SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PURCHASING VIRTUAL GOODS IN MULTIPLE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20120330785A1
• Filed: 06/23/2011
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: WOGO LLC
• Original Assignee: WOGO LLC
• Inventors: HAMICK, Timothy John, Mitham, Nicholas John, Warneford, Matthew Peter, Thompson, Sean Rodger
• Application Number:
  US13/167,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20120330785A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A transaction system for purchasing virtual goods, which are to be expressed within multiple virtual environments, may receive a selection from a user for one or more virtual goods. The transaction system may receive a selection for a plurality of virtual environments within which the selected virtual good(s) are to be expressed upon completion of the purchase transaction.

Claims

1. A system configured to conduct purchase transactions, the system comprising:

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

a user account module configured to manage account information of a user, wherein account information includes one or more account identifiers corresponding to one or more user accounts associated with one or more virtual environments;

a store module configured to present a user with an offered set of virtual goods for purchase, wherein the store module is configured to receive a first user-selection of individual virtual goods included in the offered set of virtual goods, wherein the store module is configured to receive a second user-selection of one or more identifiers representing one or more virtual environments for which one or more individual virtual goods are to be expressed upon purchase, wherein the one or more identifiers are associated with one or more user-selected individual virtual goods;

a payment module configured to receive a payment of an amount from a user, wherein the payment corresponds to the first user-selection and the second user-selection; and

an environment interaction module configured to, responsive to receipt of the payment, transmit communications to the one or more virtual environments indicated in the second user-selection, wherein the communications cause the user-selected individual virtual goods to be available for expression in accordance with the payment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the amount of the payment is adjusted based on for which virtual environments a user-selected individual virtual good is to be expressed.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the store module is further configured to present the user with a set of identifiers representing one or more virtual environments able to express one or more individual virtual goods such that an identifier is associated with a user-selected individual virtual good, and wherein presentation of the set of identifiers is responsive to receipt of the first user-selection.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein inclusion of a given virtual good in the offered set of virtual goods is based on availability of the given virtual good to be expressed in the one or more virtual environments associated with the one or more user accounts corresponding to the one or more account identifiers included in the account information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein inclusion of a given virtual good in the offered set of virtual goods is based on account status information of a given user account associated with a given virtual environment.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more virtual environments are external to the system.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user access module configured to manage user access to the system.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an inventory module configured to present inventory information to a user in one or more of the virtual store or one or more virtual environments.

9. The system of claim (8), wherein, responsive to receipt of the payment, purchased virtual goods are added to the inventory information.

10. The system of claim (8), wherein the inventory module is further configured to present a user with an offered set of virtual goods for purchase in a virtual environment external to the system.

11. A method for conducting purchase transactions, the method comprising:

managing account information of a user, wherein account information includes one or more account identifiers corresponding to one or more user accounts associated with one or more virtual environments;

presenting a user with an offered set of virtual goods for purchase;

receiving a first user-selection of individual virtual goods included in the offered set of virtual goods;

receiving a second user-selection of one or more identifiers representing one or more virtual environments for which one or more individual virtual goods are to be expressed upon purchase, wherein the one or more identifiers are associated with one or more user-selected individual virtual goods;

receiving a payment of an amount from a user, wherein the payment corresponds to the first user-selection and the second user-selection; and

responsive to receipt of the payment, transmitting communications to the one or more virtual environments indicated in the second user-selection, wherein the communications cause the user-selected individual virtual goods to be available for expression in accordance with the payment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the amount of the payment is adjusted based on for which virtual environments a user-selected individual virtual good is to be expressed.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

responsive to receipt of the first user-selection, presenting a user with a set of identifiers representing one or more virtual environments able to express one or more individual virtual goods such that an identifier is associated with a user-selected individual virtual good.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein inclusion of a given virtual good in the offered set of virtual goods is based on availability of the given virtual good to be expressed in the one or more virtual environments associated with the one or more user accounts corresponding to the one or more account identifiers included in the account information.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein inclusion of a given virtual good in the offered set of virtual goods is based on account status information of a given user account associated with a given virtual environment.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more virtual environments are external to the system.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

managing user authorization prior to presenting the user with the offered set of virtual goods for purchase.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

presenting inventory information to a user in one or more of the virtual store or one or more virtual environments.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, responsive to receipt of the payment, purchased virtual goods are added to the inventory information.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

presenting a user with an offered set of virtual goods for purchase in a virtual environment external to the system.