Patent ID: 7970837
Filing Date: 2011-06-28
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A computer-implementable method for initiating a session in a virtual world, the virtual world being graphically oriented to facilitate collaboration, comprising: providing a registry for an instant messaging system (IMS), the registry comprising a plurality of IMS user identifiers and a plurality of virtual world user identifiers; indexing the IMS user identifier of a user to a virtual world identifier of the user; enabling generation of an invitation as a result of an IMS session to participate in a session in a virtual world, the invitation being generated by a first IMS user and comprising the IMS user identifier of the first user, the name of the virtual world, and the virtual world identifier of the first user; delivering the invitation to a second IMS user for acceptance as a result of the IMS session; enabling acceptance of the invitation, the acceptance logging the first and second IMS users into a virtual world session in the virtual world; and wherein each of the plurality of virtual world identifiers is associated with at least one virtual world and comprises login information for its associated at least one virtual world;