Rendering of artifacts in a virtual universe environment in response to user tags

• US 9,421,468 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2013
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhogal, Kulvir S., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Pickover, Clifford A., Seaman, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): BROOME, SAID A
• Application Number:
  US14/011,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20130346884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5258 by dynamically adapting the position of the virtual camera to keep a game object or game character in its viewing frustum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5372 for tagging characters, objects or locations in the game scene, e.g. displaying a circle under the character controlled by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/306 for displaying a marker associated to an object or location in the game field
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• 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

Abstract

An artifact tag includes rendering data and a protocol for applying the tag to an artifact of the virtual universe domain, the protocol including a compliance prerequisite for rendering the tag information to user of the virtual universe domain environment. A user requesting application of the tag to an artifact item within the virtual universe domain causes a setting or updating of a protocol compliance value. An avatar of a user engaging the artifact item causes a virtual universe client of the engaging user avatar to render the item to the engaging user in compliance with the tag rendering data if a set or updated compliance value meets a compliance prerequisite.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for user-defined configuration of a rendering of a virtual universe domain environment, comprising executing on a processor the step of:

in response to an avatar of a second user of a virtual universe domain environment engaging an artifact item within the virtual universe domain environment, and in response to a compliance value total vote count of votes for assigning a tag to the artifact item within the virtual universe domain meeting a compliance prerequisite total vote count minimum threshold, rendering the artifact item to the second user in compliance with the information of the tag for rendering the artifact item.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing on a processor the step of:

integrating computer-readable program code into a computer system comprising a processor, a computer readable memory in communication with the processor, and a computer readable tangible storage medium in communication with the processor;

wherein the computer readable program code is embodied on the computer readable tangible storage medium and comprises instructions for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory that cause the processor to perform the step of rendering the artifact item to the second user in compliance with the information of the tag for rendering the artifact item in response to the avatar of the second user engaging the artifact item within the virtual universe domain environment, and in response to the compliance value total vote count of votes for assigning the tag to the artifact item within the virtual universe domain meeting the compliance prerequisite total vote count minimum threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing on a processor the step of:

in response to a first user of the virtual universe domain environment voting for assigning the tag to the artifact item within the virtual universe domain, updating the compliance value total vote count with a vote for assigning the tag to the artifact item.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of updating the compliance value total vote count with the vote for assigning the tag to the artifact item is in response to:

the first user selecting the tag from a third party; and

the voting of the first user for assigning the tag to the artifact item complying with a protocol for assigning the tag that is defined by the third party.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising executing on a processor the step of:

defining the protocol for applying the tag by assigning a relative weight value to each user vote as a function of an identity of a voting user; and

wherein the determining compliance of the total vote count with the compliance prerequisite comprises comparing a total of the relative weight values of all cast votes to a total weighted minimum threshold value of the vote count.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the total vote count relative weight value updating is a function of a quantity or a frequency of total votes cast by each of a plurality of third parties.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising executing on a processor the steps of:

receiving subsequent voting input data from the plurality of third parties; and

dynamically revising at least one of the data of the tag and the setting or the updating of the compliance value as a function of the subsequent voting input.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising executing on a processor the step of:

revising an assigned weighting of a voting user;

wherein the dynamically revising the at least one of data of the tag and the setting or the updating of the compliance value is a function of the revising the assigned weighting of the voting user.

9. A computer program product for user-defined configuration of a rendering of a virtual universe domain environment, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable tangible storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith;

wherein the computer readable program code comprises instructions that, when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to render an artifact item of a virtual universe domain to a second user in compliance with information of a tag for rendering the artifact item within the virtual universe domain, in response to an avatar of the second user engaging the artifact item within the virtual universe domain environment, and in response to a compliance value total vote count of votes for assigning the tag to the artifact item within the virtual universe domain meeting a compliance prerequisite total vote count minimum threshold.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processor, further cause the computer processor to update the compliance value total vote count with a vote for assigning the tag to the artifact item in response to a first user of the virtual universe domain environment voting for assigning the tag to the artifact item within the virtual universe domain.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processor, further cause the computer processor to update the compliance value total vote count with the vote for assigning the tag to the artifact item in response to:

the first user selecting the tag from a third party; and

determining that the voting of the first user for assigning the tag to the artifact item complies with a protocol for assigning the tag that is defined by the third party.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processor, further cause the computer processor to:

define the protocol for applying the tag by assigning a relative weight value to each user vote as a function of an identity of a voting user; and

determine compliance of the total vote count with the compliance prerequisite by comparing a total of the relative weight values of all cast votes to a total weighted minimum threshold value of the vote count.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processor, further cause the computer processor to update the total vote count relative weight value as a function of a quantity or a frequency of total votes cast by each of a plurality of third parties.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processor, further cause the computer processor to:

receive subsequent voting input data from the plurality of third parties; and

dynamically revise at least one of data of the tag and the setting or the updating of the compliance value as a function of the subsequent voting input.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processor, further cause the computer processor to:

revise an assigned weighting of a voting user; and

dynamically revise the at least one of data of the tag and the setting or the updating of the compliance value as a function of the revising the assigned weighting of the voting user.

16. A system, comprising:

a processor in communication with a computer readable memory and a tangible computer-readable storage medium;

wherein the processor, when executing program instructions stored on the tangible computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory;

renders an artifact item of a virtual universe domain to a second user in compliance with information of a tag for rendering the artifact item within the virtual universe domain, in response to an avatar of the second user engaging the artifact item within the virtual universe domain environment, and in response to a compliance value total vote count of votes for assigning the tag to the artifact item within the virtual universe domain meeting a compliance prerequisite total vote count minimum threshold.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, further updates the compliance value total vote count with a vote for assigning the tag to the artifact item in response to a first user of the virtual universe domain environment voting for assigning the tag to the artifact item within the virtual universe domain.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, further updates the compliance value total vote count with the vote for assigning the tag to the artifact item in response to:

the first user selecting the tag from a third party; and

determining that the voting of the first user for assigning the tag to the artifact item complies with a protocol for assigning the tag that is defined by the third party.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, further:

defines the protocol for applying the tag by assigning a relative weight value to each user vote as a function of an identity of a voting user; and

determines compliance of the total vote count with the compliance prerequisite by comparing a total of the relative weight values of all cast votes to a total weighted minimum threshold value of the vote count.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor, when executing the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory, updates the total vote count relative weight value as a function of a quantity or a frequency of total votes cast by each of a plurality of third parties.