Abstract: A directory maintains a record of where a user is located within a plurality of virtual environments. As the user moves within a virtual environment or between virtual environments the user's location is updated in the directory. The user (invitation sender) may send invitations to other users (invitation recipients) to meet the user at a particular time. The invitation may be implemented as a URI which may be sent by Instant Message, E-mail, chat, etc. When an invitation recipient clicks on the URI to accept the invitation, the invitation will be validated and, if valid, enable the invitation recipient to move to the current location of the invitation sender. Invitations may be to meet the invitation sender or to follow the invitation sender. Where the invitation is to follow the invitation sender, a group may be formed that can move within and between virtual environments.

Abstract: System and method for transparent single sign-on authentication on computers in a networked environment. A preferred embodiment comprises receiving an authentication request from an operating system of a first computer, requesting credentials of an application making the authentication request, authenticating the credentials, storing the credentials if the authentication is successful, and transmitting the credentials to a second computer. On subsequent access requests made by the user on the second computer, the credentials can be retrieved from the secure store, eliminating the need to prompt the user to re-enter authentication information.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling interaction with a large number of participants in a three dimensional computer-generated virtual environment is provided. In one embodiment, a participant in a three dimensional computer-generated virtual environment is able to simultaneously exist in multiple areas of a sliced virtual environment or in multiple instances of an instanced virtual environment. In this embodiment, the user's Avatar is replicated across the multiple regions/instances to simultaneously appear to users supported by multiple servers. Since users on multiple servers are able to see and hear the replicated Avatar, the virtual environment may be used to present information to a larger number of users than would be able to see the presenter's Avatar in the virtual environment hosted by a single virtual environment server.

Abstract: The present application relates to a virtual environment that is capable of using data stored on external content servers to help at least one participant in the virtual environment identify one or more other participants in the same virtual environment. One example of external content server is a social networking server of a social networking site such as Facebook™, Myspace™, LinkedIn™ and Cyworld™, which stores millions of detailed user profiles.

Abstract: System and method for transparent single sign-on authentication on computers in a networked environment. A preferred embodiment comprises receiving an authentication request from an operating system of a first computer, requesting credentials of an application making the authentication request, authenticating the credentials, storing the credentials if the authentication is successful, and transmitting the credentials to a second computer. On subsequent access requests made by the user on the second computer, the credentials can be retrieved from the secure store, eliminating the need to prompt the user to re-enter authentication information.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of data and computer network security. Data and computer network security is of the utmost importance to most organizations that possess such networks. One of the difficulties that users and managers of these networks face is that the users have to provide a user ID and password every time they wish to access one of the organization's secured HTTP servers or URLs. This creates a problem for users and managers since lists of numerous user IDs and passwords need to be maintained and therefore can easily be lost or their confidentiality compromised. This invention addresses these problems by providing a transparent, scalable, single point of authentication for remote users across any number of HTTP servers anywhere on a data network, such as an Intranet, using any user ID and password scheme implemented by a main authentication HTTP server.