Abstract: There is provided a method of managing content within a rich multimedia interaction comprising identifying a set of content objects associated with the rich multimedia interaction, determining a display subset and a reserve subset from the set of content objects, displaying the display subset, activating the reserve content objects in a minimized state, and providing a content control virtual tool configured to group and present a count of the reserve content objects according to their content object classes. The content control virtual tool is further configured to enable a user of the rich multimedia interaction to reassign content objects between the display subset and the reserve subset. A system for managing content within a rich multimedia interaction comprises a content server, a content object database, and a content management software application stored on a data storage unit.

Abstract: A persistent companion robot supports both one-on-one interaction with a human and group interaction with more than one human. The interaction can be directed to a human in detectable proximity, such as a human that is near to the robot, one that is further away from the robot, or any combination of near and far humans. The interaction incorporates multi-modal human input detection (e.g., seeing, hearing, tactile) with multi-modal expression (e.g., movement, speech, non-speech sound, lighting, electronic imagery, and the like.

Abstract: There is provided a system and method for server-side avatar pre-rendering. There is provided a server for providing pre-rendered avatars, the server comprising a memory and a processor. The processor is configured to receive a request from a client for an avatar distinguished by a unique identifier to be pre-rendered, retrieve avatar render data using the unique identifier, process the avatar render data through an avatar pre-render application to create a pre-rendered avatar in a defined representation, write the pre-rendered avatar into the memory, and send the pre-rendered avatar from the memory to the client in response to the request. The pre-rendered avatar may further be written to a non-volatile storage, providing cached responses to future requests of the pre-rendered avatar. The avatar render data may include vectors or polygons, and the defined representations may include static bitmap images or animated video segments.

Abstract: There is provided a system and method for facilitating variations in a time scale for a shared environment. There is provided a method for use by a processor of a server for facilitating variations in a time scale for a shared environment, the method comprising receiving a message generated by a first client of a plurality of clients in response to a variation in the time scale, for rendering the shared environment, caused by a user of the first client, and sending a second message to a second client of the plurality of clients in response to receiving the first message to communicate the variation in the time scale caused by the first client, so as to cause the second client to render the shared environment approximately synchronously in accordance with the variation in the time scale.

Abstract: There is provided a system and method for facilitating unitized maneuvers for a shared environment to mitigate the effects of network latency. There is provided a method for use by a processor of a server for facilitating unitized maneuvers for a shared environment, the method comprising receiving a first message generated by a first client of a plurality of clients in response to the first client initiating a first unitized maneuver on a first object for rendering the shared environment and sending a second message to a second client of the plurality of clients in response to receiving the first message to communicate the first unitized maneuver so as to cause the second client to render the first object executing the first unitized maneuver in the shared environment approximately synchronously with the first client until a first end time determinable using parameters of the first unitized maneuver.

Abstract: There is provided a method of producing a rich multimedia interaction comprising identifying a theme of the rich multimedia interaction, determining its dynamic display attributes based on the theme, determining a cooperation protocol governing interplay amongst the dynamic display attributes, and designating a background. The method further comprises selecting a display motif of the rich multimedia interaction, and generating the rich multimedia interaction for display, using one or more sub-applications configured to apply the cooperation protocol to the dynamic display attributes to produce enhanced dynamic display attributes and to adapt the enhanced dynamic display attributes to the display motif and integrate the enhanced dynamic display attributes with the background.

Abstract: There is provided a method of producing a rich multimedia interaction comprising identifying a theme of the rich multimedia interaction, determining its dynamic display attributes based on the theme, determining a cooperation protocol governing interplay amongst the dynamic display attributes, and designating a background. The method further comprises selecting a display motif of the rich multimedia interaction, and generating the rich multimedia interaction for display, using one or more sub-applications configured to apply the cooperation protocol to the dynamic display attributes to produce enhanced dynamic display attributes and to adapt the enhanced dynamic display attributes to the display motif and integrate the enhanced dynamic display attributes with the background.

Abstract: There is provided a method of producing a rich multimedia interaction comprising identifying a theme of the rich multimedia interaction, determining its dynamic display attributes based on the theme, determining a cooperation protocol governing interplay amongst the dynamic display attributes, and designating a background. The method further comprises selecting a display motif of the rich multimedia interaction, and generating the rich multimedia interaction for display, using one or more sub-applications configured to apply the cooperation protocol to the dynamic display attributes to produce enhanced dynamic display attributes and to adapt the enhanced dynamic display attributes to the display motif and integrate the enhanced dynamic display attributes with the background.

Abstract: There is provided a system and method for dynamic adaptive player cells for multi-player environments. There is provided a method comprising establishing connections to host clients over a network, evaluating matching criteria to assign the clients to player cells, reevaluating the matching criteria to determine client transitions of the clients within the player cells, and sending, using the connections, data of the client transitions to output a visual translation of the client transitions to displays connected to the clients. By continually reevaluating the matching criteria and reconfiguring the composition of the player cells using low cost distributed server infrastructure, users may be optimally matched to the most relevant and interesting users. Additionally, by using the visual translation to depict the client transitions in a natural looking manner, the operation of the player cells can be made transparent to users, thereby removing interface complexity and attracting novice users.

Abstract: There is provided a method of protecting a virtual community visitor from unauthorized social interaction comprising receiving a request from the virtual community visitor seeking access to a virtual community content, determining whether the virtual community content includes at least one social interaction opportunity, prompting the virtual community visitor to provide a visitor identity if the virtual community content includes at least one social interaction opportunity, associating the visitor identity with a socialization level, and utilizing the socialization level in one or more permission database to regulate social interaction.

Abstract: There is provided a system and method for facilitating unitized maneuvers for a shared environment to mitigate the effects of network latency. There is provided a method for use by a processor of a server for facilitating unitized maneuvers for a shared environment, the method comprising receiving a first message generated by a first client of a plurality of clients in response to the first client initiating a first unitized maneuver on a first object for rendering the shared environment and sending a second message to a second client of the plurality of clients in response to receiving the first message to communicate the first unitized maneuver so as to cause the second client to render the first object executing the first unitized maneuver in the shared environment approximately synchronously with the first client until a first end time determinable using parameters of the first unitized maneuver.

Abstract: There is provided a system and method for facilitating variations in a time scale for a shared environment. There is provided a method for use by a processor of a server for facilitating variations in a time scale for a shared environment, the method comprising receiving a message generated by a first client of a plurality of clients in response to a variation in the time scale, for rendering the shared environment, caused by a user of the first client, and sending a second message to a second client of the plurality of clients in response to receiving the first message to communicate the variation in the time scale caused by the first client, so as to cause the second client to render the shared environment approximately synchronously in accordance with the variation in the time scale.

Abstract: There is provided a system and method for server-side avatar pre-rendering. There is provided a server for providing pre-rendered avatars, the server comprising a memory and a processor. The processor is configured to receive a request from a client for an avatar distinguished by a unique identifier to be pre-rendered, retrieve avatar render data using the unique identifier, process the avatar render data through an avatar pre-render application to create a pre-rendered avatar in a defined representation, write the pre-rendered avatar into the memory, and send the pre-rendered avatar from the memory to the client in response to the request. The pre-rendered avatar may further be written to a non-volatile storage, providing cached responses to future requests of the pre-rendered avatar. The avatar render data may include vectors or polygons, and the defined representations may include static bitmap images or animated video segments.

Abstract: There is provided a method of protecting a virtual community visitor from unauthorized social interaction comprising receiving a request from the virtual community visitor seeking access to a virtual community content, determining whether the virtual community content includes at least one social interaction opportunity, prompting the virtual community visitor to provide a visitor identity if the virtual community content includes at least one social interaction opportunity, associating the visitor identity with a socialization level, and utilizing the socialization level in one or more permission database to regulate social interaction.

Abstract: There is provided a method of managing content within a rich multimedia interaction comprising identifying a set of content objects associated with the rich multimedia interaction, determining a display subset and a reserve subset from the set of content objects, displaying the display subset, activating the reserve content objects in a minimized state, and providing a content control virtual tool configured to group and present a count of the reserve content objects according to their content object classes. The content control virtual tool is further configured to enable a user of the rich multimedia interaction to reassign content objects between the display subset and the reserve subset. A system for managing content within a rich multimedia interaction comprises a content server, a content object database, and a content management software application stored on a data storage unit.

Abstract: There is provided a method of implementing a single user computer application in a multi-user session comprising receiving a request to access the single user computer application, opening a first multi-user session, tolling a pre-run phase of the first multi-user session, and initiating a run phase during which concurrent running of the single user computer application by each user in a multi-user pool is monitored and data corresponding to a performance of every user is provided to each user. A system for implementing a single user computer application in a multi-user session comprises a multi-user implementation server, a single user computer application database including the single user computer application, a multi-user shell application configured to provide an interface between the single user computer application and a multi-user control application capable of coordinating concurrently running the single user computer application by every user in a multi-user pool.

Abstract: There is provided a method of producing a rich multimedia interaction comprising identifying a theme of the rich multimedia interaction, determining its dynamic display attributes based on the theme, determining a cooperation protocol governing interplay amongst the dynamic display attributes, and designating a background. The method further comprises selecting a display motif of the rich multimedia interaction, and generating the rich multimedia interaction for display, using one or more sub-applications configured to apply the cooperation protocol to the dynamic display attributes to produce enhanced dynamic display attributes and to adapt the enhanced dynamic display attributes to the display motif and integrate the enhanced dynamic display attributes with the background.