ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 1 -- Activision Publishing, Santa Monica, California, has been assigned a patent (8,849,917) developed by four co-inventors for the "use of information channels to provide communications in a virtual environment." The co-inventors are Christopher J. Dawson, Arlington, Virginia, Rick A. Hamilton II, Charlottesville, Virginia, Michael J. Osias, Westtown, New York, and Brian W. Sledge, Shreveport, Louisiana.

The patent application was filed on Feb. 22, 2012 (13/ . . .