System and method for toy adoption and marketing

• US 9,947,023 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2014
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ganz
• Original Assignee: Ganz
• Inventors: Ganz, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomas, Eric M
• Application Number:
  US14/504,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20150024837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/36 Details; Accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0258 Registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

A method that provides a virtual presentation includes providing a real-world toy associated with a registration code, receiving the code by a registration subsystem via a computer interface of a computer system, and validating the registration code. Responsive to the validating, the computer system processes the registration code to transform the real-world toy into a virtual toy that is a virtual replica of the real-world toy in a virtual world to be displayed by a computer display. Content is provided for displaying a virtual room and a selection of virtual furnishings. In response a user command, the virtual furnishings are provided, arranged and displayed at an initial location within the virtual room. In response to another user command, the one or more virtual furnishings are moved to a new virtual location within the virtual room. The virtual toy interacts with one of the virtual furnishings and exhibits an animated response that simulates a real-world activity.

Claims

1. A method that provides a virtual presentation comprising:

providing a real-world toy that is associated with a registration code;

receiving the registration code received by a registration subsystem via a computer interface of a computer system;

validating the registration code by the registration subsystem of the computer system;

responsive to said validating by said computer system, the computer system processes the registration code to transform the real-world toy into a virtual toy that is a virtual replica of the real-world toy in a virtual world to be displayed by a computer display;

the computer system providing content for displaying at least one virtual room in the virtual world for the virtual toy;

said computer system providing content for displaying a selection of one or more virtual furnishings for the at least one virtual room;

receiving user commands selected by a user;

in response to one of said user commands, using said computer system to cause the one or more virtual furnishings to be provided, arranged and displayed by said computer display at an initial location within the at least one virtual room, the initial location being determined by said one of the user commands;

in response to another one of said user commands, using said computer system to cause the one or more virtual furnishings to be moved from the initial virtual location to a new virtual location within the at least one virtual room and displayed by said computer display at the new virtual location, the new virtual location being determined by said another one of the user commands;

interacting the virtual toy with at least one of the one or more virtual furnishings; and

during said interacting, presenting an animation for display in the virtual world, said animation depicting said virtual toy exhibiting an animated response to said interacting that simulates a real-world activity, said animated response comprising a video component and/or an audio component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the arranging of the one or more virtual furnishings is based at least in part on arranging with one or more of a particular style of virtual furnishing to correspond with a type of the at least one virtual room.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising arranging an outdoor specific virtual item in an outdoor specific virtual room.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein interacting with at least one of the one or more virtual furnishings comprises sitting the virtual toy down on a virtual chair.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising expanding the at least one virtual room to create a virtual house.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing content for displaying a selection of one or more virtual items to the virtual toy.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more virtual items comprise virtual toys that the virtual toy interacts with.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more virtual furnishings comprises a plurality of virtual furnishings that interact with each other.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein interactions between each one of the plurality of virtual furnishings comprises at least one of sliding virtual chairs to a table, hanging a virtual picture on a virtual wall, and setting virtual dishes on a virtual table.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering the toy automatically at a time of purchase.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising interacting with at least one other virtual replica of an additional real-world toy that is present in the virtual world, wherein the interacting comprises communicating with the at least one other virtual replica of the additional real-world toy.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising using virtual currency by interacting with the computer system, to obtain the one or more virtual furnishings.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one of the one or more virtual furnishings comprises virtual food placed on a virtual plate, and wherein said animation depicts a simulation of the virtual toy eating the virtual food.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more virtual furnishings comprises a plurality of virtual furnishings that interact with each other.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising using virtual currency to obtain the one or more virtual furnishings.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising arranging an outdoor specific virtual item in an outdoor specific virtual room.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein said at least one of the one or more virtual furnishings comprises a virtual chair;

the method further comprising displaying the virtual chair sliding towards a virtual table.

14. A method that provides a virtual presentation comprising:

providing a toy that is associated with a registration code;

using a computer for validating the registration code;

using the computer, providing information indicative of at least one virtual room for the toy in a virtual world to be displayed;

using the computer for providing content from a virtual world subsystem to be transmitted to a computer display for displaying a virtual replica of the toy representing said toy in said virtual room in the virtual world;

using the computer for providing content for displaying a selection of one or more virtual furnishings for the at least one virtual room;

allowing the one or more virtual furnishings to be arranged at an initial location within the at least one virtual room, where said initial location includes content that is based on input received from a user;

moving at least one of the one or more virtual furnishings from the initial location to a new location within the at least one virtual room based on further input received from the user; and

using the computer for interacting the virtual replica of the toy with said at least one of the one or more virtual furnishings in the new location, wherein an appearance of the virtual replica of the toy displayed in the virtual world changes during said interacting to simulate the virtual replica sitting on the one or more virtual furnishings.

19. A method that provides a virtual presentation comprising:

providing a toy that is associated with a registration code;

using a computer for validating the registration code;

if the computer successfully validates the registration code, using the computer for providing content from a virtual world subsystem for displaying a virtual replica of the toy in a virtual world to be displayed by a computer display;

said providing content comprises using the computer for providing at least one virtual room in the virtual world for the virtual replica of the toy;

said providing content comprises using the computer for providing content for displaying a selection of one or more virtual furnishings for the at least one virtual room;

said providing content comprises using the computer for providing additional content that provides the one or more virtual furnishings and allows the one or more virtual furnishings to be arranged in a customized fashion in the at least one virtual room, wherein a position of each the one or more virtual furnishings depends on a type of the one or more virtual furnishings and/or a type of the at least one virtual room, such that a first virtual furnishing is allowed to be located in a first type of virtual room, and a second virtual furnishing, different in type than said first virtual furnishing, is not allowed to be located in said first type virtual room;

interacting the virtual replica of the toy with at least one of the one or more virtual furnishings; and

during said interacting, presenting an animation for display on said virtual world, said animation depicting said virtual replica of the toy exhibiting an animated response to said interacting that simulates a real-world activity, said animated response comprising at least one of a video component and an audio component.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more virtual furnishings comprises a plurality of virtual furnishings that interact with each other.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising using virtual currency to obtain the one or more virtual furnishings.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the first type of virtual room is an indoor specific virtual room, the second type of room is an outdoor specific virtual room, and the second virtual furnishing is an outdoor specific virtual item, the method further comprising arranging the outdoor specific virtual item in the outdoor specific virtual room.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one virtual room is an outdoor room containing at least one virtual furnishing of a type that cannot be positioned in an indoor room.