THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3D) VIRTUAL WORLD WORMHOLES

• US 20090267938A1
• Filed: 04/25/2008
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nicol, Wiliam B. II, Haggar, Peter F., Bokor, Brian R., House, Daniel E., Smith, Andrew B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,659,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• 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 13/57 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 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/40 Hidden part removal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A three dimensional (3D) virtual world wormhole includes hosting a 3D virtual world, and creating a wormhole at a selected location in the 3D virtual world for automatic transport of an avatar from the selected location to a selected destination in the 3D virtual world. Policies may be defined for the wormhole where the wormhole operates in accordance with the defined policies. An avatar may be automatically transported from the location to any one of a plurality of destinations based on a current capacity of each of the plurality of destinations.

Claims

1. A method for a three dimensional (3D) virtual world wormhole comprising:

hosting a 3D virtual world; and

creating a wormhole at a selected location in the 3D virtual world for automatic transport of an avatar from the selected location to a selected destination in the 3D virtual world.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising defining a policy for the wormhole.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the defining a policy for the wormhole comprises at least one of:

defining a lifecycle of the wormhole;

defining what avatars are allowed in the wormhole;

defining whether the wormhole is one-way or two-way;

defining a password for entering the wormhole;

defining a maximum number of avatars allowed in the wormhole;

defining an age of avatars allowed in the wormhole; and

defining groups allowed in the wormhole.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein defining a policy for the wormhole further comprises defining the policy for the wormhole by the avatar that created the wormhole.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising creating a second wormhole at a second selected location in the 3D virtual world for automatic transport of a second avatar from the second location to the destination.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising returning the avatar that entered the wormhole at the location from the destination back to the location and returning the second avatar that entered the wormhole at the second location from the destination back to the second location.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising displaying a map for selecting the destination.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a business sign at the wormhole, the destination of the wormhole being a store identified by the business sign.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wormhole is in the form of a shape comprising one of a store front, a door, a window, a gate, and an elevator.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein creating a wormhole at the location for automatic transport of an avatar from the location to the destination further comprises creating the wormhole for transport to any one of a plurality of destinations based on a current capacity of each of the plurality of destinations.

11. A system for a three dimensional (3D) virtual world wormhole comprising:

a server; and

a network interface that couples the server to a workstation, wherein the server hosts a virtual world allowing a user at the workstation to control an avatar in the virtual world to select a location in the virtual world, select a destination in the virtual world, and create a wormhole at the location for automatic transport of the avatar from the location to the destination.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the server allows the user to define a policy for the wormhole.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the policy comprises at least one of a lifecycle of the wormhole, what avatars are allowed in the wormhole, whether the wormhole is one-way or two-way, a password for entering the wormhole, a maximum number of avatars allowed in the wormhole, an age of avatars allowed in the wormhole, and groups allowed in the wormhole.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the server provides a business sign at the wormhole, the destination of the wormhole being a store identified by the business sign.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the server creates the wormhole so as to allow the transport of the avatar from the location to one of a plurality of destinations based on a current capacity of each of the plurality of destinations.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein the server allows the user to select a second location and create a second wormhole at the second location for automatic transport of the avatar from the second location to the destination.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer useable program code embodied therewith, the computer useable program code comprising:

computer useable program code configured to run a three-dimensional (3D) virtual world; and

computer useable program code configured to create a wormhole at a selected location in the 3D virtual world for automatic transport of an avatar from the location to a selected destination in the 3D virtual world.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, further comprising computer useable program code configured to define policies for the wormhole.

19. The computer program product according to claim 17, further comprising computer useable program code configured to provide a business sign at the wormhole, the destination of the wormhole being a store identified by the business sign.

20. The computer program product according to claim 17, further comprising computer useable program code configured to create the wormhole at the location for automatic transport of the avatar from the location to any one of a plurality of destinations based on a current capacity of each of the plurality of destinations.