Rating technique for virtual world environment

• US 20070035548A1
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Jung, Edward, Malamud, Mark, Lord, Robert, Levien, Royce, Rinaldo, John
• Application Number:
  US11/202,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20070035548A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/474
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• 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 experiences including activities, settings, events, purchases, sales and diverse transactions to acquire virtual products, virtual services, and/or virtual items of value. Feedback may be provided and records kept regarding the virtual world participation. In some circumstances, multiple persons can participate as a group or participate as individuals in the virtual world environment. Some embodiments provide virtual world oversight protection related to one or more selected aspects of a virtual world environment. In some implementations different types of virtual world rating plans are available that provide various rating categories attributed to different portions of a virtual world environment, as well as aspects and characteristics thereof.

Claims

1. A method of attributing a rating to one or more portions of a virtual world environment, comprising:

identifying a designated portion of the virtual world environment; and

adopting a rating plan for the designated portion, which rating plan includes attributing a separate rating category to the designated portion.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

making the rating plan available for preview in the virtual world environment.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said making the rating plan available for preview includes:

making the rating plan optionally available for preview in the virtual world environment.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said making the rating plan optionally available includes:

making the rating plan available for preview in response to a query or a hyperlink connection initiated by a virtual world patron.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said making the rating plan available for preview includes:

making the rating plan automatically available for preview in the virtual world environment.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said making the rating plan automatically available includes:

making the rating plan automatically available for preview as part of a logon procedure.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said making the rating plan automatically available includes:

making the rating plan automatically available for preview if a virtual world patron is prospectively on a course to be involved with the designated portion.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said adopting the rating plan for the designated portion includes:

attributing a rating category to an aspect or characteristic of the designated portion.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

making the rating category available for preview in the virtual world environment.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said making the rating category available for preview includes:

making the rating category available for preview if a virtual world character is prospectively on a course to be involved with the characteristic or aspect of the designated portion of the virtual world environment.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

communicating the rating category to a virtual world character during a time period while the virtual world character is involved with the aspect or characteristic of the designated portion of the virtual world environment.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicating the rating category to a virtual world character during a time period while the virtual world character is involved with the designated portion of the virtual world environment.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

making the rating plan available for preview to a current virtual world patron and/or to a prospective virtual world patron.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said making the rating plan available for preview includes:

making the rating plan automatically available for preview by the current and/or prospective virtual world patron as part of a rating plan sign-up procedure.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said adopting the rating plan includes:

adopting the rating plan that allows voluntary compliance by a virtual world patron with a rating category restriction applicable to the virtual world patron.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said adopting the rating plan includes:

adopting the rating plan that imposes mandatory compliance by a virtual world patron with rating category restriction applicable to the virtual world patron.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said adopting the rating plan that imposes mandatory compliance includes:

imposing mandatory compliance by the virtual world patron with respect to an “

off limits”

or “

time measurement”

or “

statistical counting parameter”

virtual world rating category restriction.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein said adopting the rating plan for the designated portion includes:

providing in the rating plan an explanatory descriptive indicator associated with the rating category.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said providing the explanatory descriptive indicator includes:

providing a favorable recommendation regarding the designated portion.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said providing the explanatory descriptive indicator includes:

providing a favorable recommendation regarding an aspect or characteristic of the designated portion.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein said providing the explanatory descriptive indicator includes:

providing an unfavorable warning recommendation regarding the designated portion.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein said providing the explanatory descriptive indicator includes:

providing an unfavorable warning recommendation regarding an aspect or characteristic of the designated portion.

23. The method of claim 18 which further comprises:

making both the rating plan and the explanatory descriptive indicator available to a virtual world patron and/or its associated virtual world character.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said making the rating plan and the explanatory descriptive indicator available includes:

providing an on-screen communication to the associated virtual world character prior to any involvement with the designated portion.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein said making the rating plan and the explanatory descriptive indicator available includes:

providing an on-screen communication to the associated virtual world character prior to any involvement with a rated aspect or characteristic of the designated portion.

26. A method of providing a rating plan applicable to one or more portions of a virtual world environment, comprising:

identifying a designated portion of the virtual world environment;

adopting a rating plan that provides a rating category associated with a particular aspect or characteristic of the designated portion of the virtual world environment; and

implementing the rating plan on a carrier medium accessible to a virtual world patron.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said adopting the rating plan includes:

making the rating plan available for preview in the virtual world environment.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein said making the rating plan available for preview includes:

making the rating plan available for preview if the virtual world patron is prospectively on a course to be involved with the designated portion of the virtual world environment.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein said making the rating plan available for preview includes:

making the rating plan available for preview if the virtual world patron is prospectively on a course to be involved with the aspect or characteristic of the designated portion of the virtual world environment.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein said adopting the rating plan includes:

communicating the rating category to the virtual world patron during a time period while an associated virtual world character is involved with the designated portion of the virtual world environment.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein said adopting the rating plan includes:

communicating the rating category to the virtual world patron during a time period while an associated virtual world character is involved with the aspect or characteristic of the designated portion of the virtual world.

32. The method of claim 26 wherein said adopting the rating plan includes:

providing an on-screen communication of the rating category to the virtual world patron and/or its associated virtual character prior to any involvement with the designated portion.

33. The method of claim 26 wherein said adopting the rating plan includes:

providing an on-screen communication of the rating category to the virtual world patron and/or its associated virtual world character prior to any involvement with the aspect or characteristic of the designated portion.

34. The method of claim 26 wherein said implementing the plan on the carrier medium includes:

providing encoded program instructions on a storage medium.

35. The method of claim 26 wherein said implementing the plan on the carrier medium includes:

providing encoded program instructions on a signal-bearing communication medium.

36. The method of claim 26 wherein said implementing the plan on the carrier medium includes:

implementing the plan on carrier media accessible to multiple virtual world patrons having logon capabilities at different locations.

37. The method of claim 26 wherein said implementing the plan on the carrier medium includes:

implementing the plan on storage carrier medium capable of operation on localized computer apparatus accessible to an individual virtual world patron.

38. A system for providing a given rating category for a portion of a virtual world environment, comprising:

computer apparatus for creating an opportunity for a virtual world patron to have access to a virtual world environment; and

a communication control module operably coupled with the virtual world environment to provide virtual world notification to the virtual world patron and/or to an associated virtual world character of a rating category attributed to a designated aspect of the virtual world environment.

39. The system of claim 38 further comprising:

a database operably coupled to the control module, wherein the database includes first records that correlate the rating category with the designated aspect of the virtual world environment.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein said database includes:

second records for matching a descriptive indicator with an associated rating category.

41. The system of claim 40 wherein said second records include:

second records for matching a visual and/or aural indicator with the associated rating category.

42. The system of claim 39 wherein said database includes:

third records that identify a virtual world rating plan that determines a rating category for the designated aspect, and that further identify one or more virtual world patrons that receive the virtual world notification during participation in the virtual world environment.

43. A computer program product having program instructions configured to perform a process that associates information in a computer system, wherein the process comprises:

correlating a rating category with a designated aspect of a virtual world environment; and

providing virtual world notification of the rating category to a virtual world patron and/or its associated virtual world character.

44. The computer program product of claim 43 wherein said process is encoded on storage and/or signal transmission media accessible to multiple virtual world patrons having logon capabilities at different locations.

45. The computer program product of claim 43 wherein said process is encoded on storage and/or signal transmission media capable of functional operation on localized computer apparatus accessible to an individual virtual world patron.