Enhanced system and method for providing a virtual space

• US 9,304,652 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellifect Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Intellifect Incorporated
• Inventors: Lundin, John A., Westfall, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Leggett, Andrea
• Application Number:
  US13/725,390
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 715/757
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/58 by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/825 Fostering virtual characters
• 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 3/0481 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
• 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: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings

Abstract

A system and method for providing a virtual space determines a representation of the virtual space based on information defining a personality of a character within the virtual space and/or information indicating a user'"'"'s personality. The system and method may also determine the information defining the character'"'"'s personality based on information regarding the user and/or information regarding the character. In some examples, the system and method may further determine information to facilitate a development of the user based on the information describing the user'"'"'s personality. The system and method may also determine the user'"'"'s personality based on information indicating user'"'"'s personality. In some examples, the user'"'"'s personality may be determined based on user'"'"'s experiences within the virtual space. In some other examples, the user'"'"'s personality may be determined based on information regarding the user that is acquired from sources external to the virtual space.

Claims

1. A system configured to provide a virtual space, wherein the system comprises:

one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules, the computer program modules comprising;

a user module configured to analyze information associated with a user of the virtual space according to psychometric measurement to determine a first personality associated with the user;

a character module configured to determine a second personality associated with an avatar that represents the user within the virtual space; and

a space module configured to execute an instance of the virtual space and to determine a representation of the virtual space based at least in part on the first personality associated with the user of the virtual space in combination with the second personality associated with the avatar that represents the user within the virtual space.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user development module configured to determine information to facilitate real world development of the user through participation in the instance of the virtual space based at least in part on the information analyzed at the user module to determine the first personality associated with the user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the character module is further configured to determine the second personality associated with the avatar based at least in part on the information determined at the user development module to facilitate the real world development of the user.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the character module is further configured to update the second personality associated with the avatar in response to one or more changes in the first personality associated with the user resulting from the participation in the instance of the virtual space.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the character module is further configured to determine the second personality associated with the avatar to one or more of adopt the first personality associated with the user, differ from the first personality associated with the user, or reflect the user selecting the second personality among one or more personality models.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the user module is further configured to determine the first personality associated with the user according to one or more personality models used to operationalize the analyzed information used to determine the first personality associated with the user according to the psychometric measurement, and

the character module is further configured to determine the second personality associated with the avatar to provide therapeutic impact to the user based on the analyzed information used to determine the first personality associated with the user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the user module is further configured to determine the first personality associated with the user based on information indicating one or more experiences that the user has within the virtual space.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the user module is further configured to acquire the information analyzed according to the psychometric measurement and used to determine the first personality associated with the user from one or more sources external to the virtual space.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the representation of the virtual space determined at the space module comprises at least one of:

an appearance of the avatar;

speech content of the avatar;

a speech pattern of the avatar;

a speech style of the avatar;

a response style of the avatar;

an interaction style through which the avatar interacts with the user;

one or more activities suggested to the user to undertake within the virtual space;

or contents of one or more prompts to be presented to the user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the second personality associated with the avatar comprises one or more dynamic and organized traits that influence how the avatar behaves within the virtual space and the space module is further configured with artificial intelligence to control how the avatar behaves within the virtual space based at least in part on the first personality associated with the user, the second personality associated with the avatar, and one or more experiences that the user has within the virtual space.

11. A method of providing a virtual space, wherein the method is implemented in a computer system comprising one or more processors configured to execute one or more computer program modules, and wherein the method comprises:

executing an instance of the virtual space on the one or more processors of the computer system;

analyzing, on the one or more processors, information associated with a user of the virtual space according to psychometric measurement to determine a first personality associated with the user;

determining, on the one or more processors, a second personality associated with an avatar a that represents the user within the virtual space; and

determining, on the one or more processors, a representation of the virtual space based at least in part on the first personality associated with the user of the virtual space in combination with the second personality associated with the avatar that represents the user within the virtual space.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining, on the one or more processors of the computer system, information that facilitates real world development of the user through participation in the instance of the virtual space based at least in part on the information analyzed at the user module to determine the first personality associated with the user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the second personality associated with the avatar comprises determining the second personality associated with the avatar based at least in part on the determined information that facilitates the real world development of the user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising updating, on the one or more processors of the computer system, the second personality associated with the avatar in response to one or more changes in the first personality associated with the user resulting from the participation in the instance of the virtual space.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the second personality associated with the avatar is determined to one or more one or more of adopt the first personality associated with the user, differ from the first personality associated with the user, or reflect the user selecting the second personality among one or more personality models.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the first personality associated with the user is determined according to one or more personality models used to operationalize the analyzed information used to determine the first personality associated with the user according to the psychometric measurement, and

the second personality associated with the avatar is determined to provide therapeutic impact to the user based on the analyzed information used to determine the first personality associated with the user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first personality associated with the user is further determined based on information indicating one or more experiences that the user has within the virtual space.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising acquiring the analyzed information used to determine the first personality associated with the user according to the psychometric measurement from one or more sources external to the virtual space.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the representation of the virtual space comprises at least one of:

an appearance of the avatar;

speech content of the avatar;

a speech pattern of the avatar;

a speech style of the avatar;

a response style of the avatar;

an interaction style through which the avatar interacts with the user;

one or more activities suggested to the user to undertake within the virtual space;

or

contents of one or more prompts to be presented to the user.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions recorded thereon, wherein executing the computer-executable instructions on a computer causes the computer to:

execute an instance of a virtual space;

analyze information associated with a user of the virtual space according to psychometric measurement to determine a first personality associated with the user;

determine a second personality associated with an avatar that represents the user within the virtual space; and

determine a representation of the virtual space based at least in part on the first personality associated with the user of the virtual space in combination with the second personality associated with the avatar that represents the user within the virtual space.