Virtual reality universe representation changes viewing based upon client side parameters

• US 9,838,506 B1
• Filed: 08/14/2014
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Cronin, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Salad, Abdullahi E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Van T.
• Application Number:
  US14/460,277
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• 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 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70

Abstract

Systems and methods for enabling a visitor to access VR representations authored by different authors of images at different quality levels at various locations in a virtual universe via a computer network are provided. A plurality of data sets may be stored in memory. Each VR data set may define a VR representation of a location and may be independently authored by a respective author different from the other authors. In addition, each VR dataset may have a speed and quality metric to assist the visitors in an optimized experience. One or more VR data servers may access and transmit the VR data sets of various quality and speeds, each of which may be associated with a VR data server having access to the VR data set. A domain server may be adapted to access and transmit domain data comprising the location within the universe of each VR representation and the network address of the VR data server associated with the VR representation. Further, a client host may be adapted to communicate with the domain server to receive domain data representing the network address of the VR data server associated with a bets matched quality and speed VR representation and to communicate with that VR data server to access the VR data set defining the VR representation without leaving the virtual universe.

Claims

1. A system for enabling a visitor to access virtual reality (VR) representations in a virtual universe, the system comprising:

memory for storing a plurality of VR data sets, wherein each VR data set defines a VR representation of a location, wherein each data set is independently authored by different authors, and wherein each VR dataset has a respective speed and quality metric associated with a VR representation quality;

one or more VR data servers that transmits the VR data sets to a client device, wherein each VR data set has different speed and quality metrics, and wherein each VR data set is associated with a VR data server having access to the VR data set;

a domain server that accesses and transmits domain data comprising a selected location within the virtual universe and a corresponding network address of the VR data server associated with the VR representation of the selected location, wherein the domain data corresponds to speed and quality metrics associated with the client device; and

a client device that communicate with the domain server to;

transmit speed and quality metrics associated with the client device to the domain server, and

receive domain data representing the network address of the VR data server associated with a best matched speed and quality metric VR representation, wherein the client device further communicates with that VR data server to access the VR data set defining the VR representation without leaving the virtual universe.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of VR data sets include multiple copies of the same VR location, and wherein each location has a different corresponding quality and speed metric.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the domain server performs a best match between the VR data sets of the same location of varying quality and speed metrics with user client device capability.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the device capability includes at least one of:

user'"'"'s browser program, network connection speed, computer processor model or processor load measurement.

5. A method for enabling a visitor to access VR representations in a virtual universe, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of VR data sets, wherein the plurality of VR data sets include VR representations of locations within a virtual universe, wherein the VR data sets each have a quality and speed metric, wherein each of the VR data sets are authored by different authors, and wherein each of the VR data sets is referenced by domain data that includes a network address identifying where the VR data sets are stored;

receiving data from a user, wherein the received data includes quality and speed metrics associated with the user computing device and a selected location in the virtual universe;

accessing domain data in response to the received data, wherein the domain data obtains the network address of a data server that stores to the VR data for the selected location;

matching speed and quality metrics associated with the VR data and the user client device; and

transferring the matched VR data for the selected location from the data server to the user client device for generation of a VR representation of the selected location without leaving the virtual universe.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of VR data sets include multiple copies of the same VR location, and wherein each location has a different corresponding quality and speed metric.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising performing a best match between the VR data sets of the same location of varying quality and speed metrics with user client device capability.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the device capability includes at least one of:

user'"'"'s browser program, network connection speed, computer processor model or processor load measurement.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for enabling a visitor to access VR representations in a virtual universe, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of VR data sets, wherein the plurality of VR data sets include VR representations of locations within a virtual universe, wherein the VR data sets each have a quality and speed metric, wherein each of the VR data sets are authored by different authors, and wherein each of the VR data sets is referenced by domain data that includes a network address identifying where the VR data sets are stored;

receiving data from a user, wherein the received data includes quality and speed metrics associated with the user computing device and a selected location in the virtual universe;

accessing domain data in response to the received data, wherein the domain data obtains the network address of a data server that the VR data for the selected location;

matching speed and quality metrics associated with the VR data and the user client device; and

transferring the matched VR data for the selected location from the data server to the user client device for generation of a VR representation of the selected location without leaving the virtual universe.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the plurality of VR data sets include multiple copies of the same VR location, and wherein each location has a different corresponding quality and speed metric.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, further comprising instructions executable to perform a best match between the VR data sets of the same location of varying quality and speed metrics with user client device capability.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the device capability includes at least one of:

user'"'"'s browser program, network connection speed, computer processor model or processor load measurement.