Allowing an alternative action in a virtual world

• US 8,992,316 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, Andrew Bryan, Bokor, Brian Ronald, Haggar, Peter Frederick, House, Daniel Edward, Nicol, William Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US13/248,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20120071218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,279 Days
• Field of Search: 463 30- 32, 719/314, 705/1
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar

Abstract

A system for allowing an alternative action in a virtual world may include a processor and a module operable on the processor for allowing an alternative action in a virtual world in response to a request for an original action for an avatar of a user being unavailable in the virtual world. A queue stores the request in response to the original action being unavailable. Another module may determine if an alternative action is available for the avatar in response to the original action being unavailable. A further module may present an interface to permit the user to accept the alternative action. The avatar is permitted to perform the alternative action in response to the user accepting the alternative action while the request for the original action is still in the queue.

Claims

1. A system for allowing an alternative action in a virtual world, comprising:

one or more physical processors programmed with one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the one or more physical processors to;

receive a request to allow an avatar of a user to perform an action in a virtual world;

determine whether the action is available to the avatar in response to the request;

store the request in a waiting list in response to a determination that the action is not available to the avatar;

determine an alternative action available to the avatar in response to the determination that the action is not available to the avatar; and

allow the avatar to perform the alternative action in the virtual world while the request remains in the waiting list.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:

determine whether the action has become available to the avatar of the user;

enable the user to accept the action in response to a determination that the action has become available to the avatar; and

allow the avatar to perform the action in the virtual world in response to the user accepting the action.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the avatar of the user is allowed to continue to perform the alternative action in response to the user not accepting the action after the action became available to the avatar.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:

provide a predetermined time period for the user to accept the action in response to the action becoming available to the avatar,

wherein the request is dropped from the waiting list in response to the user not accepting the action within the predetermined time period.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:

provide a predetermined time period for the user to accept the alternative action in response to the determination that the action is not available to the avatar and the determination that the alternative action is available to the avatar,

wherein the avatar is allowed to perform the alternative action in the virtual world in response to the user accepting the alternative action within the predetermined time period.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the action comprises at least one of transporting the avatar of the user to a selected location in the virtual world or the avatar receiving a chosen service.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the alternative action comprises at least one of transporting the avatar of the user to another selected location in the virtual world or the avatar receiving another chosen service.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:

in response to the determination that the action has become available to the avatar, provide an option to the user to select one of;

(i) accepting the action without waiting for the alternative action to be finished; and

(ii) delaying acceptance of the action for a predetermined time period to allow the alternative action to finish.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:

determine one or more other alternative actions available to the avatar in response to the determination that the action is not available to the avatar; and

select, from among the alternative action and the one or more alternative actions, the alternative action for presentation to the user based on at least one of virtual demographics associated with the avatar, previously requested actions of the user, previous searches of the user, or relatedness of the alternative action to the action,

wherein the presentation of the alternative action enables the user to accept the alternative action, and wherein the avatar is allowed to perform the alternative action in the virtual world in response to the user accepting the alternative action.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein determining whether the action is available to the avatar comprises determining whether a threshold associated with the action has been reached in response to the request,

wherein storing the request in the waiting list comprises storing the request in the waiting list in response to a determination that the threshold has been reached, and

wherein determining the alternative action comprises determining the alternative action in response to the determination that the threshold has been reached.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the alternative action is preselected as a potential alternative action for the action by a third-party entity.

12. A method of allowing an alternative action in a virtual world, the method being implemented on 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:

receiving, at the computer system, a request to allow an avatar of a user to perform an action in a virtual world;

determining, by the computer system, whether the action is available to the avatar in response to the request;

storing, by the computer system, the request in a waiting list in response to a determination that the action is not available to the avatar;

determining, by the computer system, an alternative action available to the avatar in response to the determination that the action is not available to the avatar; and

allowing, by the computer system, the avatar to perform the alternative action in the virtual world while the request remains in the waiting list.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining, by the computer system, whether the action has become available to the avatar of the user;

enabling, by the computer system, the user to accept the action in response to a determination that the action has become available to the avatar; and

allowing, by the computer system, the avatar to perform the action in the virtual world in response to the user accepting the action.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the avatar of the user is allowed to continue to perform the alternative action in response to the user not accepting the action after the action became available to the avatar.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing, by the computer system, a predetermined time period for the user to accept the action in response to the action becoming available to the avatar,

wherein the request is dropped from the waiting list in response to the user not accepting the action within the predetermined time period.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

providing, by the computer system, a predetermined time period for the user to accept the alternative action in response to the determination that the action is not available to the avatar and the determination that the alternative action is available to the avatar,

wherein the avatar is allowed to perform the alternative action in the virtual world in response to the user accepting the alternative action within the predetermined time period.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining, by the computer system, one or more other alternative actions available to the avatar in response to the determination that the action is not available to the avatar; and

selecting, by the computer system, from among the alternative action and the one or more alternative actions, the alternative action for presentation to the user based on at least one of virtual demographics associated with the avatar, previously requested actions of the user, previous searches of the user, or relatedness of the alternative action to the action,

wherein the presentation of the alternative action enables the user to accept the alternative action, and wherein the avatar is allowed to perform the alternative action in the virtual world in response to the user accepting the alternative action.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

in response to the determination that the action has become available to the avatar, provide, by the computer system, an option to the user to select one of;

(i) accepting the action without waiting for the alternative action to be finished; and

(ii) delaying acceptance of the action for a predetermined time period to allow the alternative action to finish.

19. A computer program product for allowing an alternative action in a virtual world, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code embodied therewith comprising;

computer readable program code configured to receive a request to allow an avatar of a user to perform an action in a virtual world;

computer readable program code configured to determine whether the action is available to the avatar in response to the request;

computer readable program code configured to store the request in a waiting list in response to a determination that the action is not available to the avatar;

computer readable program code configured to determine an alternative action available to the avatar in response to the determination that the action is not available to the avatar; and

computer readable program code configured to allow the avatar to perform the alternative action in the virtual world while the request remains in the waiting list.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer readable program code embodied therewith further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to determine whether the action has become available to the avatar of the user;

computer readable program code configured to enable the user to accept the action in response to a determination that the action has become available to the avatar; and

computer readable program code configured to allow the avatar to perform the action in the virtual world in response to the user accepting the action.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the computer readable program code embodied therewith further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to allow the avatar of the user to continue to perform the alternative action in response to the user not accepting the action after the action became available to the avatar.