Virtual universe teleportation suggestion service

• US 8,671,349 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2008
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Walker, Keith R.
• Primary Examiner(s): HAILU, TADESSE
• Application Number:
  US12/120,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20090288002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,126 Days
• Field of Search: 715/706, 715/707, 715/715, 715/751, 715/753, 715/757, 715/848
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system, method and program product for providing teleportation suggestions to avatars in a virtual universe. A service is provided that determines the set of teleportation suggestions for the avatar based on at least one of: an inventory analysis of the avatar, a historical teleportation analysis of the avatar, a motion analysis of the avatar, a social network analysis of the avatar, or a ratings analysis of locations within the virtual universe.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system including a computing device configured to suggest teleportation locations within a virtual universe, comprising:

a suggestion generation service that determines a set of teleportation suggestions for a requesting avatar based on a social network analysis of the avatar that identifies each avatar with whom the requesting avatar has communicated for more than a first predefined period within a second predefined period, determines which of the identified avatars most closely match the requesting avatar responsive to an analysis of at least an inventory of each identified avatar, analyzes previous teleportation activities of the avatars that match the requesting avatar most closely, and selects sites to which the requesting avatar has not traveled as the set of teleportation suggestions;

a triggering system for launching the suggestion generation service; and

a system for outputting the set of teleportation suggestions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the teleportation suggestions are determined based at least in part on an inventory analysis of the avatar that determines a context of at least one item in an inventory of the avatar, and matches the context to metadata associated with locations in the virtual universe.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the teleportation suggestions are determined based at least in part on a historical teleportation analysis of the avatar that determines a context of at least one previous teleportation of the avatar, and matches the context to metadata associated with locations in the virtual universe.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the teleportation suggestions are determined based at least in part on a motion analysis of the avatar that determines a context of at least one previous motion of the avatar, and matches the context to metadata associated with locations in the virtual universe.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first predefined period is less than sixty minutes.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the teleportation suggestions are determined based at least in part on a ratings analysis system that analyzes ratings associated with locations in the virtual universe.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising user controls for filtering the set of teleportation suggestions provided by the suggestion generation service.

8. A method of suggesting teleportation locations within a virtual universe, comprising:

sensing an event indicating that an avatar is to be provided with a set of teleportation suggestions;

determining the set of teleportation suggestions for the avatar based on a social network analysis of the avatar that identifies each avatar with whom the requesting avatar has communicated for more than a first predefined period within a second predefined period, determines which of the identified avatars most closely match the requesting avatar responsive to an analysis of at least an inventory of each identified avatar, analyzes previous teleportation activities of the ether most closely matched avatars, and selects sites to which the requesting avatar has not been as the set of teleportation suggestions; and

outputting the set of teleportation suggestions.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of the set of teleportation suggestions includes performing an inventory analysis of the avatar that determines a context of at least one item in an inventory of the avatar, and matches the context to metadata associated with locations in the virtual universe.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of the set of teleportation suggestions includes performing a historical teleportation analysis of the avatar that determines a context of at least one previous teleportation of the avatar, and matches the context to metadata associated with locations in the virtual universe.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of the set of teleportation suggestions includes performing a motion analysis of the avatar that determines a context of at least one previous motion of the avatar, and matches the context to metadata associated with locations in the virtual universe.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first predefined period is less than sixty minutes.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein a ratings analysis system analyzes ratings associated with locations in the virtual universe.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising user controls for filtering the set of teleportation suggestions provided by the suggestion generation service.

15. A program product stored on a computer readable storage device for suggesting teleportation locations within a virtual universe, which when executed by a computer system, comprises:

program code for sensing an event indicating that an avatar is to be provided with a set of teleportation suggestions;

program code for determining the set of teleportation suggestions for the avatar based on a social network analysis of the avatar that identifies each avatar with whom the requesting avatar has communicated for more than a first predefined period within a second predefined period, determines which of the identified avatars most closely match the requesting avatar responsive to an analysis of an inventory of each identified avatar, analyzes previous teleportation activities of the avatars that match the requesting avatar most closely, and selects sites to which the requesting avatar has not been as the set of teleportation suggestions; and

program code for outputting the set of teleportation suggestions.

16. The program product of claim 15, wherein the program code for determining the set of teleportation suggestions further performs an inventory analysis of the avatar that determines a context of at least one item in an inventory of the avatar, and matches the context to metadata associated with locations in the virtual universe.

17. The program product of claim 15, wherein the program code for determining the set of teleportation suggestions further performs a historical teleportation analysis of the avatar that determines a context of at least one previous teleportation of the avatar, and matches the context to metadata associated with locations in the virtual universe.

18. The program product of claim 15, wherein the program code for determining the set of teleportation suggestions further performs a motion analysis of the avatar that determines a context of at least one previous motion of the avatar, and matches the context to metadata associated with locations in the virtual universe.

19. The program product of claim 15, wherein the second predefined period is at least one day.

20. The program product of claim 15, wherein a ratings analysis system analyzes ratings associated with locations in the virtual universe.

21. The program product of claim 15, further comprising user controls for filtering the set of teleportation suggestions provided by the suggestion generation service.

22. A method for deploying an application for suggesting teleportation locations within a virtual universe, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

sense an event indicating that an avatar is to be provided with a set of teleportation suggestions;

determine the set of teleportation suggestions for the avatar based on a social network analysis of the avatar that identifies each avatar with whom the requesting avatar has communicated for more than a first predefined period within a second predefined period, determines which of the identified avatars most closely match the requesting avatar, and analyzes previous teleportation activities of the avatars that match the requesting avatar most closely, and selects sites to which the requesting avatar has not been as the set of teleportation suggestions; and

output the set of teleportation suggestions.