1378 results about "Virtual world" patented technology

A game system, incorporating co-existent interaction between a virtual character 20 and a user 10 in the real world, comprising a virtual character 20 in a computer sub-system 12,14 including a computer device 12 and means 38,40,42 for inputting real-world actions of a user in the real world into said sub-system 12,14, whereby actions of a user in the real world, at a pre-chosen real world location 36, other than correlative movements, are recorded and inputted into the computer sub-system and influence the character 20 in the virtual world 16.

The present invention provides a system that creates virtual events within a virtual world. A virtual event may be akin to a real event, but is completely computer generated within a computer-generated world and is based on statistical measures, either real world or created. Numerous characteristics about the competitors and the competition location parameters are available before a competition event. Based on the known parameters about the location of an event and the characteristics of the participants and their historical past performances in similar events enable bettors to make informed wagers on an event that greatly enhances the satisfaction and involvement in a competition event. As such, Histories of virtual events are maintained on actual virtual performance data of competitors in the virtual world. The histories can include all relevant virtual data about a competitor and the past events the competitor competed.

The virtual event may be created by an event engine, scheduled, and broadcast or simulcast in real-time through-out the real-world using existing and conventional video transport media, such as web, TV, satellite, telephone network, and cable. A video delivery system is used that will allow high quality high definition video to be broadcast worldwide with very low bandwidth requirements (<20 kb/s).

Individuals throughout the real-world may place wagers (e.g., bets) on the outcome of either a pari-mutuel event or a fixed odds event, utilizing either pari-mutuel, exchange wagering or fixed odds wagering systems. The virtual event may be any type of sport, or skill based game that is usually between competitors.

Systems and methods for virtual world simulations of the real-world or emulate real-life or real-life activities in virtual world or real life simulator or generating a virtual world based on real environment: host, at a server, a virtual world geography or environment that correspondences the real world geography or environment as a result, as the user continuously moves about or navigates in a range of coordinates in the real world, the user also continuously moves about in a range of coordinates in the real world map or virtual world; generate and access, by the server, a first avatar or representation, that is associated with a first user or entity in the virtual world; monitor, track and store, by the server, plurality types of data associated with user's real life or real life activities, actions, transactions, participated or participating events, current or past locations, checked-in places, participations, expressions, reactions, relations, connections, status, behaviours, sharing, communications, collaborations, interactions with various types of entities in the real world; receive, by the server, first data associated with a mobile device of the first user related to the first activity from the first geo-location co-ordinates or place; determine, by the server, one or more real world activities of the first user based on the first data; generate, record, simulate and update, by the server, virtual world based on said stored data, wherein updating a first avatar, that is associated with the first user or entity, in the virtual world; causing, by the server, a first avatar associated with the first user or entity, to engage in one or more virtual activities in the virtual world, that are at least one of the same as or sufficiently similar to or substantially similar to the determined one or more real world activities, by generating, recording, simulating, updating and displaying, by a simulation engine, simulation or a graphic user interface that presents a user a simulation of said real-life activities; and display in the virtual world, by the server, said real world activity or interacted entity or location or place or GPS co-ordinates related or associated or one or more types of user generated or provided or shared or identified contextual one or more types of contents, media, data and metadata from one or more sources including server, providers, contacts of user and users of network and external sources, databases, servers, networks, devices, websites and applications, wherein virtual world geography correspondences the real world geography. In an embodiment receiving from a user, a privacy settings, instructing to limit viewing of or sharing of said generated simulation of user's real world life or user's real world life activities to selected one or more contacts, followers, all or one or more criteria or filters specific users of network or make it as private.

Exemplary media content user interface systems and methods are disclosed herein. An exemplary method includes a media content access subsystem displaying a plurality of display elements topographically distributed throughout a graphical representation of a virtual world in accordance with one or more distribution heuristics, detecting a user interaction, and dynamically adjusting the topographical distribution of the one or more display elements in accordance with the user interaction. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.

A system and method for directing the improvisational behavior of a computer-controlled character which enables the character to reflect personality, mood, and other life-like qualities. The method includes the step of storing in the system a set of possible behaviors for the character and state data representative of a current state of the character. The possible behaviors include both physical and verbal behaviors. The current state includes the character's current mood, directional state, activity state, and location in a virtual world. The method also includes the step of identifying from the set of possible behaviors a subset of feasible behaviors for the character in the current state. Each of the feasible behaviors is evaluated to determine a respective desirability rating of the feasible behavior in the current state. The method further includes the step of selecting a behavior to be executed by the character from the subset of feasible behaviors. The behavior to be executed is selected in dependence upon its desirability rating.

Methods and systems for rendering an interactive virtual environment for communication is provided. The interactive virtual environment is depicted from images to be displayed on a display and the interactive virtual environment is generated by a computer program that is executed on at least one computer of a computer network system. The interactive virtual environment includes one or more virtual user avatars controlled by real-world users. The method further includes controlling a virtual user avatar to move about a virtual space and generating an interface for composing a message to be displayed as a virtual message within the virtual space. The virtual message is posted to an interactive space within the virtual space. The method further includes associating permissions to the virtual message, such that the permissions define which of the one more virtual user avatars are able to view the virtual message that is posted to the interactive space. The virtual message is one of a plurality of virtual message posted to the interactive space, and the permissions prevent viewing of the virtual message by virtual user avatars that do not have permission to view the virtual message. The permissions may be based on one of buddy lists, game familiarity relative to other real-world users, skill level of other real-world users, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the avatars can be computer controlled bots, thus not requiring a real-world user to dictate control.

Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for managing the display of images on a head mounted device (HMD). One method includes an operation for tracking the gaze of a user wearing the HMD, where the HMD is displaying a scene of a virtual world. In addition, the method includes an operation for detecting that the gaze of the user is fixed on a predetermined area for a predetermined amount of time. In response to the detecting, the method fades out a region of the display in the HMD, while maintaining the scene of the virtual world in an area of the display outside the region. Additionally, the method includes an operation for fading in a view of the real world in the region as if the HMD were transparent to the user while the user is looking through the region. The fading in of the view of the real world includes maintaining the scene of the virtual world outside the region.

A method for managing and presenting avatar mood effects in a virtual world may include allowing a mood effect to be associated with a user's avatar in the virtual world from a plurality of predefined mood effects. The method may also include presenting the associated mood effect to other users of the virtual world.

An information processing system stores information of various types, which is obtained in the real world, in connection with keys indicative of the attribute and feature of the information so that the real-world information is stored quickly and surely in the virtual world which is formed of the linkage of information and stored information of various types is retrieved easily.

A method and system for mobile commerce, communication, and transaction processing to real-world POS. web, e-commerce, virtual terminal, mobile personal digital assistant, mobile phone, mobile device, or other computer based transactions involving either one or both financial and non-financial such as loyalty based transactions as a mobile payment system is described. One embodiment comprises using a mobile phone via a consumer mobile software application (CMA) in lieu of a consumer card (examples include physical, virtual, or chips) to conduct payment transactions in the Real or Virtual World of commerce. An embodiment is related to making payments to real-world stores via having the CMA on a mobile device on behalf of the consumer present to conduct transactions and no physical card required.

A method of providing virtual meeting environments for user controlled avatars. Each avatar is associated with user information from at least one social network (Facebook), and the user's profile picture and sex controls the general appearance of the avatars. The avatar's appearance can also be customized according to their user's social network relationships such as friends, friends of friends, or strangers. Various online virtual events, such as virtual parties, meeting rooms and the like may be created, and other social network users invited to participate by sending their avatars to the meeting environment. There the avatars may move about and interact with one another according to real-world rules, such as the rule that only avatars that are portrayed as physically being closely associated to each other in the virtual world may chat or interact, as well as exchange social network user information. Virtual environment search engines are also provided.

An Entertainment System including a website, in combination with a commercially purchased product, wherein the system allows a product user to register a primary product online using a registration code, allowing the user access to various activities and scenarios in a “virtual world” including a virtual representation of the product, via a computer connected to the Internet. Additional ancillary products are also provided that may be related to the primary product or the virtual world, with these ancillary products also being provided with one or more codes to provide additional content, bonus items, and/or bonus access in the virtual world.

Methods and systems for executing a network application is provided. The network application is defined to render a virtual environment, and the virtual environment is depicted by computer graphics. The method includes generating an animated user and controlling the animated user in the virtual environment. The method presents advertising objects in the virtual environment and detects actions by the animated user to determine if the animated user is viewing one of the advertising object in the virtual environment. Reactions of the animated user are captured when the animated user is viewing the advertising object. The reactions by the animated user within the virtual environment are those that relate to the advertising object, and are presented to a third party to determine effectiveness of the advertising object in the virtual environment. Additionally, actual reactions (e.g., physical, audible, or combinations) of the real-world user can be captured and analyzed, or captured and mapped to the avatar for analysis of the of the avatar response.

Apparatus and methods provide a player of a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) to participate in at least one aspect of the MMORPG while using a wireless device. The wireless device executes a mobile MMORPG client, which interfaces with the game server(s) of the MMORPG via a mobile MMORPG server. A location based gaming mode for use with the wireless device is disclosed.