Virtual Item Transaction Holding Account Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for facilitating transactions of virtual items in online games lack secure and efficient mechanisms for managing ownership and payment processes, particularly in ensuring that transactions are secure and transparent, and that ownership is temporarily held during the sale process to prevent changes by the seller.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilizes hardware processors to manage user accounts, temporarily assign ownership of virtual items to a holding account during sales, generate and publish sales listings on online sales platforms, and transfer ownership and payments between accounts, ensuring secure and transparent transactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If ownership of virtual items is managed directly by user accounts during sales, then ease of operation is improved, but security and transaction reliability deteriorate due to potential unauthorized changes by sellers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a holding account as an intermediary between the seller's account and the buyer's account. When an item is listed for sale, ownership is temporarily transferred to the holding account, which prevents the seller from modifying or transferring the item during the sales period. This intermediary mechanism ensures transaction reliability while maintaining ease of operation through automated processes.
2Reliability
If a holding account is introduced to secure virtual items during sales, then transaction reliability is improved, but device complexity worsens due to additional account management
Solution Approach 1:
The holding account serves multiple functions: it secures items during sales, automatically transfers ownership to buyers upon purchase, and returns items to sellers if unsold. This multi-functional design consolidates what could be multiple separate systems into a single universal mechanism, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high transaction reliability.
3Productivity
If automated ownership transfer is implemented, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision worsens due to difficulty in tracking ownership status
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automated feedback mechanisms that continuously track and update ownership status. When an item is listed, the holding account receives the item; when a sale occurs, the buyer's account is automatically credited; when unsold, the item returns to the seller. This feedback loop ensures precise ownership tracking alongside high transaction productivity through automation.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for facilitating transactions of virtual items between users of an online game are disclosed. Exemplary implementations may: receive a sales request that indicates a selling user will be offering for sale a particular virtual item from a seller's inventory through an online sales platform; assign the ownership of the particular virtual item temporarily to a holding account; publish a sales listing of the particular virtual item on the online sales platform; receive sales information from the online sales platform indicating whether the particular virtual item has been purchased; assign the ownership of the particular virtual item to the buyer's account; and transfer at least a portion of a sales amount received from the buying user to the seller's account.