METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR USERS TO BUILD AND USE DIGITAL PRODUCTS AND FOR ADVERTISERS TO COMMUNICATE WITH USERS IN A MANNER THAT DOES NOT MITIGATE USER EXPERIENCE

• US 20080313038A1
• Filed: 08/21/2007
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyworks Ventures, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Anedom Company, Inc.
• Inventors: Wajihuddin, Nasir
• Granted Patent: US 8,156,004 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 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0252 based on events or environment, e.g. weather or festivals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Serving targeted advertisements to a user within a virtual environment. The virtual environment is displayed to the user on a client and enables selection of components for use within the virtual environment. Component selections, associated with one or more attributes are obtained from a user, and a custom product, which is interactively navigable and has a set of interactivity characteristics, is constructed by combining the component selections. A condition within the virtual environment triggers a set of events, and an advertisement, concerning a product component, is served to the user in response and in accordance with a comparison of ad-serve parameters and information associated with the component selections. The custom product can be selectively modified in response to any user interaction with the served advertisement, and its interactivity characteristics accordingly modified. Performance ratings and comparisons thereof can be computed based on the customized product or alternatively customized product.

Claims

1. A method for serving ads to a user within a virtual environment, comprising the steps of:

displaying at least a portion of the virtual environment to the user on a device, the virtual environment being accessible through a network and having components available for selection for use within the virtual environment, the device being connectable to a network so as to communicate with the virtual environment;

obtaining component selections from a user in accordance with a rule base, each component being associated with one or more attributes;

constructing a custom product by combining the obtained component selections, the constructed product having a set of interactivity characteristics affecting behavior of the product in the virtual environment as a function of the associated attributes;

interactively navigating the custom product within the virtual environment;

triggering a set of events in response to a condition within the virtual environment;

comparing ad-serve parameters to at least information associated with the component selections;

serving advertisements to the user in response to the triggering events, each advertisement concerning a real-world product component and being served in accordance with a result of the comparing step;

in response to any user interaction with the served advertisement, selectively modifying the custom product to include a component selection which represents the real-world product; and

changing one or more of the interactivity characteristics of the product component based on any modification of the custom product.

2. The method of claim 1, including the further step of continuing interactive navigation using any modification of the custom product.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the custom product is interactively navigated under user-control.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisements are served to the user within the virtual environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the component selections is stored in a rule base.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of events is triggered in response to user interactivity.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of analyzing the interactivity characteristics with respect to an advertiser-defined set of interactivity characteristics, wherein the triggering step is at least partially in response to the analysis.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the component selections used in the comparing step includes the attributes associated with components available for selection.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing data concerning any served advertisements with which the user has interacted; and

selecting a further advertisement in response to an analysis of the stored data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the custom product comprises an automobile, the components available for selection include at least one of automobile parts and automobile accessories, and the interactive navigation of the custom product comprises virtual operation of the automobile in the virtual environment.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

establishing, by a first service provider, the virtual environment; and

receiving information concerning the advertisement to be served from a second service provider.

12. In a virtual gaming environment in which a customizable product is associated with a gamer and comprises one or more components each having a set of performance attributes having respective values and in which the customizable product has a resultant set of performance characteristics based on the sets of performance attributes, a method for increasing gamer awareness of an advertiser'"'"'s product, comprising the steps of:

providing virtual offers from a sponsor to the gamer, each virtual offer associated with a component available for use in the virtual gaming environment which has a set of performance attributes having respective values;

receiving a selection of one of the provided offers;

modifying the customizable product associated with the gamer to include the component associated with the selected offer and to have a modified resultant set of performance characteristics;

navigating the modified product within the virtual gaming environment;

computing a first performance rating based on the modified resultant set of performance characteristics;

computing a second performance rating based on the resultant set of performance characteristics; and

reporting comparative performance of the first and second performance ratings.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first and second performance ratings are computed under same use conditions within the virtual gaming environment.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the computation of the first and second performance ratings accounts for frustration between any of the performance attributes of the components in the customizable product and the modified product, respectively.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the computation of the first and second performance rating accounts for externalities.

16. A server for hosting a multi-user, online, user-navigable virtual environment and configured to serve advertisements to users, the server comprising:

a network adaptor for connecting to one or more clients, each client associated with a user of the virtual environment;

a data storage system for storing data concerning the virtual environment;

a processor; and

a computer readable medium encoded with a computer program configured to

transmit at least a portion of the virtual environment to a client associated with a particular user,

obtain component selections from the particular user in accordance with a rule base, each component being associated with one or more attributes;

construct a custom product by combining the obtained component selections, the constructed product having a set of interactivity characteristics affecting behavior of the product in the virtual environment as a function of the associated attributes;

receive navigation data concerning the custom product from the client in response to user interaction.

trigger a set of events in response to a condition within the virtual environment;

compare ad-serve parameters to at least information associated with the component selections;

serve advertisements to the user in response to the triggering events, each advertisement concerning a real-world product component and being served in accordance with a result of the comparing step;

in response to any interaction with the served advertisement by the particular user at the client, selectively modify the custom product to include a component selection which represents the real-world product; and

change one or more of the interactivity characteristics of the product component based on any modification of the custom product.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein the advertisements are served to the user within the virtual environment.

18. The server of claim 16, wherein the information associated with the component selections is stored in a rule base.

19. The server of claim 16, wherein the set of events is triggered in response to user interactivity.

20. The server of claim 16, wherein the computer program is further configure to analyze the interactivity characteristics with respect to an advertiser-defined set of interactivity characteristics, and wherein the triggering step is at least partially in response to the analysis.

21. The server of claim 16, wherein the information associated with the compared component selections includes the attributes associated with components available for selection.

22. The server of claim 16, wherein the computer program is further configured to:

store data concerning any served advertisements with which the user has interacted; and

select a further advertisement in response to an analysis of the stored data.

23. The server of claim 16, wherein the server is operated by a first service provider, and the served advertisements are selected and provided to the server by a second service provider.

24. A client for displaying at least a portion of a virtual environment to a user and assisting in the targeting of advertisements to a user of the client, the client comprising:

a network adaptor for communicating with a server providing the virtual environment over a network;

a display for displaying the portion of the virtual environment provided by the server over the network;

a user-input device for receiving user interaction with the virtual environment;

a processor; and

a computer readable medium encoded with a computer program executable on the processor so as to;

receive data concerning the virtual environment, the data including display data, component data, and attribute data associated with the component data,

display a portion of the virtual environment based on the received data,

obtain one or more component selections from the user to construct a custom product, the custom product having interactivity characteristics based on the attribute data associated with the selected components,

respond to user-interaction with the custom product by manipulating the custom product in the virtual environment,

communicate advertiser-targeting-information to the server, the advertiser-targeting-information including user-interaction data to the server,

store a targeted advertisement received by the network adaptor, each advertisement concerning a real-world product-component and served in accordance with the advertiser-targeting-information,

analyze the portion of the virtual environment displayed to determine a placement of the targeted advertisement,

place the targeted advertisement in accordance with the determined placement,

in response to any user interaction with the placed advertisement, permit the user to selectively modify the custom product to include a product-component selection which represents the real-world product; and

update one or more of the interactivity characteristics of the custom product based on any modification of the custom product.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the computer readable medium is further encoded so as to compare advertiser-presentation-preferences associated with the targeted advertisement and the portion of the virtual environment displayed to the user so as to optimize the determined placement.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the comparison further includes the user-interaction-data.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the placement of the advertisement includes an auditory component.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the computer readable medium is further encoded so as to determine a plurality of placements, and the targeted advertisement is placed in one or more of the determined placements based on an analysis of advertiser-presentation-preferences associated with the targeted advertisement and the portion of the virtual environment displayed to the user.