Client-side simulated virtual universe environment

• US 9,600,306 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2009
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, Kozloski, James R., Pickover, Clifford A., Seaman, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Levy, Amy M
• Application Number:
  US12/363,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20100199193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,971 Days
• Field of Search: 715/753, 715757-758
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

An invention that provides a client-side simulated virtual universe environment is provided. In one embodiment, there is a simulation tool, including an analysis component configured to identify whether a server-side virtual universe is available; and a construction component configured to provide a client-side simulated virtual universe environment in the case that the server-side virtual universe is unavailable.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing a client-side simulated virtual universe environment, comprising:

identifying whether a server-side virtual universe is available;

accessing, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is available, the server-side virtual universe generated entirely by a remote server and having a graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room, wherein each of the avatars in the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room is a graphical representation of a user of the virtual universe through which the user interacts with the virtual universe;

providing, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is not available, a client-side simulated virtual universe environment that is a simulation of at least a portion of the server-side virtual universe generated by a client-side device and includes the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room capable of continuing an on-going interaction between a client-side device and another entity present in the server-side simulated virtual universe on a peer to peer basis during a time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, including a live communication session, in the client-side simulated virtual universe, between a user of the client-side device and another user present in the server-side virtual universe, wherein the client-side virtual universe environment is rendered with lower resolution graphics than the server-side virtual universe;

recording information regarding a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment during the time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, wherein the set of activities includes a business transaction between the user and the another user; and

updating, in response to a subsequent indication that the server-side virtual universe is again available, the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities, wherein any changes to money and any changes to inventory of the user and the another user as a result of the business transaction are updated on the server-side virtual universe.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising generating a client-side communication session operable within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

3. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment; and

storing information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment on the client-side.

4. The computer implemented method according to claim 3 further comprising updating the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

5. The computer implemented method according to claim 2, the client-side communication session comprising a two-way textual communication interface for real-time communication between multiple users within the client-side simulated virtual universe in the case that the server-side virtual universe is unavailable.

6. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, the client-side simulated virtual universe environment permitting at least one of the following:

interaction between users within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment, restricted avatar movement, or avatar appearances similar to avatar appearances in the server-side virtual universe.

7. A computer system for providing a client-side simulated virtual universe environment, comprising:

at least one processing unit;

memory operably associated with the at least one processing unit; and

a simulation tool storable in memory and executable by the at least one processing unit, the simulation tool comprising;

an analysis component configured to identify whether a server-side virtual universe is available;

a communication component configured to access, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is available, the server-side virtual universe generated entirely by a remote server and having a graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room, wherein each of the avatars in the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room is a graphical representation of a user of the virtual universe through which the user interacts with the virtual universe;

a construction component configured to provide, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is not available, a client-side simulated virtual universe environment that is a simulation of at least a portion of the server-side virtual universe generated by a client-side device and includes the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room capable of continuing an on-going interaction between a client-side device and another entity present in the server-side simulated virtual universe on a peer to peer basis during a time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, including a live communication session, in the client-side simulated virtual universe, between a user of the client-side device and another user present in the server-side virtual universe, wherein the client-side virtual universe environment is rendered with lower resolution graphics than the server-side virtual universe; and

an analysis component configured to record information regarding a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment during the time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, wherein the set of activities includes a business transaction between the user and the another user, and to update, in response to a subsequent indication that the server-side virtual universe is again available, the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities, wherein any changes to money and any changes to inventory of the user and the another user as a result of the business transaction are updated on the server-side virtual universe.

8. The computer system according to claim 7, the construction component further configured to generate a client-side communication session operable within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

9. The computer system according to claim 7, the analysis component further configured to:

monitor a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment; and

store information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment on the client-side.

10. The computer system according to claim 9, the analysis component further configured to update the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

11. The computer system according to claim 8, the construction component further configured to generate a two-way textual communication interface for real-time communication between multiple users within the client-side simulated virtual universe in the case that the server-side virtual universe is unavailable.

12. The computer system according to claim 7, wherein the client-side simulated virtual universe environment permits at least one of the following:

interaction between users within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment, restricted avatar movement, or avatar appearances similar to avatar appearances in the server-side virtual universe.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, which when executed, enables a computer system to provide a client-side simulated virtual universe environment, the computer instructions comprising:

identifying whether a server-side virtual universe is available;

accessing, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is available, the server-side virtual universe generated entirely by a remote server and having a graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room, wherein each of the avatars in the avatar-based virtual meeting room is a graphical representation of a user of the virtual universe through which the user interacts with the virtual universe;

providing, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is not available, a client-side simulated virtual universe environment that is a simulation of at least a portion of the server-side virtual universe generated by a client-side device and includes the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room capable of continuing an on-going interaction between a client-side device and another entity present in the server-side simulated virtual universe on a peer to peer basis during a time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, including a live communication session, in the client-side simulated virtual universe, between a user of the client-side device and another user present in the server-side virtual universe, wherein the client-side virtual universe environment is rendered with lower resolution graphics than the server-side virtual universe;

recording information regarding a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment during the time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, wherein the set of activities includes a business transaction between the user and the another user; and

updating, in response to a subsequent indication that the server-side virtual universe is again available, the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities, wherein any changes to money and any changes to inventory of the user and the another user as a result of the business transaction are updated on the server-side virtual universe.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13 further comprising computer instructions for generating a client-side communication session operable within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13 further comprising computer instructions for:

monitoring a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment; and

storing information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment on the client-side.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15 further comprising computer instructions for updating the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14 further comprising computer instructions for generating a two-way textual communication interface for real-time communication between multiple users within the client-side simulated virtual universe in the case that the server-side virtual universe is unavailable.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the client-side simulated virtual universe environment permits at least one of the following:

interaction between users within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment, restricted avatar movement, or avatar appearances similar to avatar appearances in the server-side virtual universe.

19. A method for deploying a simulation tool for use in a computer system that provides a client-side simulated virtual universe environment, the method comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure operable to;

identify whether a server-side virtual universe is available;

access, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is available, the server-side virtual universe generated entirely by a remote server and having a graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room, wherein each of the avatars in the avatar-based virtual meeting room is a graphical representation of a user of the virtual universe through which the user interacts with the virtual universe;

provide, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is not available, a client-side simulated virtual universe environment that is a simulation of at least a portion of the server-side virtual universe generated by a client-side device and includes the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room capable of continuing an on-going interaction between a client-side device and another entity present in the server-side simulated virtual universe on a peer to peer basis during a time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, including a live communication session, in the client-side simulated virtual universe, between a user of the client-side device and another user present in the server-side virtual universe, wherein the client-side virtual universe environment is rendered with lower resolution graphics than the server-side virtual universe;

record information regarding a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment during the time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, wherein the set of activities includes a business transaction between the user and the another user; and

update, in response to a subsequent indication that the server-side virtual universe is again available, the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities, wherein any changes to money and any changes to inventory of the user and the another user as a result of the business transaction are updated on the server-side virtual universe.

20. The method according to claim 19, the computer infrastructure further operable to generate a client-side communication session operable within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

21. The method according to claim 19, the computer infrastructure further operable to:

monitor a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment; and

store information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment on the client-side.

22. The method according to claim 21, the computer infrastructure further operable to update the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment.

23. The method according to claim 20, the computer infrastructure further operable to generate a two-way textual communication interface for real-time communication between multiple users within the client-side simulated virtual universe in the case that the server-side virtual universe is unavailable.

24. The method according to claim 19, wherein the client-side simulated virtual universe environment permits at least one of the following:

interaction between users within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment, restricted avatar movement, or avatar appearances similar to avatar appearances in the server-side virtual universe.

25. A method for generating a virtual universe operating on a client, the method comprising:

monitoring an on-going transaction in a server-side virtual universe between a user and a merchant operating within a graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room of the server-side virtual universe;

identifying whether the server-side virtual universe is available;

accessing, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is available, the server-side virtual universe generated entirely by a remote server and having the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room, wherein each of the avatars in the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room is a graphical representation of a user of the virtual universe through which the user interacts with the virtual universe;

providing, in the case that the server-side virtual universe is unavailable, a client-side simulated virtual universe environment that is a simulation of at least a portion of the server-side virtual universe generated by a client-side device and includes the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room capable of continuing an on-going interaction between a client-side device and another entity present in the server-side simulated virtual universe on a peer to peer basis during a time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, including a live communication session, in the client-side simulated virtual universe, between a user of the client-side device and another user present in the server-side virtual universe, wherein generation of the client-side virtual universe environment is initiated only in the case that the server-side virtual universe is unavailable, and wherein the client-side virtual universe environment is rendered with lower resolution graphics than the server-side virtual universe;

recording information regarding a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment during the time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, wherein the set of activities includes a business transaction between the user and the another user; and

updating, in response to a subsequent indication that the server-side virtual universe is again available, the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities, wherein any changes to money and any changes to inventory of the user and the another user as a result of the business transaction are updated on the server-side virtual universe.