System of developing urban landscape by using electronic data

• US 20070176921A1
• Filed: 01/27/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dotcity Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Dotcity Incorporated
• Inventors: Kubota, Katsuhiko, Iwasaki, Koji
• Application Number:
  US11/340,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20070176921A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items

Abstract

To propose an urban landscape with reality as alive as an actual town and provide a system of realizing the urban landscape.

The present invention has means for displaying an urban landscape with a food shop zone including a cluster of various restaurants, a sports/hobby zone including baseball stadiums and pools, a living zone including flats and public facilities, a zone for female company employees to get together, and news including weather forecast, fortune-telling and the like as a virtual town and/or a town with reality on a display of a personal computer and/or various mobile terminals, or for displaying an urban landscape as if new facilities are constructed with time; means for plural characters of persons to act freely in the urban landscape including to stroll there, to enjoy shopping, to take a walk and stop by somewhere the person likes, to do or watch sports, and to go to theater; means for creating a self avatar which acts in the same manner as that of the freely acting character of a person in response to a desired inputted command and for issuing the command; and means for registering the self avatar on a network for pay and/or free of charge.

Claims

1. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data comprising:

means for displaying an urban landscape with a food shop zone including a cluster of various restaurants, a sports/hobby zone including baseball stadiums and pools, a living zone including flats and public facilities, a zone for female company employees to get together, and news including weather forecast, fortune-telling and the like as a virtual town and/or a town with reality on a display of a personal computer and/or various mobile terminals, or for displaying an urban landscape as if new facilities are constructed with time;

means for plural characters of persons to act freely in said urban landscape including to stroll there, to enjoy shopping, to take a walk and stop by somewhere the person likes, to do or watch sports, and to go to theater;

means for creating a self avatar which acts in the same manner as that of said freely acting character of a person in response to a desired inputted command and for issuing the command; and

means for registering the self avatar on a network for pay and/or free of charge.

2. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 1, further comprising means for the self avatar to use a room of the flat in the urban landscape shown in claim 1 for pay and/or free of charge in response to a request.

3. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 2, further comprising means for sending direct mail about various events to be held at facilities in said urban landscape to said room of the flat.

4. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 1, further comprising means for recording the free acts of said self avatar in the urban landscape, selecting preference of the self avatar, and sending said direct mail based on the preference to the self avatar'"'"'s room in the flat.

5. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 1, further comprising means for calculating preference of the self avatar with a scheme which weighs the interests and preference such as by counting the number of times the self avatar visits a sports gear sales zone, for example, to weigh “

data”

based on the calculation to select preference of the self avatar.

6. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 1, further comprising means for recording facilities and outlets to which the character of a person freely acting in said urban landscape visits, counting the number of times the character visits the facilities and outlets, and obtaining data for the basis of discount at or invitation to the facilities according to the counted number.

7. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 2claims 2 and 3, further comprising:

means for the self avatar to enjoy a space of his own in said the avatar'"'"'s flat, also to invite companions who have the same interest as that of the self avatar or close friends whom the self avatar got to know on the network or the like into the room and form a group or a society with the persons, wherein the members of the group or the society go out into the urban landscape and make many new friends or make a new group or a new society with new companions or a new society who have the same interest as those of the self avatar.

8. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 7, further comprising means for the registered self avatar to register said friends and society on the network for pay and/or free of charge.

9. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, further comprising means for collecting attribute information on the friends and society shown in claim 7, by which the self avatar can collect unique data, so that highly reliable evaluations on the community can be obtained.

10. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for enabling a self avatar to do chat communication with companions who have the same interest as that of the self avatar or close friends via an image distribution system or the like; and

means for enabling the self avatar to keep in touch with the companions or the friends.

11. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for enabling a self avatar to buy various goods or tickets at facilities in said urban landscape and accounting means, wherein the operator can also search for goods or tickets on the network at the web sites which provide searching services such as “

google”

to buy the goods or the tickets.

12. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for placing “

dot points”

at main places in said urban landscape; and

means for adding the “

dot points”

as a self avatar passes a plurality of the “

dot points” and

providing a specific incentive for the operator according to the amount of the points so as to encourage the operator to participate in the urban landscape and visit more outlets or the like in the urban landscape.

13. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for providing said dot points for an operator when the operator increases the member of a society which the operator has formed as an owner with said companions who get along with the operator on the same interest or the same pursuit as that of the operator.

14. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 1, wherein the descriptions of the facilities in said urban landscape or the prices and descriptions of various goods or tickets are displayed in balloons.

15. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 1, further comprising means for enabling an operator to immediately enter into said urban landscape by using Shockwave Player which is displayed by well-known browsers without requiring a specific application when the operator downloads said urban landscape.

16. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for displaying Dotblogs at a predetermined place, a flat where a self avatar uses, a hotel in said urban landscape so that unrestricted advertisement for sales promotion or notes for oneself or public relations, a comment for the other persons, a diary, or a trace of a friend who has visited the place are not only displayed in the urban landscape but also displayed on the network as a homepage for releasing the contents of the Dotblogs to public or only to specific persons.

17. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 1, wherein all said acts can be recorded on a database or the like and played back.

18. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 1, further comprising:

accounting system means which has a producer of said urban landscape and the producer collects a certain royalty as a producer fee from the sales of each of the outlets; and

penalty adding means for closing a outlet or charging the outlet for a predetermined amount of rent if the sales of the outlet is lower than a predetermined value.

19. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, comprising:

means for displaying an urban landscape with a food shop zone including a cluster of various restaurants, a sports/hobby zone including baseball stadiums and pools, a living zone including flats and public facilities, a zone for female company employees to get together, and Dotblogs of news including weather forecast, fortune-telling and the like as a virtual town and/or a town with reality on a display of a personal computer and/or a mobile device, or for displaying an urban landscape as if new facilities are constructed with time, and for plural characters of persons to act freely in said urban landscape including to stroll there, to enjoy shopping, to take a walk and stop by somewhere the person likes, to do or watch sports and to go to theater, and for creating a self avatar which acts in the same manner as that of said freely acting character of a person in response to another desired inputted command and for issuing the command;

means for registering the self avatar on a network for pay and/or free of charge;

means for said self avatar to use a room of the flat in said urban landscape for pay and/or free of charge in response to a request from an operator;

means for sending direct mail about various events to be held at facilities in said urban landscape to the room;

means for recording the free acts of said self avatar in the urban landscape, selecting preference of the self avatar, and sending said direct mail based on the preference to the self avatar'"'"'s room in the flat;

means for calculating preference of the self avatar with a scheme which weighs interests and preference such as by counting the number of times the self avatar visits a sports gear sales zone, for example, to weigh “

data”

based on the calculation to select preference of the self avatar;

a system of recording facilities and the like to which the character of a person freely acting in the urban landscape visits, counting the number of times the character visits the facilities and the like, and obtaining data for the basis of discount at or invitation to the facilities according to the counted number;

a system of said self avatar to enjoy a space of his own in the avatar'"'"'s flat, also to invite companions who have the same interest as that of the self avatar or close friends whom the self avatar got to know on the network or the like into the room and form a group or a society with the persons, wherein the members of the group or the society go out into the urban landscape and make many new friends or make a new group or a new society with new companions or a new society who have the same interest as those of the self avatar;

a system of the registered self avatar to register the friends or society on the network for pay and/or free of charge;

a system of collecting attribute information on said friends or society, by which the self avatar can collect unique data, so that highly reliable evaluations on the community can be obtained;

a system of enabling a self avatar to do chat communication with the companions who have the same interest as that of the self avatar or close friends via an image distribution system or the like;

a system of enabling the self avatar to keep in touch with the companions or the friends;

a system of enabling a self avatar to buy various goods or tickets at facilities in said urban landscape and an accounting system, wherein the operator can also search for goods or tickets on the network at the web sites which provide searching services such as “

google”

to buy the goods or the tickets;

a system of placing “

dot points”

at main places in said urban landscape;

a system of adding the “

dot points”

as a self avatar passes a plurality of the “

dot points” and

providing a specific incentive for the operator according to the amount of the points so as to encourage the operator to participate in the urban landscape and visit more outlets or the like in the urban landscape;

a system of providing said dot points for an operator when the operator increases the member of a society which the operator has formed as an owner with said companions who get along with the operator on the same interest or the same pursuit as that of the operator;

wherein the descriptions of the facilities in said urban landscape or the prices and descriptions of various goods or tickets are displayed in balloons;

a system of enabling an operator to immediately enter into said urban landscape by using Shockwave Player which is displayed by well-known browsers without requiring a specific application when the operator downloads the urban landscape;

a system of displaying Dotblogs at a predetermined place, a flat where a self avatar uses, a hotel in said urban landscape so that unrestricted advertisement for sales promotion or notes for oneself or public relations, a comment for the other persons, a diary, or a trace of a friend who has visited the place are not only displayed in the urban landscape but also displayed on the network as a homepage for releasing the contents of the Dotblogs to public or only to specific persons;

wherein all said acts can be recorded on a database or the like and played back;

an accounting system of a producer of said urban landscape to collect a certain royalty as a producer fee from the sales of each of said outlets; and

a penalty adding system of closing a outlet or charging the outlet for a predetermined amount of rent if the sales of the outlet is lower than a predetermined value.

20. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 19, comprising an advertising information displaying section such as a banner at an appropriate place in said virtual town and/or said town with reality, wherein said displaying section displays necessary OR/AND optional information in the information by characters or image information with a link to another site on the network.

21. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 19, comprising an advertisement displaying site owner in a virtual town and/or a town with reality which displays the advertising information displaying section such as a banner, an advertiser such as an EC merchant, an advertising information displaying section such as a banner, and a banner advertisement agent called an affiliated service provider for going between the advertisement displaying site owner and the advertiser;

wherein a self avatar in the virtual town and/or the town with reality chooses an information displaying section displayed on the virtual town and/or the town with reality, and when the self avatar selects the information displaying section, the page transfers to the advertiser'"'"'s site via a preset link, and when the self avatar accesses the advertiser'"'"'s site, the advertiser pays a fee or a reward to the advertisement displaying site owner and/or the advertisement agency.

22. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data according to claim 19, comprising:

means for an operator to buy various goods or tickets at facilities in said urban landscape;

accounting means;

means for placing “

dot points”

at main places in said urban landscape;

means for adding the “

dot points”

as a self avatar passes a plurality of the “

dot points” and

providing a specific incentive for the operator according to the amount of the points so as to encourage the operator to participate in the urban landscape and visit more outlets in the urban landscape; and

means for converting a fee or a reward paid to said advertisement displaying site owner and/or said advertisement agency to “

dot points”

so that the advertisement displaying site owner and/or the advertisement agency can pay a part or whole of the fee or the reward to a self avatar in a virtual town and/or a town with reality as “

dot points”

.

23. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, wherein the fee or the reward described in claim 19 is required every time when the self avatar selects the advertiser'"'"'s site.

24. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, wherein the fee or the reward described in claim 19 is required according to the number of times an advertisement information displaying section such as a banner is displayed in a virtual town and/or a town with reality.

25. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, wherein the fee or the reward described in claim 19 is required according to whether or not the self avatar selects the advertiser'"'"'s site and buys something there or is registered to the company via the advertisement.

26. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, wherein the fee or the reward described in claim 19 is required when the self avatar introduces a new self avatar.

27. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, wherein the advertisement information displaying section such as a banner described in claim 19 includes a poster, a sign board, an advertising balloon, an electronic bulletin board, an airship, various handed out presents, word of mouth, a town guiding magazine, and a mail-order catalogue displayed in a virtual town and/or a town with reality.

28. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, comprising:

means for displaying an urban landscape with a food shop zone including a cluster of various restaurants, a sports/hobby zone including baseball stadiums and pools, a living zone including flats and public facilities, a zone for female company employees, and news including weather forecast, fortune-telling and the like as a virtual town and/or a town with reality on a display of a personal computer and/or various mobile terminals, or for displaying an urban landscape as if buildings are constructed as new facilities with time;

means for plural characters of persons to act freely in said urban landscape including to stroll there, to enjoy shopping, to take a walk and stop by somewhere the person likes, to do or watch sports and to go to theater;

means for creating a self avatar which acts in the same manner as that of the freely acting character of a person in response to another desired inputted command and for issuing the command;

means for enabling the self avatar to be registered on the network for pay and/or free of charge; and

calling means with a configuration for using motion pictures and audio over networked circuits including a wired or a wireless LAN or a stand-alone device;

wherein the calling means is means for enabling an operator to talk with plural operators simultaneously, and the calling means has means for selecting one or more still pictures including characters, graphics and photographs and/or motion pictures and audio and combining them.

29. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, wherein the calling means with a configuration which can record as calling information by the communication means described in claim 28 on a recording medium in a server system or the like.

30. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, comprising calling means for an operator to talk with one or more operators by using motion pictures and audio over network circuits including a wired or a wireless LAN or a stand-alone device as calling information by the communication means described in claim 28, wherein only the above-mentioned one or more operators such as self avatars or sales assistants can talk with each other.

31. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, comprising calling means for an operator to talk with one or more operators by using motion pictures and audio over networked circuits including a wired or a wireless LAN or a stand-alone device as calling information by the communication means described in claim 28;

wherein the means actually has a form of talking with an operator such as a sales assistant and provides various questions and answers and the other various types of information on sales including information on various recommended goods, colors and sizes.

32. The system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data described in claim 31, further comprising means for previously disclosing personal information particularly on a shopper provided by said communication means to said sales assistant.

33. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, comprising means for storing still pictures including characters, graphics and photographs and/or motion pictures and audio of calling information by the communication means described in claim 28 on a display of a personal computer and/or various mobile terminals of an operator, if the pictures are not received due to such as absence of the sales assistant.

34. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, comprising a function of enlarging and displaying an image of calling information by the communication means described in claim 28 desired by one or more persons which is displayed on the display of a personal computer and/or various mobile terminals of a sales assistant and/or a shopper.

35. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, comprising means for displaying side by side the images of calling information by the communication means described in claim 28 desired by one or more persons which is displayed on the display of a personal computer and/or various mobile terminals of a sales assistant and/or a shopper.

36. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, comprising communication means between the sales assistant and shopper described in claim 28 which enables an image of certain goods information to be changed to an image of other goods information as required.

37. A system of developing an urban landscape by using electronic data, wherein the communication means between the sales assistant and the shopper described in claim 28 has means for obtaining shopper'"'"'s preference and requirement information, means for retrieving information matching or resembling the previously recorded shopper'"'"'s requirement, and means for providing shopper'"'"'s advisory information by images or characters and graphics for the information.