Pre-fetching virtual environment in a virtual universe based on previous traversals

• US 8,312,223 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: King.com, Ltd (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bolger, Rosa M., Corrao, Ann, Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Snitzer, Brian J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Choe, Yong
• Application Number:
  US12/342,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20100161906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 711/137, 711/E12.002, 715/757, 345/419
• US Class Current: 711/137
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings

Abstract

An approach is provided for pre-fetching of virtual content in a virtual universe based on previous traversals. In one embodiment, there is a pre-fetching tool, including a ranking component configured to rank each of a plurality of parcels of locations previously visited by an avatar according to predefined ranking criteria. The pre-fetching tool further includes a pre-fetching component configured to pre-fetch a virtual content of said parcels of locations based on the ranking.

Claims

1. A method for pre-fetching a virtual content in a virtual universe, said method comprising:

ranking each of a plurality of parcels of locations previously visited by an avatar according to predefined ranking criteria;

analyzing the results of said ranking to determine said avatar'"'"'s travel history;

predicting a pattern of travel by said avatar, said predicting based on said avatar'"'"'s travel history; and

pre-fetching a virtual content of said parcels of locations based on said predicting.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising rendering the virtual content of each of the plurality of said parcels of locations.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising analyzing a set of parcels of locations from past traversals of said avatar to determine a set of parcels of locations from the plurality of parcels of locations previously visited by said avatar that are more likely to be visited upon next traversal.

4. The method according to claim 3, the next traversal comprising a teleport action.

5. The method according to claim 3, said analyzing comprising:

recording date, arrival time, parcel name, parcel type, parcel coordinates and departure time of each avatar'"'"'s visit for each parcel of locations visited by the avatar;

calculating a length of time spent by said avatar at each said parcel;

matching current day of the week and time to a day of the week and time of previous visits, and

selecting no more than two parcels of locations based on said matching where said avatar stayed the longest during previous visits.

6. The method according to claim 5, said matching performed every hour.

7. The method according to claim 5, said matching triggered by users'"'"' interactions.

8. A computer system for pre-fetching a virtual content in a virtual universe, comprising:

at least one processing unit;

memory operably associated with the at least one processing unit; and

a pre-fetching tool storable in memory and executable by the at least one processing unit, the pre-fetching tool comprising;

a ranking component configured to rank each of a plurality of parcels of locations previously visited by an avatar according to predefined ranking criteria;

an analyzing component configured to analyze results of said ranking to determine said avatar'"'"'s travel history;

a predicting component configured to predict a pattern of travel by said avatar, said predicting based on said avatar'"'"'s travel history; and

a pre-fetching tool configured to pre-fetch a virtual content of said parcels of locations based on said predicting.

9. The pre-fetching tool according to claim 8 further comprising a rendering component configured to render the virtual content of each of the plurality of said parcels of locations.

10. The pre-fetching tool according to claim 8, said ranking component configured to analyze a set of locations from past traversals of an avatar to determine a set of parcels of locations from the plurality of parcels of locations previously visited by said avatar that are more likely to be visited upon next traversal.

11. The pre-fetching tool according to claim 10, said next traversal comprising a teleport action.

12. The ranking component according to claim 10, further comprising:

recording component configured to record date, arrival time, parcel name, parcel type, parcel coordinates and departure time of each avatar'"'"'s visit for each parcel of locations visited by said avatar;

calculating component configured to calculate a length of time spent by said avatar at each said parcel;

matching component configured to match current day of the week and time to a day of the week and time of previous visits, and

selecting component configured to select no more than two parcels of locations based on said matching where said avatar stayed the longest during previous visits.

13. The ranking component according to claim 10, said matching component configured to perform said matching every hour.

14. The ranking component according to claim 10, said matching component configured to perform said matching upon users'"'"' interactions.

15. A computer-readable storage device storing computer instructions, which when executed, enables a computer system to provide pre-fetching of a virtual content in a virtual universe, the computer instructions comprising:

ranking each of a plurality of parcels of locations previously visited by an avatar according to predefined ranking criteria;

analyzing results of said ranking to determine said avatar'"'"'s travel history;

predicting a pattern of travel by said avatar, said predicting based on said avatar'"'"'s travel history; and

pre-fetching a virtual content of said parcels of locations based on said predicting.

16. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 15 further comprising instructions for rendering the virtual content of each of the plurality of said parcels of locations.

17. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 15 further comprising instructions for analyzing a set of parcels of locations from past traversals of said avatar to determine a set of parcels of locations from the plurality of parcels of locations previously visited by said avatar that are more likely to be visited upon next traversal.

18. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 17, the next traversal comprising a teleport action.

19. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 17, said analyzing comprising:

recording date, arrival time, parcel name, parcel type, parcel coordinates and departure time of each avatar'"'"'s visit for each parcel of locations visited by the avatar;

calculating a length of time spent by said avatar at each said parcel;

matching current day of the week and time to a day of the week and time of previous visits, and selecting no more than two parcels of locations based on said matching where said avatar stayed the longest during previous visits.

20. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 19 further comprising instructions to perform said matching every hour.

21. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 19 further comprising instructions to trigger said matching by users'"'"' interactions.

22. A method for deploying a pre-fetching tool for use in a computer system that provides pre-fetching of a virtual content in a virtual universe, said method comprising:

ranking each of a plurality of parcels of locations previously visited by an avatar according to predefined ranking criteria;

analyzing results of said ranking to determine said avatar'"'"'s travel history;

predicting a pattern of travel by said avatar, said predicting based on said avatar'"'"'s travel history; and

pre-fetching a virtual content of said parcels of locations based on said predicting.

23. The method according to claim 22 further operable to render the virtual content of each of the plurality of said parcels of locations.

24. The method according to claim 22 further operable to analyze a set of parcels of locations from past traversals of said avatar to determine a set of parcels of locations from the plurality of parcels of locations previously visited by said avatar that are more likely to be visited upon next traversal.

25. The method according to claim 24, said analyzing comprising:

recording date, arrival time, parcel name, parcel type, parcel coordinates and departure time of each avatar'"'"'s visit for each parcel of locations visited by the avatar;

calculating a length of time spent by said avatar at each said parcel;

matching current day of the week and time to a day of the week and time of previous visits, and selecting no more than two parcels of locations based on said matching where said avatar stayed the longest during previous visits.

26. The method according to claim 25, said matching performed every hour.

27. The method according to claim 22, said next traversal comprising a teleport action.