INITIATE EVENTS THROUGH HIDDEN INTERACTIONS

• US 20160074758A1
• Filed: 11/20/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Hoomani, Cyrus, Crocker, John
• Granted Patent: US 10,279,272 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/847 Cooperative playing, e.g. requiring coordinated actions from several players to achieve a common goal
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• 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: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

System, method, and computer program product to perform an operation comprising defining a plurality of associations between each of a plurality of triggers and a respective event, of a plurality of events, monitoring a communication in a virtual environment between a first user represented by a first avatar and a second user represented by a second avatar, the communication having an explicit meaning to the first and second users, determining that the communication has a predefined meaning between the first user and the second user, determining that the communication is defined as a first trigger, of the plurality of triggers, based on the communication having the predefined meaning, identifying a first association, of the plurality of associations, between the first trigger and a first event, of the plurality of events, and triggering the first event in the virtual environment based on the first association.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

defining a plurality of associations between each of a plurality of triggers and a respective event, of a plurality of events;

monitoring a communication in a virtual environment between a first user represented by a first avatar and a second user represented by a second avatar, the communication having an explicit meaning to the first and second users;

determining that the communication has a predefined meaning between the first user and the second user;

determining that the communication is defined as a first trigger, of the plurality of triggers, based on the communication having the predefined meaning;

identifying a first association, of the plurality of associations, between the first trigger and a first event, of the plurality of events; and

triggering the first event in the virtual environment based on the first association.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication comprises at least one of:

(i) a text communication between the first user and the second user, and (ii) a gesture from one of the first avatar and the second avatar to the remaining one of the first avatar and the second avatar.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first event can only be invoked in the virtual environment by occurrence of the communication, wherein the plurality of associations comprise:

(i) predefined associations, (ii) associations dynamically generated responsive to detecting a new trigger, and (iii) user-defined associations.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

detecting the new trigger in the virtual environment; and

dynamically defining a new association, of the plurality of associations, between the new trigger and at least one of the plurality of events.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the communication has a predefined meaning comprises:

monitoring communications between the first and second users;

computing an interaction score based on the monitored communications; and

determining that the interaction score exceeds a relationship threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first event is triggered by a virtual world application, wherein the virtual world application is configured to individually trigger each event comprising:

(i) a predefined activity in which the first user and the second user participate;

(ii) a predefined group activity in which the first user, the second user, and a third user participate, wherein the third user is invited responsive to user input from at least one of the first user and the second user;

(iii) a predefined graphical effect; and

(iv) a predefined audio effect.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first event is triggered upon determining that the first avatar and the second avatar are in a first predefined location in the virtual environment, wherein the first predefined location is specific to the event, wherein a second event is triggered upon determining the first avatar and the second avatar are in a second predefined location in the virtual environment, wherein the second event is different from the first event, wherein the second predefined location is different from the first predefined location.

8. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code executable by a processor to perform an operation comprising;

defining a plurality of associations between each of a plurality of triggers and a respective event, of a plurality of events;

monitoring a communication in a virtual environment between a first user represented by a first avatar and a second user represented by a second avatar, the communication having an explicit meaning to the first and second users;

determining that the communication has a predefined meaning between the first user and the second user;

determining that the communication is defined as a first trigger, of the plurality of triggers, based on the communication having the predefined meaning;

identifying a first association, of the plurality of associations, between the first trigger and a first event, of the plurality of events; and

triggering the first event in the virtual environment based on the first association.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the communication comprises at least one of:

(i) a text communication between the first user and the second user, and (ii) a gesture from one of the first avatar and the second avatar to the remaining one of the first avatar and the second avatar.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the first event can only be invoked in the virtual environment by occurrence of the communication, wherein the plurality of associations comprise:

(i) predefined associations, (ii) associations dynamically generated responsive to detecting a new trigger, and (iii) user-defined associations.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, the operation further comprising:

detecting the new trigger in the virtual environment; and

dynamically defining a new association, of the plurality of associations, between the new trigger and at least one of the plurality of events.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein determining that the communication has a predefined meaning comprises:

monitoring communications between the first and second users;

computing an interaction score based on the monitored communications; and

determining that the interaction score exceeds a relationship threshold.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the virtual world application is configured to trigger events based individually on each of a plurality of event characteristics selected from:

(i) a first event characteristic comprising a user-defined event associated with the virtual interaction;

(ii) a second event characteristic comprising a location of the first avatar and the second avatar in the virtual environment; and

(iii) a third event characteristic comprising a number of avatars participating in the virtual interaction.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first event is triggered by a virtual world application, wherein the virtual world application is configured to individually trigger each event comprising:

(i) a predefined activity in which the first user and the second user participate;

(ii) a predefined group activity in which the first user, the second user, and a third user participate, wherein the third user is invited responsive to user input from at least one of the first user and the second user;

(iii) a predefined graphical effect; and

(iv) a predefined audio effect.

15. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first event is triggered upon determining that the first avatar and the second avatar are in a first predefined location in the virtual environment, wherein the first predefined location is specific to the event, wherein a second event is triggered upon determining the first avatar and the second avatar are in a second predefined location in the virtual environment, wherein the second event is different from the first event, wherein the second predefined location is different from the first predefined location.

16. A system, comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

a memory containing a program, which when executed by the one or more computer processors, performs an operation comprising;

defining a plurality of associations between each of a plurality of triggers and a respective event, of a plurality of events;

monitoring a communication in a virtual environment between a first user represented by a first avatar and a second user represented by a second avatar, the communication having an explicit meaning to the first and second users;

determining that the communication has a predefined meaning between the first user and the second user;

determining that the communication is defined as a first trigger, of the plurality of triggers, based on the communication having the predefined meaning;

identifying a first association, of the plurality of associations, between the first trigger and a first event, of the plurality of events; and

triggering the first event in the virtual environment based on the first association.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the communication comprises at least one of:

(i) a text communication between the first user and the second user, and (ii) a gesture from one of the first avatar and the second avatar to the remaining one of the first avatar and the second avatar.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first event can only be invoked in the virtual environment by occurrence of the communication, wherein the plurality of associations comprise:

(i) predefined associations, (ii) associations dynamically generated responsive to detecting a new trigger, and (iii) user-defined associations.

19. The system of claim 18, the operation further comprising:

detecting the new trigger in the virtual environment; and

dynamically defining a new association, of the plurality of associations, between the new trigger and at least one of the plurality of events.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein determining that the communication has a predefined meaning comprises:

monitoring communications between the first and second users;

computing an interaction score based on the monitored communications; and

determining that the interaction score exceeds a relationship threshold.