Collaborative virtual business objects social sharing in a virtual world

• US 9,586,149 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2008
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bokor, Brian R., Smith, Andrew B., Haggar, Peter F., House, Daniel E., Nicol, William B. II, Dawson, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US12/264,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20100115425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,044 Days
• Field of Search: 715761-765, 715738-741, 715851-853, 715/700, 715/757, 705/1.1, 705/28
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Collaborative virtual business object (VBO) social sharing that may include generating a VBO responsive to an avatar performing a transaction, and providing access to the VBO to other avatars desiring access. Access to the VBO may be provided by registering information regarding accessing the VBO in an inventory of the avatar, registering information regarding accessing the VBO in a centralized registry, allowing some portions of the VBO to be searchable, or uploading a modified copy of the VBO to a centralized VBO data upload facility. Portions of the VBO may be identified as private or public and access provided to only the public portions. An apparatus for collaborative virtual business object (VBO) social sharing may include an interface configured to access virtual world and a processor configured to generate a VBO responsive to a transaction in the virtual world and provide access to the VBO.

Claims

1. A method for collaborative virtual business object (VBO) social sharing comprising:

generating, by a computer, a VBO in response to a purchase made by an avatar, wherein the purchase is related to at least one of a product and a service; and

providing, by the computer, access to the VBO to other avatars desiring access,

wherein the VBO comprises metadata associated with the product or service, the metadata comprising at least one of a product or service number, price, specification, review, manual, image, visual representation, payment details, shipping details, and warranty details, and wherein providing access to the VBO comprises uploading a modified copy of the VBO to a centralized VBO data upload facility, the modified copy of the VBO containing only shareable information from the VBO.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising storing the VBO in an inventory of the avatar.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising providing access to the VBO in the inventory of the avatar to the other avatars desiring access.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access to the VBO is provided by allowing registration of information regarding accessing the VBO in a centralized registry.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising storing the VBO in an inventory of the avatar and providing access to the VBO by allowing registration of information regarding accessing the VBO in the inventory of the avatar.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the registered information comprises at least one of contact information for an avatar having the VBO and a link to the VBO.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing access to the VBO comprises allowing some portions of the VBO to be searchable.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising allowing new information to be added to at least one of the VBO and the modified copy the VBO and synchronizing the new information between the VBO and the modified copy of the VBO.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising identifying portions of the VBO as one of private and public and providing access to only the public portions of the VBO to the other avatars desiring access.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the public portions of the VBO comprise at least one of a product description, a product manual, a product picture, a product rating, information regarding a reliability of the product, product feedback reviews, other products similar to a product related to the VBO, and options that can be performed on the VBO.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the private portions of the VBO comprise at least one of a product purchase price, product warranty information, and product shipping information.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising allowing creation of the modified VBO and defining access to the modified VBO by at least one of the avatar and a seller of the product or service involved in the purchase, the modified VBO being a copy of the VBO containing only public information.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising defining at least one of extension and interaction options for the modified VBO by at least one of the avatar or the seller.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising defining a set of at least one other avatar and providing access to the VBO only to the defined set of avatars.

15. An apparatus for collaborative virtual business object (VBO) social sharing comprising:

an interface configured by a computer to access a virtual world;

a processor configured by the computer to generate a VBO in response to a purchase made by an avatar in the virtual world and to provide access to the VBO, wherein the purchase is related to at least one of a product and a service, wherein the VBO comprises metadata associated with the product or service, the metadata comprising at least one of a product or service number, price, specification, review, manual, image, visual representation, payment details, shipping details, and warranty details, and wherein providing access to the VBO comprises uploading a modified copy of the VBO to a centralized VBO data upload facility, the modified copy of the VBO containing only shareable information from the VBO.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the processor provides access to the VBO to avatars in the virtual world.

17. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable storage medium having computer useable program code embodied therewith, the computer useable program code comprising:

computer useable program code configured to generate a Virtual Business Object (VBO) in response to a purchase made by an avatar, wherein the purchase is related to at least one of a product and a service; and

computer useable program code configured to provide access to the VBO to other avatars desiring access,

wherein the VBO comprises metadata associated with the product or service, the metadata comprising at least one of a product or service number, price, specification, review, manual, image, visual representation, payment details, shipping details, and warranty details, and wherein providing access to the VBO comprises uploading a modified copy of the VBO to a centralized VBO data upload facility, the modified copy of the VBO containing only shareable information from the VBO.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, further comprising computer useable program code configured to store the VBO in an inventory of the avatar.