TEMPORARY USER ACCOUNT FOR A VIRTUAL WORLD WEBSITE

• US 20100107214A1
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ganz
• Original Assignee: Ganz
• Inventors: Ganz, Howard
• Granted Patent: US 8,510,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/128 involving web programs, i.e. using technology especially used in internet, generally interacting with a web browser, e.g. hypertext markup language [HTML], applets, java
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2109 Game systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0846 using time-dependent-passwords, e.g. periodically changing passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A computer system and method are provided that facilitate permitting temporary access to a website or other computer application in which temporary access is given to a generic virtual character and its corresponding user. Temporary access is made available through a temporary user account that is set up by the user. The temporary user account is active for a limited time and allows the user to learn about the website, for instance, via the generic virtual character. The generic virtual character has limited access to the website and in particular to various activities or areas on the website. Unlike temporary user account holders, users who have purchased a real world item and have created premium user accounts have full access to the website via their corresponding premium virtual characters. In addition, the system and method prevent at least some interaction between the generic virtual characters and the premium virtual characters.

Claims

1. A method comprising steps of:

serving virtual world content stored on a server to a website over the Internet, the virtual world content including a plurality of activities in a virtual world and virtual character content, the virtual character content including a plurality of virtual characters that interact with the plurality of activities in the virtual world, the plurality of virtual characters including a plurality of virtual replicas and a plurality of generic virtual characters;

validating a registration code that is associated with a product;

responsive to the validating the registration code, permitting user control of a virtual replica of the product in the virtual world content via a user account, the virtual replica being one of the plurality of virtual replicas, and the user account being one of a plurality of premium user accounts;

responsive to a request for a temporary user account without said validating said registration code, permitting user control of one of the plurality of generic virtual characters via the temporary user account for a limited time, and the temporary user account being one of a plurality of temporary user accounts;

permitting interaction of the virtual replica with another one of the plurality of virtual replicas in the virtual world; and

preventing at least some interaction of any of the plurality of generic virtual characters with any of the plurality of virtual replicas,

wherein access to the plurality of activities via the virtual world content is provided exclusively to a plurality of authorized user accounts, the plurality of authorized user accounts consisting of the plurality of premium user accounts and the plurality of temporary user accounts.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

responsive to a further request for another temporary user account, permitting user control of another one of the plurality of generic virtual characters via said another temporary user account; and

permitting interaction of said one of the plurality of generic virtual characters with said another one of the plurality of generic virtual characters in the virtual world.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of disabling the temporary user account after the limited time, wherein the temporary user account cannot be reenabled after the disabling and wherein the temporary user account is not extendible past the limited time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the temporary user account is provided for free.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the temporary user account is provided without requiring a purchase.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of preventing the plurality of generic virtual characters from interacting with at least one of the plurality of activities, wherein said plurality of virtual replicas is permitted to interact with said at least one of the plurality of activities.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of limiting interaction of the plurality of generic virtual characters with at least one of the plurality of activities, wherein said plurality of virtual replicas is permitted unlimited interaction with said at least one of the plurality of activities.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of authorized user accounts is associated with a single one of a plurality of usernames, each of the plurality of usernames being unique to all others of the plurality of usernames.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of generic virtual characters has a visual appearance that is different from all of the plurality of virtual replicas.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of generic virtual characters all have a same visual appearance.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the temporary user accounts expire at the same time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said preventing at least some interaction comprises preventing said generic virtual characters from communicating with said virtual replicas, while allowing said generic virtual characters to see said virtual replicas.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising limiting communication between generic virtual characters.

14. A method comprising steps of:

serving virtual world content stored on a server to a website over the Internet, the virtual world content including a plurality of activities in a virtual world and virtual character content, the virtual character content including a plurality of virtual characters that interact with the virtual world content forming the plurality of activities in the virtual world, the plurality of virtual characters including a plurality of premium virtual characters and a plurality of generic virtual characters;

responsive to authenticating one of a plurality of paid user accounts which requires a user having paid for access, permitting user control of a premium virtual character via said one of the plurality of paid user accounts, the premium virtual character being one of the plurality of premium virtual characters; and

responsive to a request for a temporary user account which does not require a user having paid for access, permitting user control of a generic virtual character via the temporary user account, where the temporary user account permits said user control only for a limited time, the generic virtual character having a generic visual appearance that is different from visual appearances of the plurality of premium virtual characters, and the temporary user account being one of a plurality of temporary user accounts,

wherein access to the plurality of activities via the virtual world content is provided exclusively to a plurality of authorized user accounts, the plurality of authorized user accounts consisting of the plurality of paid user accounts and the plurality of temporary user accounts.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of temporary user accounts each provide user control of generic virtual characters that all have a same visual appearance.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising steps of:

permitting interaction of one of the plurality of premium virtual characters with another one of the plurality of premium virtual characters in the virtual world; and

preventing interaction of any of the plurality of generic virtual characters with any of the plurality of premium virtual characters.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising steps of:

responsive to a further request for another temporary user account, permitting user control of another one of the plurality of generic virtual characters via said another temporary user account; and

permitting interaction of said one of the plurality of generic virtual characters with said another one of the plurality of generic virtual characters in the virtual world.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising a step of disabling the temporary user account after the limited time, wherein the temporary user account cannot be reenabled after the disabling and wherein the temporary user account is not extendible past the limited time.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the temporary user account is provided for free.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising a step of preventing the plurality of generic virtual characters from interacting with at least one of the plurality of activities, wherein said plurality of premium virtual characters is permitted to interact with said at least one of the plurality of activities.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising a step of limiting interaction of the plurality of generic virtual characters with at least one of the plurality of activities, wherein said plurality of premium virtual characters is permitted unlimited interaction with said at least one of the plurality of activities.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the premium virtual character is a virtual replica of a real world product and the generic virtual character is not a virtual replica of any real world product.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the a registration code is associated with the real world product and said authenticating comprises validating said registration code, and wherein said virtual replica has a first visual appearance that corresponds to a second visual appearance of the real world product.

24. A computer system comprising:

a virtual world subsystem that generates virtual world content including a plurality of activities in a virtual world and virtual character content, the virtual character content including a plurality of virtual characters that interact with the plurality of activities in the virtual world, the plurality of virtual characters including a plurality of virtual replicas and a plurality of generic virtual characters;

a storage subsystem that stores the virtual world content;

a registration subsystem validating a registration code that is associated with a product; and

a server subsystem that serves the virtual world content to a website on the Internet and, responsive to the validating the registration code, permits user control of a virtual replica of the product in the virtual world content via a user account, the virtual replica being one of the plurality of virtual replicas, and the user account being one of a plurality of premium user accounts,

wherein, responsive to a request for a temporary user account without said validating said registration code being received by the registration subsystem, the virtual world subsystem permits user control of one of the plurality of generic virtual characters via the temporary user account for a limited time, and the temporary user account being one of a plurality of temporary user accounts,

wherein the virtual world subsystem permits interaction of the virtual replica with another one of the plurality of virtual replicas in the virtual world,

wherein the virtual world subsystem prevents at least some interaction of any of the plurality of generic virtual characters with any of the plurality of virtual replicas, and

wherein the virtual world subsystem provide access to the plurality of activities via the virtual world content exclusively to a plurality of authorized user accounts, the plurality of authorized user accounts consisting of the plurality of premium user accounts and the plurality of temporary user accounts.

25. The computer system of claim 24, wherein responsive to a further request for another temporary user account being received by the registration subsystem, the virtual world subsystem permits user control of another one of the plurality of generic virtual characters via said another temporary user account, and wherein the virtual world subsystem permits interaction of said one of the plurality of generic virtual characters with said another one of the plurality of generic virtual characters in the virtual world.

26. The computer system of claim 24, wherein the computer system disables the temporary user account after the limited time, wherein the temporary user account cannot be reenabled after being disabled, and wherein the temporary user account is not extendible past the limited time.

27. The computer system of claim 24, wherein the registration subsystem provides the temporary user account for free.

28. The computer system of claim 24, wherein the registration subsystem provides the temporary user account without requiring a purchase.

29. The computer system of claim 24, wherein the virtual world subsystem prevents the plurality of generic virtual characters from interacting with at least one of the plurality of activities, wherein the virtual world subsystem permits said plurality of virtual replicas to interact with said at least one of the plurality of activities.

30. The computer system of claim 24, wherein the virtual world subsystem limits interaction of the plurality of generic virtual characters with at least one of the plurality of activities, wherein the virtual world subsystem permits unlimited interaction of said plurality of virtual replicas with said at least one of the plurality of activities.

31. The computer system of claim 24, wherein said registration subsystem associates each of the plurality of authorized user accounts with a single one of a plurality of usernames, each of the plurality of usernames being unique to all others of the plurality of usernames.

32. The computer system of claim 24, wherein each of the plurality of generic virtual characters has a visual appearance that is different from all of the plurality of virtual replicas.

33. The computer system of claim 32, wherein the plurality of generic virtual characters all have a same visual appearance.

34. The computer system of claim 24, wherein each of the temporary user accounts expire at the same time.

35. The computer system of claim 24, wherein the virtual world subsystem prevents at least some interaction comprising limiting communication between any of the plurality of generic virtual characters with any of the plurality of virtual replicas and limiting communication between generic virtual characters.