Creating documents from graphical objects in a virtual universe

• US 9,245,237 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2007
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Seaman, James W., Walker, Keith R.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, THU V
• Application Number:
  US11/861,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,045 Days
• Field of Search: 715/277.2, 715/706, 715/200, 715/277, 715/255, 715/209
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

Described herein are processes and devices that create and manage documents in a virtual universe. One of the devices described is a virtual document converter. The virtual document converter analyzes a set of one or more graphical objects of a virtual document in a virtual universe. The virtual document presents document content. The virtual document converter determines format information for generating a document file. The virtual document converter parses the document content of the virtual document. The virtual document converter generates the document file with the parsed document content and the determined format information.

Claims

1. A method for generating a document file in a virtual universe, the method comprising the step of:

a computer determining format information from graphical objects that have an appearance of a multi-page virtual document in the virtual universe, wherein the virtual universe is a computer-based simulated environment populated by one or more avatars, and wherein the step of the computer determining the format information comprises the computer determining that the graphical objects comprise graphical representations of text;

the computer determining a relationship between the graphical objects, wherein the relationship indicates that the graphical objects are organized into a stack that represents page layers of the multi-page virtual document;

the computer converting the graphical representations of text to textual characters;

the computer generating the document file, in the virtual universe, with document pages that contain the textual characters; and

the computer organizing the document pages based on the relationship between the graphical objects.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

the computer determining that the graphical objects include text in addition to the textual representations of text, and

the computer copying the text into the document pages.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the computer generating the document file, in the virtual universe, comprises the steps of:

the computer determining that the page layers of the virtual document are organized only for sequential navigating in an order within the stack; and

the computer binding the document pages to have both a sequential and non-sequential navigable structure among the document pages.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the computer generating the document file comprises the steps of:

the computer generating a first number of the document pages that are equivalent to a second number to the page layers; and

the computer organizing the first number of document pages in a first order that follows a second order in which the second number of page layers are organized.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the computer determining the format information from the graphical objects comprises the step of:

the computer determining that the graphical objects are formatted as textured graphics that have an appearance of one or more of a picture album, a scroll, a talk-bubble from an avatar, a chat screen, and a help screen in the virtual universe.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of the computer determining the relationship between the graphical objects comprises the step of the computer analyzing a structure of the graphical objects as the page layers of the organized stack;

and wherein the step of the computer organizing the document pages based on the relationship between the graphical objects comprises the step of the computer maintaining the structure of the page layers in the organized stack.

2. The method of claim further comprising the step of:

the computer processing the document file as a single, multi-page document in the virtual universe.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of the computer processing the document file as the single, multi-page document in the virtual universe comprises the steps of:

the computer causing to be performed, from within the virtual universe, one or more of printing the document file, saving the document file, transferring the document file within the virtual universe, separating a page from the document file to be transferred within the virtual universe, creating a shortcut to the document file, attaching the document file to an email, lending the document file, locking the document file, and retrieving the document file from a borrower.

9. A computer system for generating a document file in a virtual universe, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine format information from graphical objects that have an appearance of a multi-page virtual document in the virtual universe, wherein the format information indicates that the graphical objects comprise graphical representations of text;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine a relationship between the graphical objects, wherein the relationship indicates that the graphical objects are organized into a stack that represents page layers of the multi-page virtual document;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to convert the graphical representations of text to textual characters;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to generate the document file, in the virtual universe, wherein the document file comprises document pages that contain the textual characters; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to organize the document pages based on the relationship between the graphical objects.

10. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to control movement of the document file inside the virtual universe; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to process the document file in the virtual universe.

11. The computer system of claim 9 further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to one or more of store the document file in an inventory associated with an avatar inside the virtual universe, and transfer at least a portion of the document file to an inventory associated with an avatar inside the virtual universe.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the program instructions to generate the document file:

generate a first number of the document pages that are equivalent to a second number to the page layers; and

organize the first number of document pages in a first order that follows a second order in which the second number of page layers are organized.

13. A computer program product for generating a document file in a virtual universe, the computer program product comprising:

one or more machine-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine format information from graphical objects that have an appearance of a multi-page virtual document in the virtual universe, wherein the format information indicates that the graphical objects comprise graphical representations of text;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine a relationship between the graphical objects, wherein the relationship indicates that the graphical objects are organized into a stack that represents page layers of the multi-page virtual document;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to convert the graphical representations of text to textual characters;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to generate the document file, in the virtual universe, wherein the document file comprises document pages that contain the textual characters; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to organize the document pages based on the relationship between the graphical objects.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the program instructions to determine the relationship between the graphical objects analyze a structure of the graphical objects as the page layers of the organized stack, and wherein the program instructions to organize the document pages based on the relationship between the graphical objects maintain the structure of the page layers in the organized stack.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine that the graphical objects include text in addition to the textual representations of text, and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to copy the text into the document pages.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the program instructions to generate the document file:

determine that the page layers of the virtual document are organized only for sequential navigating in an order within the stack, and

bind the document pages to have both a sequential and non-sequential navigable structure among the document pages.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the program instructions to generate the document file:

generate a first number of the document pages that are equivalent to a second number to the page layers, and

organize the first number of document pages in a first order that follows a second order in which the second number of page layers are organized.