Systems and methods for dynamically creating a custom virtual world

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11288875-B2
Application number	US-202017098161-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2020
Priority date	Sep 25, 2018
Publication date	Mar 29, 2022
Grant date	Mar 29, 2022

Abstract

An exemplary method includes a virtual world creation system detecting a request from a user of a user computing device to experience a three-dimensional (3D) virtual world, dynamically generating, in response to the request, a 3D mesh that defines a structure of a custom 3D virtual world to be experienced by the user, and providing, by the virtual world creation system, the custom 3D virtual world for experiencing by the user. The generating of the custom 3D virtual world includes selecting, based on profile information for the user and a set of virtual world building rules, a custom set of modules for inclusion in the custom 3D virtual world, and using the selected custom set of modules to generate the 3D mesh based on the set of virtual world building rules.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
detecting, by a virtual world creation system, a request from a user of a user computing device to experience a three-dimensional (3D) virtual world;
dynamically generating, by the virtual world creation system in response to the request, a 3D mesh that defines a structure of a custom 3D virtual world to be experienced by the user, the generating comprising:
selecting, based on profile information for the user and a set of virtual world building rules, a custom set of modules for inclusion in the custom 3D virtual world, the virtual world building rules comprising rules for determining how to position the custom set of modules relative to one another, and
using the selected custom set of modules to generate the 3D mesh based on the set of virtual world building rules;

detecting, by the virtual world creation system, an additional request from an additional user of an additional user computing device to experience the 3D virtual world, the additional user different from the user;
dynamically generating, by the virtual world creation system in response to the additional request, an additional 3D mesh that defines a structure of an additional custom 3D virtual world to be experienced by the additional user, the structure of the additional custom 3D virtual world different from the structure of the custom 3D virtual world, the generating comprising:
selecting, based on profile information for the additional user and the set of virtual world building rules, an additional custom set of modules for inclusion in the additional custom 3D virtual world, and
using the selected additional custom set of modules to generate the additional 3D mesh based on the set of virtual world building rules;

providing, by the virtual world creation system, the custom 3D virtual world and the additional custom 3D virtual world in a single server session for experiencing by the user and the additional user; and
generating, by the virtual world creation system, a 3D virtual connection between the custom 3D virtual world and the additional custom 3D virtual world in the single server session, the 3D virtual connection configured to facilitate virtual navigation by the user or the additional user between the custom 3D virtual world and the additional custom 3D virtual world.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of virtual world building rules further comprises rules for at least one of joining the selected custom set of modules, sizing the selected custom set of modules, orienting the custom set of modules, or cropping the custom set of modules.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of virtual world building rules further comprises specifying certain types of modules as required for the selected custom set of modules.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing of the custom 3D virtual world for experiencing by the user comprises streaming, in real time in response to the request, data representative of the dynamically generated custom 3D virtual world over a network to the user computing device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dynamically generating of the 3D virtual connection comprises:
determining a spatial relationship between the custom 3D virtual world and the additional custom 3D virtual world within a common 3D space associated with the single server session; and
generating the 3D virtual connection based on the determined spatial relationship.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the custom 3D virtual world comprises a representation of a virtual store.

7. The method of claim 1 , embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

8. A method comprising:
dynamically generating, by a virtual world creation system in response to a first request from a first user to access a virtual world and based on first profile information for the first user, a first custom 3D virtual world to be experienced by the first user;
dynamically generating, by the virtual world creation system in response to a second request from a second user to access the virtual world and based on second profile information for the second user, a second custom 3D virtual world to be experienced by the second user, the second user different from the first user;
dynamically generating, by the virtual world creation system, a custom 3D virtual connection that virtually connects the first custom 3D virtual world and the second custom 3D virtual world, dynamically generating the custom 3D virtual connection comprising:
selecting, from a world set of transition modules based on the first profile information, the second profile information, and a set of virtual world building rules, a custom set of transition modules for inclusion in the custom 3D virtual connection, and
using the selected custom set of transition modules to generate, based on the set of virtual world building rules, a connection 3D mesh that defines a structure of the custom 3D virtual connection; and

providing, by the virtual world creation system in a single server session, a cohesive 3D virtual world that includes the first custom 3D virtual world, the second custom 3D virtual world, and the custom 3D virtual connection,
wherein the cohesive 3D virtual world is navigable by each of the first user and the second user during the single server session.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
the generating of the first custom 3D virtual world to be experienced by the first user comprises:
selecting, from the world set of modules based on first profile information for the first user and the set of virtual world building rules, a first custom set of modules for inclusion in the first custom 3D virtual world, and
using the selected first custom set of modules to generate, based on the set of virtual world building rules, a first 3D mesh that defines a structure of the first custom 3D virtual world; and

the generating of the second custom 3D virtual world to be experienced by the second user comprises:
selecting, from the world set of modules based on second profile information for the second user and the set of virtual world building rules, a second custom set of modules for inclusion in the second custom 3D virtual world, and
using the selected second custom set of modules to generate, based on the set of virtual world building rules, a second 3D mesh that defines a structure of the second custom 3D virtual world, the second 3D mesh different from the first 3D mesh.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the selecting of the first custom set of modules for inclusion in the first custom 3D virtual world comprises:
selecting, based on the first profile information for the first user, a set of key modules for inclusion in the first custom 3D virtual world; and
selecting, based on the selected set of key modules and the set of virtual world building rules, a set of additional modules for inclusion in the custom 3D virtual world.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the dynamically generating of the custom 3D virtual connection comprises:
determining a spatial relationship between the first custom 3D virtual world and the second custom 3D virtual world within a common 3D space associated with the single server session; and
generating the custom 3D virtual connection based on the determined spatial relationship.

12. The method of claim 8 , embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the set of virtual world building rules comprises rules for determining how to position the custom set of modules relative to one another.

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Khalid Mohammad Raheel
• Brown Craig Elliott
• Knight Joseph M

Classifications

• G06T17/20 Primary

  Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, {tesselation} · CPC title

• G06T19/20

  Editing of three-dimensional [3D] images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts · CPC title

• G06T2219/2008

  Assembling, disassembling · CPC title

• G06T19/003

  Navigation within 3D models or images · CPC title

• G06T19/006 Primary

  Mixed reality (object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00) · CPC title