USER-RESPONSIVE RENDERING OF A VIRTUAL UNIVERSE ENVIRONMENT

• US 20110128281A1
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• 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.
• Granted Patent: US 8,564,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• 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

Methods, services, program products and devices are provided for user-defined configuration of a rendering of a virtual universe domain environment. A first user of a virtual universe domain environment selects or defines an artifact tag comprising rendering data and a protocol for applying the tag to an artifact of the virtual universe domain, the protocol comprising a compliance prerequisite for rendering the tag information to another second user of the virtual universe domain environment. A first user requesting application of a tag to an artifact item within the virtual universe domain, causes a setting or updating of a protocol compliance value. An avatar of another, second second user engaging the artifact item causes a virtual universe client of the engaging second user avatar to render the item to the second user in compliance with the tag rendering data if a set or updated compliance value meets a compliance prerequisite.

Claims

1. A method for user-defined configuration of a rendering of a virtual universe domain environment, comprising:

a first user of the virtual universe domain environment selecting or defining an artifact tag comprising rendering data and a protocol for applying the tag to an artifact of the virtual universe domain, the protocol comprising a compliance prerequisite for rendering the tag information to another user of the virtual universe domain environment;

the first user requesting application of the tag to an artifact item within the virtual universe domain, the requesting setting or updating a protocol compliance value;

an avatar of a second user engaging the artifact item; and

a virtual universe client of the engaging second user avatar rendering the artifact item to the second user in compliance with the tag rendering data if the set or the updated compliance value meets the compliance prerequisite.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting or the defining the tag comprises the first user selecting a rating tag from a third party;

further comprising the third party dynamically defining the virtual universe environment rendering data and complying with the protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting or updating the compliance value comprises the first user voting for assigning the tag and updating a compliance value total vote count;

and

wherein the compliance prerequisite is a total vote count minimum threshold.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein defining the protocol for applying the tag comprises 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.

5. The method of claim 4, 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.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising:

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

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

7. The method of claim 6, comprising revising an assigned weighting of a voting user;

wherein the dynamically revising is a function of the revising the assigned weighting.

8. A service for user-responsive configuration of a rendering of a virtual universe domain environment, comprising:

a service provider deploying an application for user-defined configuration of a rendering of a virtual universe domain environment defining a tag comprising data, a virtual universe environment rendering requirement associated with the tag data, and a protocol for applying the tag to an artifact of the virtual universe domain, the protocol comprising a compliance prerequisite for rendering the tag information to a user of the virtual universe domain environment;

the service provider setting or updating a compliance value of the protocol in response to a request for application of the tag to an artifact item within the virtual universe domain by a first user;

in response to an avatar of a second user of the virtual universe domain engaging the artifact item, the service provider causing a virtual universe client of the engaging second user to render the artifact item to the second user in association with the tag data if the set or the updated compliance value meets the compliance prerequisite.

9. The service of claim 8, further comprising:

the service provider offering the requesting first user or the engaging second user a choice of a plurality of data providers for at least one of the tag defining and the protocol compliance value setting or updating; and

updating the at least one of the tag defining and the protocol compliance value setting or updating in response to an updating by a one of the plurality of data providers chosen by the user.

10. The service of claim 9, wherein the tag defining comprises the chosen data provider creating the tag data by analyzing metatag data associated with the artifact.

11. A method for user-defined configuration of a rendering of a virtual universe domain environment, comprising:

producing computer executable program code;

storing the code on a computer readable medium;

providing the program code to be deployed and executed on a computer system engaging a virtual universe domain, the program code causing the computer system to;

enable a first user of the virtual universe domain environment to select or define an artifact tag comprising rendering data and a protocol for applying the tag to an artifact of the virtual universe domain, the protocol comprising a compliance prerequisite for rendering the tag information to another user of the virtual universe domain environment;

enable the first user to request application of the tag to an artifact item within the virtual universe domain, the requesting setting or updating a protocol compliance value; and

cause a virtual universe client of a second user engaging the artifact item to render the artifact item to the second user in compliance with the tag rendering data if the set or the updated compliance value meets the compliance prerequisite.

12. The method of claim 11, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the computer system, causes the computer system to apply a rating tag from a third party chosen by the first user to the artifact, wherein the third party is enabled to dynamically define virtual universe environment tag rendering data and protocol compliance.

13. The method of claim 11, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the computer system, causes the computer system to set or update the compliance value in response to user voting;

and

apply a total vote count minimum threshold to the user voting.

14. The method of claim 13, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the computer system, causes the computer system to assign 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.

15. The method of claim 14, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on the computer system, causes the computer system 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.

16. A programmable device comprising:

a processing means;

a memory in communication with the processing means; and

a network interface in communication with the processing means and the memory;

wherein the processing means is configured to;

enable a first user of a virtual universe domain environment to select or define an artifact tag comprising rendering data and a protocol for applying the tag to an artifact of the virtual universe domain, the protocol comprising a compliance prerequisite for rendering the tag information to another user of the virtual universe domain environment;

enable the first user to request application of the tag to an artifact item within the virtual universe domain, the requesting setting or updating a protocol compliance value; and

cause a virtual universe client of a second user engaging the artifact item to render the artifact item to the second user in compliance with the tag rendering data if the set or the updated compliance value meets the compliance prerequisite.

17. The programmable device of claim 16, wherein the processing means is further configured to apply a rating tag from a third party chosen by the first user to the artifact, wherein the third party is enabled to dynamically define virtual universe environment tag rendering data and protocol compliance.

18. The programmable device of claim 17, wherein the processing means is further configured to set or update the compliance value in response to user voting and apply a total vote count minimum threshold to the user voting.

19. The programmable device of claim 18, wherein the processing means is further configured to:

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

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

20. The programmable device of claim 19, wherein the processing means is further configured to create the tag data by analyzing metatag data associated with the artifact.