Variant rating plans for a virtual world environment
First Claim
1. A method of providing a rating plan for implementation in a virtual world environment, comprising:
- identifying a designated aspect of the virtual world environment;
adopting a particular rating plan that provides a rating category associated with the designated aspect of the virtual world environment; and
making the particular rating plan available in the virtual world environment for implementation with respect to one or more designated virtual world patrons.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system provides arrangements creating a relationship between a real-world entity and a virtual world environment. A participant or player can participate in various virtual world experiences including activities, settings, events, purchases, sales and diverse transactions to acquire virtual products, virtual services, and/or virtual items of value. Feedback may be provided and records kept regarding the virtual world participation. In some circumstances, multiple persons can participate as a group or participate as individuals in the virtual world environment. Some embodiments provide virtual world oversight protection related to one or more selected aspects of a virtual world environment. In some implementations different types of virtual world rating plans are available that provide various rating categories attributed to different portions of a virtual world environment, as well as aspects and characteristics thereof.
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Citations
47 Claims
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1. A method of providing a rating plan for implementation in a virtual world environment, comprising:
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identifying a designated aspect of the virtual world environment;
adopting a particular rating plan that provides a rating category associated with the designated aspect of the virtual world environment; and
making the particular rating plan available in the virtual world environment for implementation with respect to one or more designated virtual world patrons. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of providing variant rating plans for virtual world participants, comprising:
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identifying a first virtual world rating plan that attributes a rating category to a portion of a virtual world environment;
further identifying a second virtual world rating plan available in the virtual world environment, which second virtual world rating plan is different from the first virtual world rating plan; and
enabling a virtual world patron to select either the first rating plan or the second rating plan to be applicable to a virtual character associated with the virtual world patron. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A system of providing variant rating plans for virtual world patrons, comprising:
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computer apparatus for creating a virtual world environment accessible to a virtual world patron;
an application module that implements a virtual world rating plan including a rating category associated with a portion of the virtual world environment; and
a communication control module operably coupled with the computer apparatus and with the application module to communicate an applicable rating category to the virtual world patron during a time period in which the virtual world patron is logged on to the virtual world environment. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A computer program product having program instructions configured to perform a process that associates information in a computer system, wherein the process comprises:
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establishing a rating plan in a virtual world environment, which rating plan includes one or more rating categories associated with an aspect or characteristic of the virtual world environment;
maintaining a record of the one or more rating categories and their associated virtual world aspect or characteristic; and
communicating an applicable rating category to a virtual world patron and/or its associated virtual world character during a period while the virtual world patron is logged on to the virtual world environment. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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Specification