Participation profiles of virtual world players

• US 20060235790A1
• Filed: 04/15/2005
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Jung, Edward K.Y., Levien, Royce A., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, John D. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,829 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A method and system provides arrangements creating a relationship between a real-world entity and a virtual world environment. A participant or player can participate in various virtual world activities including transactions to acquire virtual products, virtual services, and/or virtual items of value. Feedback may be provided and records kept regarding the virtual world activities and transactions. The participant or player may also have an opportunity of engaging in related real-world activities and transactions. In some implementations, multiple players at different locations can be involved in the virtual world and real-world activities and transactions. Some embodiments include arrangements for real-world informational data to be made available in the virtual world environment to a participant or player, based on virtual world activities related to a topic of interest to a real-world entity. Other embodiments provide for making a profile record for use by a real-world entity, wherein the profile record may include particular types of participation activity by a participant or player in the virtual world environment.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining virtual world participation data that relates to real-world entities, comprising:

detecting in a virtual world environment a type of virtual world activity participation by a player or a participant; and

enabling follow-up contacts with the player or participant by or on behalf of a real-world entity that is interested in some way in the type of virtual world activity participation detected in the virtual world environment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said detecting a type of virtual world activity participation includes:

detecting participation activities at one or more virtual world settings owned, operated or controlled by one of the following;

the real-world entity, third party real-world entity, real-world person, virtual world provider, game world operator, third party virtual entity, virtual world player, virtual world participant, fictional character, and virtual world avatar.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said detecting a type of virtual world activity participation includes:

detecting participation activities at one or more of the following types of virtual world settings;

locational, situational, social, conversational, temporal, event-based, link-based, spectator, performer, audio, video, and textual.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said detecting the type of virtual world activity participation includes:

detecting one or more of the following particular types of virtual world participation activity;

selling, buying, acquiring, wearing, driving, competing, traveling, role playing, sharing, winning, losing, learning, worshipping, communicating, observing, journaling, blogging, joining, helping, selecting, requesting, sending, recording, copying, printing, storing, constructing, planting, and creating.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said enabling follow-up contacts includes:

providing to the real-world entity a virtual world address associated with the player or participant.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said enabling follow-up contacts includes:

providing to the real-world entity a real-world address associated with the player or participant.

8. The method of claim 1 where said enabling follow-up contacts includes:

enabling real-world informational data regarding a category of possible interest to the real-world entity to be made available in the virtual world environment to the player or participant.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said enabling real-world information data includes:

directing a communication to be sent to the virtual world environment at a setting involving the type of virtual world activity participation that was detected.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said enabling real-world information data includes:

directing a communication to be sent to the virtual world at a setting involving a different type of virtual world activity participation as compared with the type of virtual world activity participation that was detected.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said enabling real-world information data includes:

directing a communication to be sent to the virtual world at one or more settings having activities related to the category of possible interest, including one or more settings that are different from a setting where the type of virtual world activity participation was detected.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said directing a communication includes:

directing a communication at one or more of the following types of virtual world settings;

locational, situational, social, conversational, temporal, event-based, spectator, performer, audio, video, and textual.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein said enabling real-world informational data includes:

enabling the real-world informational data to be displayed or distributed in the virtual world environment at one or more settings having activities that are not directly related to the category of possible interest.

14. The method of claim 8 incorporated as program instructions in one or more computer program products.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the one or more computer program products comprise a carrier medium for encoding the program instructions.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said enabling follow-up contacts includes:

enabling a communication to be sent to the player or participant, wherein the communication includes advertising and/or purchasing and/or publicity information related to the category of possible interest.

4. The method of claim wherein said detecting a type of virtual world activity participation includes:

detecting virtual world participation activities involving one or more of the following;

vehicles, clothing, costumes, restaurants, food, tools, gadgetry, jewelry, precious metals, housing, furnishings, hunting, environment, ecology, politics, sports, races, competitions, combat, battles, survival, achievements, opportunities, challenges, character choices, training, government, academics, education, careers, jobs, journeys, attendance, entertainment, amusement, parties, shopping, reading, calculating, analysis, healthcare, sharing, communication, music, philanthropy, religion, socializing, companionship, dating, lovemaking, gambling, lotteries, tests, awards, gifts, barter, negotiations, sales, purchases, services, loans, journaling, record keeping, posting information, networking, and building.

17. A method of providing virtual world participation information to real-world entities, comprising:

making a profile record that provides information concerning one or more types of participation activity by a player or participant in a virtual world environment;

comparing a particular type of participation activity with a category of possible interest to a real-world entity; and

communicating the profile record to the real-world entity, based on results of the comparing that indicate the particular type of participation is related to the category of possible interest.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said making the profile record includes:

making a record of a real-world identity of the player or participant, which record includes a real-world address associated with the player or participant.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said making the record of the real-world identity includes making the record of one or more of the following types of real-world identity characteristics:

real-world name, real-world postal address, real-world email address, real-world age, real-world gender, real-world languages known, real-world educational level, real-world demographic profile, identity photographs, marital status, family members, friends, social network, real-world interests, real-world hobbies, products owned, wish lists, career, personality attributes, behavioral attributes, academic level, real-world activity profile, group memberships, organization affiliations, websites, and website shopping cart contents.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein said making the profile record includes:

making a record of a virtual world identity of the player or participant, which record includes a virtual world address associated with the player or participant.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said making the record of the virtual world identity includes making the record of one or more of the following types of virtual world identity characteristics:

virtual world name, virtual world message address, virtual world character identity, virtual world avatar, virtual world role, virtual world demographic profile, virtual world memberships, clan affiliations, guild affiliations, aliases, disguises, friends, social networks, item inventory, wish lists, activity history, participation frequencies, purchases, sales, agenda, quest, goals, permissions, personality attributes, behavioral attributes, and academic level.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein said making the profile record includes:

making a record indicating whether or not the particular type of participation activity is a programmed participation activity or an optional participation activity chosen by the player or participant.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein said making the profile record includes:

making a record indicating one or more of the following parameters associated with the player of participant;

detection period, frequency of particular types of participation activity, extent of particular types of participation activity, time periods of particular types of participation activity, other related virtual world participation activities, privacy classification of player or participant, group or individual identity of player or participant, and virtual world usage metric of player or participant.

24. A system for developing participation profiles in a virtual world environment, comprising:

first database records storing identity information for a participant or player in the virtual world environment;

second database records storing a virtual world identity for a player or participant including virtual world participation activity information for the participant or player, and

computer means operably connected to said first and second database records for processing information that enables communications to be directed to a real-world entity that may have a possible interest in providing real-world informational data to the participant or player.

25. The database system of claim 24 wherein said first database records store a virtual world address and/or a real-world address for the participant or player.

26. The database system of claim 24 wherein said first database records store one or more of the following types of virtual world identity characteristics:

virtual world name, virtual world message address, virtual world character identity, virtual world avatar, virtual world role, virtual world demographic profile, virtual world memberships, clan affiliations, guild affiliations, aliases, disguises, friends, social networks, item inventory, wish lists, activity history, participation frequencies, purchases, sales, agenda, quest, goals, permissions, personality attributes, behavioral attributes, and academic level.

27. The database system of claim 24 wherein said first database records store one or more of the following types of real-world identity characteristics:

real-world name, real-world postal address, real-world email address, real-world age, real-world gender, real-world languages known, real-world educational level, real-world demographic profile, identity photographs, marital status, family members, friends, social network, real-world interests, real-world hobbies, products owned, wish lists, career, personality attributes, behavioral attributes, academic level, real-world activity profile, group memberships, organization affiliations, and website shopping cart contents.

28. The database system of claim 24 further comprising:

a third set of records for storing programmed virtual world participation topics and their related settings in the virtual world environment.

29. The database system of claim 28 wherein said third set of records includes optional virtual world participation topics which can be chosen by a player or participant, and their related settings in the virtual world environment.

30. The database system of claim 24 further comprising:

a fourth set of records for storing category lists associated with real-world entities that have potential interest in sending real-world informational data to the player or participant.

31. The database system of claim 30 wherein said fourth set of records includes category lists for real-world entities that may have potential interest in receiving participation profiles for the player or participant.

32. The database system of claim 30 wherein said fourth set of records includes category lists for real-world entities that have requested participation profiles for the player or participant.

33. The database system of claim 32 wherein at least one set of records includes a list of players or participants whose participation profiles have been communicated to the real-world entity.

34. The database of claim 32 wherein at least one set of records includes one or more of the following parameters associated with the player of participant:

detection period, frequency of particular types of participation activity, extent of particular types of participation activity, time periods of particular types of participation activity, other related virtual world participation activities, privacy classification of player or participant, group or individual identity of player or participant, and virtual world usage metric of player or participant.

35. A computer program product having one or more computer programs for executing a computer process, wherein the computer process comprises:

maintaining a first set of records storing identity information for a participant or player in the virtual world environment;

maintaining a second set of records storing virtual world participation activity information for the participant or player; and

accessing the first and second set of records to obtain informational data that enables communications to be directed to a real-world entity that may have a possible interest in providing real-world informational data to the participant or player.

36. The computer program product of claim 35 wherein the computer process includes:

making a record having one or more of the following parameters associated with the player or participant;

detection period, frequency of particular types of participation activity, extent of particular types of participation activity, time periods of particular types of participation activity, other related virtual world participation activities, privacy classification of player or participant, group or individual identity of player or participant, and virtual world usage metric of player or participant.

37. The computer program product of claim 35 wherein the computer process includes:

making a record having one or more of the following types of virtual world identity characteristics associated with the player or participant;

virtual world name, virtual world message address, virtual world character identity, virtual world avatar, virtual world role, virtual world demographic profile, virtual world memberships, clan affiliations, guild affiliations, aliases, disguises, friends, social networks, item inventory, wish lists, activity history, participation frequencies, purchases, sales, agenda, quest, goals, permissions, personality attributes, behavioral attributes, and academic level.

38. The computer program product wherein the one or more computer programs include a carrier medium that carries or stores encoded program instructions for executing the computer process.