System and methods for obtaining advantages and transacting the same in a computer gaming environment

• US 7,076,445 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2000
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gametek LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Shawn D. Cartwright
• Inventors: Cartwright, Shawn D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, II, Calvin L.
• Application Number:
  US09/676,448
• Time in Patent Office: 2,111 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/50, 705/51, 705/26, 705/27, 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14.12
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0274 Split fees
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A system and methods allowing the creation, integration, and transaction of advantages (e.g. desired environment features and/or elements). In an illustrative implementation, the system may operate partially or completely in a computing environment. Where a computing environment is employed, the computing environment may support a computing application running on a stand alone or networked computing system. The computing application may maintain a user interface portion, a processing portion, and cooperate with a database. In operation, a user may register his/her profile information with an advantages content provider such that when navigating through the computing application, the user have access to and purchase offered advantages and interact with interactive advertisements to purchase products and/or services. The advantages may be retrieved from a cooperating database and provided to the user. A record of the transaction is stored by the computing application in accordance to user profile so that the user may be properly charged for the transacted advantages or purchased products and/or services.

Claims

1. A method of managing the operation of a game which includes a game environment, and is programmed to control a gaming action for at least one of a plurality of users, said managing method using a programmed computer to effect the following steps:

a) tracking the activity of the at least one user in the course of the gaming action;

b) permitting the at least one user to create an account for receiving a consideration of the at least one user, the at least one user having a set of demographics;

c) determining the eligibility of the at least one user to purchase at least one of a plurality of game objects, said eligibility determining comprises the following sub steps;

i) permitting the at least one user to select the at least one game object,

ii) setting the purchase price of the at least one game object, and

iii) comparing the account balance of the at least one user'"'"'s consideration with the set price of the at least one game object and, determining if the balance of the user'"'"'s consideration is not less than the set price, determining the at least one user to be eligible to purchase the at least one game object;

d) displaying in the game environment a purchase price of the at least one game object;

e) presenting to the at least one user an offer to purchase the game object dependent upon a group of game parameters comprising the tracked activity of the at least one gaming action of the at least one user and, the one game environment or the one set of demographics of the least one user

f) permitting the at least one user to purchase the at least one game object at the set purchase price without interrupting the gaming action of the at least one user; and

g) supplying the at least one purchased game object to the at least one user without interrupting the gaming action of the at least one user and incorporating the game object into the game.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming environment comprises a video game that generates a series of background images, and the at least one selected game object is directed to act in accordance with the gaming action of the at least one user throughout the series of background images.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least selected one game object comprises the at least one of a plurality of player images, and the at least one background image is selected from a group comprising of at least one action game, one adventure game, and/or one role-playing game.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one background image is selected from a group comprising at least one of a plurality of battlefields, one action image, one military image, one adventure image, one sports image, one board game image, one role-play, one strategy game image, one cyber world image, one real world image, and/or one airline image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one game object comprises at least one of a plurality of elements and the at least one user is able to set at least one of a plurality of attributes of the at least one element and to direct the at least one element to move throughout the at least one background image.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one attribute is selected by the at least one user from a group comprising at least one of a plurality of levels of skill, one size of ammunition, one rate of speed, one length of life, one piece of information about the game environment, one degree of access, and/or one type of weapon.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the game environment includes at least one of a plurality of pieces of information describing the game environment, and permitting the at least one user to determine the at least one piece of information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming action comprises the at least one user and the at least one game object that is programmed to give an advantage to the at least one user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming action is selected from a group comprising at least one of a plurality of fighting engagements on a battlefield, one fighting engagement using weaponry, one engagement in a sport, at least one marketing of pizza, at least one user playing a role in a game environment, and/or at least one user firing a weapon.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the game is selected from a group comprising of at least one of a plurality of virtual games, at least one video game, at least one of feature representation, at least one of appearance, at least one characteristic, at least one trait, and/or at least one file.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the game object is selected from a group comprising at least one of a plurality of weapons, at least one ammunition, at least one skill, at least one access, at least one life, at least one piece of information about the game environment, at least one pizza, at least one cell phone, at least one ability to speed, and/or at least one preferred seat.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of supplying provides to the one user the selected one of a plurality of game objects that will provide an advantage to the at least one user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the consideration is selected from the group comprising at least one of a plurality of credit cards, one e-cash, one e-gold, and one internet enabled currency, one secondary monetary source, one charge to a phone and/or a utility bill, transferring of a check, one money order, and/or one amount of cash.

7. The method of clam 1, wherein the at least one game object comprises at least one of a plurality of elements, the at least one element to be selected from a group comprising at least one of a plurality of ammunitions, one weaponry, one skill, one access, and/or one life.

15. A method of managing the operation of a game which includes a game environment, and is programmed to control a gaming action of at least one of a plurality of users, said managing method using a programmed computer to effect the following steps:

a) tracking the activity of the at least one user in the course of the gaming action;

b) creating an account for the at least one user for maintaining a balance of the at least one user;

c) enabling the at least one user to select at least one of a plurality of game objects;

d) setting the purchase price of the at least one game object;

e) comparing the account balance with the set price of the at least one game object and, determining if the user'"'"'s account balance is not less than the set price, then the at least one user is eligible to purchase the one selected game object;

f) presenting to the at least one user an offer to purchase the game object dependent upon a group of game parameters comprising the tracked activity of the at least one user, and an indication of whether the at least one user has made a commitment of consideration to purchase the one selected game object;

g) ordering the at least one selected game object without interrupting the gaming action of the at least one user; and

h) supplying the selected one game object to the at least one user without interruption of the gaming action of the at least one user and incorporating the game object into the game.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein there is included the further step of offering to the at least one user an option to purchase the at least one game object dependent upon the group or game parameters comprising further the gaming action of the at least one user, the game environment, and/or the demographics of the at least one user.

17. A method of managing the operation of a game which includes a game environment and is programmed to control a gaming action of at least one of a plurality of users, said managing method using a programmed computer to effect the following steps:

a) tracking the activity of the at least one user in the course of the gaming action;

b) displaying in the game environment a plurality of game objects;

c) creating an account for storing the consideration of the at least one user;

d) permitting the at least one user to select one or more of the plurality of the displayed game objects, each game object having a set price;

e) determining if the at least one user has sufficient consideration in its account to purchase the selected one game object and to provide an indication thereof;

f) presenting to the at least one user an offer to purchase the game object dependent upon a group of game parameters comprising the tracked activity of the at least one user, and the indication that the one user has sufficient consideration in its account to purchase the selected game object at the set price;

g) permitting the at least one user to purchase the at least one game object at the set price without interrupting the gaming action of the one user; and

h) supplying at least one purchased game object to the at least one user without interrupting the gaming action of the at least one user and incorporating the game object into the game.

18. A method of claim 17, wherein there is included the further steps of:

a) testing the eligibility of the at least one user to participate in the gaming action; and

b) said eligibility testing comprises the following sub steps;

i) permitting the at least one user to select at least one of a plurality of game objects,

ii) setting the purchase price of the at least one game object, and

iii) comparing the committed consideration with the set price of the at least one game object and, if the committed consideration is not less than the set price, permitting the at least one user to participate in the gaming action.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one user has a set of demographics, and there is included the further step of offering to the at least one user an option to purchase the at least one game object dependent upon the group of game parameters further comprising at least one of the plurality of game environments, and/or at least one set of the demographics of the at least one user.