Providing virtual items based on location-based actions

• US 10,300,377 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Auterio, Kathleen, Ersever, Deniz, Etter, Nathan Arthur, Kheskani, Hardik, Lam, Serena, Mahajan, Amitt, Makarsky, Christopher Joseph, Monahan, Jay, Mosites, Donald C., Mullin, Benjamin, Ocko, Matthew Adam, Reynolds, Brian, Talapatra, Shantanu, Waldron, Justin, Wang, Ian, Wang, Jackson
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US15/793,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20180043253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/27 characterised by a large display in a public venue, e.g. in a movie theatre, stadium or game arena
• 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 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/40 characterised by details of platform network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/57 details of game services offered to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items

Abstract

A method of providing virtual items based on location-based action is disclosed. An indication is received of a performance of a location-based action by a player of a computer-implemented game. A virtual item is provided based on the receiving of the indication of the performance of the location-based action by the player of the computer-implemented game. The virtual item may be usable within the computer-implemented game.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer memories;

one or more modules incorporated into the one or more computer memories, the one or more modules configuring the one or more computer processors to perform operations for providing an in-game asset to a player of a computer-implemented game before revealing at least a portion of an actual value of the in-game asset to the player, the operations comprising;

selecting the in-game asset for the player based on a profile of the player and a location-based action that an operator of an establishment at a real-world geographical location has determined to incentivize;

notifying the player of a subset of information about the in-game asset, the subset of information not including the portion of the actual value of the in-game asset; and

based on the player performing the location-based action, notifying the player of the portion of the actual value of the in-game asset.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the subset of information is a range of possible values corresponding to the actual value of the in-game asset.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the actual value is selected from the range based on an estimated value of the location-based action with respect to the operator of the establishment.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the subset of the information includes a range of values, the range of values including the actual value.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the notifying of the player of the actual value of the in-game asset occurs when the player logs into a game networking system on which the computer-implemented game is executing.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the notifying of the player of the actual value of the in-game asset includes presenting a message in a user interface of a mobile device of the player upon completion of the location-based action by the player.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the subset of information is a percentage chance that the player will win the in-game asset upon performing the location-based action.

8. A method comprising:

performing operations for providing an in-game asset to a player of a computer-implemented game before revealing at least a portion of an actual value of the in-game asset to the player, the operations comprising;

selecting the in-game asset for the player based on a profile of the player and a location-based action that an operator of an establishment at a real-world geographical location has determined to incentivize;

notifying the player of a subset of information about the in-game asset, the subset of information not including the portion of the actual value of the in-game asset; and

based on the player performing the location-based action, notifying the player of the portion of the actual value of the in-game asset.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the subset of information is a range of possible values corresponding to the actual value of the in-game asset.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the actual value is selected from the range based on an estimated value of the location-based action with respect to the operator of the establishment.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the subset of the information includes a range of values, the range of values including the actual value.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the notifying of the player of the actual value of the in-game asset occurs when the player logs into a game networking system on which the computer-implemented game is executing.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the notifying of the player of the actual value of the in-game asset includes presenting a message in a user interface of a mobile device of the player upon completion of the location-based action by the player.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the subset of information is a percentage chance that the player will win the in-game asset upon performing the location-based action.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions that, when incorporated into a game networking system as one or more modules implemented by at least one processor of the game networking system, cause the at least one processor to perform operations for providing an in-game asset to a player of a computer-implemented game before revealing at least a portion of an actual value of the in-game asset to the player, the operations comprising:

selecting the in-game asset for the player based on a profile of the player and a location-based action that an operator of an establishment at a real-world geographical location has determined to incentivize;

notifying the player of a subset of information about the in-game asset, the subset of information not including the portion of the actual value of the in-game asset; and

based on the player performing the location-based action, notifying the player of the portion of the actual value of the in-game asset.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the subset of information is a range of possible values corresponding to the actual value of the in-game asset.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the actual value is selected from the range based on an estimated value of the location-based action with respect to the operator of the establishment.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the subset of the information includes a range of values, the range of values including the actual value.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the notifying of the player of the actual value of the in-game asset occurs when the player logs into a game networking system on which the computer-implemented game is executing.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the notifying of the player of the actual value of the in-game asset includes presenting a message in a user interface of a mobile device of the player upon completion of the location-based action by the player.