Apple has apparently filed a virtual shopping patent, MacNN claims. The Cupertino company filed in September 2006 a patent, invented by someone called David A. Koski, which is called "Enhancing Online Shopping Atmosphere." It appears that the patent is related to a virtual shopping store, which features, among others, atmospherical conditions such as seasons or sun/moon display depending on the time of day.

The patent appears very general and probably is at the limit of what is acceptable for patenting due to its vagueness. There are also a few details, though: “visitors are represented by avatars selected by those visitors, rather than a more generic or uniform icon,” the patent says.

The avatars also will allegedly include a letter which reveals their rank or function. If a user has an “N” upon him, it means that he is a new user or “newbie,” MacNN reports. Similarly, if a user has an “E” superimposed on them, they’re an “expert” and salespersons would be seen as an avatar with an “H” on their chest (from "help").

It's unclear how and whether Apple will turn the patent into real-virtual-life technology. Some have speculated that the Mac maker wants to revamp its Apple Store to make it more interactive, but so far there are no confirmations. Others claim that Apple may ponder the opening of such stores into already-existing virtual worlds, such as Second Life, but this hardly seems an option considering the company's policy of being independent in its enterprises.

Apple has already played with virtual worlds, but its project has gone under more than a decade ago. Their virtual world project, dubbed eWorld, was only available for Macs in 1994 and thus had very limited user base at a time when the Cupertino company was not at its best. EWorld was thought out as a replacement for its aging AppleLink service. However, it cost too much and was poorly marketed, which led to its demise in 1996.