Patent ID: 8688975

Claim:
A method for certifying a virtual entity to conduct transactions in a virtual universe, comprising: providing a secure certifying system configured to enable a first virtual entity controlled by a user to certify an identity of the first virtual entity with an independent certificate administration center and be granted a security certificate based on the certification of the identity of the first virtual entity using a computer system including at least one computing device, wherein the certification of the identity of the first virtual entity is performed to ensure security for a real-world transaction, wherein the user controls the first virtual entity via an agent computer communicatively coupled to a virtual universe server, wherein the certifying includes independently checking a first data set for the first virtual entity and associating a security certificate symbol with the first virtual entity, requirements of the first data set defined by the certifying system, wherein the security certificate symbol is displayed to be viewed by a second virtual entity in the virtual universe, and wherein the certificate administration center is configured to initiate operation of the certifying system and modify an interface of the agent computer to enable secure communication between the agent computer and the certificate administration center; providing a checking system initiated by the second virtual entity by acting on the displayed security certificate symbol to initiate a process of verification of the certification to verify whether the security certificate symbol associated with the first virtual entity represents a valid security certificate using the computer system, wherein the checking system is configured to modify software of the agent computer and is deployed in the virtual universe server, and wherein the checking system is further configured to control the agent computer to generate a verification message separate from rendering of the virtual universe; passing the initiated process of verification to the certificate administration center to determine the validity using the computer system, wherein the process of verification includes comparing the first data set of the first virtual entity with a second data set of the first virtual entity, wherein the second data set is obtained from the first virtual entity at initiation of the process of verification; outputting a result of the validity determination using the computer system; and allowing the second entity to access the result of the validity determination.