System and method for toy adoption and marketing

• US 8,814,624 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• 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:
  US13/050,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20110167267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 446/175, 463/42
• US Class Current: 446/175
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/36 Details; Accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0258 Registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

Provided are a method and computer system for providing a virtual world. The computer system includes a virtual product interface system, which includes a server system with an encrypted part, a non-encrypted part, and a computer-readable memory for storing an encryption key. The server system includes a network connection and sends the encryption key over the network connection addressed to a client via a secured protocol. The non-encrypted part of the server system sends multimedia information addressed to the client over the network via a non-secure protocol. The encrypted part controls adopting a virtual product by receiving a code that is indicative of a virtual product to be virtually adopted by a user and confirming the code. A communication indicative of a specific product that has been registered is carried out using the encryption key, and communication indicative of the multimedia information is carried out unencrypted, without using the encryption key.

Claims

1. A virtual product interface system, comprising:

a server system comprising an encrypted part, and said server system also having a non-encrypted part,

said server system controlling registration of users and adoption of a virtual product by determining a request for adoption of the virtual product, and generating an encryption key for the adoption,

said server system having a network connection;

said server system sending said encryption key over said network connection addressed to a client via an HTTPS secured protocol,

wherein said encrypted part controls forming a user account based on the request for adoption, and said encrypted part controls adopting the virtual product by creating an encrypted communication using said encryption key, and receiving a code from a client computer over said encrypted communication using said encryption key that is indicative of the virtual product to be virtually adopted by a user, by confirming said code, and based on said confirming, creating an indication that the virtual product has been registered in association with the user account,

where the virtual product is a virtual representation of a real life product represented by said code, and where communication indicative of a specific product that has been registered is carried out using said encryption key on said encrypted part; and

said non-encrypted part of said server system sending multimedia information addressed to said client over said network via a nonsecure protocol, where communication indicative of said multimedia information is carried out unencrypted, without using said encryption key using said non-encrypted part.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein said server system communicates encrypted information using a form driven application that creates a form that is to be transmitted over the network addressed to the client, and receives information from the client.

3. A system as in claim 2, wherein said encrypted part of said server system carries out user registration using said form driven application.

4. A system as in claim 2 wherein said encrypted part of said server system carries out adoption of the virtual product using said form driven application.

5. A system as in claim 1, wherein, after said user registration, said server system validating user credentials and providing access to the user account based on said user credentials being validated.

6. A system as in claim 5, wherein said server system conducts validation of said user credentials using said encrypted part, and responsive to successful validation, said server system spawning an application core that operates on said non-encrypted part.

7. A system as in claim 1, wherein said non-encrypted part sends both movies and games as said multimedia information in a non-encrypted form.

8. A system as in claim 7, wherein said encrypted part receives multimedia modification information from the user account, and creates said multimedia modification information in a form to modify said movies and games.

9. A system as in claim 8, wherein the server system sends, separate from said multimedia information, said multimedia modification information from said encrypted part.

10. A system as in claim 1, wherein said registration code is an alphanumeric code.

11. A system as in claim 9, wherein said server system wraps said multimedia modification information into an XML form.

12. A system as in claim 1, wherein said secured protocol comprises SSL.

13. A system as in claim 12, wherein said secured protocol further comprises HTTP.

14. A system as in claim 1, wherein said non-secure protocol comprises HTTP.

15. The system as in claim 1, wherein said server system sends multiple data transmissions, and provides different permutations of the encryption key for each of said multiple data transmissions.

16. A client computer system that operates to interface with a virtual product, comprising:

a client computer, receiving both an encrypted transmission and a non-encrypted transmission from a remote server system, said client computer having a network connection, said client computer receiving an encryption key over said network connection via an HTTPs secured protocol, said non-encrypted transmission including files received over non-secure protocol, including at least multimedia information;

said client computer operating to register a user from said client using said encryption key to create a secured session;

said client computer operating to register a specific virtual product from said client using said encryption key to encrypt, and using a code that is uniquely indicative of a virtual product to be virtually adopted over said secured session using said encryption code received from the remote server;

wherein said multimedia information that is received over said non-secure protocol is not personalized, and said encrypted transmission includes personalization information for said multimedia information, said personalization information including information indicative of a specific virtual product; and

said client computer operating for combining and viewing said multimedia information with said personalization information, on said client, thereby viewing personalized multimedia information that is personalized for said specific virtual product.

17. A system as in claim 16, wherein said client receives said encrypted transmission using a form driven application that obtains information from said form.

18. A system as in claim 17, wherein said client registers a user by filling in parts on said form driven application.

19. A system as in claim 17, wherein said client receives said code that has been entered manually.

20. A system as in claim 17, wherein non-encrypted multimedia information included in said non-encrypted transmission includes both of movies and games.

21. A system as in claim 20, further comprising receiving said multimedia information unencrypted, and receiving separately, said personalization modification information that is encrypted and combining said multimedia information with said personalization modification information to create personalized multimedia.

22. A system as in claim 16, wherein said secured protocol comprises SSL.

23. A system as in claim 22, wherein said secured protocol further comprises HTTP.

24. A system as in claim 16, wherein said non-secure protocol comprises HTTP.

25. The system as in claim 16, wherein said client computer receives multiple data transmissions, and provides different permutations of the encryption key for each of said multiple data transmissions.

26. A method comprising:

registering a first user and creating a user account on a website for said first user;

controlling adoption of a virtual product, wherein said adoption comprises receiving a code from the first user that is uniquely indicative of a virtual product to be virtually adopted by the first user;

authenticating said code using a computer, and based on authenticating that said code is valid, using the computer for looking up information indicative of said code from a database, and adding the virtual product to the user account using said information indicative of said code, wherein the virtual product is a virtual representation of a real-world product represented by said code;

sending generic multimedia data from a server to a client over a network;

obtaining information from said user account to obtain personalization information for said multimedia, wherein said personalization information includes multimedia modification information from the user account, and creates said multimedia modification information in a form to modify said generic multimedia data;

wherein at least a portion of said multimedia data comprising said multimedia modification information is encrypted for transmission over the network using an encryption key.

27. A method as in claim 26, further comprising communicating encrypted information using a form driven application that creates a form that is transmitted addressed to the client, and receiving information from the client.

28. A method as in claim 26, further comprising, after said registering, validating user credentials and providing access to said user account based on said user credentials being successfully validated, said access to said user account including access to said virtual product.

29. A method as in claim 28, further comprising validating said user credentials using encrypted files, and responsive to successfully validating said user credentials, spawning an application core that operates on unencrypted data.

30. A method as in claim 29, wherein said multimedia information includes both of movies and games and is not encrypted for transmission over the network.

31. A method as in claim 26, wherein said multimedia modification information from the user account is in a form to modify at least one of movies and games.

32. A method as in claim 26, wherein said portion of said multimedia data is encrypted using SSL.

33. The method as in claim 26, further comprising multiple data transmissions, and providing different permutations of the encryption key for each of said multiple data transmissions.

34. A method, comprising:

sending information from a client computer addressed to a server computer, said information being indicative of a user account and said information also being indicative of individual information about a user who will be associated with said user account, said individual information including at least information about a plurality of virtual products to be registered by a user and associated with the user account, and data regarding said virtual products that have been registered by said user;

receiving a generic application, that does not include individual information, into said client computer in an unencrypted form;

receiving a decryption key into said client computer;

obtaining personal information into said client computer from said server computer, said personal information based on a user account, said personal information being wrapped in an encrypted XML message, said personal information representing at least one of said virtual products that have been registered with said user account; and

decrypting said personal information using said decryption key and combining said personal information with said generic application to show said personal information representing at least one of said virtual products that have been registered with said user account as part of said generic application.

35. A method as in claim 34, wherein said generic information is a game, and said personal information is shown as part of said game.

36. A method as in claim 34, wherein said generic information is a movie, and said personal information is shown as part of said movie.

37. The method as in claim 34, further comprising sending information from the client computer in multiple data transmissions, and providing different permutations of the encryption key for each of said multiple data transmissions.