Software Technology for Reversion rights in virtual reality

The Invention Science Fund I, LLC (Bellevue, WA)

A method and system provides transactions and arrangements in virtual world environments. A user can participate in transactions in order to gain virtual property as well as virtual rights. In some implementations, real-world and virtual parties may be involved in transfers or transfer revocations that involve various types of virtual objects as well as virtual rights.

Virtual world environments typically include imaginary characters who participate in fictional actions, events and transactions. There are educational, financial and entertainment benefits in creating new and challenging ways for providingparticipation transactions related to virtual world environments.

There are many ways and systems that could be employed to obtain something of value in a virtual environment. For example, one or more computer programs that have process instructions may be incorporated in acomputerized system.

A few system configurations that could be used to implement an eventual transfer could include one or more computer devices that create a virtual environment; and a first data record identifying something inside the virtual world that is subject to afuture transfer from a donor to a recipient, whose future transfer is contingent upon an event that disqualifies the recipient and a second record that includes requirements for revocation of a future transfer; and an operating controller module that is connected to one or more computing devices to help determine whether to implement the revocation of the future transfer in accordance to the conditions for the revocation.

Certain implementations described herein provide the means to implement an upcoming transfer in a virtual world, including identifying a particular virtual item or virtual right that is capable of being transferred to a party that is a recipient, and establishingthat the future transfer of that particular virtual object or virtual right from a donor party to the recipient party is subject to being revoked. Other characteristics include the ability to create a tentative transfer, and then implementing the transfer in the event that it is initiated by a disqualification feature which involves the donor.

Certain embodiments provide a means to end a transfer in a virtual universe, including enabling the virtual world patron or its associated character be a donor party that is authorized to make a subsequent transfer of one or more specific virtual objects or virtual rights to a party receiving the rights and also establishing confirmation of a required real-world or virtual world disqualification prior to initiating the next transfer. Additional features may include the determination of whether the criteria for revocation of the future transfer has been determined and then completing the transfer to the recipient in the event that the requirements for revocation have not been set.

Some embodiments are implemented in an application for computers that has program instructions configured to perform an operation that associates data within a computer system. The method could include providing a virtual world environment that allows a donor to make arrangements for an upcoming transfer of a virtual object or virtual right to a recipient, allowing a tentative transfer of the virtual object or right to the receiver based on an event that disqualifies the donor party, and making it possible to revoke the tentative transfer based on relevant information that indicates that the disqualification was removed or corrected, or cured.

A computer program embodiment may incorporate computer readable signal-bearing media including an storage medium as well as a communication medium for encoding the instructions.

A simple process could be encoded onto signal transmission media as well as storage media in some computer program embodiments. This is possible for multiple virtual world patrons who can sign in at various locations. Other computer program productembodiments may have an exemplary procedure encoded on storage and/or signal transmission media that can perform functioning on a local computer apparatus that is accessible to a single virtual world user.

Transactions involving virtual environments that are described in this document may be entered into by many types of entities or parties depending on the advantages arising out of embodiments andimplementations.

The following drawings and descriptions will assist you in understanding the benefits, features and additional features of the preferred versions.

Click here to view the patent on USPTO website.  

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