SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING WORLD-SPACE COORDINATES OF AD OBJECTS AND CAMERA INFORMATION FOR ADVERSTISING WITHIN A VITRTUAL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20100100429A1
• Filed: 10/17/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: HAZEN, CHRISTOPHER, McCLOSKEY, MATTHEW E., NOY, MAKSIM, CARNAHAN, JEFFREY D., SHERIDAN, SHAWN, YUN, SIMON S.
• Application Number:
  US12/253,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20100100429A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.120
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game

Abstract

An ad system for use in a virtual environment. The ad system includes an ad engine integrated in an advertising enabled application, an advertising scheduling system, reporting software, impression metric processing software, and billing components wherein coordinates of ad object and camera data were made available to the ad engine during development of the application. Related methods of developing advertising enabled application software including an ad engine and use of a computer system for delivering ad content within a virtual environment are also provided.

Claims

1. A computerized ad system for advertising in a virtual environment, said ad system comprising:

an ad engine that performs automatic impression metric calculations using impression metric processing software, wherein ad object data and camera data are used to calculate the automatic impression metric calculations;

an advertising enabled application that includes a processor configured to execute said advertising enabled application such that executing said advertising enabled application allows the ad engine to access the ad object data and the camera data;

a presentation component that displays ad content to a user;

an advertising scheduling system; and

one or more billing components.

2. The ad system according to claim 1, wherein said ad engine receives ads from a local source.

3. The ad system according to claim 1, wherein said ad engine receives ads from a remote source.

4. The ad system according to claim 1, further including a set of ad objects defined in the virtual environment.

5. The ad system according to claim 4, wherein ad metric impression calculations are performed on said set of ad objects.

6. The ad system according to claim 5, wherein said ad metric impression calculations are performed using given data.

7. The ad system according to claim 5, wherein said ad metric impression calculations are performed using calculated data.

8. The ad system according to claim 1, further including a tracking component that tracks a camera object in the virtual environment, wherein results of the tracking component are used to generate automated ad impression calculations.

9. The ad system according to claim 1, further including a maintaining component that maintains a camera object in the virtual environment to generate automated ad impression calculations.

10. A computer-implemented method for advertising within a virtual environment, said method comprising:

storing an advertising enabled application including an ad engine, wherein coordinates of ad object data and camera data are available to the ad engine;

executing said advertising enabled application such that ad objects are available to a user of the advertising enabled application, wherein the ad object data and camera coordinates are used to calculate automatic impression metric calculations within the ad engine during use of the advertising enabled application; and

displaying an interface to the user so that ad content associated with said ad objects is delivered to the user during use of the advertising enabled application.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said advertising enabled application includes game software.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein coordinates of said ad objects are available to said ad engine.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said ad objects include a specific set of ad objects defined in the virtual environment.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein ad metric impression calculations are performed on said set of ad objects.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said ad metric impression calculations are performed using given data.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said ad metric impression calculations are performed using calculated data.

17. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method of advertising within a virtual environment, said method comprising the steps of:

providing coordinates of ad object data and camera data such that the coordinates are available to the ad engine; and

performing automatic impression metric calculations within the ad engine using the ad object data and camera coordinates.

18. The media according to claim 17, further including the step of passing the ad object data and camera data coordinates to the ad engine to verify correctness thereof.

19. The media according to claim 18, further including the step of making the ad engine aware of an application and ad object geometry.

20. The media according to claim 19, further including the step of using the application and ad object geometry to drive automated testing for ad placement verification.