International Business Machines Corporation

Tracy Mark Harris

David Michael Chess

Mitchell Adam Cohen

Michael C Pitman

David W Levine

Martin Clarence Sturzenbecker

James Allen Walters

Shenlei Elizabeth Winkler

Systems and methods are provided for conducting the entire development process of new products, such as clothing or fashion designs, from conception through production in a virtual world. The virtual world is a multi-user three-dimensional persistent interactive graphical environment in which a plurality of avatars can interact as if interacting in the physical world to develop a new product. The avatars represent actual individuals that are contributors to the product development process. Each avatar can communicate with other avatars, can interact with and modify the graphical environment and can manipulate three-dimensional objects within the graphical environment for purposes of demonstration, explanation or review. Databases containing the necessary elements for product design are provided and are accessible by the avatars within the graphical environment.

Method and apparatus for virtual world based product design

A generic interface between an electronic commerce frontend and a business management backend is provided via an object oriented computer program product. In operation, the program creates one or more specific business objects from a plurality of specific business object classes. The program also provides a framework within which the business objects travel. A first framework instance is coupled to the frontend, and a second framework instance is coupled to the backend. In response to a request from the frontend or backend, the framework instance coupled to the requesting end creates a specific business object to perform the requested operation. Specific Business Objects are derived from a common class containing the methods required by the framework, a specific business object class containing the methods for performing a specific business function (e.g., order, provide production information, etc.), a frontend adapter class containing the methods for mapping data from the frontend to the business object, and a backend adapter class containing the methods for mapping data from the business object to a backend.

Method and apparatus for conducting electronic commerce

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Rochester, MN, United States of America

Tracy Mark Harris