System and method for abstraction of objects for cross virtual universe deployment

• US 8,495,078 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, Kartha, Nalini K., Walker, Keith R., Chandra, Ankur
• Primary Examiner(s): Vital, Pierre
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rahman, Sabana
• Application Number:
  US13/566,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20120297453A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: 707/759, 707/802, 726/3, 709/217
• US Class Current: 707/759
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A system and method for abstracting objects in a virtual universe (VU) deployment is provided. The system and method abstracts VU objects for editing in a common abstraction utility and for deploying to one or more VU grids containing one or more VU architectures and/or platforms (servers). The method can be implemented in a computer infrastructure having programming instructions operable to: obtain an object associated with a first virtual universe server; translate the object with syntax specific to at least a second virtual universe server, the syntax being different than that used with the first virtual universe server; and deploy the translated object to the second virtual universe server.

Claims

1. A system implemented in hardware using a processor, comprising:

an adapter component to translate actions that need to occur to SQL (Structured Query Language) to create a single object that can be deployed across different virtual universe (VU) servers, wherein a first abstraction utility command of the adapter component reads all inventory items for a specific user of the virtual universe and maps them in a first adapter designed for a first VU server and a second abstraction utility command of the adapter component reads all inventory items for another user of the virtual universe and maps them in a second adapter designed for a second VU server;

a communication component designed to pass data between the abstraction utilities that is accessible across different platforms and the different VU servers over a network; and

a deployment component designed to deploy selected objects that have been translated to the different VU servers,

wherein the single object is a two-dimensional or three-dimensional graphical representation, auditory or touch sensations of a VU; and

creating template objects within the first and second VU servers;

preventing abstraction of the selected objects by placing a flag on the object;

retrieving the selected objects from storage;

translating actions that need to occur to SQL (Structured Query Language) in order to create the single object that can be deployed across the first and second virtual universe servers,

providing one or both of a virtual universe-specific syntax and an abstraction layer mapping to the VU-specific syntax;

reading all inventory items for a specific user which are mapped in a first adapter designed for the first VU server and read all inventory items for a user which are mapped in a second adapter designed for the second VU server;

preventing a same object from being modified by more than one user at a time;

providing layers of object abstraction or modification approvals; and

creating template objects within the different virtual universe servers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the adapter component, the communication component and the deployment component are processors.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the adapter component contains database query syntax to read and write to databases of each of the different VU servers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication component includes an authentication component and a server access component, the server access component comprises VU server-specific connection information.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an Interface/Editor component which allows users to invoke commands to query, store, modify, and deploy objects and their related attributes to the different VU servers, wherein the Interface/Editor component accesses a library of objects.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a storage component that stores at least one of:

the objects and related attributes;

mapping information for translation to the different VU servers;

an interaction history;

location of where the object was created;

location of where the object has been deployed;

the SQL (Structured Query Language) to create a single object that can be deployed across the different VU servers; and

predefined rules.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the adapter component includes at least one of a VU-specific syntax, and an abstraction layer mapping to the VU-specific syntax.