The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 19, 2002
Filed:
Feb. 24, 1998
Donald P. Mitchell, Bellevue, WA (US);
Steven M. Drucker, Bellevue, WA (US);
Kirk J. Marple, Redmond, WA (US);
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA (US);
Abstract
A virtual world environment (VWE) employing a client-server architecture to organize data defining the VWE and objects contained therein in a system of distributed databases. An object in the VWE is one of four basic types including: an artifact, an avatar, a portal, and a room. A world database is maintained by a server computer and is the central storehouse for data defining the entire VWE. Each user has a client computer that is coupled in communication with the server computer. The client computer administers a local database defining at least a portion of the VWE. Each object that is affected by a change in another object is said to be in a bystander region of the other object. The local database maintained by the user's client computer is only updated by the server computer to include changes to the objects associated with the client computer (user) in the bystander region of the other object, i.e., changes evident to an object associated with the user. As a result, many more users can be supported by the server computer and data transmission over the network link between the server and client computers is minimized.