System and Method of a Virtual Sand Tray

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for generating a report for an internal state of a patient. The system includes a computer configured to generate a virtual environment comprising a base layer and provide one or more object models to be placed in the virtual environment. The computer is further configured to provide one or more tools to manipulate the virtual environment and the one or more object models and automatically determine an internal state of a patient based, at least in part, on the selection and manipulation of the one or more object models and the manipulation of the virtual environment.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method of sharing virtual environments between one or more primary devices and one or more secondary devices, comprising:
 generating, with a secondary device, a secondary device virtual environment comprising a background skybox and a texture-mapped wireframe base layer that graphically represents a sand tray comprising a base layer;   providing, with the secondary device, one or more texture-mapped wireframe object models to be placed in the secondary device virtual environment;   providing, with the secondary device, one or more tools to manipulate the secondary device virtual environment and the one or more object models by altering animations, behaviors, and interactions between one or more object models and the secondary device virtual environment;   recording, in a computer database, an order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment;   transmitting to a primary device the order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment; and   generating, with the primary device, a primary device virtual environment comprising a background skybox and a texture-mapped wireframe base layer that graphically represents a sand tray comprising a base layer, said primary device virtual environment comprising an order of the placement of one or more selected models identical to the order of the placement of one or more selected models of the secondary device virtual environment.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, after generating the primary device virtual environment:
 providing, with the primary device, one or more tools to manipulate the primary device virtual environment and the one or more object models by altering animations, behaviors, and interactions between one or more object models and the primary device virtual environment;   recording, in the computer database, an order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the primary device virtual environment;   transmitting to the secondary device the order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the primary device virtual environment; and   altering the order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment in response to the transmitted order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the primary device virtual environment.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the one or more tools to manipulate the primary device virtual environment comprises a shovel, and the shovel manipulates the primary device virtual environment base layer by adding layers to and removing layers from the base layer and wherein removing a predetermined number of layers from the base layer reveals an underlying surface. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein one or more object models to be placed in the secondary device virtual environment comprise a first group associated with a positive-orientation, one or more object models to be placed in the secondary device virtual environment comprise a second group associated with a negative-orientation, and one or more object models to be placed in the secondary device virtual environment comprise a third group associated with one or more emotional states, and further comprising, after generating, with the primary device, a primary device virtual environment:
 classifying, in the computer database, at least some manipulations of the secondary device virtual environment as constructive behaviors and at least some manipulations of the virtual environment as destructive behaviors;   recording, in the computer database, the classification of:
 the manipulations of the secondary device virtual environment; 
 an amount of time associated with selecting a particular object model of the one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment; and 
 an association of the one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment, wherein the association comprises one or more of the positive-orientation, the negative-orientation, and the one or more emotional states; 
   analyzing, with an analyzer coupled with the computer database, the recorded association of the one or more object models in the secondary device virtual environment and the recorded classification of the manipulation of the secondary device virtual environment;   automatically correlating, by use of analyzer-performed pattern recognition of the recorded order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment and the recorded classification of the manipulations of the secondary device virtual environment, an internal state of a patient with the recorded association of the one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment and the recorded classification of the manipulation of the secondary device virtual environment; and   generating, with the analyzer, an analysis comprising a summary of the one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment and the correlated internal state of the patient.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 generating, with a tertiary device, a tertiary device virtual environment comprising a background skybox and a texture-mapped wireframe base layer that graphically represents a sand tray comprising a base layer;   providing, with the tertiary device, one or more texture-mapped wireframe object models to be placed in the tertiary device virtual environment;   providing, with the tertiary device, one or more tools to manipulate the tertiary device virtual environment and the one or more object models by altering animations, behaviors, and interactions between one or more object models and the tertiary device virtual environment;   recording, in the computer database, an order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the tertiary device virtual environment;   transmitting to a primary device the order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the tertiary device virtual environment; and   generating, with the primary device, a second primary device virtual environment comprising a background skybox and a texture-mapped wireframe base layer that graphically represents a sand tray comprising a base layer, said second primary device virtual environment comprising an order of the placement of one or more selected models identical to the order of the placement of one or more selected models of the tertiary device virtual environment.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the secondary device displaying the secondary device virtual environment with a virtual reality headset. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the transmission to the primary device of the order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment comprises an encrypted transmission. 
     
     
         8 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium with computer executable instruction for sharing virtual environments between one or more primary devices and one or more secondary devices that when executed by a computer is configured to:
 generate, with a secondary device, a secondary device virtual environment comprising a background skybox and a texture-mapped wireframe base layer that graphically represents a sand tray comprising a base layer;   provide, with the secondary device, one or more texture-mapped wireframe object models to be placed in the secondary device virtual environment;   provide, with the secondary device, one or more tools to manipulate the secondary device virtual environment and the one or more object models by altering animations, behaviors, and interactions between one or more object models and the secondary device virtual environment;   record, in a computer database, an order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment;   transmit to a primary device the order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment; and   generate, with the primary device, a primary device virtual environment comprising a background skybox and a texture-mapped wireframe base layer that graphically represents a sand tray comprising a base layer, said primary device virtual environment comprising an order of the placement of one or more selected models identical to the order of the placement of one or more selected models of the secondary device virtual environment.   
     
     
         9 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium with the computer executable instruction of  claim 8 , the instructions when executed being further configured to, after generating the primary device virtual environment:
 provide, with the primary device, one or more tools to manipulate the primary device virtual environment and the one or more object models by altering animations, behaviors, and interactions between one or more object models and the primary device virtual environment;   record, in the computer database, an order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the primary device virtual environment;   transmit to the secondary device the order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the primary device virtual environment; and   alter the order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment in response to the transmitted order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the primary device virtual environment.   
     
     
         10 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium with the computer executable instruction of  claim 9 , wherein at least one of the one or more tools to manipulate the primary device virtual environment comprises a shovel, and the shovel manipulates the primary device virtual environment base layer by adding layers to and removing layers from the base layer and wherein removing a predetermined number of layers from the base layer reveals an underlying surface. 
     
     
         11 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium with the computer executable instruction of  claim 10 , wherein one or more object models to be placed in the secondary device virtual environment comprise a first group associated with a positive-orientation, one or more object models to be placed in the secondary device virtual environment comprise a second group associated with a negative-orientation, and one or more object models to be placed in the secondary device virtual environment comprise a third group associated with one or more emotional states, and the instructions when executed, after generating with the primary device a primary device virtual environment, being further configured to:
 classify, in the computer database, at least some manipulations of the secondary device virtual environment as constructive behaviors and at least some manipulations of the virtual environment as destructive behaviors;   record, in the computer database, the classification of:
 the manipulations of the secondary device virtual environment; 
 an amount of time associated with selecting a particular object model of the one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment; and 
 an association of the one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment, wherein the association comprises one or more of the positive-orientation, the negative-orientation, and the one or more emotional states; 
   analyze, with an analyzer coupled with the computer database, the recorded association of the one or more object models in the secondary device virtual environment and the recorded classification of the manipulation of the secondary device virtual environment;   automatically correlate, by use of analyzer-performed pattern recognition of the recorded order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment and the recorded classification of the manipulations of the secondary device virtual environment, an internal state of a patient with the recorded association of the one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment and the recorded classification of the manipulation of the secondary device virtual environment; and   generate, with the analyzer, an analysis comprising a summary of the one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment and the correlated internal state of the patient.   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium with the computer executable instruction of  claim 8 , the instructions when executed being further configured to:
 generate, with a tertiary device, a tertiary device virtual environment comprising a background skybox and a texture-mapped wireframe base layer that graphically represents a sand tray comprising a base layer;   provide, with the tertiary device, one or more texture-mapped wireframe object models to be placed in the tertiary device virtual environment;   provide, with the tertiary device, one or more tools to manipulate the tertiary device virtual environment and the one or more object models by altering animations, behaviors, and interactions between one or more object models and the tertiary device virtual environment;   record, in the computer database, an order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the tertiary device virtual environment;   transmit to the primary device the order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the tertiary device virtual environment; and   generate, with the primary device, a second primary device virtual environment comprising a background skybox and a texture-mapped wireframe base layer that graphically represents a sand tray comprising a base layer, said second primary device virtual environment comprising an order of the placement of one or more selected models identical to the order of the placement of one or more selected models of the tertiary device virtual environment.   
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium with the computer executable instruction of  claim 8 , further comprising the secondary device displaying the secondary device virtual environment with a virtual reality headset. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium with the computer executable instruction of  claim 8 , wherein the transmission to the primary device of the order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment comprises an encrypted transmission. 
     
     
         15 . A system for sharing virtual environments between one or more primary devices and one or more secondary devices, comprising:
 a secondary device comprising a computer and display and configured to:
 generate a secondary device virtual environment comprising a background skybox and a texture-mapped wireframe base layer that graphically represents a sand tray comprising a base layer; 
 provide one or more texture-mapped wireframe object models to be placed in the secondary device virtual environment; and 
 provide one or more tools to manipulate the secondary device virtual environment and the one or more object models by altering animations, behaviors, and interactions between one or more object models and the secondary device virtual environment; 
   a computer database configured to:
 record an order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment; and 
 transmit, to a primary device comprising a computer and display, the order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment; and 
   a primary device comprising a computer and display and configured to:
 generate a primary device virtual environment comprising a background skybox and a texture-mapped wireframe base layer that graphically represents a sand tray comprising a base layer, said primary device virtual environment comprising an order of the placement of one or more selected models identical to the order of the placement of one or more selected models of the secondary device virtual environment. 
   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising the system, after the primary device generates the primary device virtual environment, being configured to:
 provide, with the primary device, one or more tools to manipulate the primary device virtual environment and the one or more object models by altering animations, behaviors, and interactions between one or more object models and the primary device virtual environment;   record, in the computer database, an order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the primary device virtual environment;   transmit to the secondary device the order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the primary device virtual environment; and   alter the order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment in response to the transmitted order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the primary device virtual environment.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein at least one of the one or more tools to manipulate the primary device virtual environment comprises a shovel, and the shovel manipulates the primary device virtual environment base layer by adding layers to and removing layers from the base layer and wherein removing a predetermined number of layers from the base layer reveals an underlying surface. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein one or more object models to be placed in the secondary device virtual environment comprise a first group associated with a positive-orientation, one or more object models to be placed in the secondary device virtual environment comprise a second group associated with a negative-orientation, and one or more object models to be placed in the secondary device virtual environment comprise a third group associated with one or more emotional states, and further comprising the system, after the primary device generates the primary device virtual environment, being configured to:
 classify, in the computer database, at least some manipulations of the secondary device virtual environment as constructive behaviors and at least some manipulations of the virtual environment as destructive behaviors;   record, in the computer database, the classification of:
 the manipulations of the secondary device virtual environment; 
 an amount of time associated with selecting a particular object model of the one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment; and 
 an association of the one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment, wherein the association comprises one or more of the positive-orientation, the negative-orientation, and the one or more emotional states; 
   analyze, with an analyzer coupled with the computer database, the recorded association of the one or more object models in the secondary device virtual environment and the recorded classification of the manipulation of the secondary device virtual environment;   automatically correlate, by use of analyzer-performed pattern recognition of the recorded order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment and the recorded classification of the manipulations of the secondary device virtual environment, an internal state of a patient with the recorded association of the one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment and the recorded classification of the manipulation of the secondary device virtual environment; and   generate, with the analyzer, an analysis comprising a summary of the one or more selected object models in the secondary device virtual environment and the correlated internal state of the patient.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a tertiary device comprising a computer and display and configured to:
 generate a tertiary device virtual environment comprising a background skybox and a texture-mapped wireframe base layer that graphically represents a sand tray comprising a base layer; 
 provide one or more texture-mapped wireframe object models to be placed in the tertiary device virtual environment; and 
 provide one or more tools to manipulate the tertiary device virtual environment and the one or more object models by altering animations, behaviors, and interactions between one or more object models and the tertiary device virtual environment; 
   the computer database being further configured to:
 record an order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the tertiary device virtual environment; and 
 transmit to the primary device the order of the placement of one or more selected object models in the tertiary device virtual environment; and 
   the primary device being further configured to:
 generate a second primary device virtual environment comprising a background skybox and a texture-mapped wireframe base layer that graphically represents a sand tray comprising a base layer, said second primary device virtual environment comprising an order of the placement of one or more selected models identical to the order of the placement of one or more selected models of the tertiary device virtual environment. 
   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising the secondary device displaying the secondary device virtual environment with a virtual reality headset.