System and method for enhancing socialization in virtual worlds

• US 9,987,563 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2014
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Jones, Allan D., Parkis, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Hua
• Application Number:
  US14/490,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20150007062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

There is provided a system and method for inducing a reply from a first client connected to a virtual world to facilitate a social interaction using a second client connected to the virtual world. There is provided a method for inducing a reply from a first client connected to a virtual world to facilitate a social interaction using a second client connected to the virtual world, the method comprising locating, in the virtual world, an avatar of the second client in a proximity of an avatar of the first client, executing a social action using the avatar of the second client such that the social action is observable by the first client but not observable by the second client, receiving the reply from the first client in response to the social action, and rendering the reply from first client using the avatar of the first client.

Claims

1. A method for use by a server hosting a virtual world and having a processor, the method comprising:

locating, using the processor, a first avatar of a first client being used by a first user in a proximity of a second avatar of a second client being used by a second user, in the virtual world;

retrieving a first history of the first avatar;

determining, based on the first history, whether to execute a social action using the first avatar to initiate a social interaction;

if the determining determines that, based on the first history, the first user is not inclined to initiate a contact with other avatars, executing the social action using the first avatar of the first client to initiate the social interaction, such that the social action is observable by the second user on a second display of the second client, but the social action is not observable by the first user on a first display the first client so that the first user is not made aware of the social action executed using the first avatar;

receiving a reply from the second client in response to the social action; and

rendering the reply for displaying on the first display of the first client and the second display of the second client using the second avatar of the second client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first history includes a first behavior history of the first avatar in the virtual world.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining considers negative and positive behaviors in the first behavior history.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first history includes a first registration history of the first avatar in the virtual world.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first registration history includes a first registration date by the first avatar in the virtual world.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining considers the first registration date before executing the social action.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first history includes a first number of friends of the first avatar in the virtual world.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining considers the first number of friends before executing the social action.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the social action includes a communication by text, voice or movement.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the communication includes a greeting.

11. A server for hosting a virtual world, the server comprising:

a processor configured to;

locate a first avatar of a first client being used by a first user in a proximity of a second avatar of a second client being used by a second user, in the virtual world;

retrieve a first history of the first avatar;

determine, based on the first history, whether to execute a social action using the first avatar to initiate a social interaction;

if the determining determines that, based on the first history, the first user is not inclined to initiate a contact with other avatars, executing the social action using the first avatar of the first client to initiate the social interaction, such that the social action is observable by the second user on a second display of the second client, but the social action is not observable by the first user on a first display the first client so that the first user is not made aware of the social action executed using the first avatar;

receive a reply from the second client in response to the social action; and

render the reply for displaying on the first display of the first client and the second display of the second client using the second avatar of the second client.

12. The server of claim 11, wherein the first history includes a first behavior history of the first avatar in the virtual world.

13. The server of claim 12, wherein the determining considers negative and positive behaviors in the first behavior history.

14. The server of claim 11, wherein the first history includes a first registration history of the first avatar in the virtual world.

15. The server of claim 14, wherein the first registration history includes a first registration date by the first avatar in the virtual world.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein the determining considers the first registration date before executing the social action.

17. The server of claim 11, wherein the first history includes a first number of friends of the first avatar in the virtual world.

18. The server of claim 17, wherein the determining considers the first number of friends before executing the social action.

19. The server of claim 11, wherein the social action includes a communication by text, voice or movement.

20. The server of claim 19, wherein the communication includes a greeting.