Abstract:
Computer-based group brainstorming system and method are disclosed. The invention system and method provide a certain area (e.g., a depicted room) as a brainstorming area in a virtual environment. A processor engine enables brainstorming sessions of multiple users in the certain area. For a given brainstorming session, the engine (i) indicates each user in the brainstorming session, and (ii) indicates communications (e.g., chat bubbles, votes, etc.) of each user in the brainstorming session. Color-coding of the users/avatars and communications may be used. Users may arrange indicia (e.g., indicators of project tasks) in the certain area in a manner that provides work flow or work assignments to users. Snapshots of the different states of a brainstorming session are enabled. User interaction with the artifacts of the brainstorming session remains active in the snapshots. Artifacts of a brainstorming session may later be reconstituted (reinstated) from a reloading of a snapshot into a subsequent session.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
       [0001]    Subject matter of the present invention has similar aspects to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/055,650, filed Mar. 26, 2008 for “Computer Method and Apparatus for Persisting Pieces of a Virtual World Group Conversation” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/973,124, (published as US2006/0090137) for “Chat User Interface for Threaded Text Chat Systems,” both by assignee. These applications are herein incorporated, each in their entirety, by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    3D virtual worlds have traditionally been used for entertainment—socializing and gaming. As virtual worlds are adopted within the enterprise, there is a need to provide more business-oriented tools within the virtual world. In other words, the virtual worlds need to be contextualized around business processes. Current attempts to support business process within a virtual world have been limited to supporting information dissemination meeting—meetings where typically one or a few speakers present material to a large audience. These systems have focused on ways to present traditional meeting materials such as slides. Although they may provide a way for audience members to ask questions, the meetings supported are typically one-way meetings, with a presenter speaking to an audience. In many ways, they are virtual world analogs of traditional conference calls. As such, they are not very compelling and can actually detract from the meeting experience (e.g., by giving users an oblique, non-optimal viewing angle on the presented materials). 
         [0003]    While these tools are not compelling for information-dissemination meetings, they are even less effective for brainstorming meetings. Brainstorming meetings are characterized by having a small number of participants (e.g., fewer than 12) with a goal of collaborating to produce an acceptable outcome. For example, a team could have a brainstorming meeting to discuss new features for a product, to design how to implement a new feature, or to analyze how to improve a business process. In the real world, these sorts of meetings are characterized by a free-form discussion among all participants, the use of whiteboards and other tangible artifacts (e.g., sticky notes), and the desire to capture the results of the meeting for archiving and subsequent review. None of the existing meeting tools in virtual worlds, such as Second Life, provide adequate support for these sorts of brainstorming meetings. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention addresses the problems of the prior are and provides a purpose-built brainstorming space (system, method and apparatus) within a virtual environment. The virtual environment may be a virtual world, 3D video, virtual gaming, enterprise business virtual meeting/conferencing, simulation and the like. Unlike the 3D mockups of traditional conference rooms, the invention “brainstorming room” provides features that specifically support the group collaborative process of brainstorming to solve a particular problem. At the same time, one embodiment of the invention system takes advantage of being a virtual world to allow user&#39;s avatars to manipulate meeting artifacts and to interact “face-to-face” in a way that is not possible with traditional conference calls. 
         [0005]    In particular, though in a virtual world, the invention brainstorming room/system 1) enforces a common viewing angle that ensures that all users have a common perspective on the meeting, 2) provides an easy way to create and manipulate the equivalent of white board annotations and sticky notes, 3) provides a mechanism for bringing traditional meeting artifacts like slides and applications into the meeting rooms, and 4) gives users a way to save the current state of the brainstorm session/meeting for later manipulation and reflection. 
         [0006]    In one embodiment, the invention system and method provide a certain area (e.g., a depicted room) as a brainstorming area in a virtual environment. A processor engine enables brainstorming sessions of multiple users in the certain area. For a given brainstorming session, the engine (i) indicates each user in the brainstorming session, and (ii) indicates communications (e.g., chat bubbles, votes, etc.) of each user in the brainstorming session. Various graphical indicators may be employed. Color-coding of the users/avatars and communications may be used. Users may arrange, position or otherwise locate/relocate indicia (e.g., indicators of project tasks) in the certain area in a manner that provides or otherwise indicates work flow or work assignments to users. Location may be with respect to respective areas designated per user. Snapshots of the different states of a brainstorming session are enabled. Snapshots of multiple brainstorming areas and sessions may be displayed, each snapshot presented in a billboard-style for example. User interaction with the artifacts (e.g., chat bubbles, calendars, slideshow slides, etc) of the brainstorming session remains active in the snapshots. Later reloading of a snapshot into a subsequent session, reconstitutes at least the chat bubbles in one embodiment. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0007]    The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of example embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating embodiments of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a screen view of a brainstorming room in one embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a schematic illustration of the different floors of the brainstorming room of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a schematic illustration of a screen view of a shared application launched in one floor/level of the brainstorming room of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a computer network in which embodiments of the present invention operate. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of a computer node in the network of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a schematic illustration of a screen view having multiple room snapshots in one embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a flow diagram of one embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]    A description of example embodiments of the invention follows. 
         [0016]    The basis of the present invention is the “brainstorming room”  11  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . In one embodiment, the brainstorming room  11  is depicted as having (i) side boundaries, (ii) a floor or similar work surface (plane)  19 , and (iii) one or more exit areas (e.g. doors, steps or other). Other arrangements, floor geometries and depictions are suitable. Each user is represented by a respective avatar  13 ,  15  that maneuvers about in the room  11  under user control. Similar user control and interactive interface for maneuvering an avatar in common virtual worlds is employed in the invention brainstorming room  11 . 
         [0017]    When a user&#39;s avatar  13 ,  15  enters the room  11 , his view, or camera angle, changes from an over-the-shoulder view, common in many virtual world systems, to a top-down view. Know techniques and virtual world camera angle technology are used to change user/avatar view in this way. This change in view (to top-down view) ensures that all users have an unobstructed view to the room  11 . In addition, the top-down view ensures that all users have the same orientation and common perspective (viewing angle) of the room  11  so that “upper left”, for example, is the same for all users. This is extremely important when describing and manipulating brainstorming session artifacts. 
         [0018]    As will be made clear below, brainstorming session artifacts include but are not limited to chat bubbles, calendar application effects, slide show application slides, shared applications and results (output) therefrom, and the like. 
         [0019]    Brainstorming session artifacts in bubbles or other similar graphics are created simply by “talking”. That is, when an avatar  13  chats with others  15 , the communicated words are represented in a chat bubble  17 . Know chat and chat bubble technology are used. If no user interacts with the generated chat bubble  17 , it floats away or otherwise disappears from the screen view. However, if any avatar  13 ,  15  grabs or otherwise interacts with the chat bubble  17 , it becomes a persistent artifact within the brainstorming room  11 . 
         [0020]    This is accomplished in one embodiment by providing a respective programming object for each chat bubble  17 . The programming object of a chat bubble  17  stores an attribute indicating state of the chat bubble  17 . Upon user/avatar  13 , 15  interaction with the chat bubble  17 , the invention system updates the state attribute to indicate persist=true. The corresponding programming object in turn serves as an object model effecting the persistent state of chat bubble  17  and the manipulation (move, drag, drop, etc.) of the chat bubble  17  in room  11  using common graphical user interface techniques. Further details are described in above noted U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/055,650, herein incorporated by reference. 
         [0021]    In  FIG. 1 , the yellow bubbles  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27  represent various tasks that need to be completed in a subject project or work unit. Although any user can grab and manipulate a chat bubble  17 ,  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27  in the room  11 , the chat bubbles are color-coded by which avatar  13 ,  15  originally “said” the words and thus generated the chat bubble. In  FIG. 1  the chat bubbles  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27  are yellow indicating that the avatar  15  with the yellow shirt spoke them. Once a chat bubble  17 ,  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27  has been interacted with by a user (and hence persisted), it can be manipulated in many ways. This is supported as mentioned above utilizing the corresponding object model. 
         [0022]    In one embodiment, the persisted chat bubble can be used to describe a work flow, for example, or can be clustered by some attribute.  FIG. 1  illustrates the chat bubbles  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27  clustered, distributed and/or otherwise arranged on the floor (work surface)  19  by who is assigned to do the work described on the chat bubbles. That is, chat bubble  21  is positioned to the left side of the floor  19  for the user of avatar  13  to work on displaying bubble implementation. The chat bubbles  23 ,  25  are effectively grouped together in the central third of the room floor  19  for another user/avatar to do the corresponding tasks of implementing “add menu item” and implementing “dialog for away message” in the subject project. Lastly, the “pose avatar” chat bubble  27  is positioned to the right hand side of the floor  19  for user/avatar  15  to work on (implement). 
         [0023]    Another important brainstorming need is the ability to discuss things that may not have originated in the 3D virtual world. Users can change contents of the floor  19  in the invention brainstorming room  11  to suit their purpose. In a preferred embodiment, different floor levels (or other floors) hold the different contents. In the image in  FIG. 1 , for example, the (initial or base) floor  19  represents the users on the project. Other floors (or floor levels)  29   a, b, . . . n  have calendars  31  from a calendar application or slides  33  from a slide presentation as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . In one embodiment, each floor or floor level is supported by a respective programming object having attributes for defining (linking or otherwise referencing) floor contents (e.g. calendar effects  31 , slideshows/slides  33 , shared applications  35 , etc). The brainstorming room  11  is also supported by a respective programming object having attributes defining (or referencing) number of floors  19 ,  29 , state of the room  11  and other aspects of the room  11 . 
         [0024]    Other technology such as state machines for defining state and contents of floors/levels  19 ,  29  and room  11  are suitable. 
         [0025]    Avatars  12 ,  15  can point to and talk about the items  31 ,  33  on a floor  29   a, b, . . . n  simply by walking to them. In this way, a user/avatar  13 ,  15  can “vote with their feet” in a very natural way. There is no need for a separate “voting tool” found in many traditional 2D, computer-based brainstorming tools. One implementation of this “vote with your feet” feature is disclosed and used in a system in Second Life by Drew Harry (web.media.mit.edu/˜harry/infospaces/), herein incorporated by reference. Other known techniques are suitable. 
         [0026]    Another non-virtual world artifact that can be used in the brainstorming room  11  is a shared application  35 . Using application program sharing, users can discuss software code or bug reports, for example.  FIG. 3  depicts this. The invention system (brainstorming room)  11  enables users/avatars  13 ,  15  to bring (launch) shared application  35 . System  11  displays the running application in a window  37  and/or a respective floor  29   c  using known windowing techniques, where the contents of the window  37  or floor  29   c  are software code, bug reports, and other effects or artifacts of the shared application  35 , etc. 
         [0027]    In one embodiment, one user (through his avatar  13 ) controls the shared application  35 , but all avatars  13 ,  15  can interact with the application image on the floor  29   c  of the room  11  to discuss what is being presented. 
         [0028]    Finally, it is critical in brainstorming meetings that the state of the brainstorm session can be saved for later review. The invention system brainstorm room  11  enables a “snapshot” to be taken of the room  11  at any time. This snapshot, though, is not just a picture (captured image). For the snapshot, system  11  saves state and attribute values of each object representing a persisted chat bubble  17 ,  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27 , of objects representing other meeting (brainstorming session) artifacts (e.g. calendars  31 , slides  33  and shared applications  35 ) and of objects representing the floors  19 ,  29  and brainstorming room  11 . System  11  may save this data for example in a database  94  or other system storage/memory ( FIG. 5 ). When a snapshot is later “reloaded” into a working session of the virtual world, chat bubbles  17 ,  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27  are reconstituted (with corresponding object models) in the virtual world so that they can be manipulated again. This is accomplished using the stored data at  94  ( FIG. 5 ), common data retrieval techniques, and state machine type technology and the like. 
         [0029]    Turning to  FIG. 6 , this invention also encompasses a visualization for reviewing and manipulating multiple room snapshots  63   a, b . . . n.  As room snapshots  63  are taken, they can appear to be stood up like billboards, perhaps with some transparency (similar visually to Microsoft Vista&#39;s Flip3D (at www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/flip3D.mspx) or Otaku&#39;s TopDesk (at www.mydigitallife.info/2007/01/13/alternative-to-use-windows-vista-flip-3 3d-feature-in-windows-xp-with-topdesk/). Similar or common other display techniques are used. 
         [0030]    What differentiates this invention from the Flip3D and TopDesk is that the floors (and floor levels)  19 ,  29  are still “active” even though they are displayed in billboard fashion/format. That is, a user&#39;s avatar  13 ,  15  can walk through the floor billboards (snapshots  63   a, b, . . . n ) and continue to manipulate the artifacts, perhaps tying together items (chat bubbles  17 , calendar  31 , slides  33  . . . ) between floors  19 ,  29  or moving items from one floor to another. Note that the visualization shown in  FIG. 6  is only one possible visualization of this multi-room snapshot feature. Others are suitable. Room  11  programming objects and floor  19 ,  29  programming objects (i.e. attributes, methods and operations thereof using common techniques) support the features illustrated by  FIG. 6 . 
         [0031]    The teachings of all patents, published applications and references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
         [0032]      FIG. 7  is a flow diagram of one embodiment of the present invention. The processor or brainstorming room engine implementing invention room (each generally designated as  11 ) begins with an initialization step  71 . In particular, step  71  initializes (a) a brainstorming session, (b) a programming object defining and detailing attributes of room  11  and (c) a respective programming object for each floor  19 ,  29  or floor level. 
         [0033]    Engine  11  supports user avatar introduction and general display in the subject room  11  using common virtual environment/world technology. 
         [0034]    Step  73  monitors avatar entry into invention room  11 . Upon an avatar entering room  11 , the processor/room engine  11  (step  73 ) changes the avatar&#39;s camera angle to top down. Effectively, step  73  normalizes users&#39; views of the brainstorming room  11  by changing users&#39; avatars&#39; camera angle to a common orientation. Step  73  may color-code avatars entering room  11 . 
         [0035]    Next, at step  75 , room engine  11  is responsive to user/avatar interaction. Step  75  employs common chat and other technology enabling users/avatars to interact with one another in room  11 , including talking to one another and moving about the room  11 . In response to a user/avatar talking, step  75  generates a chat bubble  17 , on floor  19  preferably color coded to match or otherwise indicate the user/avatar speaker of the words forming the chat bubble contents. Step  75  updates attributes of the floor programming object to indicate the newly generated chat bubble  17 . 
         [0036]    Within a predefined time period, if another user/avatar interacts with or responds to the chat bubble  17  generated above, then step  75  persists the chat bubble  17 . This is accomplished using techniques described above and disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/055,650 by assignee and herein incorporated by reference. Step  75  updates floor programming object reference of chat bubble  17  accordingly. Once persisted, chat bubbles  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27  are able to be moved around on room floor  19 . Step  75  enables this feature using known “drag and drop” or similar technology. Step  75  enables users/avatars to arrange persisted chat bubbles  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27  in groupings, clusters or other patterns about floor  19 . Step  75  updates the supporting floor object to indicate the arrangement of chat bubbles  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27 , on floor  19  made by users/avatars in room  11 . 
         [0037]    In a preferred embodiment, user arrangement of chat bubbles  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27  on floor  19  indicates proposed work flow or project task assignment per user as described above in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0038]    Further step  75  tracks foot steps (e.g. position/location) of avatars on floors  19 ,  29 . As a function of closeness of avatar foot print to an item on a floor  19 ,  29 , step  75  determines the corresponding user&#39;s interest in the item. In a preferred embodiment, step  75  employs known “vote with feet” technology here. 
         [0039]    Step  75  continuously updates room programming object, floors programming objects and chat bubbles programming objects accordingly. This enables step  78  to persist the brainstorming session and produce snapshots  63  of room  11  on user command. Step  78  may employ a state machine or similar technology for detailing state of room  11 , floors  19 ,  29  and contents thereof (chat bubbles  17 ,  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27 , calendars  31 , slides  33 , shared applications  35 ) and content locations/positions per floor  19 ,  29 . 
         [0040]    In turn, step  77  supports the different floors  19 ,  29  and maintains respective floor programming objects. Specifically, in response to user/avatar action, step  77  updates floor programming objects, attributes detailing meeting (brainstorming session) artifacts, such as chat bubbles  17 ,  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27 , calendars  31 , slideshows  33  and shared applications  35 , and floor locations/positions thereof (of each). Also in response to user command (interaction), step  77  supports importation and launching of slideshow applications, calendar applications and other applications, described in  FIG. 3  above producing the room  11 /brainstorming session artifacts. 
         [0041]    In response to user command to make a snapshot  63  of the brainstorming room  11 , step  78  effectively persists the state of the brainstorming session. This involves step  78  recording, from respective programming objects, state of the room  11 , state of each floor  19 ,  29  and state and location of artifacts  17 ,  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27 ,  31 ,  33 ,  35  of each floor  19 ,  29 . Step  78  employs data store  94  to hold this recorded data. Preferably, step  78  generates and displays one or more snapshots  63  of brainstorming room  11  in response to user command, each snapshot  63  being of a different state of the brainstorming session. Similarly snapshots of other brainstorming rooms may be obtained. In order to present multiple room  11  snapshots  63  (including snapshots of multiple rooms), step  78  provides the snapshots in a billboard or similar format as discussed above in  FIG. 6  using known technology. While step  78  displays these bill boarded snapshots  63 , the brainstorming session and room  11  remain active. Thus, users/avatars are able to interact within any snapshot  63  and the procedures of steps  73 ,  75 ,  77  are carried out accordingly. 
         [0042]    In a preferred embodiment, brainstorming engine  11  enables subsequent review of a snapshot  63  in a later session in the virtual environment. Brainstorming engine  11  reloads the snapshot  63  and the accompanying recorded object data into the later session. In turn, step  78  reconstitutes at least the chat bubbles  17 ,  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27  of the reloaded snapshot  63 . As a result, end users are able to (once again) manipulate and interact with these chat bubbles as discussed above. 
         [0043]      FIG. 4  illustrates a computer network or similar digital processing environment in which the present invention may be implemented. 
         [0044]    Client computer(s)/devices  50  and server computer(s)  60  provide processing, storage, and input/output devices executing application programs and the like. Client computer(s)/devices  50  can also be linked through communications network  70  to other computing devices, including other client devices/processes  50  and server computer(s)  60 . Communications network  70  can be part of a remote access network, a global network (e.g., the Internet), a worldwide collection of computers, Local area or Wide area networks, and gateways that currently use respective protocols (TCP/IP, Bluetooth, etc.) to communicate with one another. Other electronic device/computer network architectures are suitable. 
         [0045]      FIG. 5  is a diagram of the internal structure of a computer (e.g., client processor/device  50  or server computers  60 ) in the computer system of  FIG. 4 . Each computer  50 ,  60  contains system bus  79 , where a bus is a set of hardware lines used for data transfer among the components of a computer or processing system. Bus  79  is essentially a shared conduit that connects different elements of a computer system (e.g., processor, disk storage, memory, input/output ports, network ports, etc.) that enables the transfer of information between the elements. Attached to system bus  79  is I/O device interface  82  for connecting various input and output devices (e.g., keyboard, mouse, displays, printers, speakers, etc.) to the computer  50 ,  60 . Network interface  86  allows the computer to connect to various other devices attached to a network (e.g., network  70  of  FIG. 4 ). Memory  90  provides volatile storage for computer software instructions  92  and data  94  used to implement an embodiment of the present invention (e.g., programming objects for room  11 , floors  19 ,  29  and meeting artifacts  17 ,  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  29 ,  31 ,  33 ,  35 , and brainstorming room engine (processor)  11  detailed above). Disk storage  95  provides non-volatile storage for computer software instructions  92  and data  94  used to implement an embodiment of the present invention. Central processor unit  84  is also attached to system bus  79  and provides for the execution of computer instructions. 
         [0046]    In one embodiment, the processor routines  92  and data  94  are a computer program product (generally referenced  92 ), including a computer readable medium (e.g., a removable storage medium such as one or more DVD-ROM&#39;s, CD-ROM&#39;s, diskettes, tapes, etc.) that provides at least a portion of the software instructions for the invention system. Computer program product  92  can be installed by any suitable software installation procedure, as is well known in the art. In another embodiment, at least a portion of the software instructions may also be downloaded over a cable, communication and/or wireless connection. In other embodiments, the invention programs are a computer program propagated signal product  107  embodied on a propagated signal on a propagation medium (e.g., a radio wave, an infrared wave, a laser wave, a sound wave, or an electrical wave propagated over a global network such as the Internet, or other network(s)). Such carrier medium or signals provide at least a portion of the software instructions for the present invention routines/program  92 . 
         [0047]    In alternate embodiments, the propagated signal is an analog carrier wave or digital signal carried on the propagated medium. For example, the propagated signal may be a digitized signal propagated over a global network (e.g., the Internet), a telecommunications network, or other network. In one embodiment, the propagated signal is a signal that is transmitted over the propagation medium over a period of time, such as the instructions for a software application sent in packets over a network over a period of milliseconds, seconds, minutes, or longer. In another embodiment, the computer readable medium of computer program product  92  is a propagation medium that the computer system  50  may receive and read, such as by receiving the propagation medium and identifying a propagated signal embodied in the propagation medium, as described above for computer program propagated signal product. 
         [0048]    Generally speaking, the term “carrier medium” or transient carrier encompasses the foregoing transient signals, propagated signals, propagated medium, storage medium and the like. 
         [0049]    The invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements. In a preferred embodiment, the invention is implemented in software, which includes but is not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc. 
         [0050]    Furthermore, the invention can take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. For the purposes of this description, a computer-usable or computer readable medium can be any apparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. 
         [0051]    The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium. Examples of a computer-readable medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk and an optical disk. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk—read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk—read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD. 
         [0052]    A data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code will include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The memory elements can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution. 
         [0053]    Input/output or I/O devices (including but not limited to keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers. 
         [0054]    Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modem and Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters. 
         [0055]    While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to example embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims. 
         [0056]    For example, the computer configuration and architecture of  FIGS. 4 and 5  are for purposes of illustration and not limitation. Other configurations, architectures and computer networks are suitable. 
         [0057]    Also, the above description refers to chat bubbles  17 ,  21 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27 . Other graphics, illustrations and the like may be used to indicate communications by user/avatar&#39;s. Various geometries, color schemes and other characteristics are contemplated. 
         [0058]    Further this disclosure discusses one embodiment of the present invention in terms of a room in a virtual world. Other areas, planned space, structure, etc. are suitable. Also, the virtual environment may be any of a virtual world, video game, 3D video, simulation, remote/distributed conferencing and the like. The above described virtual world with brainstorming room  11  and floors  19 ,  29  are for purposes of non-limiting illustration of one embodiment. Other forms of the environment and room are contemplated.