Rendering of artifacts in a virtual universe environment in response to user tags

• US 8,564,591 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhogal, Kulvir S., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Pickover, Clifford A., Seaman, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): BROOME, SAID A
• Application Number:
  US12/627,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20110128281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5258 by dynamically adapting the position of the virtual camera to keep a game object or game character in its viewing frustum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5372 for tagging characters, objects or locations in the game scene, e.g. displaying a circle under the character controlled by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/306 for displaying a marker associated to an object or location in the game field
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• 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

Abstract

Methods, services, program products and devices are provided for user-defined configuration of a rendering of a virtual universe domain environment. A first user of a virtual universe domain environment selects or defines an artifact tag comprising rendering data and a protocol for applying the tag to an artifact of the virtual universe domain, the protocol comprising a compliance prerequisite for rendering the tag information to another second user of the virtual universe domain environment. A first user requesting application of a tag to an artifact item within the virtual universe domain, causes a setting or updating of a protocol compliance value. An avatar of another, second user engaging the artifact item causes a virtual universe client of the engaging second user avatar to render the item to the second user in compliance with the tag rendering data if a set or updated compliance value meets a compliance prerequisite.

Claims

1. A method for user-defined configuration of a rendering of a virtual universe domain environment, the method comprising:

in response to a first user of a virtual universe domain environment voting for assigning a tag to an artifact item within the virtual universe domain, a processing unit updating a compliance value total vote count with a vote for assigning the tag to the artifact item, wherein the tag comprises information for rendering the artifact item to another user of the virtual universe domain environment; and

in response to an avatar of a second user of the virtual universe domain environment engaging the artifact item within the virtual universe domain environment, and in response to the updated compliance value total vote count meeting a compliance prerequisite total vote count minimum threshold, the processing unit rendering the artifact item to the second user in compliance with the information of the tag for rendering the artifact item.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a relative weight value to each user vote as a function of an identity of a voting user; and

determining that the updated compliance value total vote count meets the compliance prerequisite total vote count minimum threshold in response to comparing a total of the relative weight values of all cast votes to a total weighted minimum threshold value of the vote count.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of updating the compliance value total vote count of the artifact item with the vote for assigning the tag to the artifact item comprises updating the relative weight values of all cast votes as a function of a quantity or a frequency of total votes cast by each of a plurality of third parties.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving subsequent voting input data from the plurality of third parties; and

dynamically revising the information of the tag for rendering the artifact item as a function of the subsequent voting input.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising revising an assigned weighting of a voting user;

wherein the dynamically revising the information of the tag for rendering the artifact item is a function of the revising the assigned weighting.

6. A method for user-responsive configuration of a rendering of a virtual universe domain environment, the method comprising:

integrating computer-readable program code into a computer system comprising a processing unit, a computer readable memory and a computer readable tangible storage medium, wherein the computer readable program code is embodied on the computer readable tangible storage medium and comprises instructions that, when executed by the processing unit via the computer readable memory, cause the processing unit to;

define a tag comprising information for rendering an artifact item within a virtual universe environment, and a protocol for applying the tag to an artifact item of the virtual universe domain, wherein the protocol comprises a prerequisite total vote count minimum threshold that must be met for rendering the tag information to a user of the virtual universe domain environment;

update a compliance value total vote count with a vote for assigning the tag to the artifact item in response to a request for application of the tag to an artifact item within the virtual universe domain by a first user;

render the artifact item to a second user of the virtual universe domain environment in compliance with the information of the tag for rendering the artifact item in response to an avatar of the second user engaging the artifact item within the virtual universe domain environment, and in response to the updated compliance value total vote count meeting the prerequisite total vote count minimum threshold;

offer the first user or the second user a choice of a plurality of data providers for updating the information of the tag for rendering the artifact item; and

update the information of the tag for rendering the artifact item in response to an updating by a one of the plurality of data providers chosen by the user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the processing unit via the computer readable memory, further cause the processing unit to update the information of the tag for rendering the artifact item in response to an updating by a one of the plurality of data providers chosen by the user by analyzing metatag data associated with the artifact item.

8. A computer program product for user-defined configuration of a rendering of a virtual universe domain environment, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable tangible storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer processing unit, cause the computer processing unit to;

define a tag comprising information for rendering an artifact item within a virtual universe environment, and a protocol for applying the tag to an artifact item of the virtual universe domain, wherein the protocol comprises a prerequisite total vote count minimum threshold that must be met for rendering the tag information to a user of the virtual universe domain environment;

update a compliance value total vote count with a vote for assigning the tag to the artifact item in response to a request for application of the tag to an artifact item within the virtual universe domain by a first user; and

render the artifact item to a second user of the virtual universe domain environment in compliance with the information of the tag for rendering the artifact item in response to an avatar of the second user engaging the artifact item within the virtual universe domain environment, and in response to the updated compliance value total vote count meeting the prerequisite total vote count minimum threshold.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit:

to assign a relative weight value to each user vote as a function of an identity of a voting user; and

determine that the updated compliance value total vote count meets the compliance prerequisite total vote count minimum threshold by comparing a total of the relative weight values of all cast votes to a total weighted minimum threshold value of the vote count.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to update the compliance value total vote count of the artifact item with the vote for assigning the tag to the artifact item by updating the relative weight values of all cast votes as a function of a quantity or a frequency of total votes cast by each of a plurality of third parties.

11. A system, comprising:

a processing unit in communication with a computer readable memory and a tangible computer-readable storage medium;

wherein the processing unit, when executing program instructions stored on the tangible computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory;

defines a tag comprising information for rendering an artifact item within a virtual universe environment, and a protocol for applying the tag to an artifact item of the virtual universe domain, wherein the protocol comprises a prerequisite total vote count minimum threshold that must be net for rendering the tag information to a user of the virtual universe domain environment;

updates a compliance value total vote count with a vote for assigning the tai to the artifact item in response to a request for application of the tag to an artifact item within the virtual universe domain by a first user; and

renders the artifact item to a second user of the virtual universe domain environment in compliance with the information of the tag for rendering the artifact item in response to an avatar of the second user engaging the artifact item within the virtual universe domain environment, and in response to the updated compliance value total vote count meeting the prerequisite total vote count minimum threshold.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, further:

receives subsequent voting input data from a plurality of third parties; and

dynamically revises the information of the tag for rendering the artifact item as a function of the received subsequent voting input.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processing unit, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, further updates the information of the tag for rendering the artifact item in response to analyzing metatag data associated with the artifact item.