DEVELOPING USER PROFILES IN VIRTUAL WORLDS

• US 20160191671A1
• Filed: 10/28/2015
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: DAWSON, Christopher J., HAMILTON, Rick A. II, KENDZIERSKI, Michael D., SEAMAN, James W.
• Application Number:
  US14/925,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20160191671A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/337 Profile generation, learning or modification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Methods and arrangements of developing user profiles in virtual worlds are discussed. Embodiments include transformations, code, state machines or other logic to receive data from a software agent in a virtual world, directly or indirectly. The data may be based upon information automatically gathered from data stores outside the virtual world, including account data and user profile data. The embodiment may also involve developing a user profile of the user in the virtual world, based upon the data received from the software agent. An embodiment may also involve automatically gathering information from data stores external to the virtual world. The information may include user account data and user profile information. The embodiment may also include aggregating data for generating the user profile in the virtual world, based upon the information; and transmitting the data directly or indirectly to the virtual world.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of developing a user profile for a user for a virtual world, the method being implemented in a computing device that hosts the virtual world, the computing device having one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions that, when executed by the one or more physical processors, cause the computing device to perform the method, the method comprising:

obtaining, by the computing device, aggregated data for developing a user profile for a user for the virtual world, the aggregated data comprising information gathered from one or more data stores external to the virtual world, the information comprising at least user profile information associated with the user;

generating, by the computing device, automatically and without user input, an avatar based on the aggregated data that is associated with the user profile and that graphically represents the user in the virtual world, the avatar including at least one characteristic that is automatically customized based on the aggregated data;

generating, by the computing device, one or more personalized menus for the user for presentation to the user via a user interface, the one or more personalized menus requesting user profile information from the user not included in the aggregated data; and

developing, by the computing device, the user profile based on the aggregated data and input received from the user via the one or more personalized menus.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual world is associated with a massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more data stores external to the virtual world include one or more of:

a data store associated with a second virtual world;

a data store associated with a social network;

a data store associated with an email account;

or a data store associated with an instant message account.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more data stores external to the virtual world comprise one or more of:

a web history;

a cookie;

a spider history;

an electronic mail application address book;

or

a social networking application friends list.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more data stores external to the virtual world include one or more data stores specified by the user via a user interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining aggregated data further comprises:

obtaining, by the computing device, information from the one or more data stores external to the virtual world automatically at a predetermined time interval.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining aggregated data further comprises:

obtaining, by the computing device, information from the one or more data stores external to the virtual world on an event-driven basis.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the aggregated data is obtained in an XML document.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein developing the user profile further comprises:

creating, by the computing device, a new user profile for the user for the virtual world.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein developing the user profile further comprises:

modifying, by the computing device, an existing user profile for the user for the virtual world.

11. A system for developing a user profile for a user for a virtual world, the system comprising:

one or more physical processors programmed with one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the one or more physical processors to;

obtain aggregated data for developing a user profile for a user for the virtual world, the aggregated data comprising information gathered from one or more data stores external to the virtual world, the information comprising at least user profile information associated with the user;

generate automatically and without user input, an avatar based on the aggregated data that is associated with the user profile and that graphically represents the user in the virtual world, the avatar including at least one characteristic that is automatically customized based on the aggregated data;

generate one or more personalized menus for the user for presentation to the user via a user interface, the one or more personalized menus requesting user profile information from the user not included in the aggregated data; and

develop the user profile based on the aggregated data and input received from the user via the one or more personalized menus.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the virtual world is associated with a massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more data stores external to the virtual world include one or more of:

a data store associated with a second virtual world;

a data store associated with a social network;

a data store associated with an email account;

or

a data store associated with an instant message account.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more data stores external to the virtual world comprise one or more of:

a web history;

a cookie;

a spider history;

an electronic mail application address book;

or

a social networking application friends list.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more data stores external to the virtual world include one or more data stores specified by the user via a user interface.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein to obtain aggregated data the one or more physical processors are further caused to:

obtain information from the one or more data stores external to the virtual world automatically at a predetermined time interval.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein to obtain aggregated data the one or more physical processors are further caused to:

obtain information from the one or more data stores external to the virtual world on an event-driven basis.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the aggregated data is obtained in an XML document.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein to develop the user profile the one or more physical processors are further caused to:

create a new user profile for the user for the virtual world.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein to develop the user profile the one or more physical processors are further caused to:

modify an existing user profile for the user for the virtual world.

21. A computer-implemented method of developing a user profile for a user for a virtual world, the method being implemented in a computing device having one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions that, when executed by the one or more physical processors, cause the computing device to perform the method, the method comprising:

receiving, at the computing device, a request to develop a user profile for a user for a virtual world;

obtaining, by the computing device, information from one or more data stores external to the virtual world, the information comprising at least user profile information associated with the user;

aggregating, by the computing device, data for developing the user profile for the virtual world based on the information obtained from the one or more data stores; and

transmitting, by the computing device, the aggregated data to a server hosting the virtual world.

22. A system for developing a user profile for a user for a virtual world, the system comprising:

one or more physical processors programmed with one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the one or more physical processors to;

receive a request to develop a user profile for a user for a virtual world;

obtain information from one or more data stores external to the virtual world, the information comprising at least user profile information associated with the user;

aggregate data for developing the user profile for the virtual world based on the information obtained from the one or more data stores; and

transmit the aggregated data to a server hosting the virtual world.