Payment options for virtual credit

• US 20100223117A1
• Filed: 02/05/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Searete LLC (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.
• Application Number:
  US12/658,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223117A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.230
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

A method and system provides for the use of credit arrangements in simulated environments. A user can participate in credit transactions involving purchases of virtual products, virtual services, and virtual items of value. Feedback is provided to the user regarding results of the credit transactions. In some embodiments multiple users can make simulated purchases or incur simulated credit obligations that are posted to virtual accounts, and the multiple users can also make simulated compensation against balances due or obligations owed for said virtual accounts. The user is also provided with an opportunity of engaging in real-world financial transactions related to the virtual credit arrangement. In some implementations of the system and method, multiple players at different locations can use virtual charge accounts and/or real world financial accounts in connection with arranging or resolving a virtual credit transaction. One aspect makes a virtual charge account service available for use in a fictional world environment, wherein a billing statement charges various fees that may be valuated in fictional world money, real-world money, or non-monetary fictional world value tokens.

Claims

1. A method of creating credit transactions in a fictional world environment, comprising:

providing a virtual charge account service available to a participant in the fictional world environment, including accepting virtual transactions charged to a virtual credit account in connection with purchase activities in the fictional world environment; and

transmitting a billing statement to the participant who acquires the virtual credit account.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said transmitting the billing statement includes:

authorizing the billing statement to be sent to a real world address of the participant.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said transmitting the billing statement includes:

authorizing the billing statement to be sent to a fictional world address of the participant.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

charging a fee to the participant who acquires the virtual charge account.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said charging a fee includes:

valuating the fee in fictional world money.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said charging a fee includes:

valuating the fee in non-monetary fictional world value tokens.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein said charging a fee includes:

valuating the fee in real-world money.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein said charging a fee includes:

charging a fee based at least partially on interest charges.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein said charging a fee includes:

charging a fee based at least partially on penalty charges.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein said charging a fee includes:

charging a discounted fee based on performance records for the virtual credit account.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein said charging a fee includes:

charging an increased fee based on performance records for the virtual credit account.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said charging a fee includes:

charging a fee based on one or more of following items given to the participant as an advance based on a future repayment commitment;

real-world money, fictional world money, fictional world value tokens, fictional world permission rights, real-world discounts, fictional world discounts.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

charging a fee to a virtual seller in the fictional world environment who receives payment from the virtual charge account service.

14. The method of claim 1 incorporated in one or more computer program products comprising a medium having program instructions thereon.

15. A computer program product having one or more computer programs for executing a computer process, the computer process comprising:

providing a virtual charge account service in a fictional world environment;

processing an authorized fictional world transaction involving a virtual credit account; and

transmitting a billing statement for fees owed with respect to the authorized fictional world transaction.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein said transmitting a billing statement that is embodied in said computer process includes:

sending the billing statement to a fictional world address of a party responsible for the virtual credit account.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein said transmitting a billing statement that is embodied in said computer process includes:

sending the billing statement to a real-world address of a party responsible for the virtual credit account.

18. The computer program of claim 15 wherein said computer process further comprises:

charging a fee to a party responsible for the virtual credit account, wherein the fee is based at least partially on at least one of the following;

interest charges, penalty charges, performance records for the virtual credit account,.

19. The computer program of claim 15 wherein said computer process further comprises:

valuating a fee owed in fictional world money.

20. The computer program of claim 15 wherein said computer process further comprises:

valuating a fee owed in non-monetary fictional world value tokens.

21. The computer program of claim 15 wherein said computer process further comprises:

valuating a fee owed in real-world money.

22. The computer program of claim 15 wherein said computer process further comprises:

charging a fee to a virtual seller who receives payment from the virtual charge account service.

23. The computer program of claim 15 wherein said computer process further comprises:

charging a fee based on performance records for the virtual charge account.

24. The computer program of claim 15 wherein said computer process further comprises:

charging a fee based on one or more of following items given as an advance based on a future repayment commitment;

real-world money, fictional world money, fictional world value tokens, fictional world permission rights, real-world discounts, fictional world discounts.

25. A system for processing virtual credit transactions comprising:

a fictional world environment wherein a virtual transaction involves a purchase activity;

a virtual credit account accessible in the fictional world environment for use with the purchase activity;

a database record for recording the purchase activity; and

an output device coupled to the database record for communicating obligations arising from the purchase activity to a person or entity responsible for virtual credit account obligations.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein said output device provides a billing statement transmitted in the fictional world environment to the person or entity responsible for payment obligations of the virtual credit account.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein said output device provides a billing statement transmitted for receipt in the real-world by the person or entity responsible for payment obligations of the virtual credit account.

28. The system of claim 25 further comprising a processor linked to the database record and to the output device for providing a billing statement indicating payment obligations of the virtual credit account valuated in one or more of the following:

fictional world money, real-world money, and non-monetary fictional world value tokens.

29. The system of claim 25 further comprising a processor linked to the database record and to the output device for providing a billing statement indicating payment obligations of the virtual credit account based on one or more of the following:

interest, penalties, due date, purchase activity price, real-world credit performance record, and fictional world credit performance record.

30. The system of claim 25 wherein said fictional world environment allows the purchase activity to involve one or more of the following:

fictional world owner, fictional world operator, third party virtual business entity, real-world credit entity, fictional world credit entity, fictional world player, fictional world participant, and fictional world character.

31. A method of creating credit transactions in a fictional world environment, comprising:

providing a virtual charge card account to a user in the fictional world environment including accepting virtual transactions charged to a virtual credit account in connection with purchase activities in the fictional world environment;

incorporating a benchmark completion requirement based on an activity of the user in the fictional world environment as a basis for giving the user an option to transition from the virtual charge card account to an actual financial account;

using a microprocessor, transitioning the user to usage of the actual financial account responsive to the user completing the benchmark completion requirement; and

transmitting a billing statement to the participant who acquires the virtual credit account.