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

• US 8,944,320 B1
• Filed: 06/25/2014
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2006
• 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:
  US14/314,178
• Time in Patent Office: 223 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, 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 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0227 Frequent usage incentive value reconciliation between diverse systems
• 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:

a computer, comprising hardware and software executing on the hardware, establishing an account for non-negotiable credits provided by an entity to an account holding user, wherein the entity is a unit that has a legal and separately identifiable existence, wherein the non-negotiable credits have redemption restrictions imposed by the entity, wherein the entity restricts transfers of granted ones of the non-negotiable credits, wherein the transfer restrictions by the entity prevent the account holding user from transferring granted ones of the non-negotiable credits in that user'"'"'s possession to others without permission from the entity;

the computer 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, wherein the commerce partner is a unit that has a legal and separately identifiable existence, wherein the commerce partner is not the entity, wherein the commerce partner is associated with the entity in some commercial activity, wherein the conversion operation is explicitly permitted by terms of an agreement established between the entity and the commerce partner, wherein the in-game funds are entity independent funds not stored in the account, wherein the entity independent funds are independent of the redemption restrictions that were imposed upon the non-negotiable credits, wherein the entity independent funds are possessed by the account holding user; and

the computer 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 terms of the agreement mutually established by the commerce partner and the entity, wherein the commerce partner is compensated by the entity for granting the in-game funds to the account holding user in exchange for 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, wherein the compensation amount is specified by the mutual agreement established between the entity and the commerce partner.

4. The method of claim 1, a single computer establishes the account, detects the interactions, and subtracts the quantity of non-negotiable credits from the account, wherein the single computer is a loyalty program server that maintains a loyalty program for the entity, wherein the account is a loyalty program account with the loyalty program.

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, wherein the conversion ratio is mutually established by the terms of the agreement between the entity and the commerce partner.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity provides a platform upon which the computer game runs or the entity provides a storefront from which the computer game was downloaded.

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

8. A method comprising:

a computer, comprising hardware and software executing on the hardware, establishing an account for in-game credits provided by an entity to an account holding user, wherein the entity owns or controls a computer game, wherein the account holder plays the computer game to earn at least a portion of the in-game credits, wherein the in-game credits are non-negotiable credits, wherein the entity is a unit that has a legal and separately identifiable existence, wherein the non-negotiable credits have redemption restrictions imposed by the entity, wherein the entity restricts transfers of granted ones of the non-negotiable credits, wherein the transfer restrictions by the entity prevent the account holding user from transferring granted ones of the non-negotiable credits in that user'"'"'s possession to others without permission from the entity;

the computer detecting game play occurrences in the computer game earning a quantity of in-game credits, wherein the quantity of in-game credits from the interactions are added to the account, wherein in absence of a conversion operation that converts the in-game credits to entity-independent funds, a commerce partner does not accept the in-game credits for out-of-game purchases or out-of-game discounts with the commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner is not the entity, wherein the conversion operation is explicitly permitted by terms of an agreement established between the entity and the commerce partner, wherein the entity independent funds are independent of the redemption restrictions that were imposed upon the non-negotiable credits; and

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

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the in-game credits correspond to one or more of:

a) a virtual good of the computer game being exchanged for a quantity of in-game credits,

b) in-game gold or in-game currency,

c) experience points for a player character in the computer game, or

d) any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 8, a single computer establishes the account, detects the game play occurrences, and subtracts the quantity of in-game credits from the account, wherein the single computer is a loyalty program server that maintains a loyalty program for the entity, wherein the account is a loyalty program account with the loyalty program.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the entity independent funds are loyalty points of a loyalty program of the commerce partner.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the conversion operation converts the quantity of in-game credits to the quantity of entity independent funds in accordance with a conversion ratio of credits-to-funds, wherein the conversion ratio is mutually established by the terms of the agreement between the entity and the commerce partner.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the entity provides a platform upon which the computer game runs or the entity provides a storefront from which the computer game was downloaded.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the commerce partner is compensated for providing the entity independent funds for the conversion operation through advertising benefits from a cross marketing alliance between the commerce partner and the entity.

15. A method comprising:

a computer, comprising hardware and software executing on the hardware, providing a computer game, which one or more users play, wherein the computer game is owned or controlled by a commerce partner, wherein the one or more users comprise an account holder;

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

the computer 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 account holder, 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, wherein the entity is a unit that has a legal and separately identifiable existence, wherein the non-negotiable credits have redemption restrictions imposed by the entity, wherein the entity restricts transfers of granted ones of the non-negotiable credits, wherein the transfer restrictions by the entity prevent the account holder from transferring granted ones of the non-negotiable credits in that user'"'"'s possession to others without permission from the entity, wherein the commerce partner is a unit that has a legal and separately identifiable existence, wherein the commerce partner is not the entity, wherein the commerce partner is associated with the entity in some commercial activity, wherein the conversion operation is explicitly permitted by terms of an agreement established between the entity and the commerce partner, wherein the in-game funds are entity independent funds, wherein the entity independent funds are independent of the redemption restrictions that were imposed upon the non-negotiable credits, wherein the entity independent funds are possessed by the account holder; and

the computer adding the converted quantity of in-game funds to the game account, which increases an ability of the account holder to make the one or more in-game purchases.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

the computer 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.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

the computer 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.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein a single server provides a computer game, provides the account holder with one or more in-game purchasing options, receives a converted quantity of in-game funds, and adds the converted quantity.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

the computer determining when a quantity of the in-game funds exceeds a threshold established by the commerce partner for the computer game, which enables the account holder 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 account holder.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-negotiable credits are loyalty points of a loyalty program of the entity.