System and method for product trials in a simulated environment

• US 8,626,615 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2008
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brignull, Michele P., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Sand, Anne R., Seaman, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): ADE, OGER GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US12/325,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20100138305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,863 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A system and method to enable product trials and, in particular, to dynamically collect information relating to the product trials. The system includes a tagging engine configured to tag one or more products, which are part of a product trial in a virtual universe. The system also includes a tracking engine configured to track information on the one or more products via a tag and a storage unit configured to collect the tracked information for marketing and/or advertising purposes.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a tagging engine configured to provide a tag to one or more products being marketed as part of a product trial in a virtual universe;

a tracking engine configured to track information on the one or more products using the tag; and

a storage unit configured to collect the tracked information,

wherein the tracked information is information pertaining to use of the one or more products in the product trial, which occurs while a user of the one or more products is traversing, inhabiting, and interacting in the virtual universe via an avatar.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tracking engine is further configured to track user information on one or more users including the user participating in the product trial and the storage unit is further configured to collect the tracked user information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more products are configured to be modified during the product trial.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the modification includes at least one of upgrading the one or more products, downgrading the one or more products, or changing at least one attribute of the one or more products.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the modification is performed automatically based on one or more preset rules.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the tagging engine tags at least one of a user status, a user identifier, a product trial start time, a product trial end time, and product features used during the product trial.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the tagging engine and the tracking engine are provided on software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the tracked information is available on a fee and subscription basis.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the tag is configured to dynamically collect product usage data and trend data of the one or more products.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the tag includes at least one of a name value, a product trial start time, a product trial expiration time, modification data, and status data.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the virtual universe is an interactive simulated environment accessed by a plurality of users through an online interface such that the plurality of users can inhabit and interact in the virtual universe with avatars that are each user'"'"'s representation of themselves;

the product trial comprises the user of the plurality of users taking the one or more products on trial by at least one of placing the one or more products in an inventory of the user'"'"'s avatar or using the one or more products with the user'"'"'s avatar; and

tracking information on the one or more products comprises, for each use, recording a time of the use, a location of use, and an action taken by the user with the product.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein:

the user'"'"'s avatar requests a clone of the one or more products from another user'"'"'s avatar; and

the one or more products is cloned by copying the one or more products along with the tag that is associated with the one or more products.

11. A computer implemented method for tracking product trials in a virtual universe, comprising:

allowing a product being marketed in a virtual universe to be taken on a product trial in the virtual universe using a processor;

tagging the product with at least one tag comprising metadata;

tracking usage of the product during the product trial via the at least one tag; and

collecting product trial data based on the tracking.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the product trial data includes product information and user information.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the product trial data is configured to be used for advertising and/or marketing purposes.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the tracking occurs throughout multiple virtual universes.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the steps of claim 11 are implemented on a combination of software, hardware, or software and hardware.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the steps of claim 11 are offered by a service provider based on one of a fee and subscription basis.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the steps of claim 11 are at least one of supported, deployed, maintained, and created by a service provider as a computer infrastructure.

18. The method of claim 11, comprising the step of:

determining whether the product in the virtual universe is available for the product trial;

creating the product trial by allowing a user to select the product trial or by assigning the product trial to the user;

tagging the product with the at least one tag, which comprises at least one of a user status, a user identifier, a product trial start time, a product trial end time, and product features used during the product trial;

tracking the usage of the product during the product trial via the at least one tag, wherein the tracking includes tracking one or more modifications made to the product during the product trial; and

collecting product trial data based on the tracking, wherein the product trial data is configured to be used for commercial purposes.

19. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage device having readable program code embodied in the storage device, the computer program product includes at least one component operable to:

tag a product in a virtual universe using one or more tags, wherein at least one of the one or more tags is indicative of whether the product is part of a product trial;

permit a user to take and use the product within the virtual universe for a specified period of time or for a specified number of uses based on the one or more tag;

track usage of the product as part of the product trial via the one or more tags;

collect data about the product trial and a user taking the product on the product trial, wherein the data is configured to be used for at least one of advertising or marketing purposes; and

terminate the product trial of the product at an end of the specified period of time or at the end of the specified number of uses.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the product in the product trial is configured to be modified by upgrading the product, downgrading the product, or changing at least one attribute of the product.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer program product is at least one of supported, deployed, maintained, and created by a service provider.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the steps of claim 19 are offered by a service provider based on one of a fee and subscription basis.

23. The computer program product of claim 19, comprising at least one component operable to:

determine whether the product in the virtual universe is available for the product trial;

create the product trial by allowing the user to select the product trial or by assigning the product trial to the user;

tag the product with the one or more tags, which comprises at least one of a user status, a user identifier, a product trial start time, a product trial end time, and product features used during the product trial;

track the usage of the product during the product trial via the one or more tags, wherein the tracking includes tracking one or more modifications made to the product during the product trial; and

collect the data about the product trial and use the data for at least one of advertising or marketing purposes.

24. A method for deploying an application for tracking product trials in a virtual universe, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

determine by a processor whether to permit a product being marketed in a virtual universe to be taken on a product trial in the virtual universe;

tag by the processor the product in the product trial with at least one tag, wherein the tag permits a user to take and use the product within the virtual universe for a specified period of time or for a specified number of uses;

track by the processor usage of the product during the product trial via the at least one tag;

collect by the processor product trial data based on the tracked usage; and

terminate by the processor the product trial of the product by the user at an end of the specified period of time or at the end of the specified number of uses,

wherein the product trial data is data pertaining to the usage of the product during the product trial, which occurs while a user of the product is traversing, inhabiting, and interacting in the virtual universe via an avatar.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the computer infrastructure is at least one of supported, deployed, maintained, and created by a service provider.