PROVIDING OFFERS BASED ON LOCATIONS WITHIN VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS AND/OR THE REAL WORLD

• US 20120047002A1
• Filed: 08/23/2010
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Envie Interactive, LLC
• Original Assignee: Envie Interactive, LLC
• Inventors: Patel, Pratik
• Application Number:
  US12/861,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20120047002A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location

Abstract

Incentivized offers may be provided to users of a virtual environment. More specifically, a virtual environment may be provided to users such that the users participate in the virtual environment by performing one or more actions within the virtual environment. Information may be determined that relates to the physical locations in the real world of individual users of the virtual environment. Offers of goods and/or services may be determined that should be presented to individual users. The offers may be determined based on one or more of the physical locations in the real world of the individual users, virtual environment criteria representing one or more aspects of the users involvement in the virtual environment, and/or other factors. The determined offers may be transmitted to the users.

Claims

1. A system configured to provide incentivized offers to users of a virtual environment, the system comprising:

one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules, the computer program modules comprising;

an environment module configured to provide a virtual environment to users;

a geo-location module configured to determine information related to the physical locations in the real world of individual users of the virtual environment;

an offer determination module configured to determine offers of goods and/or services that should be presented to individual users based on (i) the physical locations in the real world of the individual users, and (ii) virtual environment criteria representing one or more aspects of the users involvement in the virtual environment; and

an offer transmission module configured to transmit the determined offers to the users.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual environment criteria comprise one or more of an activity performed or participated in within the virtual environment, inventory acquired in the virtual environment, a relationship with another user within the virtual environment, a class of an avatar, a skill of an avatar, or a location of an avatar within the virtual environment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the offers comprise incentives to purchase real world goods and/or services from real world goods and/or service providers.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the incentives to purchase real world goods and/or services comprise incentives to make the purchases at real world provider locations, and wherein the incentives are redeemable at the real world provider locations.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the geo-location module is configured such that the information related to the physical locations in the real world of the users indicates the locations of the users in real-time or near real-time.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the offer determination module is configured to determine offers for the users redeemable with providers of real world goods and/or services providers in the immediate proximities of the users.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the offer transmission module is configured to transmit the determined offers to the users through one or more communication media separate from the virtual environment.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the offer transmission module is configured to transmit the determined offers to the users within the virtual environment.

9. A computer-implemented method of providing incentivized offers to users of a virtual environment, the method being implemented in a computer system comprising one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules, the method comprising:

providing a virtual environment to users such that the users participate in the virtual environment by performing one or more actions within the virtual environment;

determining information related to the physical locations in the real world of individual users of the virtual environment;

determining offers of goods and/or services that should be presented to individual users based on (I) the physical locations in the real world of the individual users, and (ii) virtual environment criteria representing one or more aspects of the users involvement in the virtual environment; and

transmitting the determined offers to the users.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the virtual environment criteria comprise one or more of an activity performed or participated in within the virtual environment, inventory acquired in the virtual environment, a relationship with another user within the virtual environment, a class of an avatar, a skill of an avatar, or a location of an avatar within the virtual environment.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the offers comprise incentives to purchase real world goods and/or services from real world goods and/or service providers.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the incentives to purchase real world goods and/or services comprise incentives to make the purchases at real world provider locations, and wherein the incentives are redeemable at the real world provider locations.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the information related to the physical locations in the real world of the users indicates the real world locations of the users in real-time or near real-time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the offers determined for the users are redeemable with providers of real world goods and/or services providers in the immediate proximities of the users.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the determined offers are transmitted to the users through one or more communication media separate from the virtual environment.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the determined offers are transmitted to the users within the virtual environment.

17. A non-transitory, computer-readable, electronic storage medium storing instructions configured to cause one or more processors to perform a method of providing incentivized offers to users of a virtual environment, the method comprising:

providing a virtual environment to users such that the users participate in the virtual environment by performing one or more actions within the virtual environment;

determining information related to the physical locations in the real world of individual users of the virtual environment;

determining offers of goods and/or services that should be presented to individual users based on (I) the physical locations in the real world of the individual users, and (ii) virtual environment criteria representing one or more aspects of the users involvement in the virtual environment; and

transmitting the determined offers to the users.

18. The electronic storage medium of claim 17, wherein the virtual environment criteria comprise one or more of an activity performed or participated in within the virtual environment, inventory acquired in the virtual environment, a relationship with another user within the virtual environment, a class of an avatar, a skill of an avatar, or a location of an avatar within the virtual environment.

19. The electronic storage medium of claim 17, wherein the offers comprise incentives to purchase real world goods and/or services from real world goods and/or service providers.

20. The electronic storage medium of claim 19, wherein the incentives to purchase real world goods and/or services comprise incentives to make the purchases at real world provider locations, and wherein the incentives are redeemable at the real world provider locations.

21. The electronic storage medium of claim 17, wherein the information related to the physical locations in the real world of the users indicates the real world locations of the users in real-time or near real-time.

22. The electronic storage medium of claim 21, wherein the offers determined for the users are redeemable with providers of real world goods and/or services providers in the immediate proximities of the users.

23. The electronic storage medium of claim 17, wherein the determined offers are transmitted to the users through one or more communication media separate from the virtual environment.

24. The electronic storage medium of claim 17, wherein the determined offers are transmitted to the users within the virtual environment.