System and method for tiered website access

• US 7,983,955 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GANZ An Ontario Partnership Consisting of SH GANZ Holdings Incorporated and 816877 Ontario Limited
• Original Assignee: Ganz
• Inventors: Ganz, Howard, Borst, Karl Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Akintola; Olabode
• Application Number:
  US11/856,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20080141367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method of selling products and/or services using an interactive entertainment system. The method includes steps of: providing access to interactive content to a user at a first level of access over a computer network; selling a product and/or service to the user; responsive to the selling, providing access to the content at a second level of access over the network; receiving consent from the user to display advertisements along with the content; and responsive to the selling and the receiving, providing access to the content at a third level of access over the network. The first level of access provides first access privileges, the second level of access provides second access privileges that are excluded from the first level of access, and the third level of access provides the second access privileges and third access privileges that are excluded from the second level of access.

Claims

1. A method of selling products and/or services using an interactive entertainment system, comprising steps of:

detecting access by a user over a computer network who has not purchased a product and/or service, and providing access to interactive content to the user at a first level of access over the computer network, said first level of access providing only first access privileges which only allows access to a first subset of said content;

selling a product and/or service to said user;

responsive to said selling, providing access to said interactive content to said user at a second level of access over said computer network, which provides access to additional content beyond said first subset of content including more content than said first subset of content, said second level of access providing second access privileges that are excluded from said first level of access;

querying a user who has access to said second level of access about whether the user chooses to receive advertisements along with said interactive content;

if said user does not choose to receive advertisements, providing only said second level of access to said user, where said second level of access includes said more content; and

only if said user does choose to receive advertisements, after said selling, providing access to said interactive content to said user at a third level of access over said computer network, said third level of access providing said second access privileges and third access including bonus access that is beyond said second level of access, and is excluded from said second level of access, and is provided only to a user who has had a product or service sold to them and has also consented to display ads.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing access to said interactive content to said user at said first level of access includes displaying said advertisements to said user, and further comprising a step of, after said selling, disabling said advertisements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said product and/or service is at least one of a toy, a figurine, a trading card, a consumer product, an image representing a character, a membership and a subscription.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said third access privileges include at least one of free currency, free items, prizes, discounts, priority access to contests and other activities, and access to content excluded from said first level of access and said second level of access.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of, after a predetermined period of time has passed after said selling, providing access to said interactive content at a fourth level of access over said computer network, said fourth level of access providing said second access privileges without said third access privileges, and said fourth level of access requires said user to view said advertisements in order to access said interactive content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at said fourth level of access said user will be subject to restrictions in accessing said interactive content in addition to being required to view said advertisements.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said interactive content includes images representing a world in which rooms are obtained by said user, wherein said restrictions include said user being limited to obtaining a predetermined number of rooms.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said interactive content includes allowing said user to register one of a plurality of characters, wherein at said first level of access, said user is limited to registering one or more predetermined characters of said plurality of characters, and wherein at said second level of access, additional characters of said plurality of characters are registered by said user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a code is provided with a product that was purchased, and wherein said code causes said one of said plurality of characters that is registered by said user to correspond to said product.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the product includes at least one of the code printed on a tag and the code stored in a memory device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said interactive content includes a plurality of games, wherein at said first level of access, said user is limited to playing one or more predetermined games of said plurality of games, and wherein at said second level of access, said user may play additional games of said plurality of games.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said interactive content includes images representing a world in which rooms are obtained by said user, wherein at said first level of access, said user is limited to obtaining a predetermined number of rooms, and wherein at said second level of access, said user may obtain more than said predetermined number of rooms.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said second access privileges include allowing said user to access additional interactive content.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said additional interactive content includes at least one of rooms, games, chatting activities, messaging activities, sending objects to other users, and receiving objects from other users.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said second level of access includes more games than said first level of access.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said third level of access includes free virtual items and virtual bonuses on the website.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said third level of access includes a first look at new content on the website prior to those who only had said second level of access.

18. A method of selling products and/or services using an interactive entertainment system, comprising steps of:

detecting access by a user over a computer network who has not purchased a product and/or service, and providing access to interactive content to the user at a first level of access over the computer network, said first level of access providing first access privileges and including displaying advertisements, the first level of access only allows access to a first subset of said content;

selling a product and/or service to said user, said product and/or service being at least one of a toy, a figurine, a trading card, a consumer product, an image representing a character, a membership and a subscription;

responsive to said selling, providing access to said interactive content to said user at a second level of access over said computer network, which provides access to additional content beyond said first subset of content including more content than said first subset of content, said second level of access providing second access privileges that are excluded from said first level of access and includes permitting said advertisements to be disabled;

querying a user who has access to said second level of access about whether the user chooses to receive said advertisements to said user along with said interactive content;

if said user does not choose to receive advertisements, providing only said second level of access to said user, where said second level of access includes said more content;

only if said user does choose to receive advertisements, after said selling, providing access to said interactive content to said user at a third level of access over said computer network, said third level of access providing said second access privileges and third access including bonus access that is beyond said second level of access, and is excluded from said second level of access; and

after a predetermined period of time has passed after said selling, providing access to said interactive content at a fourth level of access over said computer network, said fourth level of access providing said second access privileges without said third access privileges, and said fourth level of access requires said user to view said advertisements in order to access said interactive content.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said third access privileges include at least one of free currency, free items, prizes, discounts, priority access to contests and other activities, and access to content excluded from said first level of access and said second level of access.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein at said fourth level of access said user will be subject to restrictions in accessing said interactive content in addition to being required to view said advertisements.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said interactive content includes images representing a world in which rooms are obtained by said user, wherein said restrictions include said user being limited to obtaining a predetermined number of rooms.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein said interactive content includes allowing said user to register one of a plurality of characters, wherein at said first level of access, said user is limited to registering one or more predetermined characters of said plurality of characters, and wherein at said second level of access, additional characters of said plurality of characters are registered by said user.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said product and/or service is a product, wherein a code is provided with said product, and wherein said code causes said one of said plurality of characters that is registered by said user to correspond to said product.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the product includes at least one of the code printed on a tag and the code stored in a memory device.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein said interactive content includes a plurality of games, wherein at said first level of access, said user is limited to playing one or more predetermined games of said plurality of games, and wherein at said second level of access, said user may play additional games of said plurality of games.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein said interactive content includes images representing a world in which rooms are obtained by said user, wherein at said first level of access, said user is limited to obtaining a predetermined number of rooms, and wherein at said second level of access, said user may obtain more than said predetermined number of rooms.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein said second access privileges include allowing said user to access additional interactive content.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said additional interactive content includes at least one of rooms, games, chatting activities, messaging activities, sending objects to other users, and receiving objects from other users.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein said second level of access includes more games than said first level of access.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein said third level of access includes free virtual items and virtual bonuses on the website.

31. The method of claim 18, wherein said third level of access includes a first look at new content on the website prior to those who only had said second level of access.