Patent ID: 8903915

Claim:
A method for isolating a plurality of avatars belonging to a virtual space in a virtual universe, comprising: accessing a predefined grouping method associated with the virtual space; accessing grouping information associated with each of the plurality of avatars belonging to the virtual space based on the predefined grouping method; grouping each of the plurality of avatars belonging to the virtual space into groups according to the predefined grouping method and the grouping information; isolating each of the plurality of avatars belonging to the virtual space based on the grouping, said isolating comprising applying transparency properties, and physical and communication isolation, among the plurality of avatars based on the avatars' grouping information in such a way that the groups do not interfere with one another in a same space within the virtual space; and charging a fee for occupation of a space within the virtual space by at least one avatar belonging to a particular group, the fee based on a fraction of usage of the space by the at least one avatar as compared to at least one avatar of at least one other group isolated from the particular group.