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US 8,095,881 B2Granted
Method for locating a teleport target station in a virtual world
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorJosef Reisinger
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AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorJosef Reisinger
Estimating the term…
The invention relates to a method for locating a teleport target station for teleporting between at least one teleport source station and at least one teleport target station in a virtual world, the method including: associating a specific teleport target station object with the at least one teleport target station; associating a current location with the object; and broadcasting the current location of the target station object into at least one communication channel in the virtual world.
A method for locating a teleport target station for teleporting between at least one teleport source station and at least one teleport target station in a virtual world, comprising:
A program product comprising a computer useable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:
A data processing system for execution of a data processing program, stored on a computer readable storage medium, the data processing program comprising software code portions for:
A data processing program for execution in a data processing system comprising software code portions for performing a method when the program is run on a computer, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer: interaction techniques based on graphical…
Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions: interconnection arrangements between game servers…
About 4 years of term left · ends 13 Oct 2030 (estimated)
The invention relates generally to a computer network and, more specifically, to a method and apparatus for locating a teleport target station in a virtual world.
Virtual worlds, such as the so called “Second Life” created by Linden Labs, is a 3D-world with inhabitants called avatars being able to create and build things. Such a world does not exist in the physical world. The world is structured in “islands” and the avatars can move internal and external to the islands.
To help visitors to find a certain destination in the virtual world, land owners often use a so-called teleport. A teleport can be described as the interaction of an avatar with a teleport station (i.e., teleport source station) in the virtual world, which brings the avatar to a predefined location, the teleport target location. Examples of such teleport source stations are simulated elevators, floors, or special rooms in a building and dedicated areas on a parcel of land. Whatever mechanism the teleport function uses, the coordinates for the teleport target location are statically provisioned inside the teleport source station. During build and change activities, the target coordinate of a teleport target station may become invalid and need to be updated.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like references denote similar elements.
FIG. 1 depicts a plurality of sources and destinations of teleportation.
FIG. 2 depicts a layout of a broadcast message.
The drawings are merely schematic representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. Moreover, the drawings are intended to depict only typical embodiments of the invention and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention.
FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram depicting illustrative components for an autonomous teleport network system according to the invention. By way of example the system consists of a number (plurality) of locations 110,120 with teleport source stations 112, 114, 116, and 122, 124, 126, where an avatar may go to select one desired target out of a plurality of several (1 to n) teleport target station 140, 150, and 160 at specific teleport target locations, each equipped with a list of known nodes 142, 152, and 162, i.e., other target locations.
The source locations 110,120 may be compared to a bus-stop—one moves there to catch a bus and let oneself transport to a target destination. The various bus stops one can reach from the starting bus stop are similar to teleport source stations 112, 114, 116, of the first location 110 and teleport source stations 122, 124, and 126 of the nth location 120. The station where one leaves the bus is similar to a teleport target location 140, 150, 160.