International Business Machines Corporation

Donald Robert Wood

David Bruce Lection

Sarah D Redpath

Abbott Purdy Brush, Ii

Gennaro A Cuomo

David Allen Schell

David Christopher Dryer

A technique for alerting users to the existence of an interactive station within a virtual world accessible via the World Wide Web and determining whether the user is authorized to access the interactive station. An indicator is provided within the virtual world which shows to users the location and existence of an interactive station of the virtual world. The user selects the interactive station indicator in order to attempt to gain access to the interactive station. The virtual world may then verify whether the user is authorized to access the interactive station. Further, if the user is authorized to access the interactive station, the virtual world may maintain access to user data during the user's visit to the interactive station and modify the users data in accordance with the users activities therein. Also, the virtual world may use data provided by the user to perform functions in accordance with the users activities during the user's access to the interactive station.

Interactive station indicator and user qualifier for virtual worlds

A technique for providing enhanced intuitive navigation in a virtual world. User selectable hot spots are provided within a virtual world that users may select to automatically be moved to predetermined move-to coordinates within the virtual world. The user may be transported directly to the move-to coordinates or the user may have its motion controlled by the virtual world to in essence walk the user to the move-to coordinates within the virtual world. The selectable hot spot may become inactive following selection of the hot spot by a user until the user moves off of the move-to coordinates, or a plurality of move-to coordinates may be provided such that the hot spot remains active until all of the move-to coordinates are occupied by users. Additionally, the hot spot may be visually enhanced to make it easier to be seen and selected when the user is more than a predetermined distance from the hot spot within the virtual world.

Visual metaphor for shortcut navigation in a virtual world

A method and apparatus wherein a user interacts with an intelligent virtual object, or avatar, wherein the user is able to program a personality into the intelligent virtual object. The programmed personality allows the intelligent virtual object to react to stimuli without the need to communicate each stimuli to the user. This optimizes the flow of traffic over the transmission medium.

User interaction with intelligent virtual objects, avatars, which

A method and system for controlling the expression of emotion on a graphical representation of a face on a computer system. The system allows the user to indicate the intensity of the emotion to be displayed using a two dimensional plane. Each point on the plane representing a different variation of the direction and intensity of the Control and Affiliation emotions. When the user chooses the point on the plane to represent the emotion, the eyes, eyebrows and mouth of the graphical face are manipulated to represent the indicated emotion.

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Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Donald Robert Wood