System for providing virtual spaces for access by users

• US 9,968,850 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Koster, Raph
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nhat Huy T
• Application Number:
  US11/898,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20090077463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,893 Days
• Field of Search: 715234, 715757, 715706, 715848, 345473, 345419
• 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 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• 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 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• 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 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality

Abstract

A system configured to provide one or more virtual spaces that are accessible to users. The system may implement a markup language to communicate information between various components. The markup language may enable the communication of information between components of the system via markup elements. A markup element may include a discrete unit of information that includes both content and attributes associated with the content. The implementation of the markup language may enable the instantiation of virtual spaces, and the conveyance to users of views of an instantiated virtual space via a distributed architecture in which the components (e.g., a server capable of instantiating virtual spaces, and a client capable of providing an interface between a user and a virtual space) are capable of providing virtual spaces with a broader range of characteristics than components in conventional systems capable of providing virtual spaces that are accessible to users. This may enable users to access virtual spaces from a broader range of platforms, provide access to a broader range of virtual spaces without requiring the installation of proprietary or specialized client applications, facilitate the creation and/or customization of virtual spaces, and/or provide other enhancements.

Claims

1. A client computing device configured to enable a user to create a virtual space, wherein the virtual space is a simulated physical space that has a topography, expresses real-time interaction by the user, and includes one or more objects positioned within the topography that are configured to experience locomotion within the topography, the client computing device comprising:

a graphic user interface configured to receive selections from the user of a set of characteristics of a virtual space, wherein selection of the set of characteristics dictate (i) aspects of a topography of the new virtual space, and (ii) manifestation of one or more objects positioned within the topography and/or unseen forces experienced by the one or more objects in the new virtual space;

one or more processors configured to receive, from a server, a plurality of virtual world templates having default selections for the aspects of topographies of virtual spaces and manifestations of objects positioned within the topography and/or unseen forces experienced by the objects in virtual spaces, and to selectively present the templates in the graphic user interface; and

wherein the graphic user interface is further configured to receive selections from the user of refinements to one or more of the templates.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to transmit information conveying selections of the user input to the graphic user interface for storage in electronic storage configured to store, for a plurality of virtual spaces, topographical information and manifestation information.