Real-world incentives offered to virtual world participants
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system provides arrangements creating a relationship between a real-world entity and a virtual world environment. A virtual world patron 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 virtual world patron may also have an opportunity of engaging in related real-world activities and transactions. One or more selected patrons are targeted to receive notification of a real-world opportunity that includes authorization information, which authorization information may disclose a required real-world or virtual world prerequisite. In some implementations, multiple participants at different locations may be involved in virtual world and/or real-world activities and transactions related to the real-world opportunity.
476 Citations
90 Claims
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1-24. -24. (canceled)
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25. A method of offering a real-world opportunity to a virtual world participant, comprising:
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making an arrangement for a virtual world communication from or on behalf of a real-world third party enterprise to be received by a selected virtual world participant;
incorporating in the virtual world communication certain authorization information regarding a real-world opportunity; and
requiring a virtual world prerequisite and/or a real-world prerequisite as a qualification basis for the real-world opportunity. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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33-39. -39. (canceled)
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40. A system for providing a real-world premium benefit to a virtual world participant, comprising:
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computer apparatus for creating a virtual world environment;
a database for keeping a record of a targeted virtual world participant that has completed a virtual world prerequisite required as a basis for receiving a real-world premium; and
a processing unit operably coupled to the computer apparatus and to the database, which processing unit is capable of determining completion of the virtual world prerequisite, and further capable of generating a confirmation of an award of the real-world premium in a form and/or format suitable for validation by a real-world third party entity. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73)
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43. A computer program product comprising:
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a) program instructions configured to perform a process that associates information in a computer system, the process including providing a virtual world environment;
making a record of one or more types of a real-world premium that can be distributed by or on behalf of a real-world enterprise to one or more targeted virtual world participants, confirming completion of a virtual world prerequisite that is required in order to award the real-world premium to a virtual world participant, providing confirmation of an awarded real-world premium in a form and/or format suitable for validation by or on behalf of the real-world enterprise; and
b) a computer readable signal-bearing media including a storage medium and/or a communication medium for encoding the program instructions. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90)
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47. (canceled)
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51. (canceled)
Specification