Bridging Physical and Virtual Spaces

Abstract

Examples of systems and methods for bridging virtual and physical spaces are described. In some of these examples, a particular communicant's real world state drives changes in one or more of the communications connections, virtual state, and communications interface of the particular communicant or another communicant.

1 - 18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . A method, comprising:
 establishing respective presences for a user and another communicant in a virtual area;   administering realtime communication connections between communication devices respectively associated with the user and the other communicant in the virtual area;   receiving real world data comprising one or more attributes defining a physical state of the user;   applying one or more conditions to the one or more attributes; and   based on results of the applying, switching communication connections between communication devices associated with the user and another communicant while maintaining the established presences of the user and the other communicant in the virtual area.   
     
     
         20 - 53 . (canceled) 
     
     
         54 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a memory storing processor-readable instructions; and   a processor, coupled to the memory, operable to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions operable to perform operations comprising:
 in a network communications environment, administering realtime communications between network nodes respectively associated with a user and one or more other communicants who are represented by respective avatars in one or more virtual areas defining locations of presence in the network communications environment; 
 based on geographical position data received in connection with respective ones of the communicants, ascertaining current real world locations of the respective ones of the communicants; 
 ascertaining respective ones of the communicants who are co-present; generating interface data for presenting avatars of respective ones of the communicants grouped according to their respective locations of co-presence, visual cues indicating current communication states of the respective ones of the communicants in their respective locations of presence, and visual indications of the ascertained current real world locations of respective ones of the communicants; and 
 transmitting the interface data to the network node being operated by the user for presentation in a graphical user interface. 
   
     
     
         55 . (canceled) 
     
     
         56 . At least one computer-readable medium having processor-readable program code embodied therein, the processor-readable program code adapted to be executed by a processor to implement a method comprising:
 in a network communications environment, administering realtime communications between network nodes respectively associated with a user and one or more other communicants who are represented by respective avatars in one or more virtual areas defining locations of presence in the network communications environment;   based on geographical position data received in connection with respective ones of the communicants, ascertaining current real world locations of the respective ones of the communicants;   ascertaining respective ones of the communicants who are co-present;   generating interface data for presenting avatars of respective ones of the communicants grouped according to their respective locations of co-presence, visual cues indicating current communication states of the respective ones of the communicants in their respective locations of presence, and visual indications of the ascertained current real world locations of respective ones of the communicants; and   transmitting the interface data to the network node being operated by the user for presentation in a graphical user interface.   
     
     
         57 - 69 . (canceled)