U.S. Patent no. 10,255,615: System and method for contextual virtual local advertisement insertion

Issued April 9, 2019 to AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
Priority Date July 12, 2010

Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 10,255,615 (the ‘615 Patent) relates to computer games, virtual worlds, and advertising. Massively multiplayer role-playing games have become extremely popular recently and as part of these games players are able to create and develop a fictional character represented by an avatar in the virtual world. In these virtual worlds are a variety of locations and objects.  The ‘615 Patent is directed towards delivering advertising in a virtual world. An advertisement may be provided within the virtual world that utilizes the avatar within the advertisement. This would allow for places in the virtual world to be sold for local advertisement purposes. Similarly, these ads could be linked with in-game activities accomplished by the player.

Abstract:
A system and method for presenting advertising, the method including but not limited to presenting on a first end user device, a first personalized advertisement in a first avatar’s view of a virtual world and presenting on a second end user device, a second personalized advertisement in a second avatar’s view of the virtual world.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A method for presenting advertising, the method comprising: monitoring on a processor, a response from a first avatar for a first end user to one of a plurality of advertising data types in one of a plurality of contexts in a virtual world; determining on the processor a preferred advertising data type for the first avatar for the first end user in each of the plurality of contexts; determining on the processor, from the plurality of contexts, a current context for the first avatar for the first end user; determining a preferred data type for the first end user in the current context for the first end user’s avatar; presenting on a first end user device, a first personalized advertisement having the preferred data type for the current context in the first avatar’s view of the virtual world; determining a preferred data type of a second end user in the current context for a second end user’s avatar; and presenting, a second personalized advertisement in a second avatar’s view of the virtual world, wherein a second advertising data type for the second personalized advertisement is the second end user’s preferred data type in the current context.