Shared virtual space conversation support system using virtual telephones
AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorKouichi Matsuda
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A conversation support system and a conversation support method for providing a realtime communications environment in which a plurality of users simultaneously participate in a virtual world built and provided on a computer network for realtime talking. A shared virtual space accommodates remote communications infrastructures such as mobile telephone, PHS, and public telephone. Avatars can have a talk with each other by use of these infrastructures regardless of the locations of the communicating avatars, namely regardless of whether each avatar is inside or outside its aura. Namely, the avatars can communicate each other beyond a single shared virtual world. The PHS owned by each avatar can communicate with any PHS in another virtual world or even in the real world.
Claims17
A conversation support system for supporting a plurality of users in having a virtual conversation in a shared virtual space built and provided on a computer network, comprising:
- enrolling means for enrolling an avatar of a logged-in user into said shared virtual space;
- imparting means for imparting a virtual mobile telephone to each avatar in said shared virtual space, said virtual mobile telephone being usable within said shared virtual space;
- determination means for determining, in response to a call to a virtual mobile telephone, whether a calling party originated said call from a telephone in said shared virtual space, (2) from a telephone in another virtual space, or (3) from a telephone in the real world;
- and
- connecting means for executing connection processing in accordance with the determination made by said determination means.
A conversation support system for supporting a plurality of users in having a virtual conversation in a shared virtual space built and provided on a computer network, comprising:
- enrolling means for enrolling an avatar of a logged-in user into said shared virtual space;
- imparting means for imparting a virtual public telephone usable by any enrolled avatar to said shared virtual space at a predetermined place;
- determination means for determining, in response to a call to said virtual public telephone, whether a calling party originated said call (1) from a telephone in said shared virtual space, (2) from a telephone in another virtual space, or (3) from a telephone in the real world;
- and
- connecting means for executing connection processing in accordance with the determination made by said determination means.
A conversation support method for supporting a plurality of users in having a virtual conversation in a shared virtual space built and provided on a computer network, comprising:
- enrolling an avatar of a logged-in user into said shared virtual space;
- imparting a virtual mobile telephone to each avatar in said shared virtual space, said virtual mobile telephone being usable within said shared virtual space;
- determining, in response to a call to a virtual mobile telephone, whether a calling party originated said call from a telephone in said shared virtual space, (2) from a telephone in another virtual space, or (3) from a telephone in the real world;
- and
- executing connection processing in accordance with the determination made in said determination step.
A conversation support method for supporting a plurality of users in having a virtual conversation in a shared virtual space built and provided on a computer network, comprising:
- enrolling an avatar of a logged-in user into said shared virtual space;
- imparting a virtual public telephone usable by any enrolled avatar to said shared virtual space at a predetermined place;
- determining, in response to a call to said virtual public telephone, whether a calling party originated said call from a telephone in said shared virtual space, (2) from a telephone in another virtual space, or (3) from a telephone in the real world;
- and
- executing connection processing in accordance with the determination made in said determination step.
A conversation support method for supporting an activity of an avatar in a shared virtual space built and provided on a computer network, comprising:
- receiving a request for sending a message from a telephone of a user in the real world through a public telephone network in the real world, wherein the user is not logged into the shared virtual space;
- determining whether a destination of said message exists in said shared virtual space;
- and
- if said determining step determines that the destination of said message exists in said shared virtual space, sending said message to said avatar.
A program storage medium storing a computer program in a computer-readable form for executing processing on a computer system to support a virtual conversation in which a plurality of users can participate in a shared virtual space built and provided on a computer network, said computer program comprising the steps of:
- enrolling an avatar of a logged-in user into said shared virtual space;
- imparting a virtual public telephone usable by any enrolled avatar to said shared virtual space at a predetermined place;
- determining, in response to a call to said virtual public telephone, whether a calling party originated said call from a telephone in said shared virtual space, (2) from a telephone in another virtual space, or (3) from a telephone in the real world;
- and
- executing connection processing in accordance with the determination made in said determination step.
A program storage medium storing a computer program in a computer readable form for executing processing on a computer system to support a virtual conversation in which a plurality of users can participate in a shared virtual space built and provided on a computer network, said computer program comprising the steps of:
- receiving a request for sending a message from a telephone of a user in the real world through a public telephone network in the real world, wherein the user is not logged into the shared virtual space;
- determining whether a destination of said message exists in said shared virtual space;
- and
- if said determining step determines that the destination of said message exists in said shared virtual space, sending said message to an avatar.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.