Third party control over virtual world characters

• US 20090106673A1
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Rinaldo, John D. JR., Lord, Robert W., Jung, Edward K.Y., Levien, Royce A., Malamud, Mark A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,556,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

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 experiences including activities, settings, events, purchases, sales and diverse transactions to acquire virtual products, virtual services, and/or virtual items of value. Feedback may be provided and records kept regarding the virtual world participation. In some circumstances, multiple persons can participate as a group or participate as individuals in the virtual world environment. Some embodiments provide an oversight procedure that enables a supervisory entity to exercise direct or indirect control over certain virtual world aspects of a participant or player. In some implementations the oversight procedure is at least partially based on an attribute related to the participant or player.

Claims

1. A method of control over aspects of a virtual world environment, the method comprising:

identifying a virtual world character of a real-world participant or player;

establishing an oversight procedure enabling a supervisory third party entity to have auxiliary authority over a virtual world experience that includes one or more virtual world aspects related to the virtual world character'"'"'s participation in a setting or event or activity in the virtual world environment; and

implementing a change affecting the one or more virtual world aspects related to the virtual world character, which change is made pursuant to the auxiliary authority of the supervisory third party entity.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing the oversight procedure includes:

enabling a designated real-world family entity, which is related to the real-world participant or player, to have the auxiliary authority.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said enabling a designated real-world family entity includes:

enabling a designated individual, who is related by blood or marriage or other recognized legal relationship to the real-world participant or player, to have the auxiliary authority.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said enabling a supervisory third party entity includes:

enabling one or more designated supervisory third party entities including at least one designated individual, who is related by blood or marriage or other recognized legal relationship to the real-world participant or player, to have the auxiliary authority.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing the oversight procedure includes:

enabling one or more designated real world persons to have the auxiliary authority.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said enabling one or more designated real world persons to have the auxiliary authority includes:

enabling one or more of the following types of people to have the auxiliary authority;

coach, tutor, teacher, clergyman, parole officer, employer, manager, supervisor, counselor, therapist, lawyer, physician, nurse, guardian, family member, spouse, parent, grandparent, child, sibling, uncle, aunt, neighbor, and friend.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing the oversight procedure includes:

enabling a designated real-world group entity to have the auxiliary authority.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said enabling the designated real-world group entity includes:

confirming that the real-world participant or player belongs to or is associated with the designated real-world group entity.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing the oversight procedure includes:

confirming consent or acquiescence from the real-world participant or player for an arrangement wherein the supervisory third party entity has auxiliary authority over one or more virtual world aspects involving the virtual world character of the real-world participant or player.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing the oversight procedure includes:

implementing an oversight procedure that provides a virtual world consequence that is at least partially based on updated information regarding one or more of the following;

a real-world criterion or occurrence involving the real-world participant or player;

a real-world criterion or occurrence involving a real-world group entity with which the real-world participant or player is associated;

a virtual world attribute or occurrence involving the real-world participant or player;

a virtual world attribute or occurrence involving a virtual world group entity with which the real-world participant or player is associated;

real-world criterion or occurrence of a virtual world group entity; and

a virtual world attribute or occurrence of a real-world group entity.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing the oversight procedure includes:

implementing an oversight procedure that provides a virtual world consequence that is at least partially based on one or more of the following parameters related to the real-world participant or player;

real-world attribute, real-world criterion, real-world occurrence, virtual world attribute, virtual world criterion, virtual world occurrence.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said implementing the oversight procedure includes:

implementing a programmed oversight procedure that automatically provides a predictable virtual world consequence, which predictable virtual world consequence is at least partially based on updated information regarding the one or more real-world and/or virtual world parameters.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said implementing the oversight procedure includes:

providing the virtual world consequence without giving real-time advance notice to the supervisory third party entity.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said implementing the oversight procedure includes:

allowing the supervisory third party entity to choose the virtual world consequence from among one or more virtual world options.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein said implementing the oversight procedure includes:

allowing the real-world participant or player to choose the virtual world consequence from among one or more virtual world options.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein said implementing a change includes:

allowing the supervisory third party entity to customize a virtual world consequence related to a criterion or occurrence involving the real-world participant or player.

17. The method of claim 16 herein said allowing the supervisory third party entity to customize the virtual world consequence includes:

enabling the supervisory third party entity to have an option of selecting one or more of the following actions regarding the virtual world consequence;

waiver of consequence, additional consequence, warning notification of possible consequence, proceed with a predetermined consequence, modified consequence, increased penalty, enhanced benefit, decreased penalty, decreased benefit, new penalty, and new benefit.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

enabling the supervisory third party entity to have an option of real-time monitoring of virtual world activities involving the real-world participant or player.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a primary supervisory third party entity and one or more alternative supervisory third party entities to be enabled as the auxiliary authority.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein said implementing the change affecting one or more of the virtual world aspects related to the virtual world character includes:

changing one or more of the following virtual world aspects;

real-world money expenditure limit in virtual world;

time of day limit;

day of week limit;

maximum time limit;

minimum time requirement;

companion limit;

available hyperlink access;

required pre-requisite;

completion requirement;

“

no limitation”

activity;

satisfactory test result;

“

off limits”

activity;

“

permission required”

activity;

avatar chaperone requirement;

available bonus;

quest;

goal;

available level of achievement;

attribute level;

prize;

available item ability;

available item limitation;

access token;

access key;

credential;

player introduction; and

third party introduction.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said implementing the change affecting one or more of the virtual world aspects related to the virtual world character includes;

providing the third party supervisory entity a capability of approving an archetype parameter related to the one or more virtual world aspects.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein said implementing the change affecting one or more of the virtual world aspects related to the virtual world character includes;

providing the third party supervisory entity a capability of approving a modified parameter relating to the one or more virtual world aspects.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein said implementing the change affecting one or more of the virtual world aspects includes:

implementing a change based on a criterion or occurrence pertaining to the virtual world character.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein said implementing the change affecting one or more of the virtual world aspects includes:

implementing a change based on a criterion or occurrence pertaining to the real-world participant or player.

25. The method of claim 1 incorporated as program instructions encoded on computer-readable media in one or more computer program products.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the one or more computer program products comprise a computer-readable carrier medium for encoding the program instructions.

27-49. -49. (canceled)