NETWORK-BASED THREE-DIMENSIONAL MULTIPLE-USER SHARED ENVIRONMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD

A client computer program provides instructions for a processor to locate and retrieve rich media and HTML files for running in a three-dimensional graphical user interface. The program provides instructions for the processor to generate a three-dimensional (3D) graphical user interface on a display. Then, the processor generates a metaphorical user object for navigating and interacting in the three dimensions within the environment via navigational and interactional inputs, respectively, from a user. The processor also integrates an HTML object into the environment, and interacts the user object with the HTML object in response to an interactional input from the user. Preferably, the processor generates one or more additional user objects for additional users. Each of the additional user objects can also interact with the HTML object, the first user object and/or each other within the environment in response to interactional inputs from the additional users. In addition, the first user object may interact with any or all of the additional user objects in response to interactional inputs from the first user. The interactional inputs may be proxy expressions from one user to another.