Managing information about avatars across virtual worlds

• US 8,484,158 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2010
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: King.com, Ltd (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeLuca, Lisa Seacat, Oberhofer, Martin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US12/697,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20110191289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 707/758, 707/609, 715/757, 345/473, 345/474, 709/203
• US Class Current: 707/609
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for managing relationship information across virtual worlds. In one embodiment, information about avatars in virtual worlds is received. A correlation is derived between two avatars based on the received information. The derived correlation between the two avatars is stored and queried by one or more applications.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to derive relationships between avatars across a plurality of virtual environments, each virtual environment provided by a respective server application communicably connected to a management application via a respective connector application, the method comprising:

receiving avatar information from each virtual environment via the respective connector application, wherein each connector application is configured to communicate according to a different messaging protocol specific to the server application providing the respective virtual environment, wherein the received avatar information includes information elements pertaining to a first avatar from a first virtual environment and a second avatar from a second virtual environment, respectively;

generating, based on the received avatar information and for each of the first avatar and the second avatar, an avatar entity identifying the respective avatar and the virtual environment of the respective avatar;

upon determining, based on the generated avatar entities, that the first avatar and the second avatar are used by a single user, generating, by operation of one or more computer processors when executing the management application, a single user entity identifying the single user and associated with each of the generated avatar entities, wherein the single user entity and the avatar entities are stored according to a predetermined data model; and

responsive to receiving a request from a requesting entity to retrieve information elements of the single user across the plurality of virtual environments, generating, based on the single user entity, a result set that includes the information elements pertaining to the first and second avatars, respectively, wherein the generated result set is output to the requesting entity.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the information element pertaining to the each avatar of the first and second avatars specifies at least one purchase made for the respective avatar.

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

upon determining, based on the generated avatar entities, that the first avatar and the second avatar are used respectively by two users who are related to each other, generating, for each of the two related users, a user entity identifying the respective user and associated with;

(i) the avatar entity for the avatar of the respective user and (ii) the user entity generated for the other of the two related users;

wherein the user entity for each of the two related users specifies a relationship type characterizing how the two users are related, wherein the relationship type is determined based on the received avatar information.

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

upon determining, based on the generated avatar entities, that the first avatar and the second avatar are used respectively by two users who are not related to each other, generating, for each of the two unrelated users, a user entity identifying the respective user and associated with the avatar entity for the avatar of the respective user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein each avatar has a plurality of attributes, each attribute selected from the user name, the avatar name, user age, user gender, phone number, mailing address, email address, and network address, wherein at least one attribute is standardized to facilitate attribute matching.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first avatar and the second avatar are determined to be used by the single user based on a first predefined count of matching attributes between the first avatar and the second avatar, wherein the first predefined count is equal to or less than a count of the plurality of attributes;

wherein the first avatar and the second avatar are determined to be used respectively by the two users who are related based on a second predefined count of matching attributes between the first avatar and the second avatar, wherein the second predefined count is less than the first predefined count;

wherein the first avatar and the second avatar are determined to be used respectively by the two users who are unrelated based a third predefined count of matching attributes between the first avatar and the second avatar, wherein the third predefined count is less than the second predefined count.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein each server application comprises a virtual world server, wherein each virtual environment comprises a virtual world provided by a respective virtual world server, wherein each connector application comprises a virtual world connector application, wherein the requesting entity comprises a client application of a plurality of distinct types of client applications, each communicably connected to the management application, wherein the management application comprises a master data management application, wherein each avatar entity and the each user entity are stored in a master data store associated with the master data management application;

wherein each avatar is identifiable by a respective avatar name, wherein each user is identifiable by a respective user name, wherein the plurality of virtual world servers includes at least four different virtual world servers that communicate according to four different messaging protocols, respectively, wherein the four different messaging protocols include Java Message Service (JMS), Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI), WebSphere MQ, and web service, wherein the master data management application is configured to independently generate a respective result set for each individual purchase selected from;

purchase of a virtual good, purchase of a virtual service, purchase of a real good, and purchase of a real service, wherein the first avatar is not from the second virtual environment, wherein the second avatar is not from the first virtual environment.

8. A computer program product to derive relationships between avatars across a plurality of virtual environments, each virtual environment provided by a respective server application communicably connected to a management application via a respective connector application, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code comprising;

computer-readable program code configured to receive avatar information from each virtual environment via the respective connector application, wherein each connector application is configured to communicate according to a different messaging protocol specific to the server application providing the respective virtual environment, wherein the received avatar information includes information elements pertaining to a first avatar from a first virtual environment and a second avatar from a second virtual environment, respectively;

computer-readable program code configured to generate, based on the received avatar information and for each of the first avatar and the second avatar, an avatar entity identifying the respective avatar and the virtual environment of the respective avatar;

computer-readable program code included in the management application and configured to, upon determining, based on the generated avatar entities, that the first avatar and the second avatar are used by a single user, generate, by operation of one or more computer processors when executing the management application, a single user entity identifying the single user and associated with each of the generated avatar entities, wherein the single user entity and the avatar entities are stored according to a predetermined data model; and

computer-readable program code configured to, responsive to receiving a request from a requesting entity to retrieve information elements of the single user across the plurality of virtual environments, generate, based on the single user entity, a result set that includes the information elements pertaining to the first and second avatars, respectively, wherein the generated result set is output to the requesting entity.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the information element pertaining to the each avatar of the first and second avatars specifies at least one purchase made for the respective avatar.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer-readable program code further comprises:

computer-readable program code configured to, upon determining, based on the generated avatar entities, that the first avatar and the second avatar are used respectively by two users who are related to each other, generate, for each of the two related users, a user entity identifying the respective user and associated with;

(i) the avatar entity for the avatar of the respective user and (ii) the user entity generated for the other of the two related users;

wherein the user entity for each of the two related users specifies a relationship type characterizing how the two users are related, wherein the relationship type is determined based on the received avatar information.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer-readable program code further comprises:

computer-readable program code configured to, upon determining, based on the generated avatar entities, that the first avatar and the second avatar are used respectively by two users who are not related to each other, generating, for each of the two unrelated users, a user entity identifying the respective user and associated with the avatar entity for the avatar of the respective user.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein each avatar has a plurality of attributes, each attribute selected from the user name, the avatar name, user age, user gender, phone number, mailing address, email address, and network address, wherein at least one attribute is standardized to facilitate attribute matching.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the first avatar and the second avatar are determined to be used by the single user based on a first predefined count of matching attributes between the first avatar and the second avatar, wherein the first predefined count is equal to or less than a count of the plurality of attributes;

wherein the first avatar and the second avatar are determined to be used respectively by the two users who are related based on a second predefined count of matching attributes between the first avatar and the second avatar, wherein the second predefined count is less than the first predefined count;

wherein the first avatar and the second avatar are determined to be used respectively by the two users who are unrelated based a third predefined count of matching attributes between the first avatar and the second avatar, wherein the third predefined count is less than the second predefined count.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein each server application comprises a virtual world server, wherein each virtual environment comprises a virtual world provided by a respective virtual world server, wherein each connector application comprises a virtual world connector application, wherein the requesting entity comprises a client application of a plurality of distinct types of client applications, each communicably connected to the management application, wherein the management application comprises a master data management application, wherein each avatar entity and the each user entity are stored in a master data store associated with the master data management application;

wherein each avatar is identifiable by a respective avatar name, wherein each user is identifiable by a respective user name, wherein the plurality of virtual world servers includes at least four different virtual world servers that communicate according to four different messaging protocols, respectively, wherein the four different messaging protocols include Java Message Service (JMS), Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI), WebSphere MQ, and web service, wherein the master data management application is configured to independently generate a respective result set for each individual purchase selected from;

purchase of a virtual good, purchase of a virtual service, purchase of a real good, and purchase of a real service, wherein the first avatar is not from the second virtual environment, wherein the second avatar is not from the first virtual environment.

15. A system to derive relationships between avatars across a plurality of virtual environments, each virtual environment provided by a respective server application communicably connected to a management application via a respective connector application, the system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

a memory containing a program, which when executed by the one or more computer processors is configured to perform an operation comprising;

receiving avatar information from each virtual environment via the respective connector application, wherein each connector application is configured to communicate according to a different messaging protocol specific to the server application providing the respective virtual environment, wherein the received avatar information includes information elements pertaining to a first avatar from a first virtual environment and a second avatar from a second virtual environment, respectively;

generating, based on the received avatar information and for each of the first avatar and the second avatar, an avatar entity identifying the respective avatar and the virtual environment of the respective avatar;

upon determining, based on the generated avatar entities, that the first avatar and the second avatar are used by a single user, generating a single user entity identifying the single user and associated with each of the generated avatar entities, by the management application, wherein the single user entity and the avatar entities are stored according to a predetermined data model; and

responsive to receiving a request from a requesting entity to retrieve information elements of the single user across the plurality of virtual environments, generating, based on the single user entity, a result set that includes the information elements pertaining to the first and second avatars, respectively, wherein the generated result set is output to the requesting entity.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the information element pertaining to the each avatar of the first and second avatars specifies at least one purchase made for the respective avatar.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the operation further comprises:

upon determining, based on the generated avatar entities, that the first avatar and the second avatar are used respectively by two users who are related to each other, generating, for each of the two related users, a user entity identifying the respective user and associated with;

the avatar entity for the avatar of the respective user and (ii) the user entity generated for the other of the two related users;

wherein the user entity for each of the two related users specifies a relationship type characterizing how the two users are related, wherein the relationship type is determined based on the received avatar information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the operation further comprises:

upon determining, based on the generated avatar entities, that the first avatar and the second avatar are used respectively by two users who are not related to each other, generating, for each of the two unrelated users, a user entity identifying the respective user and associated with the avatar entity for the avatar of the respective user.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein each avatar has a plurality of attributes, each attribute selected from the user name, the avatar name, user age, user gender, phone number, mailing address, email address, and network address, wherein at least one attribute is standardized to facilitate attribute matching.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first avatar and the second avatar are determined to be used by the single user based on a first predefined count of matching attributes between the first avatar and the second avatar, wherein the first predefined count is equal to or less than a count of the plurality of attributes;

wherein the first avatar and the second avatar are determined to be used respectively by the two users who are related based on a second predefined count of matching attributes between the first avatar and the second avatar, wherein the second predefined count is less than the first predefined count;

wherein the first avatar and the second avatar are determined to be used respectively by the two users who are unrelated based a third predefined count of matching attributes between the first avatar and the second avatar, wherein the third predefined count is less than the second predefined count.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein each server application comprises a virtual world server, wherein each virtual environment comprises a virtual world provided by a respective virtual world server, wherein each connector application comprises a virtual world connector application, wherein the requesting entity comprises a client application of a plurality of distinct types of client applications, each communicably connected to the management application, wherein the management application comprises a master data management application, wherein each avatar entity and the each user entity are stored in a master data store associated with the master data management application;

wherein each avatar is identifiable by a respective avatar name, wherein each user is identifiable by a respective user name, wherein the plurality of virtual world servers includes at least four different virtual world servers that communicate according to four different messaging protocols, respectively, wherein the four different messaging protocols include Java Message Service (JMS), Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI), WebSphere MQ, and web service, wherein the master data management application is configured to independently generate a respective result set for each individual purchase selected from;

purchase of a virtual good, purchase of a virtual service, purchase of a real good, and purchase of a real service, wherein the first avatar is not from the second virtual environment, wherein the second avatar is not from the first virtual environment.