Accessibility in virtual worlds using tags

• US 8,595,631 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2008
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cragun, Brian John, Garbow, Zachary Adam, Peterson, Christopher A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin, Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ell, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US12/034,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20090210812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,106 Days
• Field of Search: 715/757, 715/706, 715/729, 715/848, 715/850, 715/852, 715/758, 715/839, 715/254, 434/116, 704/270, 704/271, 463/28, 463/32, 707/748, 707/754
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/006 using audible presentation of the information

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention include a method and apparatus for describing elements within a virtual world to a user of the virtual world. An element may be identified based on a position of an avatar within the virtual world. The avatar is a representation of the user within the virtual world. A tag associated with the element is selected. The tag includes a description of the element. The element is described to the user based on the description.

Claims

1. A method of describing an element within a virtual world to a first user of the virtual world, the method comprising:

identifying one or more elements of the virtual world based on a position, within the virtual world, of an avatar controlled by the first user;

selecting a plurality of descriptions based on a predetermined estimated amount of detail that can be understood by the first user in a predetermined amount of time, each description associated with one of the identified elements and including one or more audio-visual attributes of the associated element contributed by one or more second users controlling a respective one or more second avatars, the second avatars being distinct from the element; and

describing audibly the audio-visual attributes of the identified elements to the first user based on the selected plurality of descriptions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the element is further based on at least one of:

a rate of movement of the avatar; and

a direction of movement of the avatar.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each description includes at least one of a textual description of the one or more audio-visual attributes of the associated element of the virtual world and an audio recording that describes the one or more audio-visual attributes of the associated element of the virtual world, and wherein describing the identified elements to the first user comprises at least one of:

generating a text-to-speech recording from the textual description and playing the text-to-speech recording for the first user; and

playing the audio recording for the first user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user and the second user are members of a social network provided by the virtual world.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein describing audibly the audio-visual attributes of the identified elements to the first user based on the selected plurality of descriptions comprises selecting one or more of the plurality of descriptions and presenting the selected one or more of the plurality of descriptions to the first user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting one or more of the plurality of descriptions is based on:

a length of each of the plurality of descriptions; and

an amount of time available to describe the audio-visual attributes of the element to the first user, wherein the amount of time is based on the predetermined estimated amount of detail that can be understood by the first user in a predetermined amount of time, and is further based on at least one of;

a rate of movement of the avatar; and

a user-specified preference.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of descriptions includes a rating, and wherein the description presented to the first user is selected further based on the rating.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the selected description includes a rating for each of the one or more second users, and wherein the description presented to the first user is selected based on the rating.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of elements is identified, and further comprising:

receiving a first user request specifying that a first filter is active, wherein a filter includes preferences for detail specified by the first user, and identifying the plurality of elements is further based on one or more active filters;

selecting a respective plurality of descriptions associated with the identified elements, wherein the plurality of descriptions are contributed by one or more second users; and

describing audibly the audio-visual attributes of the identified elements to the first user based on the plurality of descriptions.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a second user request specifying that a second filter is active, and that the first filter is not active.

11. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program that, when executed, performs an operation for describing an element within a virtual world to a first user of the virtual world, the operation comprising:

identifying one or more elements of the virtual world based on a position, within the virtual world, of an avatar controlled by the first user;

selecting a plurality of descriptions based on a predetermined estimated amount of detail that can be understood by the first user in a predetermined amount of time, each description associated with one of the identified elements and including one or more audio-visual attributes of the associated element contributed by one or more second users controlling a respective one or more second avatars, the second avatars being distinct from the element; and

describing audibly the audio-visual attributes of the identified elements to the first user based on the selected plurality of descriptions.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein identifying the element is further based on at least one of:

a rate of movement of the avatar; and

a direction of movement of the avatar.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein each description includes at least one of a textual description of the one or more audio-visual attributes of the associated element of the virtual world and an audio recording that describes the one or more audio-visual attributes of the associated element of the virtual world, and wherein describing the identified elements to the first user comprises at least one of:

generating a text-to-speech recording from the textual description and playing the text-to-speech recording for the first user; and

playing the audio recording for the first user.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first user and the second user are members of a social network provided by the virtual world.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein describing audibly the audio-visual attributes of the identified elements to the first user based on the selected plurality of descriptions comprises selecting one or more of the plurality of descriptions and presenting the selected one or more of the plurality of descriptions to the first user.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein selecting one or more of the plurality of descriptions is based on:

a length of each of the plurality of descriptions; and

an amount of time available to describe the audio-visual attributes of the element to the first user, wherein the amount of time is based on the predetermined estimated amount of detail that can be understood by the first user in a predetermined amount of time, and is further based on at least one of;

a rate of movement of the avatar; and

a user-specified preference.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of descriptions includes a rating, and wherein the description presented to the first user is selected further based on the rating.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the selected description includes a rating for each of the one or more second users, and wherein the description presented to the first user is selected based on the rating.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein a plurality of elements is identified, and the operation further comprises:

receiving a first user request specifying that a first filter is active, wherein a filter includes preferences for detail specified by the first user, and identifying the plurality of elements is further based on one or more active filters;

selecting a respective plurality of descriptions associated with the identified elements, wherein the plurality of descriptions are contributed by one or more second users; and

describing audibly the audio-visual attributes of the identified elements to the first user based on the plurality of descriptions.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the operation further comprising:

receiving a second user request specifying that a second filter is active, and that the first filter is not active.

21. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory containing a program that, when executed by the processor, describes an element within a virtual world to a first user of the virtual world, by performing an operation, the operation comprising;

identifying one or more elements of the virtual world based on a position, within the virtual world, of an avatar controlled by the first user;

selecting a plurality of descriptions based on a predetermined estimated amount of detail that can be understood by the first user in a predetermined amount of time, each description associated with one of the identified elements and including one or more audio-visual attributes of the associated element contributed by one or more second users controlling a respective one or more second avatars, the second avatars being distinct from the element; and

describing audibly the audio-visual attributes of the identified elements to the first user based on the selected plurality of descriptions.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein describing the identified elements to the first user comprises at least one of:

generating a text-to-speech recording from the textual description and playing the text-to-speech recording for the first user; and

playing the audio recording for the first user.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the selected wherein describing audibly the audio-visual attributes of the identified elements to the first user based on the selected plurality of descriptions comprises selecting one or more of the plurality of descriptions and presenting the selected one or more of the plurality of descriptions to the first user.