Message propagation in a distributed virtual world

• US 8,135,018 B1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Kandekar, Kunal, Walsh, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mansoury, Nourali
• Application Number:
  US11/693,152
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 370/395.31, 370/351, 370/235, 370/397, 370/400, 370/409
• US Class Current: 370/395.31
• 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 2300/51 Server architecture
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/53 details of basic data processing
• 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 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A message propagation scheme for a distributed virtual world is provided. In general, each of a number of peer servers hosts a cell of the virtual world, where the cell is also referred to herein as a virtual space. A peer server issues an advertisement/subscription (ad/sub) message, or message flow path setup message, identifying message types produced by the virtual objects in the virtual space hosted by the peer server and message types consumed by the virtual objects in the virtual space hosted by the peer server. Based on the ad/sub message, for each message type produced, message flow paths from the peer server to other peer servers hosting virtual objects that are consumers of the message type are identified. Likewise, for each message type consumed, message paths from other peer servers hosting virtual objects that are producers of the message type to the peer server are identified.

Claims

1. A method of defining message flow paths in a distributed virtual world formed by a plurality of peer servers each hosting a virtual space within the distributed virtual world, comprising:

generating, at a peer server, a message flow path setup message identifying a plurality of produced message types produced by at least one virtual object within a virtual space hosted by the peer server and a scope of the plurality of produced message types, wherein for each produced message type from the plurality of produced message types, the scope comprises an aggregate scope for the produced message type corresponding to an aggregate aura for the at least one virtual object that produces the produced message type plus a margin;

providing the message flow path setup message to at least one neighboring peer server from the plurality of peer servers, the at least one neighboring peer server hosting a virtual space neighboring the virtual space of the peer server in the distributed virtual world;

receiving a response to the message flow path setup message from the at least one neighboring peer server identifying at least one of the plurality of produced message types that is of interest to the at least one neighboring peer server; and

updating a routing table of the peer server such that messages of the at least one of the plurality of produced message types are routed to the at least one neighboring peer server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the scope of the plurality of produced message types is a global aggregate scope for all of the plurality of produced message types.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the plurality of produced message types that is of interest to the at least one neighboring peer server comprises at least one of the plurality of produced message types that is consumed by at least one virtual object within a virtual space hosted by the at least one neighboring peer server.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one virtual object within the virtual space hosted by the at least one neighboring peer server is also within the scope of the at least one of the plurality of produced message types.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one neighboring peer server propagates the message flow path setup message to at least one further neighboring peer server of the at least one neighboring peer server, and the at least one of the plurality of produced message types that is of interest to the at least one neighboring peer server comprises at least one of a group consisting of:

at least one of the plurality of produced message types that is consumed by at least one virtual object within a virtual space hosted by the at least one neighboring peer server and at least one of the plurality of produced message types that is of interest to the at least one further neighboring peer server of the at least one neighboring peer server.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the message flow path setup message further comprises information identifying a plurality of consumed message types consumed by the at least one virtual object within the virtual space hosted by the peer server and information defining a scope of the plurality of consumed message types.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the information defining the scope of the plurality of consumed message types comprises information defining an aggregate scope for each of the plurality of consumed message types.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the aggregate scope is an aggregate Area of Interest (AOI) of the at least one virtual object consuming the one of the plurality of consumed message types.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the scope of the plurality of consumed message types is a global aggregate scope for all of the plurality of consumed message types.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the at least one neighboring peer server updates its routing table such that messages of at least one of the plurality of consumed message types produced by at least one virtual object within a virtual space hosted by the at least one neighboring peer server and within the scope of the at least one of the plurality of consumed message types are routed to the peer server.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the at least one neighboring peer server propagates the message flow path setup message to at least one further neighboring peer server of the at least one neighboring peer server, and the at least one neighboring peer server updates its routing table such that messages of at least one of the plurality of consumed message types received from the at least one further neighboring peer server are routed to the peer server.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the message flow path setup message further comprises an unsubscribe record identifying a message type for which the peer server desires to unsubscribe.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the message flow path setup message identifies the plurality of produced message types and the scope of the plurality of produced message types via at least one conditional expression.

14. A method of defining message flow paths in a distributed virtual world formed by a plurality of peer servers each hosting a virtual space within the distributed virtual world, comprising:

obtaining an interest expression for each virtual object within the virtual space hosted by the peer server, the interest expression comprising information identifying at least one message type produced by the virtual object, information identifying at least one message type consumed by the virtual object, information defining an aura of the virtual object for the at least one message type produced by the virtual object, and information defining an Area of Interest (AOI) of the virtual object for the at least one message type consumed by the virtual object; and

generating, at a peer server, a message flow path setup message based on the interest expression for the at least one virtual object, the message flow path setup message identifying;

a plurality of produced message types produced by at least one virtual object within a virtual space hosted by the peer server;

a scope of the plurality of produced message types;

a plurality of consumed message types consumed by the at least one virtual object within the virtual space hosted by the peer server; and

information defining a scope of the plurality of consumed message types;

providing the message flow path setup message to at least one neighboring peer server from the plurality of peer servers, the at least one neighboring peer server hosting a virtual space neighboring the virtual space of the peer server in the distributed virtual world;

receiving a response to the message flow path setup message from the at least one neighboring peer server identifying at least one of the plurality of produced message types that is of interest to the at least one neighboring peer server; and

updating a routing table of the peer server such that messages of the at least one of the plurality of produced message types are routed to the at least one neighboring peer server.

15. A method of defining message flow paths in a distributed virtual world formed by a plurality of peer servers each hosting a virtual space within the distributed virtual world, comprising:

generating, at a peer server, a message flow path setup message identifying;

a plurality of produced message types produced by at least one virtual object within a virtual space hosted by the peer server;

a scope of the plurality of produced message types; and

a plurality of consumed message types consumed by the at least one virtual object within the virtual space hosted by the peer server; and

information defining a scope of the plurality of consumed message types;

for each neighboring peer server from at least one neighboring peer server, filtering the message flow path setup message based on the scope of the plurality of produced message types to remove information identifying ones of the plurality of produced message types having a scope that does not extend into a virtual space hosted by the neighboring peer server;

further filtering the message flow path setup message based on the scope of the plurality of consumed message types to remove information identifying ones of the plurality of consumed message types having a scope that does not extend into the virtual space hosted by the neighboring peer server to provide a filtered message flow path setup message;

providing the message flow path setup message to the neighboring peer server, the neighboring peer server hosting the virtual space neighboring the virtual space of the peer server in the distributed virtual world;

receiving a response to the message flow path setup message from the neighboring peer server identifying at least one of the plurality of produced message types that is of interest to the one neighboring peer server; and

updating a routing table of the peer server such that messages of the at least one of the plurality of produced message types are routed to the neighboring peer server.

16. A method of defining message flow paths in a distributed virtual world formed by a plurality of peer servers each hosting a virtual space within the distributed virtual world, comprising:

generating, at a peer server, a message flow path setup message identifying a plurality of produced message types produced by at least one virtual object within a virtual space hosted by the peer server and a scope of the plurality of produced message types;

providing the message flow path setup message to at least one neighboring peer server from the plurality of peer servers, the at least one neighboring peer server hosting a virtual space neighboring the virtual space of the peer server in the distributed virtual world;

receiving a response to the message flow path setup message from the at least one neighboring peer server identifying at least one of the plurality of produced message types that is of interest to the at least one neighboring peer server;

updating a routing table of the peer server such that messages of the at least one of the plurality of produced message types are routed to the at least one neighboring peer server;

detecting when a virtual object within the virtual space hosted by the peer server is expected to leave the virtual space; and

providing a predictive message flow path setup message to one of a plurality of neighboring peer servers of the peer server including the at least one neighboring peer server, wherein in response to the predictive message flow path setup message, the one of the plurality of neighboring peer servers subscribes to at least one message type consumed by the virtual object.