Virtual reality network with selective distribution and updating of data to reduce bandwidth requirements

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for allowing a plurality of users to interact with a virtual space, the apparatus comprising:

a database defining a three-dimensional virtual space;

communication means for establishing a communication between the database and each of the plurality of users;

data communicating means for communicating data from the database to each of the users, wherein the communicated data comprises data regarding the virtual space;

means for receiving position data corresponding to positions of each of the users;

means for updating the database in response to received position data that differs from earlier-received position data;

means for defining virtual beings corresponding to each of the users within the virtual space, the virtual beings having respective positions within the virtual space correlated to the position data received from the corresponding users;

means, responsive to the position data, for defining visual relevant spaces in the virtual space corresponding to each of the users, at least some of the users having respective visual relevant spaces that are less than the entire virtual space with at least one user's visual relevant space being defined by a portion of the virtual space viewed from the perspective of that user's virtual being so as to exclude an angular range of the virtual space;

means, associated with at least a particular user's visual relevant space, for defining a plurality of visual priority spaces within the particular user's visual relevant space;

means, associated with the data communicating means and responsive to changed position data from the users, for communicating updated position information regarding each given user's virtual being to other users, but only to those other users having visual relevant spaces within which the given user's virtual being is located; and

means, associated with the means for communicating updated position information, for communicating updated data corresponding to virtual beings in a given one of the visual priority spaces in priority over updated data corresponding to virtual beings within other visual priority spaces within the particular user's visual relevant space.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

means for defining a movable first virtual object within the virtual space; and

means for allowing at least one virtual being to manipulate the first virtual object.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:

the database defines a plurality of virtual spaces,

the apparatus further comprises means for receiving identifying data from each user for identifying one of the plurality of virtual spaces, and

the data communicated by the data communicating means to each user corresponds to the identified virtual space.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each user's visual relevant space is defined by a portion of the virtual space viewed from the perspective of that user's virtual being.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

means for defining a virtual sound within the virtual space; and

virtual sound communicating means, associated with the data communicating means, for communicating, to each of the users, data correlated to the virtual sound.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein:

the means for defining a virtual sound includes

means for assigning a sound origin to the virtual sound within the virtual space,

means, responsive to the position data, for defining sound relevant spaces in the virtual space corresponding to each of the users, at least some of the users having respective sound relevant spaces that are less than the entire virtual space; and

the sound communicating means communicates the data correlated to the virtual sound to a given user only if the sound origin is located within the given user's sound relevant space.

7. An apparatus for allowing a plurality of at least first and second users to interact with a virtual space, the apparatus comprising:

a database defining a three-dimensional virtual space;

means for establishing a communication between the database and each of the plurality of users;

means for receiving position data corresponding to positions of each of the users;

means for updating the database in response to received position data that differs from earlier-received position data;

means for defining virtual beings corresponding to each of the users within the virtual space, the virtual beings having respective positions within the virtual space correlated to the position data received from the corresponding users;

means, responsive to the position data, for defining visual relevant spaces in the virtual space corresponding to each of the users, at least some of the users having respective visual relevant spaces that are less than the entire virtual space with at least one user's visual relevant space being defined by a portion of the virtual space viewed from the perspective of that user's virtual being so as to exclude an angular range of the virtual space;

means, associated with the data communicating means and responsive to changed position data from the users, for communicating updated position information regarding each given user's virtual being to other users, but only to those other users having visual relevant spaces within which the given user's virtual being is located;

first sound receiving means for receiving data corresponding to a first sound from the first user;

first sound origin assigning means for assigning a first sound origin to the data corresponding to the first sound within the virtual space;

second sound receiving means for receiving data corresponding to a second sound from the second user;

second sound origin assigning means for assigning a second sound origin to the data corresponding to the second sound within the virtual space;

first sound relevant space defining means for defining a first sound relevant space in the virtual space corresponding to the first virtual being wherein the first sound relevant space includes a plurality of first sound priority spaces;

second sound relevant space defining means for defining a second sound relevant space in the virtual space corresponding to the second virtual being;

first sound communicating means for communicating, to the first user, data correlated to sounds having their origin only within the first sound relevant space wherein the first sound communicating means includes first amplitude varying means for communicating, to the first user, data for varying the amplitude of sounds within the first sound relevant space depending upon the sound priority space in which the sounds have their origin; and

second sound communicating means for communicating, to the second user, data correlated to sounds having their origin only within the second sound relevant space.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the first sound communicating means further comprises first sound position emulating means for communicating, to the first user, data for emulating the spatial origin of sounds within the first sound relevant space.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the second sound communicating means further comprises second sound position emulating means for communicating, to the second user, data for emulating the spatial origin of sounds within the second sound relevant space.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the second sound relevant space includes a plurality of second sound priority spaces, and wherein the sound communicating means includes second amplitude varying means for communicating, to the second user, data for varying the amplitude of sounds within the second sound relevant space depending upon the sound priority space in which the sounds have their origin.

11. A method of allowing a plurality of users to interact with a three-dimensional virtual space, the method comprising:

providing a computer system having a database defining the virtual space;

providing each user a bidirectional communication channel with the computer system;

providing each user a visual display device;

providing each user a position sensing device that generates position information representing that user's position;

communicating each user's position information to the computer system;

for each user, defining a virtual being within the virtual space, the virtual being having a position within the virtual space correlated to that user's position information;

operating the computer system to perform the steps of:

for each user, defining a visual relevant space that depends on position information from that user, at least one user's relevant space being defined by a portion of the virtual space viewed from the perspective of that user's virtual being so as to exclude an angular range of the virtual space;

for at least a particular user, defining a set of visual priority spaces within the particular user's visual relevant space; and

in response to changes in position information from a given user, communicating updated position information regarding the given user's virtual being to each other user only if the given user's virtual being is located within that other user's visual relevant space, wherein said updated position information regarding the given user's virtual being is communicated to the particular user at different time intervals depending on the visible priority space in which the given user's virtual being is located.

12. A method of allowing a plurality of users to interact with a three-dimensional virtual space, the method comprising:

providing a computer system having a database defining the virtual space;

providing each user a bidirectional communication channel with the computer system;

providing each user a visual display and a sound display device;

for each user, generating position information representing that user's position and communicating that user's position information to the computer system;

for each user, generating sound information representing sounds initiated by that user and communicating that user's sound information to the computer

for each user, defining a virtual being within the virtual space, the virtual being having a position within the virtual space correlated to that user's position information;

operating the computer system to perform the steps of:

for each user, defining a visual relevant space that depends on position information from that user, at least one user's visual relevant space being defined by a portion of the virtual space viewed from the perspective of that user's virtual being so as exclude an angular range of the virtual space;

for each user, communicating to that user updated position information regarding other users' virtual beings only for those other users whose virtual beings are located within that user's visual relevant space;

for each user, defining a sound relevant space that depends on position information from that user;

for at least a particular user, defining a set of sound priority spaces within the particular user's sound relevant space;

for each user, combining sound information from only those other users whose virtual beings are in that user's sound relevant space, and communicating the combined sound information to that user; and

for at least the particular user, determining relative amplitudes of sounds from the other users in said combining step depending on the sound priority space in which each other user's virtual being is located.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising operating the computer system to perform the additional steps of:

for at least a particular user, defining a set of visual priority spaces within the particular user's visual relevant space; and

communicating the updated position information regarding the given user's virtual being to the particular user at different time intervals depending on the visible priority space in which the given user's virtual being is located.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the sounds initiated by at least one user include voice.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of combining sound information for a given user includes weighing amplitudes of other users' virtual beings' sounds according to the positions of the other users' different virtual beings relative to the given user's virtual being.