Method and System to Provide Inventory Management in a Virtual Environment

• US 20080004094A1
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Leviathan Entertainment, LLC
• Original Assignee: Leviathan Entertainment, LLC
• Inventors: Van Luchene, Andrew S., Mueller, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US11/734,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20080004094A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

The present disclosure provides various novel concepts to a video game environment. The disclosure describes video game environments that include a method and system for regulating the amounts of virtual items that may be found or created in a virtual environment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a first video game environment in which there exists certain items;

altering the amount of items available in the first video game environment by importing items from a second video game environment;

wherein the amount of items altered is based on one or more variables.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the item is selected from the group consisting of:

a skill, a natural resource, an attribute, a NPC, a creative work, a created object, and a raw material.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable is selected from the group consisting of:

the length of time the first video game environment has been in existence, the population of the first video game environment, a predetermined amount of a particular resource, the market price of a resource, the wealth of a first video game environment, the era of a first video game environment, the completion of a game parameter, and the completion of a game condition.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the amount of items available includes decreasing the availability of items.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of items available in the second video game environment is also altered.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second video game environment is in a different game.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of items available in the first video game environment may be altered by a vote of resident entities.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the resident entities are characters, players, third parties, companies, unions, guilds, governments or religious groups.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of items may be altered between fixed amounts.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a total amount of items in the video game environment is variable.

11. A method comprising:

providing a first video game environment in which there exists certain items;

removing an amount of a items from the first video game environment and transferring them to a second video game environment, based on one or more events.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the event is the use of the item to create another item, consumption of the item, expiration of the item, a change in the era of the first video game environment, use of the item, burial of the item, burning of the item, breaking down the item into its constituent components, or recycling of the item.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the event is obsolescence of the item.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein obsolescence is determined by a change in era of the first video game.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein obsolescence is determined by the creation of a replacement item.

16. A method comprising:

providing first and second video game environments in which there exist certain items;

controlling the amount of items available in a first and second video game environments by transferring items from the first environment to the second environment.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the control is exercised by a game environment manager.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein control is exercised by vote of residents of a first video game environment.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein control in a first video game environment is exercised by entities in a second video game environment.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the amount of control available is infinite.