System and method for toy adoption and marketing

• US 20050177428A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ganz
• Original Assignee: Ganz
• Inventors: Ganz, Howard
• Granted Patent: US 7,465,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.560
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0258 Registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

An Entertainment System in combination with a commercially purchased toy, wherein the system allows a toy user to register the toy online using a registration code, allowing the user access to various entertainment activities and scenarios in a “virtual world” including a virtual representation of the toy, via a computer connected to the Internet. The system then encourages the user to purchase additional toys to enjoy additional benefits using the Entertainment System. The Entertainment System including a database subsystem, a registration subsystem, a server subsystem, and a virtual world providing subsystem.

Claims

1. A method for providing a virtual world presentation to a user for entertainment, comprising the steps of:

storing data relating to a plurality of registration codes, each of said registration codes corresponding to one of a plurality of toys;

serving content, via a communication network, to a user computer;

receiving one of said registration codes transmitted from the user computer via one or both of the communication network and an additional communication network;

verifying said one of said registration codes against said data relating to said plurality of registration codes;

registering a toy corresponding to said one of said registration codes after said verifying; and

providing virtual world data for including in said content, wherein said virtual world data is for use by the user computer to present a virtual world to the user, and wherein

said virtual world includes a virtual toy representing the toy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the communication network and the additional communication network is the Internet.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said one of said registration codes is printed on a tag attached to the toy at the time of sale, and wherein said registration code is entered into the user computer by a user typing said registration code into the user computer by utilizing the browser application, and then submitting said registration code via the Internet.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of a user obtaining the toy including the corresponding registration code prior to the step of registering.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said virtual world provides a plurality of activities for the user to participate in via interactions with the user computer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said virtual toy virtually participates in one or more of said plurality of activities in said virtual world via said interactions.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said plurality of activities include virtually feeding said virtual toy and the user playing with said virtual toy.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said plurality of activities include playing with said virtual toy along with an additional virtual toy representing an additional toy registered by an additional user via interactions by the additional user with an additional user computer.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said plurality of activities include playing with said virtual toy along with an additional virtual toy representing an additional toy registered by the user.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein said plurality of activities include one or more of the following activities:

providing a virtual medical checkup for said virtual toy;

playing a game;

virtually purchasing virtual furnishings for a virtual room in said virtual world using virtual cash;

virtually furnishing said virtual room in said virtual world;

virtually purchasing virtual food for said virtual toy using said virtual cash;

virtually feeding said virtual toy;

playing with said virtual toy;

playing with said virtual toy along with an additional virtual toy representing an additional toy registered by an additional user via interactions by the additional user with an additional user computer;

virtually adding an additional virtual room in said virtual world; and

chatting with the additional user using the user computer and the additional user computer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said virtual toy virtually participates in one or more of said activities in said virtual world via said interactions.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein said plurality of activities include all of:

providing a virtual medical checkup for said virtual toy;

playing a game;

virtually purchasing virtual furnishings for a virtual room in said virtual world using virtual cash;

virtually furnishing said virtual room in said virtual world;

virtually purchasing virtual food for said virtual toy using said virtual cash;

virtually feeding said virtual toy;

playing with said virtual toy;

playing with said virtual toy along with an additional virtual toy representing an additional toy registered by an additional user via interactions by the additional user with an additional user computer;

virtually adding an additional virtual room in said virtual world; and

chatting with the additional user using the user computer and the additional user computer.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein said plurality of activities include providing a virtual medical checkup for said virtual toy.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein said plurality of activities include virtually purchasing virtual furnishings for a virtual room in said virtual world using virtual cash.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said plurality of activities include virtually furnishing said virtual room in said virtual world using said virtual furnishings.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein said plurality of activities include virtually furnishing a virtual room in said virtual world.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein said plurality of activities include virtually purchasing virtual food for said virtual toy, using said virtual cash, for virtually feeding to said virtual toy in said virtual world.

18. The method of claim 5, wherein said plurality of activities include virtually adding a virtual room in said virtual world.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said data relating to a plurality of registration codes includes said plurality of registration codes.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of toys is offered for sale or sold by a retail establishment and wherein said registration code is packaged with the toy.

21. A method for providing a virtual world presentation to a user of a toy for entertainment, comprising the steps of:

a user obtaining the toy including a corresponding registration code;

storing data relating to a plurality of registration codes, each of said registration codes corresponding to one of a plurality of toys, wherein said toy is one of said plurality of toys and wherein said corresponding registration code is one of said plurality of registration codes;

serving content, via a public communication network, to a user computer;

receiving said registration code transmitted from the user computer via one or both of the public communication network and an additional public communication network;

verifying said registration code against said data relating to said plurality of registration codes;

registering the toy in said system after said verifying; and

providing virtual world data for including in said content, wherein said virtual world data is for use by the user computer to present a virtual world to the user, and wherein

said virtual world includes a virtual toy representing the toy, and further wherein

said virtual world provides a plurality of activities for the user to participate in through user interactions with the user computer over one or both of the public communication network and the additional public communication network.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said plurality of activities include two or more of the following activities:

providing a virtual medical checkup for said virtual toy;

playing a game;

virtually purchasing virtual furnishings for a virtual room in said virtual world using virtual cash;

virtually furnishing said virtual room in said virtual world;

virtually purchasing virtual food for said virtual toy using said virtual cash;

virtually feeding said virtual toy;

playing with said virtual toy;

playing with said virtual toy along with an additional virtual toy representing an additional toy registered by an additional user via interactions by the additional user with an additional user computer;

virtually adding an additional virtual room in said virtual world; and

chatting with the additional user using the user computer and the additional user computer.

23. A method for providing a virtual world presentation to a user of a toy for entertainment, comprising the steps of:

a user obtaining the toy including a corresponding registration code;

serving content, via a communication network, to a user computer;

receiving one or both of data and commands from the user computer;

verifying the toy by determining a validity of the registration code;

registering the toy for allowing the user to access a restricted portion of an entertainment system; and

said system providing virtual world data for including in said content, wherein

said virtual world data is for use by the user computer to present a virtual world to the user, and wherein

said virtual world includes a virtual toy representing the toy, and further wherein

said virtual world provides a plurality of activities for the user to participate in via interactions with the user computer.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said plurality of activities include two or more of the following activities:

providing a virtual medical checkup for said virtual toy;

playing a game;

virtually purchasing virtual furnishings for a virtual room in said virtual world using virtual cash;

virtually furnishing said virtual room in said virtual world;

virtually purchasing virtual food for said virtual toy using said virtual cash;

virtually feeding said virtual toy;

playing with said virtual toy;

playing with said virtual toy along with an additional virtual toy representing an additional toy registered by an additional user via interactions by the additional user with an additional user computer;

virtually adding an additional virtual room in said virtual world; and

chatting with the additional user using the user computer and the additional user computer.

25. A computer readable medium storing computer readable program code for performing a method for presenting a display to the user of a toy, said method using a computer system, said method comprising the steps of:

storing data relating to a plurality of registration codes, each of the registration codes corresponding to one of a plurality of toys, wherein the toy is one of the plurality of toys and wherein a corresponding registration code is one of said plurality of registration codes;

serving content, via a public communication network, to a user computer;

receiving the corresponding registration code transmitted from the user computer via one or both of the public communication network and an additional public communication network;

verifying the corresponding registration code against said data relating to the plurality of registration codes;

registering the toy after said verifying; and

providing virtual world data for including in said content, wherein

said virtual world data is for use by the user computer to present a virtual world to the user, and wherein

said virtual world includes a virtual toy representing the toy, and further wherein

said virtual world provides a plurality of activities for the user to participate in through user interactions with the user computer over one or both of the public communication network and the additional public communication network, and still further wherein

said virtual toy participates in one or more of said plurality of activities in said virtual world via said interactions.