Systems and methods of virtual worlds access

• US 9,386,022 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2014
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pfaqutruma Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Utherverse Digital, Inc.
• Inventors: Shuster, Brian, Burch, Aaron, Herling, Dick, Zarry, Zachary, Shuster, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): HOANG, HIEU T
• Application Number:
  US14/202,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20140189543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 709/224, 709/203, 709/204, 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5586 for enforcing rights or rules, e.g. to prevent foul play
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• 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 3/04815 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/024 Multi-user, collaborative environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 : Access control lists [ACL]
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 : Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

Systems and methods of virtual world interaction, operation, implementation, instantiation, creation, and other functions related to virtual worlds (note that where the term “virtual world” is used herein, it is to be understood as referring to virtual world systems, virtual environments reflecting real, simulated, fantasy, or other structures, and includes information systems that utilize interaction within a 3D environment). Various embodiments facilitate interoperation between and within virtual worlds, and may provide consistent structures for operating virtual worlds. The disclosed embodiments may further enable individuals to build new virtual worlds within a framework, and allow third party users to better interact with those worlds.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting to a first client computer a first representation of a virtual world including two-dimensional content; and

transmitting to one or more second client computers a second representation of the virtual world including three-dimensional content, wherein a first avatar associated with the first client computer is located in a location of the virtual world depicted in the three-dimensional content, and wherein the second representation includes an indication that the two-dimensional content has been transmitted to the first client computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication comprises a tag within HTML content transmitted to the client computer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the tag includes a URL identifying a protocol associated with a virtual world browser.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is configured to cause the virtual world browser to display the three-dimensional content in an interface enabling users of the second client computers to switch between the two-dimensional representation and the three-dimensional content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is associated with the first avatar for the first client computer, and

wherein the indication is usable by the one or more second client computers to render the first avatar for the first client computer via the one or more second client computers to indicate whether the first client computer is displaying the three-dimensional content or the two-dimensional content.

7. The storage of claim 1, wherein the indication comprises a tag within HTML content transmitted to the client computer.

8. The storage of claim 2, wherein the tag includes a URL identifying a protocol associated with a virtual world browser.

9. The storage of claim 1, wherein the indication is configured to cause the virtual world browser to display the three-dimensional content in an interface enabling users of the second client computers to switch between the two-dimensional representation and the three-dimensional content.

10. The storage of claim 1, wherein the indication is associated with the first avatar for the first client computer, and

wherein the indication is usable by the one or more second client computers to render the first avatar for the first client computer via the one or more second client computers to indicate whether the first client computer is displaying the three-dimensional content or the two-dimensional content.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage having stored thereon computer executable instructions, the instructions, upon execution by a processor of an apparatus, causing the apparatus to:

transmit to a first client computer a first representation of a virtual world including two-dimensional content; and

transmit to one or more second client computers a second representation of the virtual world including three-dimensional content, wherein a first avatar associated with the first client computer is located in a location of the virtual world depicted in the three-dimensional content, and wherein the second representation includes an indication that the two-dimensional content has been transmitted to the first client computer.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, at a first client computer, a representation of a virtual world including three-dimensional content, wherein a first avatar associated with a second client computer is located in a location of the virtual world depicted in the three-dimensional content, and wherein the representation includes an indication that two-dimensional content has been transmitted to the second client computer; and

rendering the first avatar at the first client computer, wherein the rendered avatar includes information identifying that the second client computer is displaying two-dimensional content.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving further information for the representation of the virtual world, the information including a subsequent indication, the subsequent indication identifying that three-dimensional content has been transmitted to the second client computer;

and

rendering the first avatar at the first client computer, wherein the rendered avatar includes information identifying that the second client computer is displaying three-dimensional content.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the indication comprises a tag within HTML content transmitted to the client computer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the tag includes a URL identifying a protocol associated with a virtual world browser.