System and method for generating a virtual environment for land-based and underwater virtual characters

• US 8,128,500 B1
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ganz
• Original Assignee: Ganz
• Inventors: Borst, Karl Joseph, Braund, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): D'AGOSTINO, PAUL ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US12/172,625
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 463/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/71 using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/401 Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6018 where the game content is authored by the player, e.g. level editor or by game device at runtime, e.g. level is created from music data on CD
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8058 Virtual breeding, e.g. tamagotchi

Abstract

A method provides a virtual presentation including a virtual character in an environment other than a natural environment of the virtual character. The method includes validating a registration code associated with a toy, providing at least one virtual room representing a natural environment of the toy in the virtual presentation, and displaying the virtual character in the virtual room representing the natural environment of the toy, which represents the toy in the virtual presentation. The method further includes providing at least one additional virtual room representing an unnatural environment of the toy in the virtual presentation, the unnatural environment of the toy being different than the natural environment of the toy, and providing the virtual character with an environment extension tool that enables the virtual character to exist in the room representing the unnatural environment of the toy. The virtual character and the environment extension tool can be displayed in the unnatural environment of the toy.

Claims

1. A method of providing a virtual presentation including a virtual item in an environment other than a natural environment of the virtual item, the method comprising:

using a computer system, validating a registration code associated with a real-world item representing a living creature that breaths gaseous air for respiration as part of a registration process that associates the virtual item with a user as an interactive character to be controlled by the user in navigating the virtual presentation;

storing, in a non-transitory computer memory provided to the computer system, the natural environment of the living creature and, based on said validating, providing at least one virtual room representing the natural environment of the living creature in the virtual presentation as determined, wherein the natural environment is a gaseous environment;

transmitting content over a communication network to be used for displaying the virtual item in the virtual room representing the natural environment of the living creature with a user computer;

wherein the virtual item represents the real-world item in the virtual presentation;

storing, in the non-transitory computer memory provided to the computer system, at least one additional virtual room representing an unnatural environment of the living creature in the virtual presentation, wherein the unnatural environment of the living creature is different than the natural environment of the living creature and the at least one additional virtual room is made accessible to the virtual item only after validation of another registration code associated with a second real-world item that represents a second living creature that naturally exists in said unnatural environment of the living creature;

establishing a relationship with the computer system between the virtual item and an environment extension tool that enables the virtual item to exist in the at least one additional virtual room representing the unnatural environment of the living creature, wherein the environment extension tool comprises a virtual air bubble representing gaseous air dissolved in the virtual presentation that envelops at least a portion of the virtual item while the virtual item is in the unnatural environment;

transmitting content over the communication network to be used for displaying the virtual item provided with the environment extension tool in the virtual room representing the unnatural environment of the living creature, wherein an appearance of the virtual item in the virtual presentation changes to include the environment extension tool in response to movement of the virtual item from the virtual room representing the natural environment to the at least one additional virtual room representing the unnatural environment;

transmitting content for making a second virtual room representing the unnatural environment available for purchase after the at least one additional room representing the unnatural environment is made accessible to the virtual item; and

transmitting content over the communication network to be used for displaying a virtual schematic that includes an area of the virtual presentation comprising the virtual room representing the natural environment, the at least one virtual room representing the unnatural environment and the second virtual room representing the unnatural environment, if purchased.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising displaying another virtual item representing the second living creature that naturally exists in the unnatural environment of the living creature in the unnatural environment of the living creature along with the virtual item provided with the environment extension tool.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the virtual world is presented on a website that is accessible by the user computer from a remotely-located server.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

providing one or more virtual furnishings for the virtual room representing the natural environment; and

providing one or more virtual furnishings for the at least one additional virtual room representing the unnatural environment.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing the at least one additional virtual room representing the unnatural environment occurs automatically, without additional user intervention upon validating the registration code associated with a subsequent item by the user, wherein a natural environment of the subsequent item is the unnatural environment of the living creature.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the virtual item interacts with the second virtual item while in the unnatural environment of the living creature.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the one or more virtual furnishings for the virtual room representing the natural environment are specific to the natural environment, and the one or more virtual furnishings for the another virtual room representing the unnatural environment are specific to the unnatural environment.

8. A method of providing a virtual presentation including a virtual character in an environment other than a natural environment of the virtual character,

the method comprising:

using a computer system, validating a registration code associated with a toy, wherein a look of the toy represents a living creature that breathes gaseous oxygen for respiration;

storing, in a non-transitory computer memory provided to the computer system at least one virtual room comprising a gaseous environment in the virtual presentation representing a natural environment in which the living creature determined responsive to said validating said registration code can exist for an extended period of time without an artificial life-sustaining measure;

transmitting content over a communication network for displaying the virtual character representing the toy in the virtual room representing the natural environments;

storing, in the non-transitory computer memory, at least one additional virtual room in the virtual presentation representing an unnatural environment in which the living creature can not exist for an extended period of time without the artificial life-sustaining measure;

using the computer system, validating a registration code associated with a second toy, wherein a look of the second toy represents a second living creature, wherein the second living creature naturally exists in the unnatural environment of the living creature for the extended period of time without the artificial life-sustaining measure;

subsequent to validating the registration code associated with the second toy, making the at least one additional room representing the unnatural environment accessible to the virtual character;

transmitting content over the communication network for providing the virtual character with the artificial life-sustaining measure when the virtual character enters the virtual room representing the unnatural environment, the artificial life-sustaining measure enabling the virtual character to exist in the virtual room representing the unnatural environment for the extended period of time, wherein the artificial life-sustaining measure comprises a virtual air bubble displayed in the virtual presentation representing gaseous oxygen that envelops at least a portion of the virtual character while the virtual character is in the gaseous environment representing the unnatural environment of the living creature;

transmitting content over the communication network for displaying the virtual character and the life sustaining measure in the at least one additional virtual room representing the unnatural environment of the living creature;

transmitting content for making a second virtual room representing the unnatural environment available for purchase after the at least one additional room representing the unnatural environment is made accessible to the virtual character; and

transmitting content over the communication network to be used for displaying a virtual schematic that includes an area of the virtual presentation comprising the virtual room representing the natural environment, the at least one virtual room representing the unnatural environment and the second virtual room representing the unnatural environment, if purchased.

9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising displaying another virtual character representing the second living creature that naturally exists in the unnatural environment of the living creature, wherein both the virtual character representing the living creature and the another virtual character representing the second living creature are displayed in the virtual room representing the unnatural environment of the living creature along with the artificial life-sustaining measure provided to the virtual character.

10. The method according to claim 8 further comprising:

providing one or more virtual furnishings for the virtual room representing the natural environment of the living creature; and

providing one or more virtual furnishings for the at least one additional virtual room representing the unnatural environment of the living creature.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein providing the at least one additional virtual room representing the unnatural environment of the living creature represented by the toy occurs automatically, without additional user intervention upon the validation of the registration code associated with the second toy representing the second living creature, wherein a natural environment of the second living creature is the unnatural environment of the living creature.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the virtual character interacts with the another virtual character while both the virtual character and the another virtual character are in the virtual room representing the unnatural environment of the living creature.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the one or more virtual furnishings for the virtual room representing the natural environment of the living creature are specific to that natural environment, and the one or more virtual furnishings for the at least one additional virtual room representing the unnatural environment of the living creature are specific to that unnatural environment.

14. A method of providing a virtual presentation including a virtual item in an environment other than a natural environment of the virtual item, the method comprising:

using a computer system, validating a registration code associated with a real-world item representing a living creature that breaths oxygen dissolved in a liquid for respiration as part of a registration process that associates the virtual item with a user as an interactive character to be controlled by the user in navigating the virtual presentation;

storing, in a non-transitory computer memory provided to the computer system, the natural environment of the living creature and, based on said validating, providing at least one virtual room representing the natural environment of the living creature in the virtual presentation as determined, wherein the natural environment is an aquatic environment;

transmitting content over a communication network to be used for displaying the virtual item in the virtual room representing the natural environment of the living creature with a user computer, wherein the virtual item represents the real-world item in the virtual presentation;

storing, in the non-transitory computer memory provided to the computer system, at least one additional virtual room representing an unnatural environment of the living creature in the virtual presentation, wherein the unnatural environment of the living creature is different than the natural environment of the living creature and the at least one additional virtual room is made accessible to the virtual item only after validation of another registration code associated with a second real-world item that represents a second living creature that naturally exists in said unnatural environment of the living creature;

establishing a relationship with the computer system between the virtual item and an environment extension tool that enables the virtual item to exist in the at least one additional virtual room representing the unnatural environment of the living creature, wherein the environment extension tool comprises a virtual water bubble representing oxygen dissolved in the liquid and is displayed in the virtual presentation enveloping at least a portion of the virtual item while the virtual item is in the unnatural environment;

transmitting content over the communication network to be used for displaying the virtual item provided with the environment extension tool in the virtual room representing the unnatural environment of the living creature, wherein an appearance of the virtual item in the virtual presentation changes to include the environment extension tool in response to movement of the virtual item from the virtual room representing the natural environment to the at least one additional virtual room representing the unnatural environment;

transmitting content for making a second virtual room representing the unnatural environment available for purchase after the at least one additional room representing the unnatural environment is made accessible to the virtual character; and

transmitting content over the communication network to be used for displaying a virtual, schematic that includes an area of the virtual presentation comprising the virtual room representing the natural environment, the at least one virtual room representing the unnatural environment and the second virtual room representing the unnatural environment, if purchased.

15. A method of providing a virtual presentation including a virtual character in an environment other than a natural environment of the virtual character, the method comprising:

using a computer system, validating a registration code associated with a toy, wherein a look of the toy represents a living creature that breathes oxygen dissolved in a liquid for respiration;

storing, in a non-transitory computer memory provided to the computer system, at least one virtual room comprising an aquatic, environment in the virtual presentation representing a natural environment in which the living creature determined responsive to said validating said registration code can exist for an extended period of time without an artificial life-sustaining measure;

transmitting content over a communication network for displaying the virtual character representing the toy in the virtual room representing the natural environment;

storing, in the non-transitory computer memory, at least one additional virtual room in the virtual presentation representing an unnatural environment in which the living creature can not exist for an extended period of time without the artificial life-sustaining measure;

using the computer system, validating a registration code associated with a second toy, wherein a look of the second toy represents a second living creature, wherein the second living creature naturally exists in the unnatural environment of the living creature for the extended period of time without the artificial life-sustaining measure;

subsequent to validating the registration code associated with the second toy, making the at least one additional room representing the unnatural environment accessible to the virtual character;

transmitting content over the communication network for providing the virtual character with the artificial life-sustaining measure when the virtual character enters the virtual room representing the unnatural environment, the artificial life-sustaining measure enabling the virtual character to exist in the virtual room representing the unnatural environment for the extended period of time, wherein the artificial life-sustaining measure comprises a virtual water bubble displayed in the virtual presentation representing oxygen dissolved in the liquid that envelops at least a portion of the virtual character while the virtual character is in the virtual room representing the unnatural environment of the toy;

transmitting content over the communication network for displaying the virtual character and the life sustaining measure in the at least one additional virtual room representing the unnatural environment of the living creature;

transmitting content for making a second virtual room representing the unnatural environment available for purchase after the at least one additional room representing the unnatural environment is made accessible to the virtual character; and

transmitting content over the communication network to be used for displaying a virtual schematic that includes an area of the virtual presentation comprising the virtual room representing the natural environment, the at least one virtual room representing the unnatural environment and the second virtual room representing the unnatural environment, if purchased.