Inclusion of web content in a virtual environment
View Patent ↗A virtual environment server records and broadcasts a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), browser state information, and optionally clipping parameters, that are to be associated with a three dimensional (3D) surface in a virtual environment. When a user's Avatar encounters the 3D surface in the virtual environment, the client obtains the URL and browser state information, and obtains the web content using a standard web browser. The web content is stored into an off-screen buffer. The content from the off-screen buffer is then rendered locally as a texture map onto the 3D surface of the virtual environment. Whenever one of the users interacts with the web content, a new URL and new browser state information is used to obtain the updated web content in the same way. The new URL and new browser state information is also passed from the client to the server, so that the server may update the URL and new browser state information in each of the other clients associated with each of the other users.
1. A computer-implemented method of including web content in a three-dimensional computer-generated virtual environment, the method comprising the steps of:
running a first virtual environment client on a first computer;
receiving, by the first virtual environment client from a virtual environment server, a first Uniform Resourced Locator (URL) and first browser state defining the web content that is to be associated with a three dimensional surface at a first location in a virtual environment implemented by the first virtual environment client when a first Avatar associated with a first user is proximate the first location in the virtual environment;
passing the first URL and first browser state from the first virtual environment client to a first web browser running on the first computer;
obtaining, by the first web browser, the first web content associated with the first URL and first browser state;
passing the first web content from the first web browser to the first virtual environment client;
rendering, by the first virtual environment client, the first web content onto the three dimensional surface at the first location in the three dimensional computer-generated virtual environment to allow the first user to view the first web content on the three dimensional surface at the first location in the virtual environment;
receiving input, by the first virtual environment client from the first user, the input specifying a second URL that is to be associated with the three dimensional surface at the first location in the virtual environment;
passing the second URL from the first virtual environment client to the first web browser;
obtaining, by the first web browser, second web content and second browser state associated with the second URL;
passing the second web content and second browser state from the first web browser to the first virtual environment client;
passing the second URL and second browser state, but not the second web content, from the first virtual environment client to the virtual environment server;
forwarding, by the virtual environment server, the second URL and second browser state to virtual environment clients of other users of the virtual environment when avatars associated with the other users of the virtual environment are proximate the first location in the virtual environment to enable the other users to independently obtain the second web content to be displayed on the three dimensional surface at the first location in the three dimensional computer-generated virtual environment.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first web content is obtained by the first web browser independently of the first virtual environment client.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first web content is obtained from a web server independent of the virtual environment server.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first URL and first browser state are obtained by the first virtual environment client from the three dimensional surface.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first browser state includes a set of cookies.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first browser state further includes JavaScript variables.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of receiving, by the virtual environment server, a third URL and third browser state from a second user, the third URL and third browser state to be associated with the three dimensional surface in the virtual environment.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising the steps of
forwarding, by the virtual environment server, the third URL and third browser state to the first virtual environment client;
passing the third URL and third browser state from the first virtual environment client to the first web browser;
obtaining, by the first web browser, the third web content associated with the third URL and third browser state;
passing the third web content from the first web browser to the first virtual environment client;
rendering, by the first virtual environment client, the third web content onto the three dimensional surface at the first location in the three dimensional computer-generated virtual environment to allow the first user to view the third web content on the three dimensional surface at the first location in the virtual environment.
9. A method of enabling multiple users of a virtual environment to have access to web content as the users encounter web content locations within the virtual environment, the method comprising the steps of:
associating a first URL and first browser state with a three dimensional surface implementing a web content location within the three dimensional virtual environment;
transmitting the first URL and first browser state to a first user virtual environment client, the first URL and first browser state being transmitted along with parameters describing the three dimensional surface as a first Avatar representing the first user encounters the web content location within the virtual environment to cause the first user virtual environment client to obtain first web content associated with the first URL and first browser state and display the first web content on the three dimensional surface;
receiving a second URL and second browser state from a second user virtual environment client in connection with interaction between a second Avatar representing a second user and the three dimensional surface in the virtual environment; and
transmitting the second URL and second browser state to the first user virtual environment client to cause the first user virtual environment client to obtain second web content associated with the second URL and second browser state and display the second web content on the three dimensional surface.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first URL enables users of the three dimensional virtual environment to obtain the first web content associated with the first URL from a first web server unaffiliated with a server supporting the virtual environment, wherein the parameters describing the three dimensional surface enable the web content to be mapped into the virtual environment, and wherein the first browser state enables the first and second users to have a synchronized view of the web content within the virtual environment.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second browser state includes a set of cookies.