System and method for toy adoption and marketing

• US 20050192864A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GANZ An Ontario Partnership Consisting of SH GANZ Holdings Incorporated and 816877 Ontario Limited
• Original Assignee: Ganz
• Inventors: Ganz, Howard
• Granted Patent: US 7,534,157 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.56
• 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 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/36 Details; Accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0258 Registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

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 toy for utilizing an entertainment system for providing a virtual world for entertainment of a user of said toy, said toy comprising:

a toy body, and

a registration code, wherein

the entertainment system uses said registration code to register and verify said toy, and wherein

the entertainment system presents a virtual world to the user via a user computer connected to a communication network, and further

wherein

the virtual world includes a virtual toy representing said toy.

2. The toy of claim 1, wherein said registration code is printed on a tag attached to said toy or its packaging at the time of sale, and wherein said registration code is entered into the user computer by a user typing the registration code into the user computer, and then said user computer submits the registration code to the entertainment system via one or both of the communication network and an additional communication network.

3. The toy of claim 1, wherein the entertainment system comprises:

a server subsystem for serving virtual world data to the user computer for presenting the virtual world, and for receiving said registration code transmitted from the user computer via one or both of the communication network and an additional communication network;

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

a registration subsystem for verifying said registration code against the data relating to the plurality of registration codes, and subsequently registering said toy in the system after the verifying; and

a virtual world providing subsystem for providing the virtual world data.

4. The toy of claim 1, wherein the virtual world data served to the user computer is served to a browser application executing on the user computer and capable of displaying web pages using html.

5. The toy of claim 4, wherein one or both of the communication network and the additional communication network is the Internet.

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

7. The toy of claim 6, wherein the virtual toy participates in one or more of the plurality of activities in the virtual world via the interactions.

8. The toy of claim 7, wherein the plurality of activities include virtually feeding the virtual toy and playing with the virtual toy.

9. The toy of claim 7, wherein the plurality of activities include playing with the virtual toy along with an additional virtual toy registered by an additional user via interactions by the additional user with an additional user computer.

10. The toy of claim 7, wherein the plurality of activities include playing with the virtual toy along with an additional virtual toy representing an additional toy registered by the user.

11. The toy of claim 6, wherein the plurality of activities include one or more of the following activities:

providing a virtual medical checkup for the virtual toy;

playing a game;

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

virtually furnishing the virtual room in the virtual world;

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

virtually feeding the virtual toy;

playing with the virtual toy;

playing with the 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 the virtual world; and

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

12. The toy of claim 11, wherein the plurality of activities include all of:

providing a virtual medical checkup for the virtual toy;

playing a game;

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

virtually furnishing the virtual room in the virtual world;

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

virtually feeding the virtual toy;

playing with the virtual toy;

playing with the 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 the virtual world; and

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

13. The toy of claim 11, wherein the virtual toy virtually participates in one or more of the activities in the virtual world via the interactions.

14. The toy of claim 6, wherein the plurality of activities include providing a virtual medical checkup for the virtual toy.

15. The toy of claim 6, wherein the plurality of activities include virtually purchasing virtual furnishings for a virtual room in the virtual world using virtual cash.

16. The toy of claim 15, wherein the plurality of activities include virtually furnishing the virtual room in the virtual world using the virtual furnishings.

17. The toy of claim 6, wherein the plurality of activities include virtually furnishing a virtual room in the virtual world.

18. The toy of claim 6, wherein the plurality of activities include virtually purchasing virtual food for the virtual toy using the virtual cash for virtually feeding to the virtual toy in the virtual world.

19. The toy of claim 6, wherein the plurality of activities include virtually adding a virtual room in the virtual world.

20. The toy of claim 3, wherein said data relating to a plurality of registration codes includes said plurality of registration codes.

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

22. The toy of claim 1, further comprising a storage device attached to, or embedded in, said toy body, wherein

said registration code is electronically stored in said storage device, and wherein

said registration code is automatically entered into the user computer by utilizing a reading device for reading the electronically stored registration code from the storage device, the reading device being included in, or connected to, the user computer, and wherein

the user computer thereafter submits said registration code to the entertainment system.

23. The toy of claim 22, wherein the storage device is one of an RF tag, a USB key, and a Bluetooth wireless device.

24. A toy for utilizing an entertainment system for providing a virtual world for entertainment of a user of said toy, said toy comprising:

a toy body, and

a registration code, wherein

the entertainment system uses said registration code to register and verify said toy, and wherein

the entertainment system presents a virtual world to the user via a user computer connected to the Internet, and further wherein

the virtual world includes a virtual toy representing said toy, and wherein the entertainment system comprises;

a storage subsystem for storing a plurality of registration codes, each of the registration codes corresponding to one of a plurality of toys, wherein said toy is one of the plurality of toys;

a server subsystem for serving virtual world data to the user computer for presenting the virtual world for receiving said registration code transmitted from the user computer via the Internet;

a registration subsystem for verifying said registration code against the list of registration codes, and subsequently registering said toy in the system after the verifying; and

a virtual world providing subsystem for providing the virtual world data, wherein the virtual world provides a plurality of activities for the user to participate in via interactions with the user computer.

25. The toy of claim 24, wherein the plurality of activities include two or more of the following activities:

providing a virtual medical checkup for the virtual toy;

playing a game;

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

virtually furnishing the virtual room in the virtual world;

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

virtually feeding the virtual toy;

playing with the virtual toy;

playing with the 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 the virtual world; and

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

26. A toy obtained by a user for utilizing an entertainment system for providing a virtual world for entertainment of a user of said toy, the entertainment system comprising:

a server subsystem for serving virtual world data, via a communication network, to a user computer, and for receiving one or both of data and commands from the user computer;

a registration subsystem for verifying and then registering said toy, wherein the verifying includes determining a validity of said toy; and

a virtual world providing subsystem for providing the virtual world data, wherein

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

the virtual world includes a virtual toy representing said toy.

27. The toy of claim 26, wherein the virtual world provides a plurality of activities for the user to participate in via interactions with the user computer.

28. The toy of claim 27, wherein the plurality of activities include two or more of the following activities:

providing a virtual medical checkup for the virtual toy;

playing a game;

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

virtually furnishing the virtual room in the virtual world;

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

virtually feeding the virtual toy;

playing with the virtual toy;

playing with the 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 the virtual world; and

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