Abstract:
A computer implemented method to exchange virtual goods in a virtual environment includes receiving funds at a trading platform from a buyer. The buyer is provided with a first secret that the buyer can decrypt and a second secret that the buyer cannot decrypt. The buyer is authenticated to a seller using the first secret. A virtual item is delivered from the seller to the buyer in response to authenticating. The buyer delivers to the seller the second secret for decryption by the seller. The seller is authenticated at the trading platform with the second secret. The seller is supplied with the funds.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/176,181, filed Jul. 18, 2008, which is a non-provisional application of and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/950,404, filed Jul. 18, 2007, entitled, “System and Method for Secure Fulfillment of Transactions Involving Virtual Items”. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to networked computer games. More particularly, this invention relates to executing financial transactions in virtual environments. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) are online computer games capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. Millions of users worldwide have created a virtual identity (alter-ego) on various MMOGs and other virtual online worlds. Users of virtual worlds spend hundreds of hours playing and creating their virtual identities and winning various virtual items and currencies. With attainment of such virtual items comes the desire to trade or otherwise transact for other virtual items. Currently, there does not exist a transaction mechanism that guarantees completion of such transactions for virtual items before payment. For example, existing virtual trading mechanism are often subject to fraud since it is difficult to authenticate the identities of the parties and items involved in such virtual worlds. As a result, the market for trading and transacting virtual items has languished, waiting for a transaction mechanism that guarantees completion of the transaction before payment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one general aspect, the present invention is directed to systems and methods which provide for secure fulfillment of transactions involving virtual items. According to various embodiments, the system can provide proof that the virtual item(s) was delivered and paid for when two independent parties meet in an online or virtual market and decide to complete a transaction. The marketplace can then disperse the moneys to the respective parties securely. 
     The invention includes a computer implemented method to exchange virtual goods in a virtual environment by receiving funds at a trading platform from a buyer. The buyer is provided with a first secret that the buyer can decrypt and a second secret that the buyer cannot decrypt. The buyer is authenticated to a seller using the first secret. A virtual item is delivered from the seller to the buyer in response to authenticating. The buyer delivers to the seller the second secret for decryption by the seller. The seller is authenticated at the trading platform with the second secret. The seller is supplied with the funds. 
     The invention also includes a computer implemented method to exchange virtual goods in a virtual environment by listing virtual goods. A buyer is supplied with a first secret encrypted to a buyer key and a second secret encrypted to a seller key. The buyer is authenticated to a seller using the first secret. A virtual item is delivered from the seller to the buyer in response to authenticating. The buyer delivers the second secret to the seller. The seller is authenticated at a trading platform with the second secret to receive buyer funds. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The invention is more fully appreciated in connection with the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram of a system configured in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart of a process utilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram depicting a user toolbar utilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram of a system according to another embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     Like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram of a system  10  to support virtual item transactions according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , numerous end users (e.g., virtual online game players) using their end user computer devices  12 ,  14 , may play a virtual online game provided by virtual online game server  16 . The end users computer devices  12 ,  14  may be connected to the virtual online game server  16  via a network  18 , such as the Internet or some other type of computer network. The end user computer devices  12 ,  14  may be, for example, personal computers, laptops, handheld computers, or any other processor-based computer device capable of logging into and playing such online virtual games. 
     The system  10  may also include a virtual item trading platform  20  connected to the network  18 . The virtual item trading platform  20  may provide a virtual marketplace for items in the virtual worlds of the games provided by the virtual online game server  16 . For instance, players of the virtual online game (e.g., end users at the end user computer devices  12 ,  14 ) may list items they have acquired in the game for trade, sale or other type of exchange in the marketplace provided by the virtual item trading platform  20 . The virtual trade trading platform may comprise one or a number of networked servers and may be a virtual item trading platform as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/974,861, filed Oct. 16, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference. The trading platform  20  may also have a dedicated connection  22  to the game server  16 . 
     End users may download a toolbar from the virtual online trading platform  20  that is displayed for the end user on the end user&#39;s computer device  12 ,  14 , when the end user is playing the virtual online game provided by the virtual online game server  16 . An example of such a toolbar  24  is shown in  FIG. 3 . The toolbar  24  may be transparent and overlay the graphics from the game, as shown in  FIG. 3 . End users may use the toolbar to list item with the broker&#39;s marketplace for exchange, view items listed by other end users for exchange, etc. The virtual item trading platform  20  may also broker the exchange of virtual items transacted between end users in a manner that ensures the secure exchange of the virtual item between the end users prior to payment. 
       FIG. 2  is a flowchart describing the process of how the secure fulfillment of an exchange of a virtual item prior to payment for the item may be accomplished according to various embodiments of the present invention. For the purposes of this example, assume that the end user at the end user computer device  12  is the seller of the virtual item (hereinafter referred to as “seller  12 ”) and that the end user at the end user computer device  14  is the buyer of the virtual item (hereinafter referred to as “buyer  14 ”). As such, at step  40 , the seller  12  may list the virtual item for sale through the virtual item marketplace provided by the virtual item trading platform  20 . At step  42 , the buyer  14  agrees to purchase the item for a price P. At step  44 , once the trading platform  20  has been notified as to the agreement, the trading platform  20  provides both the seller  12  and the buyer  14  with a unique private key. For example, the trading platform may deliver the keys to an avatar associated with the seller  12  and an avatar associated with the buyer  14 . A subsequent exchange of keys operates as proof of delivery of virtual goods. The private keys allow the seller  12  and buyer  14  to decrypt messages from the trading platform  20 , which are used as part of the transaction process, as described further below. The trading platform  20  may be notified of the agreement via the interface of the trading platform (e.g., the toolbar  24  or some other interface) or via email, for example. 
     At step  46 , the trading platform  20  provides a payment envelope to the seller  12 . The payment envelope may be encrypted in the seller&#39;s key so that the seller  12  can receive it privately and reliably. The trading platform  20  may additionally sign a digest of the payment envelope to prove that it is authentic. Next, at step  48 , the buyer  14  deposits the purchase price with the trading platform  20  or some other escrow agent for the transaction. Any suitable online payment technique may be used for depositing the funds. 
     Next, at step  49 , the trading platform  20  provides the buyer  14  with a first message that may contain (i) a description of the transaction, (ii) a date, and (iii) a secret that only the buyer  14  can decrypt using the buyer&#39;s public/private keys. The secret may comprise two things: a buyer secret code and another (second) encrypted message. The buyer secret code may be, for example, a random sixteen digit number. The second encrypted message may contain a seller secret code that is encrypted in the key of the seller  12 . Thus, in such an embodiment, the first message received by the buyer  14  may have the following format: 
     {Buyer&#39;s Secret, Transaction Description, {Seller&#39;s Secret, Transaction Description} K(seller)} K(Buyer)  where {Message} K(x))  indicates that the content “Message” has been encrypted by the trading platform in  20  in x&#39;s private key. So, the message above indicates the original message sent to the buyer  14  is encrypted in the buyer&#39;s key, but contains another message encrypted in the seller&#39;s key. The buyer  14  may give the second encrypted message to the seller  12  when the exchange of the virtual item occurs, as described further below. Like the buyer&#39;s secret code, the seller&#39;s secret code may be a random sixteen digit number. 
     Once the seller  12  has the payment envelope and the buyer  14  has received the first message after depositing the purchase price with the trading platform  20 , delivery of the virtual item may take place pursuant to the agreed upon transaction. In order to do this, the virtual characters for the seller  12  and the buyer  14  meet in their virtual world. The trading platform  20  may facilitate the meeting by detecting the presence of the seller  12  and the buyer  14  in the virtual world. In one embodiment, the trading platform  20  may detect the presence of the parties by analyzing the executable files of the game server  16 . In that connection, the trading platform  20  may include a database  23  (see  FIG. 1 ) that maps the executable files to particular places in the virtual world. That is, by analyzing and interpreting the executable files running on the game server  16 , the trading platform  20  can determine the location, or presence, of game participants in the virtual world based on the mappings in the database  23  to particular locations in the game. In another embodiment, the trading platform  20  may have an API (application programming interface) that interfaces with the game server  16  so that, through the API, the game server  16  can provide the relevant location information for the participants to the trading platform  20 . 
     Therefore, in one example, at step  50 , the trading platform  20  could detect the presence of the buyer  14  at the agreed-upon location for the exchange of the virtual item. Further, to authenticate the buyer, the buyer  14  may send back to the trading platform  20  the buyer&#39;s secret code contained in the message received at step  49 . That way, the trading platform  20  can authenticate the buyer  14  since only the buyer  14  will have the code, which was encrypted with the seller&#39;s key. 
     Once the trading platform locates and authenticates the buyer  14 , the trading platform could send a message to the seller  12  to go to the location to complete the transaction. The messages from the buyer to the trading platform  20  and the message from the trading platform  20  to the seller may be done via instant messaging using the toolbar  24  (see  FIG. 3 ). In other embodiments, the message may be sent via email or other suitable means. 
     Once the buyer  14  and the seller  12  meet at the agreed upon location in the game for the exchange, the seller  12 , at step  52 , may present the payment envelope to the buyer. The buyer  14 , at step  54 , may then decrypt the payment envelope with the buyer&#39;s key to authenticate the seller  12 , the item, and the transaction. The seller&#39;s virtual avatar may then, at step  56 , give the virtual item to the buyer&#39;s avatar, and the buyer  14  may then give the seller&#39;s secret code to the seller  12  (e.g., the secret code given to the buyer at step  49 ). 
     In addition, according to various embodiments, the seller  12  and/or the buyer  14  may capture an image of the completed transaction in the virtual world using the camera function  26  in the toolbar  24  (see  FIG. 3 ) at step  58 . The image may capture the buyer  14  holding the virtual item that is the subject of the transaction so that the image evidences delivery of the item prior to payment. An image of a decrypted secret may also be used to provide delivery of an item. Alternately, or in addition, an image of a description of an item together with an actual picture of the item may be used for transaction verification. 
     Then, at step  60 , the seller  12  may decrypt the seller&#39;s secret code using the seller&#39;s key and send the code, along with the image of the transaction, to the trading platform  20 . These items may authenticate completion of the transaction, in which ease, at step  62 , the trading platform  20  may deliver the purchase proceeds, which the trading platform was holding in escrow, to the seller  12 . 
     In such a transaction scenario, the fact that the seller  12  has the seller&#39;s secret code evidences that the seller  12  has communicated with the appropriate buyer  14  and received the seller&#39;s secret code from the buyer  14 . This transaction scenario is capable of thwarting many fraudulent tactics used in current virtual world transactions. For instance, the buyer  14  cannot later deny that it accepted the item because (i) the seller  12  has the seller&#39;s secret message given to the seller  12  by the buyer  14  at the time of the exchange, and (ii) the image showing the buyer  14  in possession of the item. Also, the seller cannot ask for payment without delivering the item because (i) the seller will not have the seller&#39;s secret code given to it by the buyer at the time of the exchange and (ii) there will be no captured image of the buyer in possession of the item. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , only one game server  16  is shown. It should be recognized that in other embodiments, the trading platform  20  may provide the transaction functionality for a number of game servers  16 . That is, the trading platform  20  may facilitate virtual item transactions using the above-described processes in a number of different virtual worlds. In such an embodiment, the database  23  preferably stores mappings for each such virtual world so that the trading platform  20  can detect the presence of characters in the different virtual worlds. 
     In other embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the trading platform  20  could be integrated with the game server  16 . That is, the game server  16  could supply the functionality of the trading platform  20  regarding the transaction process rather than having a third-party marketplace provide the functionality, as in the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
     An embodiment of the present invention relates to a computer storage product with a computer readable storage medium having computer code thereon for performing various computer implemented operations. The media and computer code may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the kind well known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer readable media include, but are not limited to: magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs and holographic devices; magneto-optical media; and hardware devices that are specially configured to store and execute program code, such as application-specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”), programmable logic devices (“PLDs”) and ROM and RAM devices. Examples of computer code include machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and files containing higher-level code that are executed by a computer using an interpreter. For example, an embodiment of the invention may be implemented using Java, C++, or other object-oriented programming language and development tools. Another embodiment of the invention may be implemented in hardwired circuitry in place of, or in combination with, machine-executable software instructions. 
     The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that specific details are not required in order to practice the invention. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed; obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, they thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the following claims and their equivalents define the scope of the invention.