Use of information channels to provide communications in a virtual environment

• US 8,849,917 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2012
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Dawson, Christopher J., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Osias, Michael J., Sledge, Brian W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAW, ROBERT A
• Application Number:
  US13/402,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20120151060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

The invention generally relates to virtual environments, and more particularly to systems and methods for communicating in virtual environments. A method of providing communication in a virtual universe (VU) includes instantiating and assigning an information channel to a first client of the VU, associating at least one additional client of the VU to the information channel, and conveying data placed on the information channel to the first client and the at least one additional client.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing communication in a virtual universe (VU), the method being implemented by a computer system that includes one or more physical processors executing one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:

instantiating, by the computer system, an information channel for a first client of the VU, the information channel comprising a data link over which data may be transferred to another client of the VU;

assigning, by the computer system, the information channel to the first client;

granting, by the computer system, at least one additional client of the VU access to the information channel assigned to the first client;

linking, by the computer system, the information channel and a second information channel assigned to at least one other client, wherein the information channel and the second information channel are managed by a host of the VU, wherein no client is associated with both the information channel and the second information channel prior to the linking, and wherein the linking of the information channel and the second information channel is initiated by at least one request from at least one of the first client, the at least one additional client, or the at least one other client; and

conveying, by the computer system, data placed on the information channel or the second information channel to the first client, the at least one additional client, and the at least one other client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information channel is a private channel, and the at least one additional client is granted access based on an authorization of the first client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first client and the at least one additional client are associated with avatars of the VU.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first client or the at least one additional client are associated with a registered object of the VU.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the host of the VU performs the instantiating, the assigning, the granting, and the conveying.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one request is from at least one of the first client or the at least one other client.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting, by the computer system, to the first client a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows the first client to select between the information channel and the second information channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one request is from at least one linking client, the at least one linking client comprising at least one of the first client, the at least one additional client, or the at least one other client, and wherein the information channel and the second information channel are unlinked when the at least one linking client goes offline.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information channel and the second information channel are unlinked after expiration of a predefined finite period of time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the granting the least one additional client of the VU access to the information channel comprises receiving a message from the first client, the message including an identification of the at least one additional client and an instruction to grant access to the channel to the at least one additional client.

11. A computer-implemented method of providing communication in a virtual universe (VU), the method being implemented by a computer system that includes one or more physical processors executing one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:

instantiating, by the computer system, a private information channel of the VU, the private information channel comprising a data link over which data may be privately transferred between clients of the VU;

assigning, by the computer system, ownership of the private information channel to a first client of the VU, the first client being associated with a first avatar of the VU;

in response to a second client of the VU accepting an invitation to join the private information channel, associating, by the computer system, the second client of the VU to the private information channel, the second client being associated with a second avatar of the VU;

linking, by the computer system, the private information channel owned by the first client to a second private information channel owned by a third client, wherein the private information channel and the second private information channel are managed by a host of the VU,

wherein no client is associated with both the private information channel and the second private information channel prior to the linking, and

wherein the linking of the information channel and the second information channel is initiated by at least one request from at least one of the first client, the second client, or the third client; and

conveying, by the computer system, data placed on the private information channel or the second private information channel to the first client via the first avatar, the second client via the second avatar, and the third client.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one request is from at least one of the first client or the third client.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising presenting to the first client a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows the first client to select between the private information channel and the second private information channel.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one request is from at least one linking client, the at least one linking client comprising at least one of the first client, the second client, or the third client, and wherein the private information channel and the second private information channel are unlinked when the at least one linking client goes offline.

15. A computer-implemented method for providing communication in a virtual universe (VU), the method being implemented by a computer system that includes one or more physical processors executing one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:

instantiating, by the computer system, an information channel in the VU, the information channel being a data link over which data may be transferred to another client of the VU;

identifying, by the computer system, a plurality of clients of the VU having a common characteristic;

associating, by the computer system, the plurality of clients of the VU having the common characteristic with the information channel; and

presenting, by the computer system, data that is placed on the information channel to the plurality of clients of the VU having the common characteristic,

wherein the information channel is instantiated before the plurality of clients are determined to have the common characteristic.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the common characteristic is a geographic location within the VU that is common to the plurality of clients.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the common characteristic is at least one of:

a profile parameter and an inventory item that is common to the plurality of clients.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising automatically presenting each of the plurality of clients of the VU having the common characteristic with an option to accept or refuse being associated with the information channel.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying a first client of the VU having the common characteristic; and

associating the first client with the information channel based on the identification, wherein data placed on the information channel is presented to the first client and the plurality of clients based on the first client being associated with the information channel.