Patent ID: 9600306
Date: 2017-03-21
CPC Classifications: A63F,G06F,H04L

Claim:
1. A computer implemented method for providing a client-side simulated virtual universe environment, comprising: identifying whether a server-side virtual universe is available; accessing, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is available, the server-side virtual universe generated entirely by a remote server and having a graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room, wherein each of the avatars in the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room is a graphical representation of a user of the virtual universe through which the user interacts with the virtual universe; providing, in response to an indication that the server-side virtual universe is not available, a client-side simulated virtual universe environment that is a simulation of at least a portion of the server-side virtual universe generated by a client-side device and includes the graphical avatar-based virtual meeting room capable of continuing an on-going interaction between a client-side device and another entity present in the server-side simulated virtual universe on a peer to peer basis during a time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, including a live communication session, in the client-side simulated virtual universe, between a user of the client-side device and another user present in the server-side virtual universe, wherein the client-side virtual universe environment is rendered with lower resolution graphics than the server-side virtual universe; recording information regarding a set of activities performed within the client-side simulated virtual universe environment during the time in which the server side virtual universe is not available, wherein the set of activities includes a business transaction between the user and the another user; and updating, in response to a subsequent indication that the server-side virtual universe is again available, the server-side virtual universe with the information regarding the set of activities, wherein any changes to money and any changes to inventory of the user and the another user as a result of the business transaction are updated on the server-side virtual universe.