Method and apparatus for virtual location-based services

• US 9,238,174 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2012
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lavamind LLC
• Original Assignee: Lavamind LLC
• Inventors: Hoffman, Steven Samuel, Kokubo, Naomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ROSS A
• Application Number:
  US13/483,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20120238358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 463 40- 42, 463 1- 6, 463/25, 463/29, 463 31- 33, 463/37
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to the field of computer and network software, and more particularly it relates to a method and apparatus for providing virtual goods and/or on-line services based on a user'"'"'s virtual location while surfing the web. According to certain aspects, the invention allows interactive objects, virtual goods and on-line services to be automatically provided to users when they visit predetermined partner sites or perform some predetermined on-line activity. According to other aspects, the invention automatically provides parallel destinations for predetermined partner sites that only users of the system can visit, and where such users can receive virtual goods and on-line services, among other content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring a user'"'"'s selection of a virtual location on the World Wide Web via a browser application, the virtual location being selected by the user from among a plurality of different websites on the World Wide Web;

causing a client application that is separate from the browser application on a computing device of the user to communicate with a server in response to the user'"'"'s selection of the virtual location;

serving content associated with a game to the user'"'"'s computing device from the server using the separate client application; and

interacting with the user via the separate client application to allow the user to play the game,

wherein the plurality of different websites have a respective plurality of URLs, the method further comprising;

storing the URLs of the websites in a predetermined list of URLs; and

associating identifiers of the game with the URL of the website associated with the selected virtual location in the predetermined list of URLs,

wherein the serving step includes comparing the URL of the selected virtual location with the contents of the predetermined list, and obtaining the identifiers of the game by matching the URL of the selected virtual location with the URL of the associated website.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the server is provided at a location on the World Wide Web that is separate from the selected virtual location.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of serving content associated with the game includes overlaying content associated with the game on top of content served from the selected virtual location in a window of the web browser.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of serving content associated with the game includes providing content separately from the content served from the selected virtual location.

5. A method according to claim 1, further including providing a virtual good based on the selected virtual location, and associating the virtual good with an account of the user.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of serving content associated with the game includes allowing the user to play the game using game piece objects that are rendered using content that is separate from content associated with the selected virtual location.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the comparing is performed by the server before serving the content associated with the game and in response to receiving the communication from the client application.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of serving content associated with the game includes allowing the user to chat with other users who are simultaneously at the same selected virtual location.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the step of serving content associated with the game further includes causing avatars corresponding to the user and other users to be rendered on computing devices associated with the users.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of serving content associated with the game further includes causing avatars corresponding to the user and other users to be rendered on computing devices associated with the users.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of serving content associated with the game includes allowing the user to chat with the other users.

12. A method according to claim 1, further comprising configuring the user'"'"'s computing device to include the client application separate from a standard web browser on the user'"'"'s computing device, and further configuring the client application to report browser activities to the server.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein configuring includes configuring the client application as a browser plug-in application.