Shared virtual area communication environment based apparatus and methods
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method, comprising:
- connecting to a virtual area platform supporting realtime communications between respective network nodes of a user and other communicants in one or more virtual areas, wherein each virtual area is a separate and distinct computer-managed space that comprises a respective set of zones of presence for communicant interaction, the virtual area platform is administered by a first network service that maintains a virtual place based relationship database storing records of interactions between respective ones of the user and the other communicants in the zones of the one or more virtual areas, and a particular one of the virtual areas is associated with a second network service that manages a social network according to relationship grid data;
sending to the virtual area platform a request to establish a presence for the user in a selected one of the one or more virtual areas;
responsive to data received from the virtual area platform, on a display displayinga visualization of the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence in the selected virtual area together with graphical representations of any of the other communicants who are copresent with the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence, andadjacent to the visualization, a dynamically sorted list of graphical representations of ones of the other communicants associated with graphical depictions of their respective zones of presence in the one or more virtual areas, wherein the list is dynamically sorted based on virtual presence of the communicants in the virtual area zones, and the graphical representations of ones of the other communicants who are copresent with one another in a respective one of the zones are grouped together in the list,wherein the displaying comprises displaying graphical representations of respective communicants who are present in the particular virtual area based on data associated with the user and obtained from the virtual place based relationship database, and displaying graphical representations of respective communicants who are members of the second network service based on relationship grid data associated with the user and exported by the second network service; and
responsive to data received from the virtual area platform, establishing realtime communications between the user and one or more of the other communicants who are copresent with the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence.
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Abstract
Improved systems and methods for navigating and interacting in virtual communication environments are described. At least some of these systems and methods provide a framework that includes one or more virtual areas and supports realtime communications between the communicants. At least some of these systems and methods provide an interface that includes navigation controls that enable a user to navigate virtual areas and interaction controls that enable the user to interact with other communicants in the one or more virtual areas.
325 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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connecting to a virtual area platform supporting realtime communications between respective network nodes of a user and other communicants in one or more virtual areas, wherein each virtual area is a separate and distinct computer-managed space that comprises a respective set of zones of presence for communicant interaction, the virtual area platform is administered by a first network service that maintains a virtual place based relationship database storing records of interactions between respective ones of the user and the other communicants in the zones of the one or more virtual areas, and a particular one of the virtual areas is associated with a second network service that manages a social network according to relationship grid data; sending to the virtual area platform a request to establish a presence for the user in a selected one of the one or more virtual areas; responsive to data received from the virtual area platform, on a display displaying a visualization of the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence in the selected virtual area together with graphical representations of any of the other communicants who are copresent with the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence, and adjacent to the visualization, a dynamically sorted list of graphical representations of ones of the other communicants associated with graphical depictions of their respective zones of presence in the one or more virtual areas, wherein the list is dynamically sorted based on virtual presence of the communicants in the virtual area zones, and the graphical representations of ones of the other communicants who are copresent with one another in a respective one of the zones are grouped together in the list, wherein the displaying comprises displaying graphical representations of respective communicants who are present in the particular virtual area based on data associated with the user and obtained from the virtual place based relationship database, and displaying graphical representations of respective communicants who are members of the second network service based on relationship grid data associated with the user and exported by the second network service; and responsive to data received from the virtual area platform, establishing realtime communications between the user and one or more of the other communicants who are copresent with the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method, comprising:
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connecting to a virtual area platform supporting realtime communications between respective network nodes of a user and other communicants in one or more virtual areas, wherein each virtual area is a separate and distinct computer-managed space that comprises a respective set of zones of presence for communicant interaction; sending to the virtual area platform a request to establish a presence for the user in a selected one of the one or more virtual areas; responsive to data received from the virtual area platform, on a display displaying a visualization of the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence in the selected virtual area together with graphical representations of any of the other communicants who are copresent with the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence, wherein each of the communicants who is present in a respective one of the zones of the one or more virtual areas is represented by a respective avatar that is configured to be controlled individually and is depicted by a respective graphical representation in the respective zone, and adjacent to the visualization, a dynamically sorted list of graphical representations of ones of the other communicants associated with graphical depictions of their respective zones of presence in the one or more virtual areas, wherein the list is dynamically sorted based on virtual presence of the communicants in the virtual area zones, and the graphical representations of ones of the other communicants who are copresent with one another in a respective one of the zones are grouped together in the list; in the visualization, depicting visual cues indicating current realtime communication of data streams between respective network nodes of the user and any of the other communicants who are copresent with the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence, wherein the visual cues are depicted in connection with the graphical representations of the user and any of the other communicants who are copresent with the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence; and responsive to data received from the virtual area platform, establishing realtime communications between the user and one or more of the other communicants who are copresent with the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. An apparatus, comprising
a non-transitory computer-readable memory storing computer-readable instructions; - and
a data processing system coupled to the memory, configured to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions configured to perform operations comprising; connecting to a virtual area platform supporting realtime communications between respective network nodes of a user and other communicants in one or more virtual areas, wherein each virtual area is a separate and distinct computer-managed space that comprises a respective set of zones of presence for communicant interaction; sending to the virtual area platform a request to establish a presence for the user in a selected one of the one or more virtual areas; responsive to data received from the virtual area platform, on a display displaying a visualization of the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence in the selected virtual area together with graphical representations of any of the other communicants who are copresent with the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence, and adjacent to the visualization, a dynamically sorted list of graphical representations of ones of the other communicants associated with graphical depictions of their respective zones of presence in the one or more virtual areas, wherein the graphical representations of copresent ones of the other communicants are grouped together in the list, wherein each of the communicants who is present in a respective one of the zones of the one or more virtual areas is represented by a respective avatar that is configured to be controlled individually and is depicted by a respective graphical representation in the respective zone; responsive to data received from the virtual area platform, establishing realtime communications between the user and one or more of the other communicants who are copresent with the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence; and in connection with the depictions of the graphical representations of the avatars, depicting visual cues indicating current realtime communication of data streams between respective network nodes of co-present ones of the communicants to show which communicants currently are interacting in the one or more virtual areas.
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18. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having processor-readable program code embodied therein, the processor-readable program code that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:
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connecting to a virtual area platform supporting realtime communications between respective network nodes of a user and other communicants in one or more virtual areas, wherein each virtual area is a separate and distinct computer-managed space that comprises a respective set of zones of presence for communicant interaction; sending to the virtual area platform a request to establish a presence for the user in a selected one of the one or more virtual areas; responsive to data received from the virtual area platform, on a display displaying a visualization of the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence in the selected virtual area together with graphical representations of any of the other communicants who are copresent with the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence, wherein each of the communicants who is present in a respective one of the zones of the one or more virtual areas is represented by a respective avatar that is individually controllable and is depicted by a respective graphical representation in the respective zone, and adjacent to the visualization, a dynamically sorted list of graphical representations of ones of the virtual areas respectively associated with graphical depictions of communicants who are present in their respective zones of presence, wherein the list is dynamically sorted based on the user'"'"'s historical interactions in the respective ones of the virtual areas; in the visualization, depicting visual cues indicating current realtime communication of data streams between respective network nodes of the user and any of the other communicants who are copresent with the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence, wherein the visual cues are depicted in connection with the graphical representations of the user and any of the other communicants who are copresent with the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence; and responsive to data received from the virtual area platform, establishing realtime communications between the user and one or more of the other communicants who are copresent with the user in the user'"'"'s zone of presence.
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Specification