GB2439782A

GB2439782A - Using an avatar to navigate a 3-Dimensional Computer Operating System GUI

Info

Publication number: GB2439782A
Application number: GB0613340A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David James Parish
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-07-05
Filing date: 2006-07-05
Publication date: 2008-01-09
Also published as: GB0613340D0

Abstract

Navigating a personal computer comprises a graphical user interface (GUI) which uses 3-dimensional graphics to combine games, programs, a file system and internet browsing into one. The user controls a character (12) directing it to a desired task. This character can walk around in a 3-dimensional online virtual world and enter buildings or areas generated by companies and individuals (3-dimensional websites). The character may have its own virtual home containing all of the files that are stored on a users H.D.D. Files may be displayed as objects on the screen, which can be picked up and used by the character. All files may be cross-compatible between different programs and computer games. The operating system may allow users to switch between navigating as a 3 dimensional character and using WIMP format.

Description

3D COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEM The 3-dimensional computer operating

system is a new way of navigating a computer, using computer programs and playing computer games. It is a graphical user interface (GUI) that gives you more of a feeling of freedom and fim in 3- dimensional graphics, like in a computer game. All computer operating systems recently have been based purely on windows, icons, menus and pointers (WIMP), and have been pretty much 2-dimensional. This is an operating system which people can relate to real Ilk and pick up easier. It will also open up practically unlimited new possibilities in the computer industiy, especially In computer games and the internet In this operating system you arc a character on the screen. This main character is the OS.

character. With your keyboard orjoypad you can walk around a 3D online world and control this character doing things that you can in operating systems, but in a 3D way. The operating system will also incorporate WIMP for the menus and point & click' programs, but your 3D character is the main method of navigation. The operating system unifies all computer games developed for it in such a way that any aspect of all of the games stored on your hard disk drive are cross compatible. This means that any map, character, controls, A.I character, music, vehicle or item could be used with any game.

The 0.S. character is able to automatically change to the attributes of and switch to the controls of any game character that you have. Also you can mix and match ditlhrent parts of different controls together. The O.S. character, appearance wise, looks like all of the other characters on the computers}LD.D. In one. It automatically changes to look most like the characters you are more successful with and have been using for the most time overall. This includes playing as animals! The O.S. character can only be used within the O.S. server.

Game characters can be used in any suitable games. If your game character dies you see a coloured nib floating out of the body. You can then fly around as the orb and all other orbs become -visible to you. If you choose to, you can enter the orb which will bring you to the O.S server. When you are born into a game character you see the orb soak into the body of the character. When playing as a gamecharacterkispossibletosaveyourprogressandgobacktotheo. sservertodosometjiingelse.

The overall map of the O.S server is where eveiything is visually accessed from. Your characters home, game servers, website and any other location. This map is stored on H.D.D when you install the O.S. It then automatically checks for updates and installs them each time you access it. The things which will often change on this map are the location of doors, players homes and 3D web-buildings.

A game map' is a map made specifically for a game and it can be of any size. Game maps may be compatible with some other games if circumstances are correct However, not all maps are made for games. They could be made for any purpose imaginable. There are three different sizes of maps: * Sitemap-I.e.abuildingorsmallarea.Thisisthefurthestzoomed in map.

* Area map -The general area you are m They can be cities, natural landscapes, or anything. Site maps are within area maps. Players can move their home to residential zones and real E-commerce can grow with business zones. Industrial zones can grow automatically with A.I.

* Large Map -For example a counny, planet or even a solar system. Area and game maps are within them.

When your character walks through a border between one site or area map to another the name of the map you have entered is displayed on the screen in text.

A server can contain a number of any sized maps. When you access a map for the first time it downloads onto your H.D.D. Any updates on the map are downloaded from the server when you access it again. Servers can be set in a ceitain place, in a certain time. i.e. Earth 1998, or somewhere completely made up. Server maps can also contain their own artificial intelligence characters (A.I) that roam around as programmed. They could be there for any purpose. Storylines, help within a 3D website, online shop assisting, or to bring a more living atmosphere to the server. A.l characters' player names are to be registered in the same way as real players.

Evety map is made up of a grid from birds eye view, each square about the in-game equivalent

I

of 7' by 7'. Each square has a set of attributes. These could be anything. For example whether or not you are allowed to draw a gun in the area, or if it is zoned commercial, residential, industrial or none.

* Compulsory No Weapon zone -Impossible to draw any weapon.

* No Weapon zone -Digitally illegal in the eyes of the Justice Troops, but still possible.

* Weapon Zone -All weapons allowed for usc.

* Ban Zone -Anything could be banned to make the area suitable to it's design. i.e. guns in a martial arts centre map, or blood and guts in a server made for children.

* No A.l zone -No artificial intelligence characters are able to enter. Only human players can.

Virtual shops and commercial web-buildings can be built on any unused virtual commercial zone areas by real people and companies. These may be as big as they want in terms of3D web space inside but from the outside the size of the building depends on how much virtual commercial space they have bought from the server it is in.

There is a point and click' map program universal for eveiy map for character navigation which shows the location of the character with a marker. This program can be displayed on the screen as a small display item or full screen to show more detail. You can toggle between the different sized maps you are within (site, area, & large map). With a site or area map being displayed you would left click on a zoom out' button to toggle to a map one size larger. From a large map the player can hover the mouse pointer over any area to show details of that area. If the player were to left click on it the program toggles to area map and displays that area. Area maps are made up of site maps, so the same principle applies for access to site maps. In a site map the player can hover the mouse pointer over any part of the map and left click to select the targeted square and display the attributes of it. Also in a site map the player can double left click on any point to teleport to that location instantly. The map program has a list of saved locations that the character can be teleported to. To save one of these exact locations to the list the players character must be standing in the desired location and go into the icon menu and select save location'. Whilst using this map program the user can right click anywhere on the map to bring up a right click menu. It gives the user several options: * Teleport. Theusercan selecta'savedlocation' fromtheirlisttoteleportto,or iftheuserin ma site map they can teleport to the square that is targeted by the mouse at that time.

* Home -The user will go straight back to their O.S characters home.

* Overall -The map program will display the overall map' of the O.S server.

* Door map -lithe user is in a site map' then they can select this option to toggle door mode' on or off.

* Zoom -The user can zoom in to a map of a smaller size or zoom out to a map of a bigger size.

(see drawing numbers I and 2) Door mode' displays all of the doors within the map for an alternative quick way to navigate the internet world. The user can left click on a door' to show the name and message that is written on it.

The user can left click on the door again to enter it (see drawing number 3).

Anyone can create a door in their own home or 3D web space. They act like hyperlinks, taking you to the desired destination. On the door is written the unique name of the place. Optionally it can also have a message on it of up to 100 characters. A server would be accessed by walking through a door., whether it be for a 3D website server or a game server. Red doors lead to other servers, green doors lead to another part of the same server. Doors can be placed anywhere; they don't have to be on a wall.

On the other side is an unlimited possible amount of 3D web space.

The home you have for your O.S character is a bungalow which includes the following: * Bedroom -Just a room where your character can sleep.

* Bathroom -Contains toilet, sink, bath and shower.

* Kitchen -Where your character can prepare and cook good food or get a drink Contains fridge, cooker, toaster, kettle and kitchen sink * Media room -One of the walls of this square room is a video/visualisation display which, if double clicked on with the mouse pointer, goes into flu screen mode. It is a media player. All multimedia files stored on the H.D.D are accessed in this room..

* HTML Library -A room full of bookcases from which you access all of the HTML documents and books that are stored on the H.D.D are found. This would include readme files, help files, game instructions, web-pages, E-books, encyclopaedias...

* Arcade room -A room to access puzzle games, 2D games and mini games.

* Storage room -Where any other files you have on H.D.D are accessed.

* Lobby -A room in which you can store anything you wish to publicise (i.e. Displaying auction items and your own web content). The front door leads straight into it and any other players online can walk in, but not into the rest of the house. The door to your own web space is also in this room for others to access.

* Garden -The back door of the house leads outside to the garden. You can landscape it, grow plants, keep outdoor animals and play outdoor garden games.

* Garage -Whore you can visually store vehicles, tools and machines. The garage door allows access in and out for your vehicles and leads onto the road out in the online world.

* A large hallway to access the doors to each room and the garden.

The house and all rooms can be customised. It is possible to design and create more rooms, choose decorations. You can buy furniture, appliances, plumbing, lighting and other items for your house with game money. Eveiything you own including files are visibly accessible in you home.

Games and programs that you install may add things or even a room to your home. For example, if you bought a snooker game you may get a snooker table or a snooker room which launches the game when you pick up the cue.

At first the users home Will be situated randomly somewhere in a residential area of the O.S.

server map. The user has the ability to move the house to any other available residential location desired on any server. There would be a whole new meaning to joining an internet community! When the player presses the middle mouse button, the mouse pointer appears on the screen for point and click purposes. If it is pressed again the pointer disappears so that the mouse can be used to control the character again (see drawing number 4). Whilst in this mouse pointer mode the shield' is activated. This coloured bubble around the character protects you from any outside effect. It may be deactivated in some areas and games (such as fighting games) to prevent cheating. If you are in a game where it is possible to pause the game, the middle mouse button will do so. As a part of the O.S configuration, display objects can be optionally displayed on the screen for normal play mode (whilst the cha!acter is walking around) and/or the mouse pointer mode. When a game is being played display objects might automatically be displayed The Icon menu is the main menu for access to anything via small icons which open up windows or menus fOr settings, programs or display objects (i.e. health gauge). This icon menu is only displayed when the middle mouse button has been pressed and the mouse pointer is active (see drawing number 5).

The character selection window can be selected from the icon menu to allow the player to pick any of their characters for use. Evesy character from every game stored on the computers HD.D is in this list.

When the user left clicks on a character, details and statistics are displayed and a menu appears with the options: * Select Character -To load the selected character for use.

* Select Control configuration -To load the control configuration of the selected character for use with the players current character.

* Select appearanoe Change the selected characters appearance if possible.

* Load Came Save -Load a saved game you have with this character & launch the game.

Sometimes some of these options may not be useable depending on the compatibility or restrictions of server or game that the player Is using at the time (see drawing number 6) Control configurations are used to cuntrul a ime character whether playing games or exploring. Different pails of any control configurations that the player has can be mixed & matched and saved for your O.S character to use. The player can gain all of the powers of all of their characters! If, for example, the player has a fighting game, the punch' action from the control configuration of that game may be used in a custom control configuration. The control configuration program allows the user to create, open, save and use control configurations as well as view and edit the button configuration (for which buttons to press on their hardware for certain actions). There is a list of actions which are included in the open control configuration which can be individually selected in order to remove or redefine the button to press on the hardware to activate it when using the control configuration with a character. There is also a button to add an action from the list of all of the actions stored on the computers H.D.D into the control configuration. (see drawing number 7) Files are to be displayed on the screen as 3D objects, like in computer games. For example an HTML file would be displayed as a piece (or pad) of paper, which the player can make their character pick up and read or edit. Eveiything on the RD.D of the computer is accessible from the O.S characters home.

When the character stands within a certain range of an object it is possible to click on it with the mouse pointer. If the player left clicks on an object a window appears to show properties and details of the item. If the player right clicks on an object the character picks up the object and a menu appears which gives you the following options: * Use- The character uses the item -i.e. swing a sword * Analyse -The properties window for the object pops up * Equip -The character keeps the object on him for use outside of home. Used for keeping found items.

* Edit -Opens the editing program for that typc of object -i.e. HTML editor * Duplicate -Only possible if the object is not copyrighted.

* Delete -M action file' assigned to deleting objects is used.

* Put down -The character puts the object back down no matter where you are. (You can still walk around holding the object to allow you to move the object.

Each room of the players home acts like a directory for everything: stored on the computers H.D.D.

Within each room are more sub-directories so to speak, such as a cupboard.

There will be a make-believe game currency for the O.S. It will be the universal currency usable for all games. Players may find these and pick them up as you do in platform games when you run through them..With game characters their money remains in that characters inventory until the player exports to the O.S character inventory. Of coarse some games may still use other currencies to simulate real-life, such as pounds sterling or U.S dollars. In this case, if money is converted into an equally valued amount of game money when exported. For example, if the game was dealing with very large amounts of money, like in a gangster game where $ IM is not very difficult to gather, then you would get less game money for each dollar. Players can buy and sell digital items of any kind with this currency.

Digital items may also be sold for real-life money, and real-life items will indeed be sold for real-life money. All games and software for this O.S. can be bought online from the O.S. server and downloaded. All of your money matters are organised and handled by the bank facility.

Interaction: When you double-click on another player a menu pops up with these options: * TalkWhateveryousaywillbeheardbytheotherplayernomatterhowfarawayyouareandt hey get an arrow above them pointing in your direction.

* Text -Opens the text window on your screen ready to send pnvte message.

* Video Phone -If both players have a web-cam, starts up the video conversation if the other player agrees. When it is connected the other players video is above their head and you can both still control the characters.

* Send HTML -Opens HTML Editor ready to send to the other player.

* InviteYouchoosealocationfromyourlistandadoorappcarsfortheotherplayertostc p through with you.

* Give ID Profile * Challenge -You choose from a list of games that you and the other player has. A Door appears for you both to step through, which runs the game.

* View Players auction items -Opens the HTML' j*ge for their listings.

* Sled Action -Select from your list of all actions that involve another player.

The personal ID profile stores information about the player for other players to view. These can be given to other players for them to keep in touch. The 11) number is your Email address, video phone address, digital home number and auctioneer ID.

There are three clocks involved in the O.S.: * OS. Time -Universal time for online socialisation * Game Time -For game servers or games with time involved * Earth Time -The time of the lime zone for the players country The HTML editor is the point and click program included to be used as the Email program, website publisher text document editor and basic image editor in one. This program purely handles text, images and HTML. You choose between basic mode and advanced mode. in advanced mode you type in the pure HTML coding. in basic mode it calculates it for you whilst you type, change fonts, import images etc. You can then save this open HTML document (Email/web-page) or HTML book' (Lots of docwnents that link) or send it to a player by typing in the ID Number or Player Name of this (or these) recipient and send it.

This will then be the basis of all documents in the O.S and games. In the online digital world there will be Public HTML Libraries. Buildings which will hold all of the HTML files submitted to it.

in other words it would be a 3D search engine. You walk in and search for what you want and open it from its location on the web.

There are also buildings in the O.S. that would be already stored on H.D.D. They can be accessed wherever they arc built in the O.S. server. These buildings include: * Hospital -To heal your wounds and diseases for a small amount of game money * DigiBank * Fire Station * Justice Troop Station -the police of the O.S. server. Players can join it to earn game money. They prevent digital crime and sometimes deal with real-life lawbreakers. i.e. copyright infringements, problems with auctions, hacking and complaints about certain players.

* Public Arcade -For smaller games (i.e. flash orjava) on the web * Job Center -For players to find digital jobs (programs or servers which can earn you game money) * DigiLand Shops -Maps shop -Character shop -Weapon shop -Restaurant -Power-ups -Multimedia shop -Item shop -Clothes shop -Pet shop -Upgrades shop * Auction Center -Search the item listings of all players * Public HTML Library -Search Engine c

DRAWINGS

The first drawing is of the universal map program window. This can be used to navigate your character around any map and indicates your current location. It shows a typical view of the program whilst the character is in an area map'.

1. The name of the map you are currently in is displayed here at the top of the window.

2. Minimize, restore and exit buttons are at the top right corner of the map program window.

3. The compass is at the top right corner of the map grid for extra guidance.

4. This is the indicator to show the user where their character is located on the map. This arrow shape points to the direction in which the character is 1cing.

5. This is the mouse pointer.

6. This is the right click menu'.

7. This is the status bar. It is a helpflul feature that shows text of what the user can do. For example in the second image it might read select door map to view all doors in the map'.

8. This box at the bottom olthe window shows details and properties about the map or selected square. The number of users currently in the map for example.

The second drawing shows a typical example of the universal map program whilst the user is within a site map' 9. These blocks in the map represent buildings.

The third drawing shows a typical example of the universal map program whilst the user is within a Site map' with door mode' switched on.

10. This represents the position of a door'.

The fourth drawing shows a character being played in either a 3D computer game or the 3D internet world. The player would be controlling the characters actions and movement.

II. This is an example of a display object'. It is a health gauge.

12. The character.

13. The ground of the map which the character is standing in the 3D computer generated land.

The fifth drawing shows a typical example of a screenshot of the O.S whilst the player is in point and click mode'. The user is now in control of the mouse pointer which has now appeared on the screen.

14. The icon menu.

IS. An icon.

16. A minimized window.

17. This is another example of a display object, but it is one that only shows on point and click mode'. It is the time.

18. The character shield.

The sixth drawing is of the character selection window. It is used for the player to change character for use in a game or server.

19. Character list 20. Selected character 21. Button to browse through the character list 22. Character details 23. Character statistics 24. Character menu The seventh drawing is of the control configuration window. It is used to load or create control configurations.

25. A button to create a new custom control configuration.

26. A button to open any control configuration to view or edit.

27. A button to save the changes made to the open control configuration.

28. A button to save the open control configuration under a new name.

29. A button to load the open control configuration for use with the players current character.

30. The list of all of the actions that are stored on the computers H.D.D.

31. The list of actions included in the open control configuration.

32. A button to remove the selected action from the list of actions included in the open control configuration.

33. A button to add an action from the list of all of the actions stored on the computers H.D.D to the list of actions included in the open control configuration.

34. A button to redefine the button to press on the hardware to activate the selected action.

35. The button configuration of the open control configuration. The program shows this visually with an image of the hardware. Each button is labelled with its associated action.

36. Toggle between hardware (for example keyboard, mouse, joypad).

Claims

CLAIMS

Claim 1: My operating system will be 3 dimensional Claim 2: My operating system will allow users to play and navigate their computer as their own unique character.

Claim 3: My operating system will allow developers to make computer games for it which can be played by the user with their own unique operating system character as well as any characters included in the game.

Claim 4: My operating system will allow developers to make computer games for it, which can be played amongst other users online who could be playing a different game on the same server.

ClaimS: My operating system will allow users to store characters, maps and soundtracks from computer gaines onto their hard disk drive for use within other games.

Claim 6: My operating system will allow online users or companies to create 3 dimensional virtual areas within a server for other users to explore.

Claim 7: My operating system will display all files stored on the users hard disk drive as 3 dimensional virtual objects.

Claim 8: All files can be cross-compatible between different programs and computer games.

Claim 9: The operating system will allow users to switch between navigating as a 3 dimensional character and using WIMP format.