The present invention is related to virtual business objects, and more specifically to user driven transactions through referred virtual business object.
Currently, to order/purchase an item, a user has to walk into a store, visit an Internet site, or call a number. There is no way to expand the opportunity for sales outside of this space thus requiring retailers to try other means of reaching customers through email referrals, Internet ads, etc. For example, there is no easy way to refer a friend to a product/service purchased online. Further, referrals today cross disparate systems and multiple applications reducing the probability of a purchase/usage of a product or service from a referral. Even if a user has a friend refer an item, the user typically only receives a description through email, instant messaging, or verbally. Therefore, if a user wants to purchase this item, they have to perform a series of steps that take them in a variety of directions such as accessing vendor sites or using search engines to identify the product or service they intend to purchase.
Current methods on the Internet take the form of links on a purchase/feedback page that email a person that a user may specify. A user may paste product information via text or URL into an email, Instant Message, etc. and send this to another person or friend, however, this is not an automated path for performing this function for both parties. Each time a friend of a user has to go to a remote site, link or execute a series of disjoined steps, it reduces the likelihood of a completed transaction and the probability that the friend of the user will purchase through the same provider of the recommended product or service as the user is reduced.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for providing traceability in a Virtual Business Object (VBO) includes generating a VBO comprising components and actions that may be performed using the VBO, attaching traceability information regarding an avatar to the VBO, providing the VBO to the avatar, performing a second transaction with a second avatar responsive to an action being received from a second VBO, and providing compensation to the avatar responsive to the completed transaction, the second VBO being created from the VBO.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a network entity configured to access a virtual world environment includes a network interface configured to provide access to the virtual world environment; and a controller configured to perform a transaction with an avatar in the virtual world environment, generate a Virtual Business Object (VBO) related to the transaction, attach traceability information regarding the avatar to the VBO, and provide the VBO to the avatar.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer useable program code embodied therewith, the computer useable program code comprising computer useable program code configured to generate a VBO comprising components and actions that may be performed using the VBO, computer useable program code configured to attach traceability information regarding an avatar to the VBO, and computer useable program code configured to provide the VBO to the avatar, computer useable program code configured to perform a second transaction with a second avatar responsive to an action being initiated from a second VBO, and computer useable program code configured to provide compensation to the avatar responsive to the completed transaction.
The present invention is further described in the detailed description which follows in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way of non-limiting examples of embodiments of the present invention in which like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings and wherein:
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As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the present invention may be embodied as a method, system, computer program product, or a combination of the foregoing. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may generally be referred to herein as a “system.” Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable storage medium having computer-usable program code embodied in the medium.
Any suitable computer usable or computer readable medium may be utilized. The computer usable or computer readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires; a tangible medium such as a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or other tangible optical or magnetic storage device; or transmission media such as those supporting the Internet or an intranet. Note that the computer usable or computer readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.
In the context of this document, a computer usable or computer readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, platform, apparatus, or device. The computer usable medium may include a propagated data signal with the computer-usable program code embodied therewith, either in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. The computer usable program code may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to the Internet, wireline, optical fiber cable, radio frequency (RF) or other means.
Computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may be written in an object oriented, scripted or unscripted programming language such as Java, Perl, Smalltalk, C++ or the like. However, the computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may also be written in conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages.
The present invention is described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operations to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. Alternatively, computer program implemented steps or acts may be combined with operator or human implemented steps or acts in order to carry out an embodiment of the invention.
According to embodiments of the present invention, a user controlling an avatar may have a virtual business object (VBO) from a prior purchase of a product or service. The user or avatar may refer the product/service in the VBO to another user or avatar. In this regard, a copy of the VBO may be sent to the second user or avatar where the copied VBO (hereinafter referred to as a VBO light or referred VBO) may or may not contain personal information of the user such as, for example, warranty information, receipt information, payment information, etc. Alternatively, according to embodiments of the present invention, a second user, or avatar, may be provided access to viewable portions of the user's or avatar's VBO where the personal information is not viewable. The second user, or avatar, may interact with the portions of the VBO light and may initiate actions defined in the referred VBO light. These actions may kick off a process with a defined retailer or source of the product or service associated with the VBO and pass the referred VBO light to a specific transaction system allowing the second user, or avatar, to initiate a transaction to purchase the product or service.
According to embodiments of the present invention, a user interacts directly with the referred VBO without having to perform any search or redirection of location. Further, a referred VBO provides a referred product or service allowing a second user or avatar to initiate transactions on the referred VBO with minimal impact to the second user's experience. Further, according to embodiments of the present invention, purchases made by the second user, or avatar, provide the opportunity for the original user, or avatar, making the referral to receive compensation. The compensation may come from a provider of the product or service related to the VBO or from another source. This provides incentive for a purchaser (i.e., user) to refer a VBO to other users, or avatars. This provides benefits to both the buyers and the sellers of the products or services.
Moreover, a buyer at a workstation 102 may control an avatar to refer the purchased product or service by providing a partial version of the VBO (i.e., VBO light) to a second avatar. The VBO light may contain the same information as the VBO except information personal to the buyer such as, for example, warranty information, payment information, purchase receipt information, shipping information, etc. The VBO light may contain components and actions that may be initiated from the VBO light such as, for example, purchase product/service, discard VBO light, request additional information regarding product/service, etc. The second avatar may initiate the purchase of the product/service using the VBO light and conduct a transaction with the supplier of the product/service to complete the purchase. Upon completion of the transaction with the second avatar, the avatar may be sent compensation or incentives for referring the product/service to the second avatar.
Further, in block 307, a selection may be made to discard the referred VBO and then in block 308, the referred VBO may be removed from the inventory of the avatar. In addition, in block 309, a selection may be made to request more information about the product or service of the referred VBO and then in block 310, the avatar may receive additional information from a provider of the product or service regarding the product or service associated with the referred VBO. Moreover, in block 311, a selection may be made to refer the referred VBO to another avatar, or user. Alternatively, the user may refer a VBO generated based on completion of a purchase of a product or service associated with the referred VBO to another avatar or user. Then in block 312, a copy of the VBO may be made and in block 313, the copy of the VBO may then be sent to another user or avatar.
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The flowcharts and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and that the invention has other applications in other environments. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the present invention. The following claims are in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention to the specific embodiments described herein.