INVOCATION OF ADVERTISEMENTS IN A VIRTUAL UNIVERSE (VU)

• US 20080208684A1
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: O'Connell, Brian M., Pickover, Clifford A., Hamilton, Rick A., Walker, Keith R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,007,930 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

The present invention provides an approach to invoke advertisement(s) in a VU. Specifically, an advertisement is virtually associated with a user of the virtual space. The advertisement will then be visually referenced in the VU, and optionally distinguished/highlighted (e.g., using visual effects such as colors, icons, flashing icons, etc.). The advertisement will be invoked in response to a trigger occurring in the VU user in the). Once invoked, an action associated with the advertisement will be executed. The present invention can also allow for advertising user to be compensated for allowing their asset(s) to be associated with advertisement(s). Such compensation can be in the form of credits associated with the VU being provided to the advertising user and/or compensation to be provided to the user outside of the VU (e.g., in the real world in the form of money, gift certificates, goods and/or services, etc.).

Claims

1. A method for invoking advertisements in a virtual universe (VU), comprising:

virtually associating an advertisement with a user of the virtual space;

referencing the advertisement visually in the VU;

invoking the advertisement in the VU in response to a trigger occurring in the VU; and

executing an action associated with the advertisement in the VU in response to the invoking.

2. The method of claim 1, the action being executed in accordance with a set of instructions associated with the advertisement in a first table associated with the vu.

3. The method of claim 2, the first table comprising:

a first field containing a foreign key universally unique identifier (UUID) for an object that contains geometric information, textures, information tags and any scripts for the advertisement;

a second field containing an advertisement UUID for the advertisement, the advertisement being an invisible asset, and an asset with which the advertisement is associated being a visible asset; and

a third field containing a foreign key action UUID for an action record associated with the action.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising a second table comprising:

a first field containing an action UUID that comprises a unique key for the action;

a second field containing an action type for the action;

a third field containing action information for the action;

a fourth field containing an action display for the action;

a fifth field containing an action next UUID to allow for multiple actions; and

a sixth field containing an action next timing for the action.

5. The method of claim 4:

the action type comprising at least one of the following;

launching a uniform resource locator (URL), displaying text information, playing a multimedia object, executing a script, setting a timing specification for a delay, and performing a transaction;

the action information comprising at least one of the following;

the URL, the text information, a pointer to the multimedia object, the script, the timing specification, and the transaction data;

the action display comprising at least one of the following;

a link description and a pointer to an icon object; and

the action next timing setting forth a time to execute an additional action with response to the executing of the action.

6. The method of claim 1, the referencing comprising distinguishing a visual reference to the advertisement in the VU in response to its association with the advertisement.

7. The method of claim 6, the distinguishing comprising at least one of the following:

distinguishing the visual reference with at least one of the following a symbol, a glow, a textual display, and an audio queue.

8. The method of claim 1, the triggering comprising at least one of the following:

a triggering user clicking on the advertisement with a pointing device, the triggering user hovering over the advertisement with the pointing device, the triggering user text chatting to the user, the triggering user giving a voice command to invoke the advertisement, and the triggering user triggering a condition.

9. The method of claim 8, the condition comprising a presence of an avatar of the triggering user near the visual representation of the advertisement within the VU causing automatic invocation of the advertisement a predetermined quantity of times separated by a predetermined time interval.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising compensating the user, the compensating comprising at least one of the following:

providing credits associated with the VU to the user, and providing a reward to the user outside of the VU.

11. A system for invoking advertisements in a virtual universe (VU), comprising:

a module for virtually associating an advertisement with a user of the virtual space;

a module for referencing the advertisement visually in the VU;

a module for invoking the advertisement in the VU in response to a trigger occurring in the VU; and

a module for executing an action associated with the advertisement in the VU in response to the advertisement being invoked.

12. The system of claim 11, the action being executed in accordance with a set of instructions associated with the advertisement in a first table associated with the VU.

13. The system of claim 12, the first table comprising:

a first field containing a foreign key universally unique identifier (UUID) for an object that contains geometric information, textures, information tags and any scripts for the advertisement;

a second field containing an advertisement UUID for the advertisement, the advertisement being an invisible asset, and an asset with which the advertisement is associated being a visible asset; and

a third field containing a foreign key action UUID for an action record associated with the action.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a second table comprising:

a first field containing an action UUID that comprises a unique key for the action;

a second field containing an action type for the action;

a third field containing action information for the action;

a fourth field containing an action display for the action;

a fifth field containing an action next UUID to allow for multiple actions; and

a sixth field containing an action next timing for the action.

15. The system of claim 14:

the action type comprising at least one of the following;

a launching of a uniform resource locator (URL), a displaying of text information, a playing of a multimedia object, an execution of a script, a setting of a timing specification for a delay, and a performance of a transaction;

the action information comprising at least one of the following;

the URL, the text information, a pointer to the multimedia object, the script, the timing specification, and the transaction data;

the action display comprising at least one of the following;

a link description and a pointer to an icon object; and

the action next timing setting forth a time to execute an additional action with response to execution of the action.

16. The system of claim 11, the module for referencing being configured to distinguish a visual reference to the advertisement in the VU in response to its association with the advertisement.

17. The system of claim 16, module for referencing be configured to distinguish the visual reference in the VU with at least one of the following a symbol, a glow, a textual display, and an audio queue.

18. The system of claim 11, the module for triggering being configured to register any of the following:

a triggering user clicking on the advertisement with a pointing device, the triggering user hovering over the advertisement with the pointing device, the triggering user text chatting to the user, the triggering user giving a voice command to invoke the advertisement, and the triggering user triggering a condition.

19. The system of claim 18, the condition comprising a presence of an avatar of the triggering user near the visual representation of the advertisement within the VU to cause an automatic invocation of the advertisement a predetermined quantity of times separated by a predetermined time interval.

20. The system of claim 11, further comprising a module for compensating the user with at least one of the following:

a provision of credits associated with the VU to the user, and a provision of a reward to the user outside of the VU.

29. The program product of claim 18, the condition comprising a presence of an avatar of the triggering user near the visual representation of the advertisement within the VU to cause an automatic invocation of the advertisement a predetermined quantity of times separated by a predetermined time interval.

21. A program product stored on a computer readable medium for invoking advertisements in a virtual universe (VU), the computer readable medium comprising program code for causing a computer to:

visually associate an advertisement with a user of the virtual space;

reference the advertisement visually in the VU;

invoke the advertisement in response to a trigger occurring in the VU; and

execute an action associated with the advertisement in the VU in response to the advertisement being invoked.

22. The program product of claim 21, the action being executed in accordance with a set of instructions associated with the advertisement in a first table associated with the VU.

23. The program product of claim 22, the first table comprising:

a first field containing a foreign key universally unique identifier (UUID) for an object that contains geometric information, textures, information tags and any scripts for the advertisement;

a second field containing an advertisement UUID for the advertisement, the advertisement being an invisible asset, and an asset with which the advertisement is associated being a visible asset; and

a third field containing a foreign key action UUID for an action record associated with the action.

24. The program product of claim 23, further comprising a second table comprising:

a first field containing an action UUID that comprises a unique key for the action;

a second field containing an action type for the action;

a third field containing action information for the action;

a fourth field containing an action display for the action;

a fifth field containing an action next UUID to allow for multiple actions; and

a sixth field containing an action next timing for the action.

25. The program product of claim 24:

the action type comprising at least one of the following;

a launching of a uniform resource locator (URL), a displaying of text information, a playing of a multimedia object, an execution of a script, a setting of a timing specification for a delay, and a performance of a transaction;

the action information comprising at least one of the following;

the URL, the text information, a pointer to the multimedia object, the script, the timing specification, and the transaction data;

the action display comprising at least one of the following;

a link description and a pointer to an icon object; and

the action next timing setting forth a time to execute an additional action with response to execution of the action.

26. The program product of claim 21, the computer readable medium further comprising program code for causing the computer system to distinguish a visual reference to the advertisement in the VU in response to its association with the advertisement.

27. The program product of claim 26, the visual reference being distinguished in the VU with at least one of the following a symbol, a glow, a textual display, and an audio queue.

28. The program product of claim 21, the program product further comprising program code for causing the computer system to register any of the following:

a triggering user clicking on the advertisement with a pointing device, the triggering user hovering over the advertisement with the pointing device, the triggering user text chatting to the user, the triggering user giving a voice command to invoke the advertisement, and the triggering user triggering a condition.

30. The program product of claim 21, the program product further comprising program code for causing the computer system to compensate the user by invoking at least one of the following:

a provision of credits associated with the VU to the user, and a provision of a reward to the user outside of the VU.

31. A method for deploying a system for invoking advertisements in a virtual universe (VU), comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

virtually associate an advertisement with a user of the virtual space;

reference the advertisement visually in the VU;

invoke the advertisement in response to a trigger occurring in the VU; and

execute an action associated with the advertisement in the VU in response to the advertisement being invoked.