Patent ID: 9244513
Filing Date: 2016-01-26
CPC Classification: G06F

Claim Text:
1. A method of reducing use of a computer resource, the method comprising: monitoring a user's interaction with a virtual universe; determining whether the user's interaction with the virtual universe is consistent with the user's attention being diverted from the virtual universe; determining whether a computer resource allocated to the user should be reduced, including determining whether the user has chosen to maintain an avatar of the user within the virtual universe by paying for such maintenance; and in the case that the computer resource should be reduced, reducing the computer resource by performing at least one of the following: terminating a presence of an avatar of the user within the virtual universe, changing a representation of an avatar of the user from color to black and white, reducing a size of an avatar of the user, reducing a resolution of an avatar of the user, or replacing an avatar of the user with a two-dimensional shape.