Apple's Patent for a Shopping Virtual World

Yesterday the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple’s patent application for "Enhancing Online Shopping Atmosphere." The main improvement Apple sees, at least here, for online shopping is to make it a more social experience: "One drawback of online shopping is that the experience can feel sterile and isolating," explains the application. "Customers in such an environment may be less likely to have positive feelings about the online shopping experience, may be less inclined to engage in the online equivalent of window shopping (e.g., will not linger in front of a display), and may ultimately spend less money than their counterparts who shop in physical stores."

To start with, as the abstract does, "Information associated with the activities of a second visitor to the store is received. An indication of the presence of a first visitor at the store is also received. The activities of the second visitor are displayed to the first visitor."

The way it all sounds when it  comes together, and looks based on the accompanying illustrations, is that Apple has patented a design for a shopping-oriented virtual world, complete with avatars and a 3D environment.

So far, shopping hasn't really taken off as a use case for virtual worlds--at least not shopping for physical goods. Companies like Kinset, though,  are eager to tap the  wider market of online shopping. Apple certainly has the knowhow, and that's the description laid out in the application--an interface for a brick-and-mortar electronics store's online shopping experience. I.e., a virtual Apple Store.

Even more interesting is the idea that Apple might be considering a virtual world interface for its booming digital services. iTunes works fine for singe-user, targeted shopping, but what would it look like with a social, window shopping focus?

So far it sounds like integrated search, representations of physical layouts, displays that adapt to prior browsing history, avatar crowds (selectively shown if its too crowded), self-selected crowds (you can shop with the Fifth Avenue crowd even if you're stranded in the Midwest), ranked products based on popularity of viewing, and replayable in-store events are all under consideration for patents, if nothing else.

It's worth noting that this application was filed in September 2006 and nothing has come out of Apple in this direction since then. It's also worth noting that other patent applications filed around then and released yesterday include several designs and ideas for head-mounted displays.

Here's hoping the Virtual Apple Store comes complete with goggles and treadmills.
[via MacNN]

Comments

[csven]

I thoroughly dislike this particular sort of patent. If I didn't detest it, I'd have tried to patent a transreality shopping experience/business concept I outlined back in Jan 2006 (http://blog.rebang.com/?p=577).

I hope there is sufficient prior art to mount a challenge to Apple's patent.

[Mike]

I think the prior art goes to Gary Trudeau with his 1993 Doonesbury cartoon of Boopsie using VR to shop in a VR mall.

NYT article says its been used in other patent disputes.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803E0D9133DF93AA25750C0A9679C8B63

[Giff Constable]

Shopping is of course a major use case for Second Life, but I agree with you that the majority of that shopping is for virtual goods not real. However, you have been able to buy real goods in a virtual world for some time.

When I introduced virtual worlds at the national retail federation's conference earlier this year, I spoke about how virtual worlds can improve the shopping experience with easier browsing, better customer service/support, and social shopping. With the right privacy and information sharing settings, you could also get to the point where stores are "smarter" about your interests, but then we haven't come very far with that on the Web yet either.

Of course, it has to be better than 2D catalogs, not just a display of 2D catalogs in a 3D space. Early days, yet.

I detest patents like this.

[nic mitham]

combine that patent with this one for glasses: http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/17/new-head-mounted-laser-display-patent-surfaces/
hey presto.
*sits back and lights cigar* ;)