US 12,014,021 B2
Communicating between a virtual area and a physical space
David Van Wie, Eugene, OR (US)
Assigned to Sococo, Inc., Austin, TX (US)
Filed by Sococo, Inc., Austin, TX (US)
Filed on Nov. 9, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/092,741.
Application 17/092,741 is a division of application No. 15/853,831, filed on Dec. 24, 2017, granted, now 10,838,572.
Application 15/853,831 is a continuation of application No. 15/437,335, filed on Feb. 20, 2017, granted, now 9,851,863, issued on Dec. 26, 2017.
Application 15/437,335 is a continuation of application No. 14/930,472, filed on Nov. 2, 2015, granted, now 9,575,625, issued on Feb. 21, 2017.
Application 14/930,472 is a continuation of application No. 13/554,051, filed on Jul. 20, 2012, granted, now 9,182,883, issued on Nov. 10, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/637,190, filed on Apr. 23, 2012.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/510,698, filed on Jul. 22, 2011.
Prior Publication US 2021/0055851 A1, Feb. 25, 2021
Int. Cl. H04L 12/18 (2006.01); G06F 3/01 (2006.01); G06F 3/04812 (2022.01); G06F 3/04815 (2022.01); G06F 3/0484 (2022.01); G06Q 50/60 (2024.01); H04L 65/403 (2022.01); H04L 65/75 (2022.01); H04M 3/56 (2006.01); H04N 7/15 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 3/04812 (2013.01) [G06F 3/011 (2013.01); G06F 3/04815 (2013.01); G06F 3/0484 (2013.01); G06Q 50/60 (2024.01); H04L 12/1827 (2013.01); H04L 65/403 (2013.01); H04L 65/75 (2022.05); H04M 3/567 (2013.01); H04N 7/157 (2013.01); H04M 2201/42 (2013.01); H04M 2203/1025 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method performed by one or more processors executing one or more program instructions encoded in one or more non-transitory structures, the method comprising:
administering network connections between network nodes associated with respective communicants and a device that is in a physical space and is independent of any particular communicant;
initiating a communications session;
presenting the communications session on subscribing ones of the network nodes of communicants who are present in a virtual area, wherein the virtual area comprises a persistent, three-dimensional geometrical representation of a physical space that simulates a physical, real-world space, the physical space includes contents that are located within the physical space, and the contents include three-dimensional avatars of the communicants in positions within the physical space of the virtual area;
broadcasting the communications session from the device into the physical space for people who are present in the physical space.