System and method for group control in a metaverse application

• US 8,990,707 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2008
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roblox Corp.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, Angela Richards, Lyle, Ruthie D., Mallempatl, Vandana
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hope, Darrin
• Application Number:
  US11/971,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,631 Days
• Field of Search: 715/757
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A metaverse system and method for allowing a user to control a group of avatars in a metaverse application. The metaverse system includes a client computer, a metaverse server, and a group link engine. The metaverse server hosts a metaverse application over a network. The client computer interfaces with the metaverse application. The group link engine opens a group link connection. A linked group associated with the group link connection includes at least two linked users. At least one user is designated as a leader of the linked group. The group link engine includes a group link controller to allow the leader to control an action of an avatar of at least one other user.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a computer useable storage device to store a computer readable program that, when executed on a processor within a computer, causes the computer to perform operations comprising:

open a group link connection in response to a request from a user to open the group link connection, wherein the user is designated as a leader of a linked group associated with the group link connection, wherein the linked group comprises a plurality of linked users;

control a first action of an avatar associated with the user in response to an input command by the user; and

control a second action of a second avatar of a second user of the linked group in response to the input command by the user, wherein the second action of the second avatar mimics the first action, wherein the second action of the second avatar can be viewed separately from the first action of the avatar associated with the user designated as the leader.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform operations to send a group link invitation from the leader of the linked group to the second user to join the linked group.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform operations to link the second user to the group link connection in response to an acceptance by the second user of the group link invitation to join the linked group.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform operations to set a group link invitation expiration to limit an acceptance period of the group link invitation.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform operations to set a maximum group size limit to maintain a limit on a maximum number of users allowed to join the linked group.

6. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform operations to control a group movement in response to the input command by the user, wherein the group movement comprises a verified teleport, wherein the avatar associated with the leader teleports to a new location apart from the remainder of the linked group, and the remainder of the linked group teleports to the new location in response to a verification by the leader to travel to the new location.

7. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform operations to control a group movement in response to the input command by the user, wherein the group movement comprises a delayed teleport, wherein the avatar associated with the leader teleports to a new location apart from a remainder of the linked group, and after a predetermined delay, the remainder of the linked group is then teleported to the new location.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform operations to configure a group link connection profile, the group link connection profile comprising a list of the plurality of linked users of the linked group.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform operations to control the second avatar of the second user to avoid an obstacle in the path of the second avatar of the second user.

10. A metaverse system comprising:

a client computer coupled to a network;

a metaverse server coupled to the client computer, the metaverse server to host a metaverse application;

a group link engine coupled to the metaverse server, the group link engine to open a group link connection in response to a request from a user to open the group link connection, wherein a linked group associated with the group link connection comprises at least two linked users, and at least one of the linked users is designated as a leader of the linked group associated with the group link connection, the group link engine comprising;

a group link controller to allow the user designated as the leader to control a first action of an avatar associated with the leader through an input command and to allow the user designated as the leader to control a second action of a second avatar of a second user, wherein the second action mimics the first action, wherein the action of the second avatar can be viewed separately from the avatar associated with the user designated as the leader.

11. The metaverse system of claim 10, the group link engine further comprising a group link configuration engine coupled to the group link controller, the group link configuration engine to send a group link invitation to the second user to join the linked group.

12. The metaverse system of claim 11, wherein the group link controller is further configured to control a group movement in response to an input command by the leader of the linked group, wherein the group movement comprises a delayed teleport, wherein a leader teleports to a new location apart from a remainder of the linked group, and after a predetermined delay, the remainder of the linked group is then teleported to the new location and wherein the group link controller stores a plurality of group movements on a storage device in response to a request from a user in a linked group to save the plurality of group movements.

13. The metaverse system of claim 12, wherein the group link configuration engine terminates the group link invitation in response to a user'"'"'s rejection of the group link invitation.

14. The metaverse system of claim 13, the group link configuration engine is further configured to disconnect temporarily a linked user from the group link connection and reconnect the linked user, that temporarily disconnected from the group link connection, to the linked group.

15. The metaverse system of claim 10, the group link controller further configured to control a group movement in response to an input command by one of the users designated as the leader of the linked group, wherein the group movement comprises:

a cascaded group movement, wherein a user in the linked group is ranked in a predetermined order to allow a movement initiated by the one of the users designated as the leader to be performed by the avatar of the one of the users designated as the leader first, and then after a predetermined delay, the user performs that movement according to the rank of the user in the linked group;

a delayed teleport, wherein one of the users designated as the leader teleports to a new location apart from a remainder of the linked group, and after a predetermined delay, the remainder of the linked group is then teleported to the new location;

or

a verified teleport, wherein one of the users designated as the leader teleports to a new location apart from the remainder of the linked group, and the remainder of the linked group teleports to the new location in response to a verification by the one of the users designated as the leader to travel to the new location.

16. The metaverse system of claim 15, wherein the group link controller stores a plurality of group movements on a storage device in response to a request from a user in a linked group to save the plurality of group movements.

17. The metaverse system of claim 10, wherein the group link controller allows the second user to decline the action that one of the users designated as the leader initiates to control the avatar of the second user.

18. A method comprising:

opening a group link connection in response to a request from a user to open the group link connection, wherein a linked group associated with the group link connection comprises at least two linked users, and at least one of the linked users is designated as a leader of the linked group associated with the group link connection; and

controlling a first action of an avatar associated with the user designated as the leader in response to an input command by the user designated as the leader of the linked group;

controlling a second action of a second avatar of a second user of the linked group in response to the input command by the user, wherein the second action of the second avatar mimics the first action, wherein the second action of the second avatar can be viewed separately from the first action of the avatar associated with the user designated as the leader.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

sending a group link invitation to another user to join the linked group;

linking the other user to the group link connection in response to the other user accepting the group link invitation to join the linked group; and

saving a group link connection profile.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

disconnecting at least temporarily a linked user from the group link connection; and

reconnecting the linked user, that temporarily disconnected from the group link connection, to the linked group.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

requesting a transfer of the designation of the user as the leader of the group link connection; and

transferring the designation of at least one of the users designated as the leader of the group link connection to another user of the group link connection.

22. A metaverse group link system comprising:

a leader client computer coupled to a network, the leader client computer to send a request to open a group link connection;

a leader display device to display a leader metaverse client viewer;

a group link engine coupled to a metaverse application, the group link engine to open the group link connection in response to the request to open the group link connection, wherein a user on the leader client computer is designated as a leader of a linked group associated with the group link connection;

a leader group link interface coupled to the leader client computer, the leader group link interface to facilitate configuring a group link connection profile and to send a group link invitation to another user to join the linked group;

a follower client computer coupled to the network, the follower client computer to receive the group link invitation;

a follower display device to display a follower metaverse client viewer; and

a follower group link interface coupled to the metaverse application, the follower group link interface to facilitate the other user to accept the group link invitation and to join the linked group, wherein the other user that is associated with the follower client computer is designated as a follower of the linked group associated with the group link connection, wherein the leader controls a first action of an avatar associated with the user designated at the leader and a second action of an avatar of the follower, wherein the leader control is via a leader client computer interface coupled to the leader client computer, wherein the second action of the avatar of the follower can be viewed separately from the action of an avatar associated with the user designated as the leader.

23. The metaverse group link system of claim 22, wherein the follower of the linked group associated with the group link connection is designated as a new leader of the linked group associated with the group link connection in response to a transfer of the designation of the leader of the linked group associated with the group link connection.

24. The metaverse group link system of claim 22, wherein the follower of the group link connection at least temporarily disconnects from the group link connection and subsequently rejoins the linked group prior to expiration of the group link invitation and in response to a determination that a size of the group link connection is less than a maximum group size limit of the group link connection.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

means for establishing a linked group of metaverse users, each metaverse user associated with an avatar of a metaverse application, wherein one of the metaverse users is designated as a leader of the linked group; and

means for controlling a first action of an avatar associated with the metaverse user designated as the leader of the linked group in response to an input command by the metaverse user designated as the leader of the linked group of metaverse users;

means for controlling a second action of a second avatar of a second user of the linked group in response to the input command by the user, wherein the second action of the second avatar mimics the first action, wherein the second action can be viewed separately from the first action of the avatar associated with the metaverse user designated as the leader.