Providing alternative representations of virtual content in a virtual universe
View Patent ↗An invention for automatically reducing a load on a server functioning with a virtual universe is provided. In one embodiment, there is an alternative representation tool, including a detection component configured to detect a load on a server, and a determination component configured to determine whether the load on the server exceeds a predefined threshold. The alternative representation tool further comprises a rendering component configured to provide an alternative representation of a virtual content renderable in the virtual universe to reduce the load on the server in the case that the load on the server exceeds the predefined threshold.
1. A method for automatically reducing a load on a server functioning with a virtual universe, comprising:
detecting a load on the server;
determining whether the load on the server exceeds a predefined threshold; and
providing, in response to a determination that the load on the server exceeds the predefined threshold, an alternative representation of a virtual content renderable in the virtual universe that reduces the load on the server, wherein a modification order of the alternative representation is pre-selected by a user tagging objects within a region of the virtual universe that are to be eliminated.
2. The method according to claim 1 , the providing comprising automatically modifying a definition of the virtual content renderable in the virtual universe.
3. The method according to claim 1 , the alternative representation of the virtual content renderable in the virtual universe comprising at least one of the following: a simplified geometric representation of at least a portion of the virtual content renderable in the virtual universe, a simplified textual representation of at least a portion of the virtual content renderable in the virtual universe, or a modified media stream renderable in the virtual universe.
4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising restricting access to a region of the virtual universe in the case that the load on the server exceeds the predefined threshold.
5. The method according to claim 4 , the restricting comprising selectively moving avatars to a different region based on at least one of the following removal rules: random removal, removal based on the order of entrance into region, and removal of avatars within a region who appear to be idle.
6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising pre-selecting objects within a region of the virtual universe that are to be eliminated in the case that the load on the server exceeds a predefined threshold.
7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising charging a fee for providing alternative representations of the virtual content renderable in the virtual universe.
8. A computer system for automatically reducing a load on a server functioning with a virtual universe, comprising:
at least one processing unit;
memory operably associated with the at least one processing unit; and
an alternative representation tool storable in memory and executable by the at least one processing unit that, when executed by the at least one processing unit, performs a method comprising:
detecting a load on the server;
determining whether the load on the server exceeds a predefined threshold; and providing, in response to a determination that the load on the server exceeds the
predefined threshold, an alternative representation of a virtual content renderable in the virtual universe that reduces the load on the server, wherein a modification order of the alternative representation is pre-selected by a user tagging objects within a region of the virtual universe that are to be eliminated.
9. The alternative representation tool according to claim 8 , the rendering component configured to automatically modify a definition of the virtual content renderable in the virtual universe.
10. The alternative representation tool according to claim 8 , the alternative representation of the virtual content renderable in the virtual universe comprising at least one of the following: a simplified geometric representation of at least a portion of the virtual content renderable in the virtual universe, a simplified textual representation of at least a portion of the virtual content renderable in the virtual universe, or a modified media stream renderable in the virtual universe.
11. The alternative representation tool according to claim 8 further comprising a blocking component configured to restrict access to a region of the virtual universe in the case that the load on the server exceeds the predefined threshold.
12. The alternative representation tool according to claim 11 , the blocking component configured to selectively move avatars to a different region based on at least one of the following removal rules: random removal, removal based on the order of entrance into region, and removal of avatars within a region who appear to be idle.
13. The alternative representation tool according to claim 8 further comprising a selection component configured to pre-select objects within a region of the virtual universe that are to be eliminated in the case that the load on the server exceeds a predefined threshold.
14. The alternative representation tool according to claim 8 further comprising charging a fee for providing alternative representations of the virtual content renderable in the virtual universe.
15. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, which when executed, enables a computer system to automatically reduce a load on a server functioning with a virtual universe, the computer instructions comprising:
detecting a load on the server;
determining whether the load on the server exceeds a predefined threshold; and
providing, in response to a determination that the load on the server exceeds the predefined threshold, an alternative representation of a virtual content renderable in the virtual universe that reduces the load on the server, wherein a modification order of the alternative representation is pre-selected by a user tagging objects within a region of the virtual universe that are to be eliminated.
16. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15 , the providing comprising computer instructions for automatically modifying a definition of the virtual content renderable in the virtual universe.
17. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15 , the alternative representation of the virtual content renderable in the virtual universe comprising at least one of the following: a simplified geometric representation of at least a portion of the virtual content renderable in the virtual universe, a simplified textual representation of at least a portion of the virtual content renderable in the virtual universe, or a modified media stream renderable in the virtual universe.
18. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15 , further comprising computer instructions for restricting access to a region of the virtual universe in the case that the load on the server exceeds a predefined threshold.
19. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 18 , the computer instructions for restricting comprising selectively moving avatars to a different region based on at least one of the following removal rules: random removal, removal based on the order of entrance into region, and removal of avatars within a region who appear to be idle.
20. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 15 further comprising computer instructions for pre-selecting objects within a region of the virtual universe that are to be eliminated in the case that the load on the server exceeds a predefined threshold.