User driven transactions through referred virtual business object

• US 8,606,628 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2009
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Andrew B., Bokor, Brian R., Haggar, Peter F., House, Daniel E., Nicol, William B. II, Dawson, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dagnew, Saba
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAO, VINCENT M
• Application Number:
  US12/354,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20100179871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Providing traceability in a Virtual Business Object (VBO) may include generating a VBO comprising components and actions that may be performed using the VBO, attaching traceability information regarding an avatar to the VBO and providing the VBO to the avatar. Also, a network entity configured to access a virtual world environment may include a network interface configured to provide access to the virtual world environment and a controller configured to perform a transaction with an avatar in the virtual world environment, generate a Virtual Business Object (VBO) related to the transaction, attach traceability information regarding the avatar to the VBO, and provide the VBO to the avatar.

Claims

1. A method for providing traceability in a Virtual Business Object (VBO) comprising:

generating, by a computer, a first VBO in response to a transaction by a first avatar, the first VBO comprising components and actions that may be performed using the first VBO, wherein the transaction comprises a purchase of one of a product and a service by the first avatar, and the first VBO further comprising information about one of the product and the service purchased;

providing, by the computer, the first VBO to the first avatar;

creating a VBO light from the first VBO;

attaching, by the computer, traceability information regarding the first avatar to the VBO light;

providing the VBO light from the first avatar to a second avatar;

add, by the computer, information to the VBO light to create a full second VBO in response to a purchase of one of the product and the service by the second avatar.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising performing a second transaction with the second avatar responsive to an action being received from the VBO light and providing compensation to the first avatar responsive to the complete second transaction.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein providing compensation to the first avatar comprises providing at least one of money, a coupon, a product, a discount on a future purchases, points, referral status, and a first to the first avatar.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising providing additional compensation to the first avatar for each completed transaction with at least one third avatar initiated from at least one third VBO, each at least one third VBO being created from the first VBO.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the second transaction comprises the purchase of one of a product and a service associated with the VBO light, wherein the information added comprises at least one of warranty information, shipping information, and receipt information.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the action comprises a request for more information regarding one of a product and a service associated with the VBO light and sending additional information regarding the one of the product and the service associated with the VBO light.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising updating the VBO light with additional information related to the second transaction upon completion of the second transaction.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the additional information comprises at least one of warranty information, shipping information, payment information, and sales receipt information.

9. The method according to claim 2, further comprising receiving the traceability information regarding the first avatar from the VBO light enabling the providing of the compensation to the first avatar responsive to the completed second transaction, the traceability information comprising identity information of the first avatar.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the VBOs are generated by an enterprise service provider.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the VBO light comprises a partial version of the first VBO.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the VBO light comprises information related to the transaction by a first avatar except information personal to the first avatar.

13. A network entity configured to access a virtual world environment comprising:

a computer;

a network interface configured by the computer to provide access to the virtual world environment; and

a controller configured by the computer to;

perform a transaction with a first avatar in the virtual world environment;

generate a first Virtual Business Object (VBO) Related to the transaction, wherein the transaction comprises a purchase of one of a product and a service by the first avatar, and the VBO comprises information about one of the product and the service purchased;

provide the first VBO to the first avatar;

create a VBO light from the first VBO;

attach traceability information regarding the first avatar to the VBO light;

provide the VBO light from the first avatar to a second avatar;

adding information to the VBO light to create a full second VBO in response to a purchase of one of the product and the service by the second avatar.

14. The network entity according to claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to perform a second transaction with the second avatar response to an action being received from the VBO light and providing compensation to the first avatar response to the completed second transaction.

15. The network entity according to claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to provide additional compensation to the first avatar for each completed transaction with at least one third avatar initiated from at least one additional VBO, each at least one additional VBO being created from the first VBO.

16. The network entity according to claim 14, wherein the second transaction comprises a purchase of one of a product and service associated with the VBO light.

17. The network entity according to claim 14, wherein the action comprises a request for more information regarding one of a product and service associated with the VBO light and sending additional information regarding the one of a product and service associated with the VBO light.

18. The network entity according to claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to update the VBO light with additional information related to the second transaction upon completion of the second transaction.

19. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable storage medium having computer useable program code embodied therewith, the computer useable program code comprising:

computer useable program code configured to generate a first VBO in response to a transaction by a first avatar, the VBO comprising components and actions that may be performed using the first VBO, wherein the transaction comprises a purchase of one of a product and a service by the first avatar, and the first VBO further comprising information about one of the product and the service purchased;

computer useable program code configured to provide the first VBO to the first avatar;

computer useable program code configured to create a VBO light from the first VBO;

computer useable program code configured to attach traceability information regarding the first avatar to the VBO light;

computer useable program code configured to provide the VBO light from the first avatar to a second avatar;

computer useable program code configured to add information to the VBO light to create a full second VBO in response to a purchase of one of the product and the service by the second avatar.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, further comprises computer useable program code configured to perform a second transaction with the second avatar response to an action being initiated from the VBO light and the computer useable program code configured to provide compensation to the first avatar responsive to the completed transaction.

21. The computer program product according to claim 20, further comprising computer useable program code configured to update the second VBO light with additional information related to the second transaction upon completion of the second transaction.