Participation profiles of virtual world players

• US 20090099930A1
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Rinaldo, John D. JR., Jung, Edward K.Y., Levien, Royce A., Malamud, Mark A.
• Application Number:
  US12/286,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20090099930A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

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 activities including transactions to acquire virtual products, virtual services, and/or virtual items of value. Feedback may be provided and records kept regarding the virtual world activities and transactions. The participant or player may also have an opportunity of engaging in related real-world activities and transactions. In some implementations, multiple players at different locations can be involved in the virtual world and real-world activities and transactions. Some embodiments include arrangements for real-world informational data to be made available in the virtual world environment to a participant or player, based on virtual world activities related to a topic of interest to a real-world entity. Other embodiments provide for making a profile record for use by a real-world entity, wherein the profile record may include particular types of participation activity by a participant or player in the virtual world environment.

Claims

1. A method of processing virtual world participation data for use by one or more real-world entities, comprising:

obtaining virtual world participation records for a type of virtual world activity participation by a player or a participant in a virtual world environment, wherein the virtual world participation records are accessible to an interested real-world entity; and

sending a follow-up communication to the player or participant by or on behalf of the real-world entity, which communication is based in some way on the type of virtual world activity participation detected in the virtual world environment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said obtaining virtual world participation records includes:

obtaining the virtual world participation records for activities at one or more virtual world settings owned, operated or controlled by one of the following;

the real-world entity, third party real-world entity, real-world person, virtual world provider, game world operator, third party virtual entity, virtual world player, virtual world participant, fictional character, and virtual world avatar.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said obtaining virtual world participation records includes:

obtaining the virtual world participation records for activities at one or more of the following types of virtual world settings;

locational, situational, social, conversational, temporal, event-based, link-based, spectator, performer, audio, video, and textual.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said obtaining virtual world participation records includes:

obtaining the virtual world participation records for activities involving one or more of the following;

vehicles, clothing, costumes, restaurants, food, tools, gadgetry, jewelry, precious metals, housing, furnishings, hunting, environment, ecology, politics, sports, races, competitions, combat, battles, survival, achievements, opportunities, challenges, character choices, training, government, academics, education, careers, jobs, journeys, attendance, entertainment, amusement, parties, shopping, reading, calculating, analysis, healthcare, sharing, communication, music, philanthropy, religion, socializing, companionship, dating, lovemaking, gambling, lotteries, tests, awards, gifts, barter, negotiations, sales, purchases, services, loans, journaling, record keeping, posting information, networking, and building.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said obtaining virtual world participation records includes:

obtaining the virtual world participation records for one or more of the following particular types of virtual world participation activity;

selling, buying, acquiring, wearing, driving, competing, traveling, role playing, sharing, winning, losing, learning, worshipping, communicating, observing, journaling, blogging, joining, helping, selecting, requesting, sending, recording, copying, printing, storing, constructing, planting, and creating.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said sending a follow-up communication includes:

sending the follow-up communication from the real-world entity to a virtual world address associated with the player or participant.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said sending a follow-up communication includes:

sending the follow-up communication from the real-world entity to a real-world address associated with the player or participant.

8. The method of claim 1 where said sending a follow-up communication includes:

enabling real-world informational data regarding a category of possible interest to the real-world entity to be made available in the virtual world environment to the player or participant.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said enabling real-world informational data includes:

directing a communication to be sent to the virtual world environment at a setting involving the type of virtual world activity participation that was detected.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said enabling real-world informational data includes:

directing a communication to be sent to the virtual world environment at a setting involving a different type of virtual world activity participation as compared with the type of virtual world activity participation that was detected.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said enabling real-world informational data includes:

directing a communication to be sent to the virtual world at one or more settings having activities related to the category of possible interest, including one or more settings that are different from a setting where the type of virtual world activity participation was detected.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said directing a communication includes:

directing a communication at one or more of the following types of virtual world settings;

locational, situational, social, conversational, temporal, event-based, spectator, performer, audio, video, and textual.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein said enabling real-world informational data includes:

enabling the real-world informational data to be displayed or distributed in the virtual world environment at one or more settings having activities that are not directly related to the category of possible interest.

14. The method of claim 8 incorporated in one or more computer program products as encoded program instructions on carrier media for executing a computer process.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said sending a follow-up communication includes:

enabling a communication to be sent to the player or participant, wherein the communication includes advertising and/or purchasing and/or publicity information related to a category of possible interest to the real-world entity.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining access by the real-world entity to a record of a real-world identity of the player or participant, which record includes a real-world address associated with the player or participant.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said obtaining access by the real-world entity to the record of the real-world identity includes:

making accessible to the real-world entity the record of one or more of the following types of real-world identity characteristics;

real-world name, real-world postal address, real-world email address, real-world age, real-world gender, real-world languages known, real-world educational level, real-world demographic profile, identity photographs, marital status, family members, friends, social network, real-world interests, real-world hobbies, products owned, wish lists, career, personality attributes, behavioral attributes, academic level, real-world activity profile, group memberships, organization affiliations, websites, and website shopping cart contents.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining access by the real-world entity to a record of a virtual world identity of the player or participant, which record includes a virtual world address associated with the player or participant.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said obtaining access by the real-world entity to the record of the virtual world identity includes:

making accessible to the real-world entity the record of one or more of the following types of virtual world identity characteristics;

virtual world name, virtual world message address, virtual world character identity, virtual world avatar, virtual world role, virtual world demographic profile, virtual world memberships, clan affiliations, guild affiliations, aliases, disguises, friends, social networks, item inventory, wish lists, activity history, participation frequencies, purchases, sales, agenda, quest, goals, permissions, personality attributes, behavioral attributes, and academic level.

22. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining access by the real-world entity to a record indicating whether or not the particular type of participation activity is a programmed participation activity or an optional participation activity chosen by the player or participant.

23. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining access by the real-world entity to a record indicating one or more of the following parameters associated with the player of participant;

detection period, frequency of particular types of participation activity, extent of particular types of participation activity, time periods of particular types of participation activity, other related virtual world participation activities, privacy classification of player or participant, group or individual identity of player or participant, and virtual world usage metric of player or participant.

39. The method of claim 18 wherein said sending a follow-up communication includes:

directing the follow-up communication to the real-world address associated with the player or participant.

40. The method of claim 20 wherein said sending a follow-up communication includes:

directing the follow-up communication to the virtual world address associated with the player or participant.

15. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

24-38. -38. (canceled)