Virtual-to-Real Good/Service System Based on User Participation or Drawing

• US 20130185122A1
• Filed: 01/12/2012
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toluna
• Original Assignee: Toluna
• Inventors: Smadja, Frank, Alush, Royi, Babila, Dvir, Golan, Shimon, Weingarten, Tomer, Petit, Frederic Charles
• Application Number:
  US13/348,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20130185122A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments are directed to determining an availability of an actual good and/or service based on activity of or with respect to a virtual icon on one or more webpages. The virtual icon can represent the actual good and/or service. The activity of or with respect to the virtual icon on the webpage(s) can be monitored and a determination of whether a conversion criteria has been satisfied can be made based on the monitored activity. The availability of the actual good or service can be based on satisfaction of the conversion criteria. In an alternative exemplary embodiment, a method of determining an availability of an actual good and/or service is provided based on a value of or with respect to a virtual icon on one or more webpages. The value of or with respect to the virtual icon on the webpage(s) can be compared to a value criteria to determine whether a value criteria has been satisfied.

Claims

17. A system for determining availability of an actual good or service, the system comprising:

a computer storage device to store information related to at least one of a conversion criteria and at least one virtual icon parameter of a virtual icon on at least one website; and

a processing device to assign the at least one virtual icon parameter of or with respect to a virtual icon on at least one webpage and determining whether a conversion criteria has been satisfied based on the at least one virtual icon parameter,

wherein availability of an actual good or service corresponding to the virtual icon is based on satisfaction of the conversion criteria.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the virtual icon is a widget having at least one of a count parameter and an elapsed time parameter, and determining whether the conversion criteria has been satisfied comprises comparing at least one of the count parameter and the elapsed time parameter to the conversion criteria.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one virtual icon parameter comprises at least one of a vote for the virtual icon by a visitor to the website and a quantity of time that the virtual icon has been available for voting.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the conversion criteria comprises at least one of a threshold quantity of votes to be received by the widget and a threshold quantity of time the widget has been available for voting.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by a processing device causes the processing device to implement a method comprising:

assigning a conversion criteria to a virtual icon on at least one webpage; and

determining whether a conversion criteria has been satisfied based on the at least one virtual icon parameter,

wherein availability of an actual good or service corresponding to the virtual icon is based on satisfaction of the conversion criteria.

22. The medium of claim 21, wherein the virtual icon is a widget having at least one of a count parameter and an elapsed time parameter, and determining whether the conversion criteria has been satisfied comprises comparing at least one of the count parameter and the elapsed time parameter to the conversion criteria.

23. The medium of claim 21, wherein the at least one virtual icon parameter comprises a vote for the virtual icon.

24. The medium of claim 21, wherein the at least one virtual icon parameter comprises a quantity of time that the virtual icon has been available for voting.

25. The medium of claim 21, wherein the conversion criteria comprises a threshold quantity of votes to be received by the widget.

26. The medium of claim 21, wherein the conversion criteria comprises a threshold quantity of time the widget has been available for voting.

27. A computer-implemented method of determining an availability of an actual good or service, the method comprising:

assigning a conversion criteria to a virtual icon to be displayed on at least one webpage, the conversion criteria being associated with a probability of a specified outcome occurring in response to a random event;

determining whether the conversion criteria has been satisfied based on whether the specified outcome has occurred;

increasing the probability of the specified outcome occurring when the conversion criteria has not been satisfied; and

decreasing the probability of the specified outcome occurring when the conversion criteria has been satisfied,

wherein an actual good or service corresponding to the virtual icon is earned based on satisfaction of the conversion criteria

1. A computer-implemented method of determining an availability of an actual good or service, the method comprising:

assigning and displaying a conversion criteria to a virtual icon on at least one webpage; and

determining whether the conversion criteria has been satisfied based on at least one virtual icon parameter,

wherein an actual good or service corresponding to the virtual icon is earned based on satisfaction of the conversion criteria.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the virtual icon is a widget having at least one of a count parameter and an elapsed time parameter, and determining whether the conversion criteria has been satisfied comprises comparing at least one of the count parameter and the elapsed time parameter to the conversion criteria.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one virtual icon parameter comprises a vote for the virtual icon.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein selection of the virtual icon requires a remuneration of virtual currency before the selection is applied to the conversion criteria.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one virtual icon parameter comprises a quantity of time that the virtual icon has been enabled.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the conversion criteria comprises a threshold quantity of votes to be received by the widget.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the conversion criteria comprises a threshold quantity of time the widget has been available for voting.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the conversion criteria comprises a threshold quantity of selections to be received by the widget and a threshold quantity of time the widget has been available for voting.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising informing an entity that the actual good or service is available upon satisfaction of the conversion criteria, and initiating a delivery request to send the actual good or service to the entity.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a virtual marketplace including the virtual icon, a virtual currency value being associated with the virtual icon; and

providing the virtual icon to an entity for inclusion on the webpage of the entity in response to receipt of an amount of virtual currency that is equal to the virtual currency value.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising establishing the conversion criteria applicable to the actual good or service.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one virtual icon parameter comprises a value criteria.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the value criteria is randomly selected as an integer between 1 and N/n.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein N is the cost of buying and shipping the actual good or service and n is the cost of the virtual icon.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the conversion criteria has been satisfied comprises computing an output of the hedge function using the at least one virtual icon parameter.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the hedge function is defined by the following mathematical expression

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein the random event includes drawing a random value from a set of values, and the specified outcome is one of the values in the set

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 28, wherein the set of values includes a range of consecutive integers between 1 and N/n.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 29, wherein N is the cost of buying and shipping the actual good or service and n is the cost of the virtual icon.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 30, wherein the hedge function is defined by the following mathematical expression:

30-1. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein increasing and decreasing the probability comprises computing an output of a hedge function using at least one virtual icon parameter.