151 results about "Virtual community" patented technology

A private virtual dynamic network is provided for computing devices coupled to public networks or private networks. This enables computing devices anywhere in the world to join into private enterprise intranets and communicate with each other. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a separate private virtual address realm, seen to each user as a private network, while seamlessly crossing public and private network boundaries. One implementation of the present invention uses an agent to enable an entity to participate in the network without requiring the member to add new hardware or software.

Described is a system and method for receiving personal profile data from a plurality of participants, wherein each participant is a member of a virtual community. Generating a participant profile for each of the participants as a function of the personal profile data corresponding to each participant, rating each participant as a function of an activity level within the virtual community and providing additional features to participants achieving a pre-determined rating.

An approach is provided for remotely participating over a wireless network in an event. Certification information corresponding to a ticket purchased for an event is received at a proxy server. The ticket permits control, via a mobile device over a wireless network, of a remote camera to view an event from a plurality of viewing perspectives. The proxy server maintains a plurality of communication sessions with the mobile devices over the wireless network, wherein the communication sessions correspond to the event and provide participation in a virtual community to experience the event.

A system and associated apparatus and methods for enabling members of a group or virtual community to create and access voice messages, audio, video, text or other content over the Internet. The invention provides a model of a voice bulletin board or forum in which multiple members of a group may create and post messages or other content that may be accessed, commented upon, or supplemented by other group members. The invention enables group members to input the message or content using a fixed-line (e.g., wireline) or wireless device, such as a standard phone, wireless mobile phone, or wirelessly connected computing device equipped with a microphone. The invention further enables a group member to create a forum and provide access to that forum to other group members, and to provide notifications to group members when new messages or content are posted to the forum.

A method for creation of a semantic information management environment, said method comprised of steps of: providing said semantic information environment consisting of an architecture partitioned according to the classification of the use of natural language by information scale, dynamical properties, or semantic classifications; detection, classification, and storage of semantic and contextual information detected and stored by recording of observed contextual parameters associated with events in said semantic information management environment; said interactions including the use of information management or electronic communication applications embedded or linked to said architecture, or separate from said architecture; said observations including the use of natural language as parameters that have specific semantic properties; detection, classification and storage of use of natural language in said semantic information environment; representation of semantic processes containing said detected, classified, and stored contextual information and natural language use in said semantic information environment; said representations of semantic processes used to link and associate natural language use with objects, entities, facts, communication, information, and digital files in said semantic information environment; providing said users of said semantic information environment with information and knowledge management tools, reports, representations, and interfaces that utilize said semantic process representations.

A system and method for providing a functional virtual environment with real time extracted and transplanted images. The system includes hardware and software for providing a multi-dimensional computer generated environment and for receiving a plurality of extracted video images. The system is adapted to transplant the extracted video images into the environment in a manner that preserves the virtual metaphor thereof. In the illustrative embodiment, a realistic virtual city is created in accordance with the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) protocol. The extracted images are transplanted onto an object in the environment as a texture. In the best mode, the object is invisible. The extracted video images are streamed continuously into the environment such that a live real time interaction is enabled. The environment is networked and the system is adapted to receive multiple simultaneous streams which are transplanted and exported to enable a virtual community. Within the community, users seated in their native environment, appear to walk when navigating due to the unique teaching of the present invention by which a series of stored extracted images of the user walking are transplanted into the environment and replayed for so long as the user is navigating. A separate series is displayed to each person within a predetermined range of the walker that has the walker in his field of view depending on the viewing angle of the observer. A master copy of the environment is stored on a server and downloaded to each client on the network as part of a setup process. Thereafter, local changes in the environment are uploaded to the server and subsequently downloaded to selected clients as updates. The environment will support private areas and the system is adapted to allow extracted video streams within private environments to be sent to each person in the private environment directly, bypassing the server.

A browser-enabled system of software and services that focuses on connecting people across spatial, temporal, and organizational barriers to achieve specific objectives. The system includes a client server system that provides a virtual meeting place for a learning community and a structure through which that community can achieve its goals.

An attribute bounded network of computers is created. Computers in the distributed computer network are identified by specific attributes (e.g., a geographically bounded region) and a server is used to distribute processing assignments (e.g., addresses of electronic documents to be indexed) based upon the identified attributes. A peer-to-peer computer network is also provided based upon geographically bounded regions, the peer-to-peer computer network can be used to share electronic documents. A virtual community can be created within a peer-to-peer computer network by identifying peer computer connections based upon associated attributes (e.g., a geographically bounded region). The attribute bounded network of computers provides indexes having fresher data by allowing spidering of electronic documents more often than can be done by a central server indexing site.

The invention relates to management of contact lists in a presence enabled application supported by a communication system and having a client side on a user equipment and a server side within a presence enabled network accessible by the users through said communication system, the application being of a type in which uses of the application form time-variable virtual communities of users that temporarily interact for the purposes of the application. The method includes: users' registration with the server-side of the application, to provide candidates for the virtual communities; creation, from the candidates, of a list of the members of each virtual community in a buddy list management unit in the presence enabled network; notification of the buddy list by the list management unit to client units in the user equipment of members of the community; and displaying the notified list on the user equipment of each member receiving it.

This invention disclosed a system and method for resource based virtual communities. Any resources that can be shared or used by multiple people, including Internet resources, software or other resources can be the basis for the community, whose members are users of the resource. Web resources include web sites, web pages, news groups or discussion forums. Other types of resources include software products, bulletin boards, games or other products. The community composes of the current resource users such as web page readers, bulletin board posters, game players, software users. Whenever a person accesses or uses the resource, the user is automatically joined as part of the community. At the same time they are using the resource, they can access all services provide by the community, such as talking with other members, collaborating with others, publishing comments, or even adding new community services.

A system and method are provided for extracting a set of data from a system user descriptive of the complete health snapshot of the user's to interact with a database of numerous other users so as to generate a cluster of similar user's exhibiting a similar (within some system defined distance metric) health snapshot. The system guides the user to present his or her data via a complex questionnaire based upon a novel descriptive taxonomy, based upon the principles of "cyberhealth" as opposed to the standard medical "disease oriented" singular cause and effect model. The system generates the cluster of similar users, analyzes the cluster to obtain a ranked list of possible remedies or therapies to assist the user in dealing with health problems. The system further creates a computer networked virtual community of users with common health problems / interests, facilitates online chat, discussion groups, and the trading of health information. Additionally, the system provides listings of and links to health care providers and medical testing laboratories who are able to assist users of the system.

Systems and methods are provided which enable students to participate in a simulated, electronic trading environment. The concept is one where the eSpeed rules based system and GUI may be used to educate students on the trading of financial products. The system may be “live” using real-time information and held either in a private virtual community (i.e. intra-school) or a wider community (i.e. inter-school). Fixed rules may be pre-programmed into the system or modified / customized by the participants. Participants may access the simulation via the Internet or any applicable method of communicating information among more than one computer. The products traded in the simulation may include any simulated fixed income financial product. However, the simulation may not involve trading real financial products where there would be real financial risks. Simulated trading may be compared to real-world trading to create new financial products that may be tested and traded in the system.

A telepresence communication system for group meeting rooms and personal home and office systems provides improved human factor experience through substantially life size images with eye level camera placement. The system provides switched presence interfaces so that conferees can select when to transmit their images during a conference and optionally provides individual microphones for each of conferee. Switched presence between presets of conferees are viewed on multipoint windows overlaying life-size images upon eye contact camera regions and eliminate seeing camera image movement during pan, tilt and zoom operations. An ambient light rejecting filter system enables an eye level camera to be hidden behind a projection screen and provides bright, high contrast images under normal meeting room and office environments. A telepresence organizational enablement system brings all the features of a corporate office complex and its social and organizational benefits, into a virtual community eliminating the need to centralize employees.

The present invention refers to a method for establishing a communication network that connects a group or community of users using wireless equipments according to their defined interests. These equipments are preferentially portable, low cost, and user-friendly, where each equipment must be configurable using its user's profile, which contains a small amount of the user's personal data, namely the miniprofile. The method uses a collection of such miniprofiles to transparently set a communication network among the associate users to establish a virtual community. In addition, each profile will contain further information on user's interests, which the method will propagate across the communication network to the established virtual community in a way that their members will be able to form groups based on common interests while allowing for interaction among their members. The user profile can be set identifiable or anonymous, may or not be shareable in relation to the other members of a group. The method is distributed, and supports spontaneous and volatile communication networks, preferentially.

A computer implemented method and system for creating a virtual community network for incentivized multimedia content viewing is provided. A first viewer receives the multimedia content for viewing on a client device from a server provided in a networked environment. The first viewer refers the multimedia content to one or more second viewers in the networked environment for viewing and further referrals. The server controls access to the multimedia content and confirms viewing of the multimedia content by the first viewer, the second viewers, and nth viewers from further referrals using a random challenge. The server generates response reports based on viewing of the multimedia content. The server credits the first viewer, the second viewers, the nth viewers, etc. with one or more items of value based on referring of the multimedia content, multimedia content view confirmation, and / or registration of the second viewers, the nth viewers, etc, with the server.

A method and an apparatus for community management in a virtual community are disclosed. The community management apparatus manages a management table as an electronic data containing, in correspondence with each other, the data on a community, the members of the community and the resource data providing the messages exchanged by members, and transfers the resource data from a predecessor community to a successor community. The community management apparatus receives the input of the transfer conditions. The predecessor community selected under the transfer conditions is acquired from the management table. The members corresponding to the acquired community are searched for in the management table and transferred to the successor community. The resource data corresponding to the acquired community is searched for in the management table and transferred to the successor community.

Systems and method for cross-population of virtual communities are provided. An exemplary method comprises providing a plurality of virtual communities, each of the virtual communities related to other virtual communities by a cross-population relationship. A user associated with a first virtual community of the plurality of the virtual communities is provided access to a second virtual community of the plurality of the virtual communities based on a cross-population relationship between the first virtual community and the second virtual community.

A moderated forum that provides an arena for anonymous public discussions in and among a given on-line or virtual community as well as discussions between separate on-line or virtual communities. Separate virtual communities have the ability to share views and opinions. While in certain instances the interaction can be on the limited controlled basis, other scenarios anticipate total unlimited access. Additionally, the system can be mined to extract characteristic data of the users and the forum topics.

The present invention is related to the field of aesthetics. It concerns more particularly new methods for the generation of 3D anatomical outputs and 3D simulations of any aesthetic procedure, products obtained by such simulations, uses thereof and the creation of platforms or 3D virtual worlds of connected users and entities forming a virtual community using such methods and creating or ordering accessories and / or products.

A method for creating a virtual community of users is disclosed The method includes the steps of providing a community server operable to create a virtual community based upon an action performed by a user, and rendering community services to the virtual community of users based on the action. In another aspect of the invention, a method of searching based on an action based virtual community includes the steps of providing a community server operable to create a virtual community based upon a search action performed by a user, and rendering community services to the virtual community of users based on the search action, the rendered community services including information related to returned search results and search result relevance based on other user's actions.

Systems and methods are described for creating and expiring ad hoc communities of mobile and fixed-line phone and Internet users for the purpose of facilitating one-to-many communication amongst the users in response to live events. Embodiments of the invention allow one-to-many communication by any individual participant in a community to all other participants in a community via standard messaging protocols, and further allow dynamically generated content to be distributed amongst the participants in the community. Such dynamically generated content may include interactive contests amongst participants, surveys of the participants, or the distribution of audio visual content generated from or transmitted via mobile devices used by the participants. Embodiments of the invention include systems and methods for preserving state data regarding the communities, participants, and events in order to facilitate concurrent participation in multiple communities.

A browser-enabled system of software and services that focuses on connecting people across spatial, temporal, and organizational barriers to achieve specific objectives. The system includes a client server system that provides a virtual meeting place for a learning community and a structure through which that community can achieve its goals.

The invention relates to a 3D virtual community construction method based on panoramic and real image and geographic information. The method comprises the following steps: establishing a virtual community structure; establishing a virtual community display platform through three procedures, including the first procedure of creating a virtual space based on a scene display outer curtain, creating a virtual ground and setting a wandering mode of a user on the virtual ground; the second procedure of adding a 3D entity on the virtual ground and the third procedure of synchronizing the virtual space and the geographic information of the real world; obtaining a virtual community based on panoramic and real image and geographic information; and enabling the environmental interaction of users in the virtual community and the interaction of a current user and other users. The inventive method increases the virtual community scene construction efficiency, improves the realistic effect, ensures the scene of the virtual community consistent to the scene of the real community, allows the user in the virtual space to not only enjoy the environment of the real world but also know the current geographical location, and enhances the realistic effect of the virtual community.

A system and method are provided for extracting a set of data from a system user descriptive of the complete health snapshot of the user's to interact with a database of numerous other users so as to generate a cluster of similar user's exhibiting a similar (within some system defined distance metric) health snapshot. The system guides the user to present his or her data via a complex questionnaire based upon a novel descriptive taxonomy, based upon the principles of “cyberhealth” as opposed to the standard medical “disease oriented” singular cause and effect model. The system generates the cluster of similar users, analyzes the cluster to obtain a ranked list of possible remedies or therapies to assist the user in dealing with health problems. The system further creates a computer networked virtual community of users with common health problems / interests, facilitates online chat, discussion groups, and the trading of health information. Additionally, the system provides listings of and links to health care providers and medical testing laboratories who are able to assist users of the system.

The invention discloses a method and system for recommending information to players in s virtual environment. The method comprises the steps of: obtaining one or several groups of related virtual activity information based on games for the players; confirming one or several virtual communities according to the obtained virtual activity information; confirming one or several groups of virtual goods, concepts, activities, players and roles in which the payers may have potential interests according to the one or several virtual communities, and recommending to the players. The method and system for recommending information to the players in the virtual environment, provided by the invention, can be used for recommending virtual goods, concepts, activities, players and roles in which the payers may have potential interests to users.

A community server categorizes and accumulates messages exchanged by users on a virtual community for respective topics. The community server includes a subscription type setting unit, which provides, to each user and predetermined administrator, a mechanism for selecting a subscription type indicating the way each user subscribes to messages posted to the virtual community. For this purpose, the subscription type setting unit manages the subscription types of respective users for each community using a subscription type table of community management information, and changes the subscription type in the subscription table in accordance with a request from each user and administrator.

A virtual community location method comprises the following steps: constructing and nominating a plurality of virtual communities as choices for subscribers; providing different privacy settings for the subscribers to determine data that the subscribers agree to share; provide a memory unit, and storing the member positions, the time information and the privacy settings in all virtual communities; receiving a request of the subscribers for requesting to check the positions of other members in the virtual community where the subscriber is located; acquiring corresponding location information of the members in the virtual community from the memory unit according the received request, and constructing a position map according to the location information; and sorting and counting various information of the members of the virtual community where the subscriber is located in the memory unit, displaying the counted information in different information lists, and transmitting the constructed position map and the information lists to a client terminal. The invention also provides a virtual community location system. The method and the system can be used for locating members of the virtual communities.

An attribute bounded network of computers is created. Computers in the distributed computer network are identified by specific attributes (e.g., a geographically bounded region) and a server is used to distribute processing assignments (e.g., addresses of electronic documents to be indexed) based upon the identified attributes. A peer-to-peer computer network is also provided based upon geographically bounded regions, the peer-to-peer computer network can be used to share electronic documents. A virtual community can be created within a peer-to-peer computer network by identifying peer computer connections based upon associated attributes (e.g., a geographically bounded region). The attribute bounded network of computers provides indexes having fresher data by allowing spidering of electronic documents more often than can be done by a central server indexing site.