Crafting system in a virtual environment

• US 8,836,719 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ganz
• Original Assignee: Ganz
• Inventors: Leung, Felix, Borst, Karl Joseph, Ganetakos, Joseph Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cain, II, Leon T
• Application Number:
  US13/091,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20110261071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

A crafting system and method are provided that allow users or players in a social virtual environment to create their own unique virtual items for use on the site. With the crafting system and method, players can collect different types of materials, some more common than others, from within the virtual social environment to customize items, which the player can use to express their individuality as well as sell or trade within the environment. The complexity and uniqueness of the crafted item makes it much more difficult for another player to obtain the same materials and to replicate the design.

Claims

1. A computer system for crafting virtual items comprising:

a server computer system that registers a non-virtual physical product via a computer network and produces outputs indicative of a virtual user character corresponding to the physical product, said virtual user character being assigned to a user account that is stored on a user computer;

said server computer system distributes virtual items including a plurality of different item templates and a plurality of different virtual materials into a user storage associated with a selected user account for creating a customized virtual item on the server computer system, wherein the server computer system determines which of the plurality of different item templates and which of the plurality of different virtual materials to distribute to the user storage according to calculated probabilities based on a characteristic of the virtual user character assigned to the user account and the item templates and virtual materials are earned in response to activity performed by the virtual user independent of creating the customized virtual item, wherein the calculated probabilities are based on a combination of the non-virtual physical products registered to the user account; and

said server computer system creating a customized virtual item in response to actions taken by the virtual user character received on the server computer system via the computer network, wherein the server computer system creates the customized virtual item by applying at least one of the plurality of virtual materials that is stored in the user storage to one of the plurality of different item templates that is stored in the user storage, wherein the templates and the virtual materials stored in the user storage are retrieved from the user storage for use during said creating of the customized virtual item and become unavailable for subsequent use after the templates and the virtual materials are used.

2. The computer system of claim 1 further comprising a marketplace database that receives the customized virtual item created by the server computer system, wherein the marketplace database enables the customized virtual item to be transferred to another user account in exchange for virtual currency or goods.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein in response to a finish request received by the server computer system via the computer network, the customized virtual item is locked so that no additional virtual materials can be applied.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein in response to the finish request, the server computer system applies information indicative of a signature of a creator of the customized virtual item, to the customized virtual item that identifies said creator.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the server computer system assigns a unique identifier to the customized virtual item and stores the customized virtual item as a unique user-design object together with a plurality of other customized virtual items in a user-designed object database, and wherein the customized virtual item can be recreated by using the server computer system but is otherwise prevented from being copied.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of virtual materials is offered for sale to users using the server computer system.

7. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising characteristics include at least one of a character type, character status and a skill level.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said server computer system determines which of the plurality of different item templates and which of the plurality of different virtual materials to distribute to the user storage according to calculated probabilities based on a characteristic of the user account.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein a virtual user character having a higher skill level has a greater probability of being distributed a rarer or more valuable virtual item than a user character having a lower skill level.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the virtual user character generated by the server computer system has an appearance that resembles the physical product that was registered.

11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the item template indicates a free-form item in which the plurality of virtual crafting items are combined or arranged without limitations comprising at least one of predetermined item shape, predetermined item size, predetermined item portions, predetermined item sections, predetermined alteration points, and placement of one or more virtual crafting materials.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the free-form item is programmable by the user to perform an action or function.

13. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the virtual items are supplied by the system.

14. A computer system for crafting virtual items comprising:

a server computer system that registers a non-virtual physical product via a computer network and generates a virtual user character corresponding to the physical product, said virtual user character being assigned to a user account;

said server computer system distributes virtual items and templates into user storage associated with the user account and where the virtual materials and templates have been earned in response to activity by the virtual user character, wherein the virtual items and templates are distributed to the user storage according to calculated probabilities based on a characteristic of the virtual user character assigned to the user account and the item templates and virtual materials are earned in response to activity performed by the virtual user independent of creating the customized virtual item, wherein the calculated probabilities are based on a combination of the non-virtual physical products registered to the user account; and

said server computer system controlling creation of a customized virtual item based on actions taken by the virtual user character received via the computer network,

wherein based on the user input, the server computer system creates the customized virtual item by combining two or more of said virtual items and a template that are stored in the user storage, wherein the two or more of said virtual items and the template are unavailable for subsequent use to make additional customized virtual items after being used to make the customized virtual item, and wherein in response to a finish request received by the server computer system via the computer network, the server computer system locks the customized virtual item so that no additional virtual items can be added.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the virtual items stored in the user storage include a plurality of different item templates and a plurality of different virtual materials, and wherein the server computer system creates the customized virtual item, in response to the user input, by applying at least one of the plurality of virtual materials that is stored in the user storage to one of the plurality of different item templates that is stored in the user storage.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein in response to the finish request, the server computer system applies information indicative of a signature of a creator of the customized virtual item to the customized virtual item that identifies the user account or user character associated with the creation of the customized virtual item.

17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of virtual materials is offered for sale to users using the server computer system.

18. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the server computer system determines which of the virtual items to distribute to the user storage according to probabilities based on a characteristic of the virtual user character assigned to the user account.

19. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the virtual user character generated by the server computer system has an appearance that resembles the physical product that was registered.

20. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the customized virtual item comprises a free-form item in which the plurality of virtual items are combined or arranged without limitations comprising at least one of predetermined item shape, predetermined item size, predetermined item portions, predetermined item sections, predetermined alteration points, and placement of one or more virtual crafting materials.

21. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the free-form item is programmable by the user to perform an action or function.

22. A method for crafting virtual items comprising:

registering a non-virtual physical product on a server computer system via a computer network and generating a virtual user character corresponding to the physical product, said virtual user character being assigned to a user account;

distributing virtual items including a plurality of different item templates and a plurality of different virtual materials into user storage associated with the user account for making customized virtual items, wherein the server computer system determines which of the plurality of different item templates and which the plurality of different virtual materials to distribute to the user storage according to calculated probabilities based on a characteristic of the virtual user character assigned to the user account and the item templates and virtual materials are earned in response to activity performed by the virtual user independent of creating the customized virtual item, wherein the calculated probabilities are based on a combination of the non-virtual physical products registered to the user account; and

creating a customized virtual item based on actions taken by the virtual user character received on the server computer system via the computer network, wherein the server computer system creates the customized virtual item by applying at least one of the plurality of virtual materials that is stored in the user storage to one of the plurality of different item templates that is stored in the user storage, wherein the templates and the virtual materials stored in the user storage become unavailable for subsequent use after the templates and the virtual materials are used.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising enabling the customized virtual item to be transferred to another user account in exchange for virtual currency or goods.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising, in response to a finish request received by the server computer system via the computer network, locking the customized virtual item so that no additional virtual materials can be applied.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising, in response to the finish request, applying a digital signature to the customized virtual item that identifies the user account or virtual user character associated with the creating the customized virtual item.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising, assigning a unique identifier to the customized virtual item and storing the customized virtual item as a unique user-design object together with a plurality of other customized virtual items in a user-designed object database, and wherein the customized virtual item can be recreated by using the server computer system but is otherwise prevented from being copied.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising offering at least one of the plurality of virtual materials for sale to users.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the characteristics include at least one of a character type, character status and a skill level.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein a virtual user character having a higher skill level has a greater probability of being distributed a rarer or more valuable virtual item than a user character having a lower skill level.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the virtual user character generated in the step of registering has an appearance that resembles the physical product that was registered.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein the item template indicates a free-form item in which the plurality of virtual crafting items are combined or arranged without limitations comprising at least one of predetermined item shape, predetermined item size, predetermined item portions, predetermined item sections, predetermined alteration points, and placement of one or more virtual crafting materials.

32. The computer system of claim 31, wherein the free-form item is programmable by the user to perform an action or function.

33. A method for crafting virtual items comprising:

registering a non-virtual physical product on a server computer system via a computer network and generating a virtual user character corresponding to the physical product, said virtual user character being assigned to a user account;

distributing virtual items into user storage associated with the user account based on activity performed by the virtual user character in a virtual environment independent of creating a customized virtual item, wherein the virtual items comprise at least one template and two or more virtual materials and the virtual items are distributed according to calculated probabilities based on a characteristic of the virtual user character assigned to the user account and are earned in response to activity performed by the virtual user independent of creating the customized virtual item, wherein the calculated probabilities are based on a combination of non-virtual physical products registered to the user account;

creating a customized virtual item based on actions taken by the virtual user character received on the server computer system via the computer network, wherein the server computer system creates the customized virtual item by combining two or more virtual materials that are stored in the user storage, and after the two or more virtual items and the at least one template are used one time each to create the customized virtual item, the two virtual items and template are removed from the user storage and become unavailable for subsequent use after the templates and the virtual items are used, wherein the customized virtual item comprises clothing, accessories, shoes, home furnishings, and art; and

in response to a finish request received by the server computer system via the computer network, locking the customized virtual item so that no additional virtual materials can be added.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the virtual items stored in the user storage include a plurality of different item templates and a plurality of different virtual materials, and wherein the customized virtual item is created, in response to the user input, by applying at least one of the plurality of virtual materials that is stored in the user storage to one of the plurality of different item templates that is stored in the user storage.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising offering at least one of the plurality of virtual materials for sale to users.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising, in response to the finish request, applying a digital signature to the customized virtual item that identifies the user account or virtual user character associated with the creating the customized virtual item.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein, in the step of distributing, the server computer system determines which of the virtual items to distribute to the user storage according to probabilities based on a characteristic of the virtual user character assigned to the user account.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the virtual user character generated in the step of registering has an appearance that resembles the physical product that was registered.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the customized virtual item comprises a free-form item in which the plurality of virtual items are combined or arranged without limitations comprising at least one of predetermined item shape, predetermined item size, predetermined item portions, predetermined item sections, predetermined alteration points, and placement of one or more virtual crafting materials.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the free-form item is programmable by the user to perform an action or function.