Abstract: Examples of systems and methods for bridging virtual and physical spaces are described. In some of these examples, a particular communicant's real world state drives changes in one or more of the communications connections, virtual state, and communications interface of the particular communicant or another communicant.

Abstract: Examples of systems and methods for bridging virtual and physical spaces are described. In some of these examples, a particular communicant's real world state drives changes in one or more of the communications connections, virtual state, and communications interface of the particular communicant or another communicant.

Abstract: Examples of systems and methods for context based virtual area creation are described. Some examples provide a quick and easy way for users to wrap virtual areas around contexts of interest. Examples of such contexts may be defined in terms of one or more of content, people, and real-world location. The virtual areas support realtime communications between communicants (e.g., one or more of text chat, voice, video, application sharing, and file sharing) and provide a persistent historical repository for interactions in the virtual area. Summaries of activities and other events in virtual areas typically are published in realtime so that other communicants can readily obtain a quick summary of the activities occurring in a particular context and decide whether or not to join or otherwise participate in those activities.

Abstract: In one aspect, one or more real-time data stream connections that deliver a set of real-time data streams to a given network node are determined based at least in part on bandwidth capabilities of the given network node. In another aspect, for each of one or more recipient network nodes, a respective link over which to transmit a respective transmission set of one or more real-time data streams is determined. For each of the links, the respective link bandwidth is apportioned between one or more channels that are respectively allocated to the one or more real-time data streams in the respective transmission set.

Abstract: A realtime kernel supports realtime communications between communicants operating on respective network nodes. The realtime kernel handles the complex tasks of connecting to communicants, virtual areas, and other network resources, switching those connections in response to user inputs, and mixing realtime data streams. The realtime kernel enables developers to focus on developing high-level communications functionality instead of low-level plumbing code. The realtime kernel imposes relatively low computational resource requirements so that realtime communications performance can be achieved using a wide range of computing devices and network connections that currently are available.

Abstract: Switching real-time data stream connections between network nodes sharing a virtual area is described. In one aspect, the switching involves storing a virtual area specification. The virtual area specification includes a description of one or more switching rules each defining a respective connection between sources of a respective real-time data stream type and sinks of the real-time data stream type in terms of positions in the virtual area. Real-time data stream connections are established between network nodes associated with respective objects each of which is associated with at least one of a source and a sink of one or more of the real-time data stream types. The real-time data stream connections are established based on the one or more switching rules, the respective sources and sinks associated with the objects, and respective positions of the objects in the virtual area.

Abstract: Examples of systems and methods for voice-based navigation in one or more virtual areas that define respective persistent virtual communication contexts are described. These examples enable communicants to use voice commands to, for example, search for communication opportunities in the different virtual communication contexts, enter specific ones of the virtual communication contexts, and bring other communicants into specific ones of the virtual communication contexts. In this way, these examples allow communicants to exploit the communication opportunities that are available in virtual areas, even when hands-based or visual methods of interfacing with the virtual areas are not available.

Abstract: Examples of systems and methods for voice-based navigation in one or more virtual areas that define respective persistent virtual communication contexts are described. These examples enable communicants to use voice commands to, for example, search for communication opportunities in the different virtual communication contexts, enter specific ones of the virtual communication contexts, and bring other communicants into specific ones of the virtual communication contexts. In this way, these examples allow communicants to exploit the communication opportunities that are available in virtual areas, even when hands-based or visual methods of interfacing with the virtual areas are not available.

Abstract: Realtime communications between communicants in a virtual area are administered. Assemblies of copresent communicants in the virtual area are detected. For each of respective ones of the detected assemblies, a respective meeting object linked to information relating to communicant interactions in the assembly is generated. Respective meeting summary data is determined based on the information linked to selected ones of the meeting objects meeting objects. The determined meeting summary data is transmitted to a network node for display. A visualization of summaries of respective assemblies of copresent communicants in the virtual area is presented on a display.

Abstract: A virtual area has a spatial visualization and includes zones that are associated with respective geometric boundaries located in relation to the spatial visualization. Realtime data stream connections between sources and sinks of network nodes in the zones of the virtual area are administered to provide a wide variety of virtual area applications, including virtual area applications that implement spatial rules for one or more synchronous conferencing services (e.g., instant messaging, such as text chat, audio conferencing, video conferencing, application sharing, and file sharing).

Abstract: In association with a virtual area, a first network connection is established with a first network node present in the virtual area and a second network connection is established with a second network node present in the virtual area. Based on stream routing instructions, a stream router is created between the first network node and the second network node. The stream router includes a directed graph of processing elements operable to receive network data, process the received network data, and output the processed network data. On the first network connection, an input data stream derived from output data generated by the first network node is received in association with the virtual area. The input data stream is processed through the stream router to produce an output data stream. On the second network connection, the output data stream is sent to the second network node.

Abstract: Examples of systems and methods of communicating between a virtual area and a physical space bridge the virtual area into the physical space and bridge the physical space into the virtual area through physical apparatus located in the physical space. A virtual area may include a zone that defines a respective persistent context for realtime communications between network nodes of respective communicants who are present in the zone. A respective presence in the zone typically is established for each of a physical apparatus and a communicant associated with a network node. An object represents the physical apparatus in the virtual area and an avatar represents the communicant in the virtual area. The object typically is associated with an interface for interacting with the physical apparatus. At least one data stream connection typically is provisioned between the physical apparatus and the network node.

Abstract: Systems and methods of managing communications in a virtual area are described. Examples of the systems and methods provide services for creating highly customizable virtual area applications that support realtime virtual area communications. In some examples, these services manage communications between network nodes that are linked to a virtual area according to rules embodied in a virtual area application defining the virtual area. Examples of the systems and methods provide a generic framework for transforming a designer's specification of a virtual area into instructions that dynamically configure service functionality for acting on messages that are received from network nodes in connection with the virtual area.

Abstract: A spatial layout of zones of a virtual area in a network communication environment is displayed. A user can have a respective presence in each of one or more of the zones. Navigation controls and interaction controls are presented. The navigation controls enable the user to specify where to establish a presence in the virtual area. The interaction controls enable the user to manage interactions with one or more other communicants in the network communication environment. A respective presence of the user is established in each of one or more of the zones on response to input received via the navigation controls. Respective graphical representations of the communicants are depicted in each of the zones where the communicants respectively have presence.

Abstract: A spatial layout of zones of a virtual area in a network communication environment is displayed. A user can have a respective presence in each of one or more of the zones. Navigation controls and interaction controls are presented. The navigation controls enable the user to specify where to establish a presence in the virtual area. The interaction controls enable the user to manage interactions with one or more other communicants in the network communication environment. A respective presence of the user is established in each of one or more of the zones on response to input received via the navigation controls. Respective graphical representations of the communicants are depicted in each of the zones where the communicants respectively have presence.

Abstract: Ones of the windows associated with a software process are identified in a screen layout on a local display of a sharer network node. On the sharer network node, an image of the identified windows as they are arranged in the screen layout and free of obscuration by any other windows in the screen layout is generated. The image is transmitted from the sharer network node to a viewer network node. Also, commands derived from input device events on sharer and viewer network nodes are received. The received commands are processed into a command sequence, which is passed to a shared process executing on the sharer network node. Windows associated with the shared process are presented on the sharer network node in accordance with the received command sequence. An image of the presented windows is generated and transmitted from the sharer network node to the viewer network node.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods of managing a virtual area based on communicant capabilities are described. The communicant capabilities are updated based on rules in response to events in the virtual area. An action by one communicant can affect the capabilities of another communicant. Communicant capabilities can be stored in respective server-side proxies and the virtual area can be managed without transmitting any of the capabilities to the communicants' client network nodes. Capability-based permissions checks can be performed against communicant capabilities with wildcarded attribute fields.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods of managing a virtual area based on communicant capabilities are described. The communicant capabilities are updated based on rules in response to events in the virtual area. An action by one communicant can affect the capabilities of another communicant. Communicant capabilities can be stored in respective server-side proxies and the virtual area can be managed without transmitting any of the capabilities to the communicants' client network nodes. Capability-based permissions checks can be performed against communicant capabilities with wildcarded attribute fields.

Abstract: A spatial layout of zones of a virtual area in a network communication environment is displayed. A user can have a respective presence in each of one or more of the zones. Navigation controls and interaction controls are presented. The navigation controls enable the user to specify where to establish a presence in the virtual area. The interaction controls enable the user to manage interactions with one or more other communicants in the network communication environment. A respective presence of the user is established in each of one or more of the zones on response to input received via the navigation controls. Respective graphical representations of the communicants are depicted in each of the zones where the communicants respectively have presence.

Abstract: A spatial layout of zones of a virtual area in a network communication environment is displayed. A user can have a respective presence in each of one or more of the zones. Navigation controls and interaction controls are presented. The navigation controls enable the user to specify where to establish a presence in the virtual area. The interaction controls enable the user to manage interactions with one or more other communicants in the network communication environment. A respective presence of the user is established in each of one or more of the zones on response to input received via the navigation controls. Respective graphical representations of the communicants are depicted in each of the zones where the communicants respectively have presence.