Conversion/transfer of non-negotiable credits to in-game funds for in-game purchases

• US 8,807,427 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2013
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JBSHBM, LLC
• Original Assignee: Brian K. Buchheit, Sean I. Mcghie
• Inventors: McGhie, Sean I., Buchheit, Brian K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US14/024,921
• Time in Patent Office: 341 Days
• Field of Search: 235/380, 235/375, 235/379, 235/487, 235/486, 235/382, 705/14, 705/17, 705/14.32, 705/14.33, 705/39, 705/14.21, 463/25, 463/20, 463/13
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/381 Currency conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0228 On-line clearing houses
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

In one embodiment, an account is established for non-negotiable credits provided by an entity to one or more users. Interactions that earn a quantity of non-negotiable credits are detected. The quantity of non-negotiable credits from the interactions is added to the account. In absence of a conversion operation that converts the non-negotiable credits to in-game funds, a commerce partner does not accept the non-negotiable credits for in-game purchases for a computer game. The computer game is owned or controlled by the commerce partner. A quantity of the non-negotiable credits is subtracted from the account. The subtracted quantity of non-negotiable credits corresponds to a quantity of entity independent funds resulting from the conversion operation that converts the non-negotiable credits to a quantity of the in-game funds in accordance with agreement terms established by the commerce partner and the entity. The commerce partner is compensated.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at least one of one or more computers establishing an account for non-negotiable credits provided by an entity to one or more users;

at least one of one or more computers detecting interactions earning a quantity of non-negotiable credits, wherein the quantity of non-negotiable credits from the interactions are added to the account, wherein in absence of a conversion operation that converts the non-negotiable credits to in-game funds, a commerce partner does not accept the non-negotiable credits for in-game purchases for a computer game, wherein the computer game is owned or controlled by the commerce partner; and

at least one of one or more computers subtracting a quantity of the non-negotiable credits from the account, the subtracted quantity of non-negotiable credits corresponding to a quantity of entity independent funds resulting from the conversion operation that converts the non-negotiable credits to a quantity of the in-game funds in accordance with agreement terms established by the commerce partner and the entity, wherein the commerce partner is compensated for granting the in-game funds for the non-negotiable credits.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more in-game purchases able to be purchased with the in-game funds include one or more of:

a) a virtual good for the computer game,

b) an unlocking of a feature of the computer game for the one or more users,

c) an advance in the computer game for the one or more users,

d) additional in-game gold or in-game currency for the one or more users,

e) additional experience points for a player character in the computer game,

f) making one or more items, levels, areas available within the computer game that would otherwise be unavailable, or

g) any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity compensates the commerce partner in negotiable funds for redeeming the subtracted quantity of non-negotiable credits by converting the quantity of non-negotiable credits into the in-game funds.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein after the conversion operation, the in-game funds are not able to be converted into the non-negotiable credits.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversion operation converts the quantity non-negotiable credits to the quantity of in-game funds in accordance with a conversion ratio of credits-to-funds.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-negotiable credits are reward program points of a reward program of the entity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the commerce partner is compensated for granting the in-game funds through advertising benefits from a cross marketing alliance between the commerce partner and the entity.

8. A method comprising:

at least one of one or more computers providing a computer game, which one or more users play, wherein the computer game is owned or controlled by a commerce partner;

at least one of one or more computers providing the one or more users with one or more in-game purchasing options, wherein the one or more in-game purchasing options are for one or more in-game purchases of one or more of;

a virtual good for the computer game, an unlocking of a feature of the computer game for the one or more users, an advance in the computer game for the one or more users, additional experience points for a player character in the computer game, additional in-game gold or in-game currency for the one or more users, or combinations thereof, wherein the in-game purchasing options requires the one or more users to have accumulated a designated quantity of in-game funds in a game account maintained or owned by the commerce partner for the one or more users;

at least one of the one or more computers receiving a converted quantity of in-game funds resulting from a conversion of a set of non-negotiable credits into the converted quantity of in-game funds, wherein the non-negotiable credits are stored in an credit account maintained by an entity for the one or more users, wherein the non-negotiable credits are not able to be directly used for the in-game purchases until the non-negotiable credits are converted to in-game funds; and

at least one of the one or more computers adding the converted quantity of in-game funds to the game account, which increases an ability of the one or more users to make the one or more in-game purchases.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

at least one of the one or more computers recording an amount in negotiable funds owed to the commerce partner by the entity for redeeming the set of non-negotiable credits for the converted quantity of in-game funds.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

one or more computers receiving recording a compensation provided by the entity to the commerce partner as a direct result of providing the converted quantity of in-game funds for the set of non-negotiable credits.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

at least one of the one or more computers subtracting a sub quantity of the in-game funds from the game account responsive to one of the one or more in-game purchases by the one or more users.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

at least one of the one or more computers determining when a quantity of the in-game funds exceeds a threshold established by the commerce partner for the computer game, which enables the one or more users to complete at least one of the one or more in-game purchases or which activates one or more previously unavailable virtual goods or one or more game functions for the one or more users.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the non-negotiable credits are reward program points of a reward program of the entity.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the set of non-negotiable credits are converted to the quantity of in-game funds in accordance with a conversion ratio of credits-to-funds.

15. A computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable, storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to be executed by one or more processors causing a graphical user interface to be presented upon a visual display device, said graphical user interface showing a quantity of non-negotiable credits earned through previous interactions with an entity, the graphical user interface comprising a conversion option to convert at least a subset of the shown non-negotiable credits into in-game funds, wherein the in-game funds are accepted by a commerce partner as at least partial payment for one or more in-game purchases, wherein the commerce partner provides a computer game that one or more users play, wherein the commerce partner is not said entity, wherein in absence of converting the non-negotiable credits into in-game funds the commerce partner does not accept the non-negotiable credits as payment for the one or more in-game purchases; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to responsive to a selection of the conversion option and resulting processed occurring, the graphical user interface is changed to show a quantity of available in-game funds for use as payment for the one or more in-game purchases, said quantity of available in-game funds resulting from converting the subset of non-negotiable credits into in-game funds.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the one or more in-game purchases able to be purchased with the in-game funds include one or more of:

a) a virtual good for the computer game,

b) an unlocking of a feature of the computer game for the one or more users,

c) an advance in the computer game for the one or more users,

d) additional in-game gold or in-game currency for the one or more users,

e) additional experience points for a player character in the computer game,

f) making one or more items, levels, areas available within the computer game that would otherwise be unavailable, or

g) any combination thereof.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the non-negotiable credits are reward program points of a reward program of the entity.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to responsive to the received selection being processed, present within the graphical user interface a second quantity of non-negotiable credits, wherein said second quantity represents an amount of non-negotiable credits available after converting the subset of non-negotiable credits into in-game funds.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the graphical user interface is a user interface of the computer game.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the graphical user interface is a user interface provided by the entity for a reward program through which the non-negotiable credits are earned.