System and method for embedding a view of a virtual space in a banner ad and enabling user interaction with the virtual space within the banner ad

• US 20090077158A1
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crescendo IV LP (Crescendo Fund IV)
• Original Assignee: Areae Inc.
• Inventors: Donham, John, Riley, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 8,196,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A system and method for providing a view of a virtual space to a user in a banner ad of a webpage. This enables an advertiser to provide content that is not merely static or scripted, but instead enabled provision of content through a web ad that represents activity within a virtual space (e.g., interactions of other users with the virtual space, content that changes based on current or recent events, etc.) in real time (or near real time). The provision of a virtual space in a web ad may be more effective than conventional web ad content.

Claims

1. A system configured to embed a view of a virtual space in a banner ad, the system comprising:

a space server that executes an instance of a virtual space, wherein the virtual space is a simulated space that has a topography, expresses real-time interaction by one or more users, and includes one or more objects positioned within the topography that are capable of experiencing locomotion within the topography, and wherein the space server implements the instance of the virtual space (i) to determine a view of the virtual space and (ii) to determine view information that describes the determined view;

a space client;

one or more web servers that serve a webpage, wherein the webpage includes one or more banner areas where advertising content is embedded into the webpage;

a web browser that requests the webpage from the one or more web servers, wherein, in response to the request for the webpage from the web browser, the one or more web servers transmit the webpage to the web browser such that web browser invokes the space client, and the space client formats the view of the virtual space for display in the banner area,

wherein the space client receives the view information from the space server, and formats the view of the virtual space by assembling the view information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein in transmitting the webpage to the web browser the one or more web servers transmit the space client to the web browser.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the view of the virtual space corresponds to a location within the virtual space that is dictated by the webpage transmitted from the one or more web servers to the web browser.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the webpage dictates the location by defining an object in the virtual space.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the object is a portal object that has a fixed location within the virtual space.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the object is an incarnation capable of locomotion within the virtual space.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the space client further enables user interaction with the virtual space by (i) receiving interface information from the server that defines an interface, and (ii) providing the interface to a user of the web browser to enable the user to interact with the virtual space by inputting commands to the virtual space via the interface.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the web browser enables a user of the web browser to expand the size of the display associated with the space client beyond the boundaries of the banner area.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more web servers comprises a web server that serves the content of the webpage and an ad server that serves web ads.

10. A method of embedding a view of a virtual space in a banner ad, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a webpage from a web browser, wherein the webpage includes one or more banner areas where advertising content is to be embedded into the webpage;

embedding a view of a virtual space in a banner area of the webpage, wherein the virtual space is instanced remotely from the web browser and the virtual space is a simulated space that has a topography, expresses real-time interaction by one or more users, and includes one or more objects positioned within the topography that are capable of experiencing locomotion within the topography, and wherein embedding a view of the virtual space in the banner area of the webpage comprises providing instructions to the web browser (i) for the web browser to invoke a space client that is capable of formatting a view of the virtual space for display in the banner area and (ii) for the space client to request view information that corresponds to a view of the virtual space, the requested view information being assembled by the space client to format the view of the virtual space; and

transmitting the webpage to the web browser.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein providing instructions to the web browser further comprises transmitting, with content in the webpage, a network location at which the instructions are accessible in the webpage to the web browser.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a request from the web browser for the instructions at the network location; and

transmitting the instructions to the web browser in response to the request received at the network location.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the instructions for the web browser to invoke the space client further comprise a copy of the space client to be invoked.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the view of the virtual space corresponds to a predetermined location in the virtual space.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined location in the virtual space is an object in the virtual space.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the object is a portal object that has a fixed location within the virtual space.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the object is an incarnation capable of locomotion within the virtual space.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein embedding a view of the virtual space in the banner area of the webpage comprises including features in the webpage that enable a user to expand a size of the view beyond the boundaries of the banner area.

19. A method of embedding a view of a virtual space in a banner ad, the method comprising:

transmitting a request for a webpage to one or more web servers, wherein the webpage includes one or more banner areas where advertising content can be embedded into the webpage;

receiving the webpage from the one or more web servers with instructions to provide a view of a virtual space embedded in a banner area of the webpage, wherein the virtual space is a simulated space that has a topography, expresses real-time interaction by one or more users, and includes one or more objects positioned within the topography that are capable of experiencing locomotion within the topography;

requesting view information that corresponds to the view of the virtual space from a space server, wherein the space server executes an instance of a virtual space and implements the executed instance of the virtual space (i) to determine the view of the virtual space, and (ii) to determine view information that describes the determined view;

receiving the view information from the space server;

formatting the view of the virtual space for display in the banner area of the webpage by assembling the view information; and

generating a display of the webpage that includes the formatted view of the virtual space in the banner area.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the webpage from the one or more web servers with the instructions to provide a view of a virtual space embedded in a banner area of the webpage comprises:

receiving in the webpage a network location at which the instructions are accessible;

transmitting a request for the instructions to the network location; and

receiving the instructions.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more web servers comprises a web server that serves the webpage and an ad server that serves web ads, and wherein the network location at which the instructions are accessible corresponds to the dedicated ad server.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising invoking a space client that carries out the operations of requesting view information, receiving the view information, and formatting the view.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving from the one or more web servers a space client a space client that carries out the operations of requesting view information, receiving the view information, and formatting the view.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the view of the virtual space corresponds to a predetermined location in the virtual space.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the predetermined location in the virtual space is an object in the virtual space.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the object is a portal object that has a fixed location within the virtual space.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the object is an incarnation capable of locomotion within the virtual space.

28. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving interface information from the that defines an interface with the virtual space; and

providing the interface to a user of the web browser in the generated display to enable the user to interact with the virtual space by inputting commands to the virtual space via the interface.

29. The method of claim 19, further comprising expanding the size of the view in the generated display based on an input from a user.