Apparatus, system and program product for dynamically changing advertising on an avatar as viewed by a viewing user

• US 9,026,458 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2007
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Blatchley, Robert D., Deputat, Jurij M., Taylor, Donald P. III, Zimmermann, Stephen E.
• Primary Examiner(s): AMELUNXEN, BARBARA J
• Application Number:
  US11/950,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20090144105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,709 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/10, 705/14, 705/14.4, 705/26, 345/581, 463/9, 463/32, 709/217, 715/41, 715/706, 715/753, 715/863, 715/741
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• 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 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising

Abstract

A method, system and program product for brokering advertising of products and services in a virtual world. The method includes accepting subscriptions from advertisers willing to pay for advertising products and services on a persona associated with a virtual space belonging to a virtual world user, creating a user profile based on specified likes/dislikes and establishing whether a user is willing to display advertising on their persona in the virtual world in exchange for receiving a benefit. Further, the method includes displaying advertisements on the persona, such that, the one or more advertisements displayed on the persona dynamically changes based on a viewing user viewing the persona of the advertising user, the one or more advertisements displayed to the viewing user being based on a viewing user profile, such that, the advertisements displayed on the persona varies simultaneously in real time mode from one viewing user to another.

Claims

1. A computer system for managing advertisements displayed in a virtual world, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to define first, second and third avatars in a virtual world, and responsive to control inputs from first, second and third humans, to move the first, second and third avatars, respectively, in the virtual world;

program instructions to define the virtual world from a first perspective as viewed by the first avatar and a second perspective as viewed by the second avatar; and

program instructions to initiate display on a computer monitor of the first human the virtual world from the first perspective and concurrently initiate display on a computer monitor of the second human the virtual world from the second perspective, the first perspective of the virtual world including the third avatar and a first advertisement displayed on the third avatar, the second perspective of the virtual world including the third avatar and a second advertisement displayed on the third avatar, the third avatar concurrently displaying the first advertisement in the first perspective of the virtual world and the second advertisement in the second perspective of the virtual world, the first advertisement correlated to an interest of the first human as previously recorded in a profile for the first user, the second advertisement correlated to an interest of the second human as previously recorded in a profile for the second user, the third avatar in the first perspective of the virtual world not displaying the second advertisement, and the third avatar in the second perspective of the virtual world not displaying the first advertisement.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the third avatar displays the first advertisement in the first instance of the virtual world in response to the first avatar viewing the third avatar, and the third avatar displays the second advertisement in the second instance of the virtual world in response to the second avatar viewing the third avatar.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein:

the first advertisement is also correlated to an interest of the third human as previously recorded in a profile for the third human, and

the second advertisement is also correlated to an interest of the third human as previously recorded in a profile for the third human.

4. The computer system of claim 1 wherein:

the first advertisement is also correlated to an interest of the third human as previously recorded in a profile for the third human such that the first advertisement reflects a common interest of both the first and third humans, and

the second advertisement is also correlated to an interest of the third human as previously recorded in a profile for the third human such that the second advertisement reflects a common interest of both the second and third humans.

5. The computer system of claim 1 further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine (a) a bill for an advertiser sponsoring the first advertisement based in part on an amount of time that the third avatar displays the first advertisement in the first perspective of the virtual world, and (b) a bill for an advertiser sponsoring the second advertisement based in part on an amount of time that the third avatar displays the second advertisement in the second perspective of the virtual world.

6. A computer program product for managing advertisements displayed in a virtual world, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to define first, second and third avatars in a virtual world, and responsive to control inputs from first and second humans, to move the first and second avatars, respectively, in the virtual world;

program instructions to define the virtual world from a first perspective as viewed by the first avatar and a second perspective as viewed by the second avatar; and

program instructions to initiate display on a computer monitor of the first human the virtual world from the first perspective and concurrently initiate display on a computer monitor of the second human the virtual world from the second perspective, the first perspective of the virtual world including the third avatar and a first advertisement displayed on the third avatar, the second perspective of the virtual world including the third avatar and a second advertisement displayed on the third avatar, the third avatar concurrently displaying the first advertisement in the first perspective of the virtual world and the second advertisement in the second perspective of the virtual world, the first advertisement correlated to an interest of the first human as previously recorded in a profile for the first user, the second advertisement correlated to an interest of the second human as previously recorded in a profile for the second user, the third avatar in the first perspective of the virtual world not displaying the second advertisement, and the third avatar in the second perspective of the virtual world not displaying the first advertisement.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the third avatar displays the first advertisement in the first instance of the virtual world in response to the first avatar viewing the third avatar, and the third avatar displays the second advertisement in the second instance of the virtual world in response to the second avatar viewing the third avatar.

8. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein:

the first advertisement is also correlated to an interest of a third human represented by the third avatar, as previously recorded in a profile for the third human, and

the second advertisement is also correlated to an interest of the third human as previously recorded in a profile for the third human.

9. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein:

the first advertisement is also correlated to an interest of a third human represented by the third avatar, as previously recorded in a profile for the third human such that the first advertisement reflects a common interest of both the first and third humans, and

the second advertisement is also correlated to an interest of the third human as previously recorded in a profile for the third human such that the second advertisement reflects a common interest of both the second and third humans.

10. The computer program product of claim 6 further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine (a) a bill for an advertiser sponsoring the first advertisement based in part on an amount of time that the third avatar displays the first advertisement in the first perspective of the virtual world, and (b) a bill for an advertiser sponsoring the second advertisement based in part on an amount of time that the third avatar displays the second advertisement in the second perspective of the virtual world.

11. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the third avatar represents a third human, and the program instructions to move the first and second avatars, are responsive to control inputs from the third human, to move the third avatar in the virtual world.

12. A computer system for managing advertisements displayed in a virtual world, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to define first, second and third avatars in a virtual world, and responsive to control inputs from first and second humans, to move the first and second avatars, respectively, in the virtual world;

program instructions to define the virtual world from a first perspective as viewed by the first avatar and a second perspective as viewed by the second avatar; and

program instructions to initiate display on a computer monitor of the first human the virtual world from the first perspective and concurrently initiate display on a computer monitor of the second human the virtual world from the second perspective, the first perspective of the virtual world including the third avatar and a first advertisement displayed on the third avatar, the second perspective of the virtual world including the third avatar and a second advertisement displayed on the third avatar, the third avatar concurrently displaying the first advertisement in the first perspective of the virtual world and the second advertisement in the second perspective of the virtual world, the first advertisement correlated to an interest of the first human as previously recorded in a profile for the first user, the second advertisement correlated to an interest of the second human as previously recorded in a profile for the second user, the third avatar in the first perspective of the virtual world not displaying the second advertisement, and the third avatar in the second perspective of the virtual world not displaying the first advertisement.

13. The computer system of claim 12 wherein the third avatar displays the first advertisement in the first instance of the virtual world in response to the first avatar viewing the third avatar, and the third avatar displays the second advertisement in the second instance of the virtual world in response to the second avatar viewing the third avatar.

14. The computer system of claim 12 wherein:

the first advertisement is also correlated to an interest of a third human represented by the third avatar, as previously recorded in a profile for the third human, and

the second advertisement is also correlated to an interest of the third human as previously recorded in a profile for the third human.

15. The computer system of claim 12 wherein:

the first advertisement is also correlated to an interest of a third human represented by the third avatar, as previously recorded in a profile for the third human such that the first advertisement reflects a common interest of both the first and third humans, and

the second advertisement is also correlated to an interest of the third human as previously recorded in a profile for the third human such that the second advertisement reflects a common interest of both the second and third humans.

16. The computer system of claim 12 further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine (a) a bill for an advertiser sponsoring the first advertisement based in part on an amount of time that the third avatar displays the first advertisement in the first perspective of the virtual world, and (b) a bill for an advertiser sponsoring the second advertisement based in part on an amount of time that the third avatar displays the second advertisement in the second perspective of the virtual world.