FACILITATING ELECTRONIC COMMERCE VIA A 3D VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20090113349A1
• Filed: 09/24/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alain Chesnais, Mark Zohar
• Original Assignee: Alain Chesnais, Mark Zohar
• Inventors: Zohar, Mark, Chesnais, Alain
• Application Number:
  US12/237,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20090113349A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/852
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

A Web-based 3D virtual environment in which users can select a specific virtual object and, in response to that selection, relevant commercial information, such as advertisements, invitations to shop, offers, hyperlinks, or messages in general, that are related to the selected object, are delivered from various electronic commerce engines.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system configured to facilitate user-interactive 3-dimensional (3D) modeling and arranging of virtual objects, the system comprising:

a computer system including a graphical user interface (GUI) that provides user access to a 3D virtual environment application, the computer system further including a network interface device that facilitates communications with the 3D virtual environment application via a computer network;

the 3D virtual environment being adapted to;

communicate with at least one virtual object database containing 3D virtual models of objects including commercially-available real-world objects;

facilitate, via the GUI, search and retrieval of 3D virtual models in the at least one virtual object database based on at least one user-specified criterion;

facilitate, via the GUI, display, user selection, virtual placement, and manipulation of individual 3D virtual models from among a set of retrieved 3D virtual models;

in response to a user-driven 3D modeling activity utilizing a particular 3D virtual model, initiate communications over the computer network with at least one merchant computer system that is distinct from the computer system, and obtain from the at least one merchant computer system commercial information specific to any commercially-available real-world objects corresponding to the particular 3D virtual model;

display the commercial information via the GUI; and

display, via the GUI, at least one link leading to initiation of a commercial transaction with at least one merchant computer system to purchase any of the commercially-available real-world objects corresponding to the particular 3D virtual model.