Method to monitor user trajectories within a virtual universe

• US 8,595,632 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2008
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: King.com, Ltd (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Walker, Keith R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Refai, Ramsey
• Assistant Examiner(s): TITCOMB, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US12/035,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20090217171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,105 Days
• Field of Search: 715/706, 715710-713, 715719-722, 715757-758, 715848-850
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/634 for replaying partially or entirely the game actions since the beginning of the game
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method to monitor user trajectories within a virtual universe. A method for monitoring a user trajectory of any avatar in a virtual universe may include recording an activity of an avatar within a virtual universe, and then rendering the recording as a visible path. The activity may include movement, duration at a coordinate, time between coordinates, and/or angle of positioning of the avatar. The invention, for example, reminds an avatar a reminder as to where he/she has traversed in the past; shows paths that their team or family members have traversed; and/or gives an indication of popular paths taken by avatars.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a user trajectory in a virtual universe, comprising:

recording an activity of a first avatar within a virtual universe, the activity including a series of locations that the avatar has occupied within the virtual universe over a time period, the virtual universe including an interactive simulated environment accessed by multiple users simultaneously by using avatars to inhabit and interact with the virtual universe;

rendering the recording of the activity as a visible path that illustrates a movement of the first avatar over the time period;

recording a second activity of a second avatar, which is unaffiliated with the first avatar, within the virtual universe, the second activity including a second series of locations that the avatar has occupied within the virtual universe over a time period;

rendering the recording of the second activity as a visible path that illustrates a movement of the second avatar over the time period;

aggregating first and second visible paths to determine common movement patterns within the virtual universe; and

using the aggregating to perform a subsequent activity in the virtual universe, wherein the subsequent activity includes modifying a geographic layout of the virtual universe by relocating a structural item within a virtual region in the virtual universe with respect to another structural item in the virtual region of the virtual universe.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring at least one region for an activity of the least one avatar.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording further comprises recording coordinates of movement of the at least one avatar, and wherein the visible path shows a rate of movement of the at least one avatar and an amount of time spent at a particular location by the at least one avatar.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the visible path is a map view.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording is done by one of:

user selection or anonymously.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising forwarding the visible path to a third party.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one avatar is a group of avatars.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying if the activity is conducted at a specific location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity is one of:

a movement, duration at a coordinate, time between coordinates, or angle of positioning.

10. A system for monitoring a user trajectory in a virtual universe, comprising:

a computer system having at least one computer device that performs a method comprising;

recording an activity of a first avatar within a virtual universe, the activity including a series of locations that the avatar has occupied within the virtual universe over a time period, the virtual universe including an interactive simulated environment accessed by multiple users simultaneously by using avatars to inhabit and interact with the virtual universe;

rendering the recording of the activity as a visible path that illustrates a movement of the first avatar over the time period;

recording a second activity of a second avatar, which is unaffiliated with the first avatar, within the virtual universe, the second activity including a second series of locations that the avatar has occupied within the virtual universe over a time period;

rendering the recording of the second activity as a visible path that illustrates a movement of the second avatar over the time period;

aggregating first and second visible paths to determine common movement patterns within the virtual universe; and

using the aggregating to perform a subsequent activity in the virtual universe, wherein the subsequent activity includes modifying a geographic layout of the virtual universe by relocating a structural item within a virtual region in the virtual universe with respect to another structural item in the virtual region of the virtual universe.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising monitoring at least one region for an activity of the least one avatar.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the recording further comprises recording coordinates of movement of the at least one avatar, and wherein the visible path shows a rate of movement of the at least one avatar and an amount of time spent at a particular location by the at least one avatar.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the visible path is a map view.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the system for recording operates by one of:

user selection or anonymously.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising forwarding the visible path to a third party.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one avatar is a group of avatars.

17. The system of claim 10, further comprising verifying if the activity is conducted at a specific location.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the activity is one of:

a movement, duration at a coordinate, time between coordinates, or angle of positioning.

19. A program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, which when executed, monitors a user trajectory in a virtual universe, the computer readable medium comprising program code that performs a method, comprising:

recording an activity of a first avatar within a virtual universe, the activity including a series of locations that the avatar has occupied within the virtual universe over a time period, the virtual universe including an interactive simulated environment accessed by multiple users simultaneously by using avatars to inhabit and interact with the virtual universe;

rendering the recording of the activity as a visible path that illustrates a movement of the first avatar over the time period;

recording a second activity of a second avatar, which is unaffiliated with the first avatar, within the virtual universe, the second activity including a second series of locations that the avatar has occupied within the virtual universe over a time period;

rendering the recording of the second activity as a visible path that illustrates a movement of the second avatar over the time period;

aggregating first and second visible paths to determine common movement patterns within the virtual universe; and

using the aggregating to perform a subsequent activity in the virtual universe, wherein the subsequent activity includes modifying a geographic layout of the virtual universe by relocating a structural item within a virtual region in the virtual universe with respect to another structural item in the virtual region of the virtual universe.

20. A method for deploying an application for monitoring a user trajectory in a virtual universe, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

record an activity of a first avatar within a virtual universe, the activity including a series of locations that the avatar has occupied within the virtual universe over a time period, the virtual universe including an interactive simulated environment accessed by multiple users simultaneously by using avatars to inhabit and interact with the virtual universe;

render the recording of the activity as a visible path that illustrates a movement of the first avatar over the time period;

record a second activity of a second avatar, which is unaffiliated with the first avatar, within the virtual universe, the second activity including a second series of locations that the avatar has occupied within the virtual universe over a time period;

render the recording of the second activity as a visible path that illustrates a movement of the second avatar over the time period;

aggregate first and second visible paths to determine common movement patterns within the virtual universe; and

use the aggregating to perform a subsequent activity in the virtual universe, wherein the subsequent activity includes modifying a geographic layout of the virtual universe by relocating a structural item within a virtual region in the virtual universe with respect to another structural item in the virtual region of the virtual universe.