Quotables
"Flight by machines heavier than air is unpractical and insignificant, if not utterly impossible."
Simon Newcomb, astronomer ; Said in 1902, less than two years before the first flight at Kitty Hawk
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8191001 | Shared virtual area communication environment based apparatus and methods Improved systems and methods for navigating and interacting in virtual communication environments are described. At least some of these systems and methods provide a framework that includes one or more virtual areas and supports realtime communications between the c... | 05/29/2012 |
| 8185829 | Method and system for rating exchangeable gestures via communications in virtual world applications A method, system and computer-readable medium are disclosed for rating exchangeable gestures in a virtual world application. The method includes making a gesture owned by a first user of the virtual world application available to a second user of the virtual world a... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8165991 | Management of recorded data for online simulations Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to online simulations. In one embodiment of the invention, a method for managing recorded data for an online simulation can be provided. The method can include determining that a first e... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8161398 | Assistive group setting management in a virtual world Systems, methods and articles of manufacture are disclosed for presenting a visual cue to a user in a virtual world. A cursor cycle allows the user to specify an avatar of focus by cycling through avatars in the virtual world. Visual cues of an avatar of focus are p... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8161397 | Interaction between real-world digital environments and virtual worlds In one embodiment, a method for operating a local virtual world proxy is provided. A virtual world view is received corresponding to a virtual world client. Information about resources available to the virtual world client is obtained. Virtual representations of one... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8151198 | System and method for item-based economy in a virtual world There is provided a system and method for an item-based economy in a virtual world. There is provided a server for providing an item exchange for a virtual world lacking a common currency for item valuation, comprising a processor configured to receive a request fro... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8151199 | Computational delivery system for avatar and background game content Data defining an avatar is received over a network. A sprite sheet comprising a plurality of sprites is created, using the data defining the avatar. Each sprite includes a partial rendering of the respective avatar and at least one run-time parameter including a spr... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8145516 | Cross-virtual-world resource scheduling framework A cross-world framework for providing integrated scheduling and reservation of virtual resources. Users are allowed to access the scheduling application from a website or an in-world interface. According to one embodiment, the framework uses the iCal industry standa... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8140982 | Method and system for splitting virtual universes into distinct entities Systems and methods for allowing an administrator or program to select a region or set of avatars in a virtual universe grid for splitting into another, separate and distinct virtual universe grid. If a region is selected, all of the avatars and virtual universe res... | 03/20/2012 |
| 8127236 | Virtual universe subject matter expert assistance Methods, devices and systems are provided for enabling virtual universe users to find and engage subject matter experts within a virtual universe by defining a virtual universe subject matter expert conduit within the virtual universe. A virtual universe user avatar... | 02/28/2012 |
| 8127235 | Automatic increasing of capacity of a virtual space in a virtual world A system and method for automatically increasing a capacity of a virtual space in a virtual world. It is determined if an allowable number of avatars are currently in the virtual space, and a capacity of the virtual space is increased when the allowable number of av... | 02/28/2012 |
| 8117529 | Object based navigation The object based navigation is an intelligent user interface that uses a source object to determine which target information is to be presented to the user. This is done by associating an object to one or more operations, so that selection of a given source object w... | 02/14/2012 |
| 8117551 | Computer system and method of using presence visualizations of avatars as persistable virtual contact objects Computer method and apparatus represent users by respective avatars in a subject virtual environment. The invention system displays the avatars in the virtual environment, and for each avatar, displays in proximity to the avatar, a respective trail of virtual contac... | 02/14/2012 |
| 8095881 | Method for locating a teleport target station in a virtual world 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 ob... | 01/10/2012 |
| 8082245 | Providing location information within a virtual world Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for providing information describing locations to users of an immersive virtual environment. In one embodiment, patterns of locations visited by various users of the virtual environment may be stored in a searchable da... | 12/20/2011 |
| 8060829 | Participation profiles of virtual world players A method and system provides arrangements creating a relationship between a real-world entity and a virtual world environment. A participant or player can participate in various virtual world activities including transactions to acquire virtual products, virtual ser... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8046700 | System for managing encounters in a virtual world environment Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for providing information for avoiding specific users of an immersive virtual environment. Generally, a primary user may specify other users to be avoided in a blacklist. The blacklisted users may be specified to be av... | 10/25/2011 |
| 8042050 | Method and apparatus for interactive broadcasting A method of creating an interactive broadcast, comprising allowing a plurality of participants to vote on an aspect of a scenario in a virtual space, the broadcast being a computer-generated animated scenario comprising graphics and audio, the participants voting by... | 10/18/2011 |
| 8042051 | Apparatus for navigation and interaction in a virtual meeting place An apparatus for providing for virtual communication and collaboration comprises a collaborative virtual environment (CVE) application executing within a distributed data processing system, and a navigation module implemented within the CVE application. The CVE appl... | 10/18/2011 |
| 8037416 | Presenting and filtering objects in a virtual world Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for filtering and presenting elements of an immersive virtual environment. The elements may be filtered according to importance to the user, based on user-specified importance of each element, the number and type of pa... | 10/11/2011 |
| 7966567 | Character expression in a geo-spatial environment A method, apparatus and system of character expression in a geo-spatial environment are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes generating a community network of user profiles, each user profile associated with a specific geographic location, associating a f... | 06/21/2011 |
| 7930628 | Enabled device and a method of operating a set of devices A markup language enabled device (17) comprises storage means (21) storing data, the data for enabling augmentation of an experience by providing extra functionality to a movie or a game for example. The device (17) further comprises transmittin... | 04/19/2011 |
| 7882443 | Method for improving queue experience in a three-dimensional virtual environment A method improving a customers experience in a queue located in a three-dimensional virtual environment is provided. The method includes the creation of computer controlled pseudo avatars that are added and removed from queues to create the perception that the queue... | 02/01/2011 |
| 7840903 | Group content representations A system and method are provided for representing content made accessible by a group of users. In general, a group content representation that is descriptive of content made accessible by the group of users is presented to an interested user. In one embodiment, the ... | 11/23/2010 |
| 7823074 | Service providing apparatus and method, and information processing apparatus and method Systems and methods are provided which can be used to control electrical household appliances connected to a home network by use of a GUI having an entertainment-oriented virtual space capability. A virtual space is arranged with a mascot dedicated to the user of an... | 10/26/2010 |
| 7802193 | Controlling motion using a human machine interface Machine motion is directed using a graphical interface by establishing an icon in an image, displaying the icon in images having perspectives such that the icon is rendered in a corresponding relative position in the second images and moving the icons in the second ... | 09/21/2010 |
| 7792801 | Controlling and using virtual universe wish lists Described herein are processes and devices that control and use virtual universe wish lists. One of the devices described is a virtual wish list device. The virtual wish list device determines an item in a virtual universe that is a desired by an avatar. The virtual... | 09/07/2010 |
| 7673246 | Image information processing apparatus and method, virtual space presentation apparatus, information administration apparatus, and control methods thereof An image information processing apparatus is provided to generate, from previously held image data, a display image according to a viewpoint designated by a user, and to communicate with a control apparatus which can communicate with plural image information process... | 03/02/2010 |
| 7610558 | Information processing apparatus and method An information processing apparatus generates and displays a mixed reality image in which a plurality of subjects have virtual objects by their hands. The apparatus includes a unit for measuring a position of the hand of the subject, a unit for measuring a view posi... | 10/27/2009 |
| 7594179 | Information processing system, service providing apparatus and method, information processing apparatus and method, recording medium, and program The present invention is related to an information processing system, a service providing apparatus and method, an information processing apparatus and method, a recording medium, and a program that are intended to control electrical household appliances connected t... | 09/22/2009 |
| 7577913 | Method of using a fovea type pointer in a video conferencing system including at least two 2-dimensional display screens forming a common virtual surface Using a fovea type pointer in a video conferencing system including 2-dimensional display screen forming a virtual surface between participants interacting with the display screens. The virtual surface is utilized as a 3-dimensional rocker for pivoting an image disp... | 08/18/2009 |
| 7533346 | Interactive spatalized audiovisual system An interactive spatialized audiovisual system links a plurality of remote used terminals. The system comprises a networked computer having an associated user database including user status information. Input means are provided at the computer for receiving a plurali... | 05/12/2009 |
| 7506264 | Method and apparatus for presenting navigable data center information in virtual reality using leading edge rendering engines A method, an apparatus, and computer instructions are provided for presenting navigable data center information in virtual reality using leading edge rendering engines. Virtual rooms may be constructed using the mechanism of the present invention to include data cen... | 03/17/2009 |
| 7441198 | Virtual collaboration window system and method This invention is a method for manipulating virtual objects displayed on a video conference broadcast by generating a computerized three dimensional image of an object to be superimposed on a first video broadcast signal from a local video camera for display on a re... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7434168 | Method and apparatus for sending E-mail, method and apparatus for receiving E-mail, sending/receiving method and apparatus for E-mail, sending program supplying medium, receiving program supplying medium and sending/receiving program supplying medium A method and apparatus for sending or receiving an E-mail using animated representation as if a pet were going out of or coming into a GUI picture simulating the insides of both a sender's room and a receiver's room for letter delivery and dispatch. Moreover, the pe... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7426539 | Dynamic bandwidth control Data transfer over a computer network relating to a data object of a multiple user network application, from a network user who owns the data object to an updating user, is achieved by transfer of a subset of data fields that define the data object, such that the su... | 09/16/2008 |
| 7423653 | Displaying graphical textures A method of displaying a graphical texture comprises determining whether an update exists for a particular content element from among one or more content elements, wherein each content element is associated with one or more textures; if an update exists for the part... | 09/09/2008 |
| 7421660 | Method and apparatus to visually present discussions for data mining purposes A method of organizing information is disclosed. The method comprises providing a visualization of actor communications in the context of one or more discussion, a discussion including at least one actor and at least one documented communication. ... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7395509 | Temporal visualizations of collaborative exchanges A user interface (UI), which reflects exchanges in the past and the future between a user and entities. The UI includes a background having a user defined granularity, a plurality of dots, which can represent at least one collaborative exchange of a user and which a... | 07/01/2008 |
| 7376903 | 3D display system and method A 3D volumetric display system is configured to generate 3D diagnostic displays of 3D volumetric data acquired from a patient by an imaging system in a virtual-reality environment and to permit a user to conduct diagnostic interpretation of images in the virtual-rea... | 05/20/2008 |
