US 8,799,788 B2Granted

Providing a single instance of a virtual space represented in either two dimensions or three dimensions via separate client computing devices

AssigneeDisney Enterprises, Inc.

InventorsBob Hickman, Allan D. Jones

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Abstract

A single instance of a virtual space may be provided that can be simultaneously represented in at least two dimensions or three dimensions on separate client computing devices. Virtual space information used to facilitate presentation of the virtual space may be agnostic as to whether the virtual space will be represented in two or three dimensions. That is, the same virtual space information may be sent to one or more client computing platforms regardless of the dimensionality of virtual space representations presented by any given client computing platform. A determination may be made at individual client computing platforms as to whether to present the virtual space representation in two dimensions or three dimensions based on one or more metrics associated with the individual client computing platforms. Such metrics may include a computing power of the one or more processors, a communication bandwidth, a screen size, and/or other metrics.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method for simultaneously presenting a single instance of a virtual space in two dimensions via some client computing platforms and in three dimensions via other client computing platforms such that users of all the computing platforms can interact with each other in the virtual space regardless of the dimensionality of representations of the virtual space on their respective client computing platforms, the method being performed by one or more processors configured to execute computer program instructions, the method comprising:

using one or more processors to provide virtual space information associated with a single instance of a virtual space to client computing platforms including a first group of client computing platforms and a second group of client computing platforms, the single instance of the virtual space being simultaneously presented via all of the client computing platforms, the single instance of the virtual space being represented in two-dimensions via the first group of client computing platforms based on one or more metrics associated with the first group of client computing platforms, the single instance of the virtual space being represented in three-dimensions via the second group of client computing platforms based on one or more metrics associated with the second group of client computing platforms;
wherein the first group of client computing platforms enable users to interact with users of the second group of client computing platforms via the two-dimensional representation of the single instance of the virtual space presented via the first group of client computing platforms;
wherein the second group of client computing platforms enable users to interact with users of the first group of client computing platforms via the three-dimensional representation of the single instance of the virtual space presented via the second group of client computing platforms;
and
wherein user characters associated with users of the first group of client computing platforms follow one or more predetermined paths in the three-dimensional representation of the virtual space presented via the second group of client computing platforms.

2 more elements

A system for simultaneously presenting a single instance of a virtual space in two dimensions via some client computing platforms and in three dimensions via other client computing platforms such that users of all the computing platforms can interact with each other in the virtual space regardless of the dimensionality of representations of the virtual space on their respective client computing platforms, the system comprising:

one or more processors configured to execute computer program instructions which when executed cause one or more processors to:
provide virtual space information associated with a single instance of a virtual space to client computing platforms including a first group of client computing platforms and a second group of client computing platforms, the single instance of the virtual space being simultaneously presented via all of the client computing platforms, the single instance of the virtual space being represented in two-dimensions via the first group of client computing platforms based on one or more metrics associated with the first group of client computing platforms, the single instance of the virtual space being represented in three-dimensions via the second group of client computing platforms based on one or more metrics associated with the second group of client computing platforms;
wherein the first group of client computing platforms enable users to interact with users of the second group of client computing platforms via the two-dimensional representation of the single instance of the virtual space presented via the first group of client computing platforms;
wherein the second group of client computing platforms enable users to interact with users of the first group of client computing platforms via the three-dimensional representation of the single instance of the virtual space presented via the second group of client computing platforms;
and
wherein user characters associated with users of the first group of client computing platforms follow one or more predetermined paths in the three-dimensional representation of the virtual space presented via the second group of client computing platforms.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.