System and method for toy adoption and marketing

• US 8,641,471 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ganz
• Original Assignee: Ganz
• Inventors: Ganz, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Masud
• Application Number:
  US12/975,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20110092128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 446/175, 463/42, 715/706
• US Class Current: 446/175
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/36 Details; Accessories
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/00 Other toys
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method, system and toy that provides a product that is represented on a website via a virtual replica of the product. The product has a registration code associated with it. Data associated with the product is electronically stored in the product using an electronic storage medium. A user is registered on the website by associating the user with a user ID. The user ID is associated with the virtual replica of the product by utilizing the registration code. Access is granted to one or more features on the website in connection with the virtual replica of the product subsequent to input and validation of the registration code via the user ID without requiring additional entry of the registration code.

Claims

1. A system for providing a virtual world, comprising:

a server computer system connected to the Internet, said server computer system operating for registering at least one of a plurality of toys, by receiving information electronically transmitted from said at least one of said toys from a storage device attached to or embedded in said at least one of said toy, and for electronically storing registration data, such that said server computer system receiving said registration data from said storage device over the Internet from a user computer communicating with said storage device and also communicating with said Internet, wherein said registering includes verifying said one of the plurality of toys by checking that said at least one of the plurality of toys is uniquely identified by utilizing data stored in the storage device;

said server computer system also for serving content, via said Internet, directed to the user computer, wherein said content includes virtual world data adapted for generating a virtual world for viewing on the user computer;

wherein

in response to successfully verifying said one of said plurality of toys based on said registration data received over said Internet, said server computer system saves information that can be utilized by the user to gain access to the virtual world without requiring additional entry of the registration data, and operates for receiving commands from the user computer connected to said storage device for updating said virtual world data provided to the user computer for dynamically displaying specialized virtual world activities on the user computer based on said commands, and wherein

said computer further operates for not providing said updated virtual world data to the user computer without successfully verifying one of said plurality of toys.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein said server computer system receives data from said electronic storage device and automatically registers the toy using said registration data, over the Internet.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein said server computer system operates for providing updated data associated with said virtual world and designates said updated data for storage in said storage device, wherein said updated data includes an online profile of a virtual character on the server that is associated with said toy.

4. The system as in claim 1, wherein said server computer system is also adapted for associating said virtual character with a user ID and password for allowing the user to log into said virtual world subsequent to said registering to access said virtual character.

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein said storage device is further adapted to store at least one of information received from said server computer system or information received from the user computer but not from the server computer system.

6. The system as in claim 1, wherein said server further operates, in response to successfully verifying said one of said plurality of toys, said server computer system is adapted for providing a character in the virtual world and receiving commands from the user computer connected to said storage device for updating said virtual world data provided to the user computer for dynamically displaying the character in the virtual world activities on the user computer based on said commands.

7. The system as in claim 5, wherein said server further operates for not providing said updated virtual world data to the user computer without successfully verifying one of said plurality of toys.

8. A system for providing a virtual world, comprising:

a server computer system connected to a communication network, said server computer system operating for registering at least one of a plurality of toys, by receiving information electronically transmitted from said at least one of said toys from a storage device attached to or embedded in said at least one of said toys, and said server computer system receiving said registration data from said storage device over the communication network, wherein said registering includes verifying said at least one of the toys by checking that said one of the toys is uniquely identified by utilizing data stored in the storage device;

said server computer system also serving content, via said communication network, directed to a user computer, wherein

in response to successfully verifying said at least one of the toys, said server computer system operates for granting access to said virtual world data over the communication network to a user using said user computer without requiring additional receipt of the registration data, receiving commands from the user computer for updating said virtual world data provided to the user computer for dynamically displaying specialized virtual world activities on the user computer based on said commands, and wherein

said server computer system operates for providing updated data associated with said virtual world and designates said updated data for storage in said storage device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said updated data includes an online profile of a virtual character on the server that is associated with said toy.

10. The system of claim 8, where said server computer system registers a plurality of toys to a plurality of different users, and serves said content via said communication network directed to multiple different user computers associated with said multiple different users.

11. The system as in claim 8, wherein said server computer system receives data from said electronic storage device and automatically registers the toy using said registration data, over the Internet.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the updated virtual world data is adapted for later retrieval by said server computer system for updating said virtual world.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein said updated data is adapted for later retrieval by said server computer system for updating said character in said virtual world.

14. The system as in claim 8, wherein said storage device is further adapted to store at least one of information received from said server computer system or information received from the user computer but not from the server computer system.

15. The system as in claim 8, wherein said communication network is the Internet.

16. A method comprising the steps of:

registering a toy on a server system connected, via the Internet, by retrieving registration data over the Internet from an electronic storage device provided in or on the toy, said registering utilizing the registration data;

in response to said registering, said server system establishing a user ID that can be used to gain access to a restricted portion of a website without requiring additional entry of the registration data and providing specialized data to a user computer connected to the electronic storage device, the specialized data adapted for generating a virtual world on the user computer; and

said server system providing activity data for providing specialized activities in the virtual world for the user computer, wherein

said server system not providing said activity data without prior completion of said registering.

17. A method as in claim 16, wherein said retrieving from said electronic storage device is done automatically.

18. A method as in claim 16, wherein at least some of said data from said server system is updated data associated with said virtual world for storage in said storage device, that is different than original data stored in said storage device, wherein said updated data includes an online profile of a virtual character that is associated with said toy on the computer server.

19. The method as in claim 16, wherein said retrieving registration data is accomplished automatically.

20. The method as in claim 16, wherein said registration data is a unique code that is uniquely indicative of the toy.

21. The method as in claim 16, wherein said toy represents an animate object.

22. The method as in claim 16, further comprising the step of said storage device storing at least one of information from said server system or information not received from the server system.

23. A method comprising the steps of:

registering a product on a server system connected, via the Internet, to a user computer connected to an electronic storage device provided in or on the product for automatically retrieving registration data stored on the storage device over the Internet, said registering utilizing the registration data received over the Internet from the storage device in or on the product;

in response to said registering, said server system providing specialized data to the user computer, the specialized data generating a virtual character in a virtual world on the user computer; and

said server system establishing access information that can be used to gain access to a restricted portion of a website without requiring additional entry of the registration data and providing activity data providing specialized activities for the virtual character in the virtual world on the user computer, wherein

said server system not permitting participation in the specialized activities by the virtual character without prior completion of said registering.

24. A method as in claim 23, wherein at least some of said data from said server system is updated data associated with said virtual world for storage in said storage device, that is different than original data stored in said storage device, wherein said updated data includes an online profile of a virtual character that is associated with said toy on the computer server.

25. The method as in claim 23, wherein said registration data is a unique code that is uniquely indicative of the product.

26. The method as in claim 23, wherein said toy represents an animate object.

27. The method as in claim 23, further comprising the step of said storage device storing at least one of information from said server system or information not received from the server system.

28. A method comprising the steps of:

registering a product on a server system connected, via a communication network, to a user computer connected to an electronic storage device provided in or on the product for automatically retrieving registration data stored on the storage device, said registering utilizing, with the server system that is separated from the user computer by the communication network, the registration data received over the communication network from the storage device to validate the product;

in response to said registering, said server system establishing access information that can be used after said registering to gain access to a restricted portion of a virtual world without requiring additional entry of the registration data and providing specialized data to the user computer, the specialized data adapted for generating a virtual character in the virtual world on the user computer;

said server system providing activity data adapted for providing specialized activities for the virtual character in the virtual world on the user computer; and

the server system providing character information to the user computer adapted for storing on the storage device, said character information including information about participation of the virtual character in the virtual world,

wherein said updated data includes an online profile of a virtual character on the server that is associated with said toy.

29. The method as in claim 28, wherein said character information is stored subsequent to a successful registering of said product, and wherein said character information is not stored if said product is not successfully registered.

30. The method as in claim 28, further comprising the step of said server system being adapted for providing a plurality of subsequent sessions after said registering for providing additional activity data, wherein during said subsequent sessions said server system retrieves said character information from said storage device for updating said virtual character in said virtual world.

31. The method as in claim 28, wherein said registration data is a unique code that is uniquely indicative of the product.

32. The method as in claim 28, wherein said product represents an animate object.

33. The method as in claim 28, further comprising the step of said storage device storing at least one of information from said server system or information received from the user computer but not received from the server system.

34. The method as in claim 28, wherein said communication network is the Internet.

35. A method comprising the steps of:

registering a product on a server system such that the product is connected to an electronic storage device provided in or on the product, said registering including automatically retrieving and utilizing data stored on the electronic storage device over a communication network separating the server system from a user device connected to the electronic storage device;

in response to said registering, said server system providing specialized data to the user device separate from said product, the specialized data adapted for generating a virtual character in a virtual world on the user device, and said server system further establishing a user account comprising information about the virtual character and access information to be utilized by a user of the user device to access the virtual world subsequent to said registering utilizing the data retrieved by the server system from the electronic storage device; and

said server system providing activity data adapted for providing specialized activities for the virtual character in the virtual world on the user device.

36. A method as in claim 35, wherein said storage device stores updated data associated with said virtual world that is different than original data stored in said storage device,

wherein said updated data includes an online profile of a virtual character that is associated with said toy on the computer server.

37. The method as in claim 35, wherein participation in the specialized activities by the virtual character are not provided without prior completion of said registering step.

38. The method as in claim 35, wherein said virtual character is an animated virtual representation resembling said product.

39. The method as in claim 35, wherein said data stored on the electronic storage device is a unique code that is uniquely indicative of the product.

40. The method as in claim 35, further comprising the step of said storage device storing at least one of information from said server system or information not received from the server system.

41. The method as in claim 35, wherein said registering is accomplished via the Internet.

42. A system for presenting a virtual world to a user, said system comprising:

data processing means comprising respective computation hardware means and respective software programming means for directing the activities of said computation hardware means;

means for storing unique registration data in one of a plurality of products;

means for transferring the registration data stored in said one of the products to personal computer data processing means as directed by a user;

means for transferring said registration data from the personal computer data processing means to said data processing means;

means for transferring registration information from a storage means storing said registration information to said data processing means in response to receiving said registration data;

said data processing means performing processing to determine whether said registration data matches said registration information, said data processing means performing further processing for registering the one of the products to the user when said registration data matches said registration information;

in response to registering said one of the products to the user, said data processing means generating virtual world data;

means for transferring said virtual world data from said data processing means to said personal computer data processing means;

said personal computer data processing means being adapted for performing additional processing on the virtual world data for presenting the virtual world to the user, said virtual world including a character representing said one of the plurality of products that can be animated in the virtual world by the user interacting with said personal computer data processing means.

43. The system as in claim 42, wherein the virtual world data is not provided without prior registering of the one of the plurality of products.

44. The system as in claim 42, wherein said character is a virtual representation resembling said one of said plurality of products and wherein the plurality of products represent animate objects.

45. The system as in claim 42, wherein said unique registration data is stored on an electronic storage device that is provided in or on the one of the plurality of products.

46. The system as in claim 42, further comprising means for storing at least one of information from said server system in said one of the plurality of products or information received from the personal computer data processing means.

47. The system as in claim 42, wherein said means for transferring said registration data from the personal computer data processing means to said data processing means is the Internet, and wherein said means for transferring said virtual world data from said data processing means to said personal computer data processing means is also the Internet.

48. A system for presenting a virtual world to a user, said system comprising:

a server system comprising respective computation hardware means and respective software programming means for directing the activities of said computation hardware means;

a product storage device embedded in a product for storing registration data uniquely representing the product and data unrelated to the product;

a computer connection for transferring the registration data stored in the product storage device to a user computer as directed by a user;

a communication network for transferring said registration data from the user computer to said server system;

a server network for transferring registration information from a server storage device to said server system in response to receiving said registration data;

said server system performing processing to determine whether said registration data matches said registration information, said server system performing further processing for registering the product to the user when said registration data matches said registration information;

in response to registering said product to the user, said server system performing processing for generating virtual world data and establishing a user account that stores updates to said virtual world data and access information that can be utilized by the user to subsequently access the virtual world after said registering without requiring additional entry of the registration data;

the communication network also for transferring said virtual world data from said server system to said user computer;

said user computer being adapted for performing additional processing on the virtual world data for presenting the virtual world to the user, said virtual world including a character representing said product that can be animated in the virtual world by the user interacting with the user computer.

49. The system as in claim 48, wherein the virtual world data is not provided without prior registering of the product.

50. The system as in claim 48, wherein said character is a virtual representation resembling said product and wherein the product represents an animate object.

51. The system as in claim 48, wherein the product storage device is adapted for storing at least one of information received from said server system or information received from the personal computer data processing means but not received from the server system.

52. The system as in claim 48, wherein said communication network is the Internet.

53. A method comprising the steps of:

registering a product on a computer system such that the product is coupled to an electronic storage device provided in or on the product, said registering including automatically retrieving and utilizing registration data stored on the electronic storage device over a communication link between the computer system and the product;

in response to said registering, said computer system granting a user access to specialized data via the computer system, the specialized data adapted for generating a virtual character in a virtual world presented by the computer system, and said computer system further establishing access information to be utilized by the user to access the virtual world subsequent to said registering utilizing the registration data retrieved by the computer system from the electronic storage device without requiring additional entry of the registration data; and

said computer system processing activity data for conducting specialized activities involving the virtual character being controlled in the virtual world by the user using the computer system.