Geocaching games having virtual prizes awarded in an associated video game and related methods and computer program products

• US 10,099,143 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2013
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruckart, John P., Aaron, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIM, SENG HENG
• Application Number:
  US13/924,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20130288798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,940 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/205 for detecting the geographical location of the game platform
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video

Abstract

Methods of implementing geocaching games are provided in which information is provided regarding a location of a waypoint. Thereafter, it is confirmed that a player of the game physically arrived at the waypoint. After such confirmation has been obtained, the player may be awarded a virtual prize. Related geocaching games and computer program products are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of implementing a game, the method comprising:

providing information regarding a location of a respective one of a plurality of waypoints to a player of the game via a processor;

confirming that the player of the game physically arrived at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints via the processor, comprising receiving a message from the player transmitted over a location-capable wireless device, wherein the message includes information as to a current location of the location-capable wireless device;

displaying to the player via the location-capable wireless device items in a virtual cache associated with the respective one of the plurality of waypoints, wherein the player is allowed to remove a first item from the virtual cache and deposit the first item in a virtual depository, and wherein the player is allowed to move a second item from the virtual cache to another virtual cache associated with another of the plurality of waypoints to make it more complicated for other players to acquire the second item, wherein the virtual cache and the another virtual cache are accessed through a video game aspect of the game, wherein each player of the game has their own respective virtual depository, and wherein each player of the game is competing to complete their own set of virtual objects; and

awarding the player a virtual prize via the processor in response to confirming that the player of the game physically arrived at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints, wherein the virtual prize comprises points in the video game, and wherein the points are awarded based on an absolute difficulty in arriving at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints, a variable difficulty in arriving at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints, the variable difficulty being based on a starting location of the player when traveling to the respective one of the plurality of waypoints, and a time taken for the player to arrive at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints after the providing of the information regarding the location of the respective one of the plurality of waypoints to the player.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying to the player via the location-capable wireless device a logbook that contains information regarding other players who had successfully made their way to the waypoint, and wherein the player can write an entry into the logbook via the location-capable wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein awarding the player the virtual prize in response to confirming that the player of the game physically arrived at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints further comprises:

awarding the points in the video game based on a time that the player is confirmed as being physically present at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints as compared to respective times that other players of the game are confirmed as being physically present at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints, and on an order the player arrived at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints with respect to the other players.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the location of the respective one of the plurality of waypoints comprises a set of coordinates for the respective one of the plurality of waypoints.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the confirming that the player physically arrived at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints comprises receiving a message from the player that contains information that was obtained at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the location of the respective one of the plurality of waypoints is provided to the player by the video game.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the virtual prize is awarded after confirming that the player removed a set of items from the virtual caches of the respective plurality of waypoints.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the video game to present a question to the player.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the virtual prize is selected in part based on whether the player provides a correct answer to the question.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises displaying a physical location of one of the other players on a display that displays the game.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising awarding the player the virtual prize while the player is physically present at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising charging the player a fee to access the game.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an advertisement on a display used by the player to play the game.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of waypoints comprise a first waypoint, the method further comprising providing the player information regarding a location of a second waypoint in response to confirming that the player physically arrived at the first waypoint.

15. A video game that includes a non-transitory computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code when executed by a processor causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

providing information regarding a location of a respective one of a plurality of waypoints to a player of the game;

confirming that the player of the video game physically arrived at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints, comprising receiving a message from the player transmitted over a location-capable wireless device, wherein the message includes information as to a current location of the location-capable wireless device;

displaying to the player via the location-capable wireless device items in a virtual cache associated with the respective one of the plurality of waypoints;

allowing the player to remove a first item from the virtual cache and deposit the first item in a virtual depository;

allowing the player to move a second item from the virtual cache to another virtual cache associated with another of the plurality of waypoints to make it more complicated for other players to acquire the second item, wherein the virtual cache and the another virtual cache are accessed through a video game aspect of the game, wherein each player of the game has their own respective virtual depository, and wherein each player of the game is competing to complete their own set of virtual objects; and

awarding the player a virtual prize in response to confirming that the player of the video game physically arrived at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints, wherein the virtual prize comprises points in the video game, and wherein the points are awarded based on an absolute difficulty in arriving at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints, a variable difficulty in arriving at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints, the variable difficulty being based on a starting location of the player when traveling to the respective one of the plurality of waypoints, and a time taken for the player to arrive at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints after the providing of the information regarding the location of the respective one of the plurality of waypoints to the player.

16. The video game of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying to the player via the location-capable wireless device a logbook that contains information regarding other players who had successfully made their way to the respective one of the plurality of waypoints, and wherein the player can write an entry into the logbook via the location-capable wireless device.

17. The video game of claim 15, wherein awarding the player a virtual prize in response to confirming that the player of the video game physically arrived at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints further comprises awarding the points in the video game based on a time that the player is confirmed as being physically present at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints as compared to respective times that other players of the video game are confirmed as being physically present at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints, and on an order the player arrived at the respective one of the plurality of waypoints with respect to the other players.

18. The video game of claim 15, wherein the video game comprises a web-based video game.

19. The video game of claim 17, wherein the virtual prize comprises a key that facilitates entry into a different level of the video game.