Deferred Teleportation or Relocation in Virtual Worlds

Abstract

A user of a virtual universe system is provided with the option of deferring a response to an invitation for an avatar to be relocated (including relocation by performing a (exportation operation) by providing for selective storage of received invitations in a queue with a priority determined based on one or more rules which can preferably be developed by conversion from an invitation. Status of issuers of invitations can be monitored or the issuers polled and the current status can be displayed to a user to determine actions to be taken in manipulating priority in the queue. The user is also provided with the capability of editing priority of stored invitations including the ability to accept, reject or forward the invitation or convert the invitation to a landmark. Invitations having similarities may be grouped in accordance with any desired metadata contained in the invitation. Rules can also be set from the virtual universe system independently of a user in regard to priority and thus provides a new form of advertising.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of managing teleportation invitations in a virtual universe, said method comprising:
 logically analyzing an incoming teleportation invitation on the basis of at least the sender and proposed teleportation location; and   responsive to results of said logically analyzing step, automatically performing one of:
 accepting the invitation, 
 rejecting the invitation, and 
 deferring response to the invitation by placing the invitation in a queue at a queue location having a priority based on said logically analyzing step. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein said logically analyzing step is performed based on rules in regard to metadata corresponding to at least an issuer of the invitation and a destination of the invitation. 
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 2  wherein said rules are created based on metadata in an invitation. 
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 3  wherein a rule specifics how a user is alerted to receipt of an invitation. 
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein a landmark is selectively created in response to results of said logically analyzing step or by user manipulation of said queue. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , further including altering order of invitations or controlling grouping of invitations in said queue by a user. 
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , further including indicating status of issuers of respective invitations in said queue. 
     
     
         8 . A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium or a communication link supplying signals comprising a computer program, said computer program, when run on a computer, causing said computer to perform:
 logically analyzing an incoming teleportation invitation on the basis of at least the sender and proposed teleportation location; and   responsive to results of said logically analyzing step, automatically performing one of:
 accepting the invitation, 
 rejecting the invitation, and 
 deferring response to the invitation by placing the invitation in a queue at a queue location having a priority based on said logically analyzing step. 
   
     
     
         9 . The computer program product as recited in  claim 8  wherein said logically analyzing step is performed based on rules in regard to metadata corresponding to at least an issuer of the invitation and a destination of the invitation. 
     
     
         10 . The computer program product as recited in  claim 9  wherein said rules are created based on metadata in an invitation. 
     
     
         11 . The computer program product as recited in  claim 10  wherein a rule specifies how a user is alerted to receipt of an invitation. 
     
     
         12 . The computer program product as recited in  claim 8 , wherein a landmark is selectively created in response to results of said logically analyzing step or by user manipulation of said queue. 
     
     
         13 . The computer program product as recited in  claim 8 , wherein said program further causes the computer to perform:
 altering order of invitations or controlling grouping of invitations in said queue by a user.   
     
     
         14 . The computer program product as recited in  claim 8 , wherein said program causes the computer to perform the further step of indicating status of issuers of respective invitations in said queue. 
     
     
         15 . A virtual universe system including
 comparison means to compare metadata in an invitation to a plurality of rules,   storage for containing a queue of said invitations,   means for storing an invitation in said queue with a priority determined in accordance with a rule of said plurality of rules, and   means for manipulating priority of invitations, accepting an invitation or rejecting an invitation stored in said queue whereby an invitation may be deferred.   
     
     
         16 . The virtual universe system as recited in  claim 15 , further including
 polling means for determining status of issuers of respective invitations in said queue and displaying said status to a user.   
     
     
         17 . The virtual universe system as recited in  claim 15 , further including
 means for converting an invitation to form a rule of said plurality of rules.   
     
     
         18 . The virtual universe system as recited in  claim 15 , wherein a rule of said plurality of rules specifies how a user is notified of receipt of an invitation. 
     
     
         19 . The virtual universe system as recited in  claim 15 , wherein a rule of said plurality of rules is specified from said virtual universe system independently of user action. 
     
     
         20 . A method of advertising using a virtual universe system including
 logically analyzing an invitation in accordance with a rule; and   deferring response to said invitation by storing said invitation in a queue with a priority specified in said rule from said virtual universe system and independently of a user.   
     
     
         21 . A method of operating a virtual universe (VU system on a plurality of networked data processors, said method comprising configuring at least one data processor of said plurality of data processors to provide comparison means to compare metadata in an invitation to a plurality of rules,
 storage for containing a queue of said invitations,   means for storing an invitation in said queue with a priority determined in accordance with a rule of said plurality of rules, and   means for manipulating priority of invitations, accepting and invitation or rejecting an invitation stored in said queue whereby an invitation may be deferred.