storing instructions such that when the processor executes the instructions, the processor causes the device to;

i) identify a group of virtual objects including a plurality of virtual objects associated with an avatar;

ii) obtain a group license for the group of virtual objects;

iii) predict that the avatar will move to a second virtual space of the distributed virtual world hosted by a second virtual world server based on a location of the avatar and previous activities of the avatar; and

iv) send the group license to the second virtual world server based on the prediction.