CONTROLLING AND USING VIRTUAL UNIVERSE WISH LISTS

• US 20090100076A1
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Kozloski, James R., Pickover, Clifford A., Seaman, James W., Walker, Keith R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,792,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0627 using item specifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

Described herein are processes and devices that control and use virtual universe wish lists. One of the devices described is a virtual wish list device. The virtual wish list device determines an item in a virtual universe that is a desired by an avatar. The virtual wish list device designates the item as a desired item in a wish list. The wish list may be stored in the avatar'"'"'s virtual universe inventory. The wish list device determines details about the desired item, such as whether the item is desired in the virtual universe or in the real world. The wish list device stores the details about the desired item in the wish list. The virtual wish list device may use the details to conduct transactions related to the desired item.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining an item in a virtual universe that is a desired by an inhabitant in the virtual universe;

designating the item as a desired item in a wish list of the virtual universe;

determining details about the desired item; and

storing the details about the desired item in the wish list.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing the wish list to obtain the details about the desired item; and

processing a transaction using the details.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein processing a transaction comprises mining and analyzing details from the wish list to generate market research.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

designating a desired service in the wish list;

determining details about the service; and

storing details about the service.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

preparing the item with details for designating the item in the wish list.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein designating the item comprises:

determining information about the desired item selected from a group consisting of identifying features of the virtual item and notations made by the inhabitant regarding the desired item, and

storing the information in the wish list, wherein the wish list is in the inhabitant'"'"'s inventory.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining details comprises determining information selected from a group consisting of a universally unique identifier of the virtual item, a database identification number associated with the virtual item, a manufacturer name that created the virtual item, a date that the desired item is designated in the wish list, a characteristic of the item, coordinates of a virtual merchant that sells a copy of the desired item, the inhabitants'"'"'s name, the image of an avatar belonging to the inhabitant, a mailing address of an agent associated with the inhabitant, and demographic information of an agent associated with the inhabitant.

8. A system comprising:

a machine configured to connect to a communication network, the machine configured to process data in a virtual universe; and

a virtual wish list device configured to connect to any one of the machine and the communication network, wherein the virtual wish list device comprises

a virtual item designator unit configured to designate a desired item in an inventory wish list of a virtual universe, and

a virtual wish list data handler configured to determine details about the desired item and store the details in the virtual wish list.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a virtual inventory manager configured to access the virtual wish list to obtain details about the desired item; and

a virtual wish list transactions processor configured to process transactions using the details about the desired item.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a wish list designation rules store configured to store rules regarding designation of the desired item in the wish list; and

a virtual universe authorization information store configured to access and control virtual universe accounts.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the virtual wish list device is configured to prepare the desired item with details for designating the desired item in the wish list.

12. One or more machine-readable media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors causes the set of one or more processors to perform operations that comprise:

determining an item in a virtual universe that is a desired by an inhabitant in the virtual universe;

designating the item as a desired item in a wish list of the virtual universe;

determining details about the desired item; and

storing the details about the desired item in the wish list.

13. The machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

accessing the wish list to obtain the details about the desired item; and

processing a transaction using the details.

14. The machine-readable media of claim 13, wherein the processing operation comprises performing an operation selected from a group consisting of transporting an avatar of the inhabitant to a merchant, purchasing a copy of the desired item, transferring a copy of the desired virtual item to an inventory of the inhabitant, sending a notification message to the inhabitant that the desired item has been given to the inhabitant, sending an advertisement to the inhabitant of the desired item, purchasing a real-world representation of the desired item, and initiating a physical delivery of a real-world representation of the desired item.

15. The machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

preparing the desired item with details for designating the item in the wish list.

16. The machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein the designating operation comprises

determining information about the desired item selected from a group consisting of identifying features of the desired item and notations made by the inhabitant regarding the desired item, and

storing the information in the wish list.

17. A method comprising:

cloning a first object in a virtual universe to create a second object in the virtual universe;

copying unique identification data from the first object, wherein the unique identification data distinguishes the first object from all other objects in the virtual universe; and

associating the unique identification data from the first object with the second object.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the unique identification data is a universally unique identifier.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining, from the first object, non-unique identification data selected from a group consisting of one or more characteristics that define the appearance of the first object in the virtual universe and metadata associated with the first object;

searching the virtual universe using the non-unique data as search criteria to find a third object in the virtual universe with similar non-unique identification data;

analyzing the third object to determine details from the third object; and

associating details form the third object with the first object.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

designating the second object in a wish list of the virtual universe using the unique identification data;

storing the unique identification data in the wish list; and

processing a transaction using the unique identification data in the wish list.