TRANSFER OF VIRTUAL OBJECTS BETWEEN APPLICATIONS

• US 20130339228A1
• Filed: 06/17/2013
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Utherverse Gaming LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Utherverse Gaming LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shuster, Brian Mark, Shuster, Gary Stephen
• Application Number:
  US13/919,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20130339228A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3281 wherein game attributes are transferred between players, e.g. points, weapons, avatars
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for incentivizing users of one application to try or use another application by, for example, enabling users to transfer virtual objects between applications. These applications may be unrelated. However, the systems disclosed herein are capable of converting the virtual objects that are configured to function with one application so that the virtual objects can be utilized by another application. In some cases, the conversion of the virtual object may be dependent on the market rate for a virtual object and/or the number of users who decide to convert instances of the virtual object. Further, the systems disclosed herein enable users to unlock features of applications based on accomplishments in other applications.

Claims

1. A method for transferring virtual objects, the method comprising:

by an application host system comprising one or more processors, the application host system configured to host at least a first application;

capturing a first virtual object, the first virtual object generated by the first application in response to an action performed by a user with respect to the first application, the first application comprising a first persistent online environment;

identifying a second application comprising a second persistent online environment, the second persistent online environment of a different type than the first persistent online environment;

identifying a set of conversion rules for converting the first virtual object to a second virtual object usable with the second application;

converting the first virtual object to the second virtual object based, at least in part, on the set of conversion rules; and

providing the second virtual object to the second application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first application comprises a first portion and a second portion, wherein the application host system is configured to host at least the first application by hosting the first portion, and wherein the second portion is hosted by a user computing device associated with the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second application is hosted by a second application host system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second application comprises a first portion and a second portion, wherein the second application host system hosts the second application by hosting the first portion, and wherein the second portion is hosted by a user computing device associated with the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of conversion rules comprises rules for converting the first virtual object from a form accessible by the first application to a form accessible by the second application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the first virtual object to the second virtual object comprises:

determining a time period during which a quantity of the first virtual object was obtained by the user;

determining a conversion rate for converting the quantity of the first virtual object to a quantity of the second virtual object; and

converting the quantity of the first virtual object to the quantity of the second virtual object based, at least in part, on the conversion rate,

wherein providing the second virtual object to the second application comprises providing the quantity of the second virtual object to the second application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the first virtual object to the second virtual object comprises:

determining a first share of a quantity of the first virtual object associated with the user;

determining a number of users associated with shares of the quantity of the first virtual object associated with the user who have converted their respective shares of the quantity of the first virtual object to quantities of the second virtual object;

determining a conversion rate for converting the first share of the quantity of the first virtual object to a quantity of the second virtual object based, at least in part, on the number of users; and

converting the first share of the quantity of the first virtual object to the quantity of the second virtual object based, at least in part, on the conversion rate,

wherein providing the second virtual object to the second application comprises providing the quantity of the second virtual object to the second application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the second virtual object to the second application comprises:

identifying a first user account associated with the user at the first application;

determining based, at least in part, on the first user account whether the user is associated with a second user account at the second application; and

in response to determining that the user is associated with the second user account, associating the second virtual object with the second user account at the second application.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, in response to determining that the user is not associated with the second user account, presenting the user with a user interface for obtaining the second user account at the second application.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising disassociating the first virtual object with a user account associated with the user at the first application.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising alerting the user that the second virtual object was transferred to the second application and that the first virtual object is no longer accessible at the first application.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the second virtual object to the second application comprises:

identifying a first user account associated with the user at the first application;

accessing a hash value associated with the first user account;

including the hash value with the second virtual object; and

providing the second virtual object to the second application thereby enabling a second application host system configured to host the second application to determine whether the user is associated with a second user account based at least partially on the hash value included with the second virtual object.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a payment rate associated with providing the second virtual object to the second application; and

initiating payment based at least partially on the payment rate between a first entity associated with the first application and a second entity associated with the second application.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the payment rate is based at least partially on a conversion rate for converting the quantity of the first virtual object to a quantity of the second virtual object.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the payment rate is based at least partially on a usage pattern associated with the user'"'"'s usage of the first application.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the payment rate is based at least partially on the action performed by the user with respect to the first application to obtain the first virtual object.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the payment rate is based at least partially on utilization characteristics associated with the second application.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the first virtual object and the second virtual object comprise virtual characters.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first virtual object comprises a first skill level associated with a first skill associated with the first application, and wherein the second virtual object comprises a second skill level associated with a second skill associated with the second application.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first skill associated with the first application corresponds, at least partially, to the second skill of the second application.