System and method for user creation of digital objects

• US 10,099,115 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2013
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Butler, Jeffrey, Rappaport, Rosie, McPherson, Darrin
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper, Tramar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US14/094,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20140200084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,779 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items

Abstract

Implementations of systems and methods according to present principles enhance and improve current methods of object creation. In such systems and methods, in addition to keeping track of a seller of an object (as seen, e.g., by an auction house notation), the identities and contributions are maintained of creators of component or subcomponent parts, or those who provided or crafted materials, either for a component or for the finished item, or those whose skills or talents contributed to the creation or obtaining of an item, component, subcomponent, or material, allowing subsequent benefits to such creators, including compensation or recognition.

Claims

1. A method of managing a creation process of a digital item, comprising:

receiving an indication of a first element associated with a first source to include in a digital item associated with a game environment, wherein the indication is provided by a user to a game environment via a controller;

receiving an indication of a second element associated with a second source to include in the digital item associated with the game environment, wherein the indication is provided by the user to the game environment via the controller; and

executing instructions stored in memory by a processor, wherein the processor executes the instructions to;

begin creating the digital item that includes the received first and second elements in the game environment;

generate references for each of the received elements of the digital item being created in the game environment, wherein the generated references link information pertaining to the digital item being created,

store information in memory pertaining to the digital item being created, wherein the stored information includes the indication of the first element, the first source, the second element, and the second source, and wherein the stored information also includes the generated references that links the stored information with the digital item being created,

evaluate the stored information associated with the digital item being created against other information stored in the memory, wherein the evaluation includes;

identifying similarities between the digital item being created and other created items stored in the memory,

assigning a value associated with the identified similarities, and

comparing the assigned value with respect to a pre-determined threshold, wherein the comparison indicates a legitimacy for the digital item being created, and

prohibit completion of the creation of the digital item in the game environment based on the indication that the digital item being created is illegitimate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital item being created is an object within the game.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising converting the object into a template upon receiving command from a user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more-elements associated with the digital item being created is a component, a subcomponent, or a material.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more elements associated with the digital item being created is a voxel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital item being created is based on a template of an already created digital item.

7. A method of making a digital item, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a first element associated with a first source to include in a digital item associated with a game environment, wherein the indication is provided by a user to a game environment via a controller;

receiving an indication of a second element associated with a second source to include in the digital item associated with the game environment, wherein the indication is provided by the user to the game environment via the controller;

receiving an indication of a skill and a third source associated with the skill to include in the digital item, wherein creation of the digital item includes using the skill; and

executing instructions stored in memory by a processor, wherein the processor executes instructions to;

begin creating the digital item that includes the received first and second elements in the game environment,

generate references for each of the received elements of the digital item being created in the game environment, wherein the generated references link information pertaining to the digital item being created,

generate a reference for the received skill and the third source, wherein the generated reference links the received skill and the third source to the digital item being created,

store information in memory pertaining to the digital item being created, wherein the stored information includes the indication of the first element, the first source, the second element, the second source, the indicated skill and the third source of the skill, and wherein the stored information also includes the generated reference that links the stored information with the digital item being created, and

evaluate the stored information associated with the digital item being created against other information stored in the memory, wherein the evaluation includes;

identifying similarities between the digital item being created and other created items stored in the memory,

assigning a value associated with the identified similarities, and

comparing the assigned value with respect to a pre-determined threshold, wherein the comparison indicates a legitimacy for the digital item being created.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the skill operates on one or more of the elements associated with the digital item being created.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the skill operates to join the first and second elements.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the skill operates to join one of the elements into the digital item being created.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein one of the elements is a material, and wherein the skill operates to transform the one element into a component or subcomponent.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the stored information associated with the created digital item being created further includes a value of the one or more elements used in the digital item being created upon creation.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising a transaction that includes the completed digital item and that causes a benefit to be transmitted to one or more sources associated with the created digital item based on the stored values of the one or more elements associated with the one or more sources used in the created digital item.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving a definition of a geographic extent within the online environment, wherein the geographic extent defining a location for the item, and wherein both the first and second elements are placed within the geographic extent.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving an indication from a user of a set of elements within the geographic extent, and

executing instructions stored in memory by a processor, the processor executing the instructions to;

generate a second set of references from the set of indicated elements, wherein the second set of references are linked to the digital item being created, and

store the received set of elements within the geographic extent into memory along with the generated second set of references.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the skill operates on both the first and second element.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising instructions for causing a computing environment to perform the method of managing a creation process of a digital item, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a first element associated with a first source to include in a digital item associated with a game environment, wherein the indication is provided by a user to the game environment via a controller;

receiving an indication of a second element associated with a second source to include in the digital item associated with the game environment, wherein the indication is provided by the user to the game environment via the controller; and

executing instructions stored in memory by a processor, wherein the processor executes the instructions to;

begin creating the digital item that includes the received first and second elements in the game environment;

generate references for each of the received elements of the digital item being created in the game environment, wherein the generated references link information pertaining to the digital item being created,

store information in memory pertaining to the digital item being created in the game environment, wherein the stored information includes the indication of the first element, the first source, the second element, and the second source, and wherein the stored information also includes the generated references that links the stored information with the digital item being created,

evaluate the stored information associated with the digital item being created against other information stored in the memory, wherein the evaluation includes;

identifying similarities between the digital item being created and other created digital items stored in the memory,

assigning a value associated with the identified similarities, and

comparing the assigned value with respect to a pre-determined threshold, wherein the comparison indicates a legitimacy for the digital item being created, and

prohibit a completion of the creation of the digital item in the game environment based on the indication that the item being created is illegitimate.

18. A digital item, stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, made by the method of managing a creation process of a digital item, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a first element associated with a first source to include in a digital item associated with a game environment, wherein the indication is provided by a user to a game environment via a controller;

receiving an indication of a second element associated with a second source to include in the digital item associated with the game environment, wherein the indication is provided by the user to the game environment via the controller; and

executing instructions stored in memory by a processor, wherein the processor executes the instructions to;

begin creating the digital item that includes the received first and second elements in the game environment;

generate references for each of the received elements of the digital item being created in the game environment, wherein the generated references link information pertaining to the digital item being created,

store information in memory pertaining to the created digital item being created, wherein the stored information includes the indication of the first element, the first source, the second element, and the second source, and wherein the stored information also includes the generated references that links the stored information with the digital item being created,

evaluate the stored information associated with the digital item being created against other information stored in the memory, wherein the evaluation includes;

identifying similarities between the digital item being created and other created digital items stored in the memory,

assigning a value associated with the identified similarities, and

comparing the assigned value with respect to a pre-determined threshold, wherein the comparison indicates a legitimacy for the digital item being created, and

allowing completion of the creation of the digital item in the game environment based on the indication that the digital item being created is legitimate.

19. A method of managing a creation process of a digital item, comprising:

receiving an indication of a first element from a first source to include in a digital item associated with a game environment, wherein the indication is provided by a user to the game environment via a controller;

receiving an indication of a second element from a second source to include in the digital item associated with the game environment, wherein the indication is provided by the user to the game environment via the controller; and

executing instructions stored in memory by a processor, wherein the processor executes the instructions to;

begin creating a digital item including the first and second elements in the game environment, wherein the creating is triggered by a received action from the first source and the second source by the user via the controller;

generate references for each of the received elements of the digital item being created in the game environment, wherein the generated references link information pertaining to the digital item being created,

store information in memory pertaining to the digital item being created, wherein the stored information includes the indication of the first element, the first source, the second element, and the second source, and wherein the stored information also includes the generated references that links the stored information with the digital item being created,

evaluate the stored information associated with the digital item being created against other information stored in the memory, wherein the evaluation includes;

identifying similarities between the digital item being created and other created digital items stored in the memory,

assigning a value associated with the identified similarities, and

comparing the assigned value with respect to a pre-determined threshold, wherein the comparison indicates a legitimacy for the digital item being created, and

allowing completion of the creation of the digital item in the game environment based on the indication that the item being created is legitimate.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first and second sources are characters in an online game.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the characters are controlled by users.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving a definition of a geographic extent within the online environment, wherein the geographic extent defining a location for the item, and wherein both the first and second elements are placed within the geographic extent.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the characters are controlled by AI.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the characters are controlled by users and AI.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein upon a transaction including the created digital time causes a benefit to be transmitted to one or more sources associated with the created digital item.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the first and second actions are selected from the group consisting of:

deploying or operating on a voxel, a component, a subcomponent, or a material, or performing a skill.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising instructions for causing a computer environment to perform the method of managing a creation process of a digital item, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a first element from a first source to include in a digital item associated with a game environment, wherein the indication is provided by a user to a game environment via a controller;

receiving an indication of a second element from a second source to include in the digital item associated with the game environment, wherein the indication is provided by the user to the game environment via the controller;

beginning creation of a digital item including the first and second elements in the game environment, wherein the creating is triggered by a received action from the first source and the second source;

generating references for each of the received elements of the digital item being created in the game environment, wherein the generated references link information pertaining to the digital item being created,

storing information in memory pertaining to the digital item being created, wherein the stored information includes the indication of the first element, the first source, the second element, and the second source, and wherein the stored information also includes the generated references that links the stored information with the digital item being created;

evaluating the stored information associated with the digital item being created against other information stored in the memory, wherein the evaluation includes;

identifying similarities between the digital item being created and other created digital items stored in the memory,

assigning a value associated with the identified similarities, and

comparing the assigned value with respect to a pre-determined threshold, wherein the comparison indicates a legitimacy for the digital item being created; and

prohibiting completion of creation of the digital item based in the game environment on the indication that the item being created is illegitimate.