Social Enablement of Mobile Casual Games Enabling Mobile Users to Connect Within and Outside Games with Other Mobile Users, brands, game developers, and Others Online, on Mobile Devices, and in Social Networks

• US 20120244948A1
• Filed: 03/20/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: P4rc, Inc.
• Original Assignee: P4rc, Inc.
• Inventors: Dhillon, Jasjit S., Seldon, Jason Adam, Vadlamani, Bhatt Lakshmi
• Granted Patent: US 8,762,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/537 for exchanging game data using a messaging service, e.g. e-mail, SMS, MMS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A gamer engagement platform within games and social networks to engage gamers in novel ways during the game play and during interstitial periods between game level transitions to promote loyalty to games while exposing them gracefully the rewards and advertisements of brands and location based service providers with whom they are likely to have high affinity on just-in-time and just-in-location basis, whether the games are being played online or offline. Gamer can invite friends in platform and social networks for social game challenge across heterogeneous games. Brands, location based service providers, and game developers can conduct and track campaigns using the optimized points conversion engine and offer recommendation engine of the platform. Software code embedded in the games conducts campaigns during game play and interstitial times during game level transitions to convert game points earned into platform points that can be exchanged by gamer to redeem rewards in-game or later.

Claims

1. A method for social enablement of mobile casual games enabling mobile users to connect within and outside games with other mobile users, brands, game developers, and others online, on mobile devices, and in social networks using a social enablement platform (SEP) recorded on computer-readable medium and capable of execution by a computer comprising the steps of:

providing SEP for brands, location based services providers (LBS), game developers, and gamers;

using a social engagement platform software development kit (SEP SDK) consisting of computer software code that can be embedded by them into the software code of the game, where in, the game developer can do one or more of the following including but not limited to;

connecting existing and future games of game developer to the SEP using SEP SDK;

registering with SEP;

exchanging game points into SEP points using the points conversion engine in SEP (PCE);

allowing a gamer to exchange SEP points accrued into the purchase of games sponsored by the game developer;

exchanging SEP points accrued into redemption of rewards and promotions by brands that have high affinity to the gamer'"'"'s profile as determined by the offer recommendation engine in SEP (ORE);

exchanging SEP points accrued into redemption of rewards and promotions by LBS that have high affinity to the gamer'"'"'s profile as determined by ORE;

staking SEP points to participate in a challenge and gain additional SEP points from the challenge if the gamer wins that challenge; and

staking SEP points into a challenge and start a challenge by inviting his/her friends in SEP and other social networks to stake their SEP points into the challenge, where in, the winner of the challenge gains all the SEP points staked by the participants of the challenge.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

using SEP to design and execute marketing and advertising campaigns to promote the loyalty of the gamers to its games including but not limited to the following;

earning SEP points by promoting SEP within his/her social networks to increase membership of SEP;

earning SEP points by promoting the game within his/her social networks including SEP to increase the game purchases;

earning SEP points by promoting the games sponsored by game developer within his/her social networks including SEP to increase game purchases;

earning SEP points by being an active and long standing player of the game; and

earning SEP points by being an active and long standing participant of rewards and promotions sponsored by game developer in SEP.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

using SEP to connect its games with brands and develop joint marketing and advertising campaigns to expose brand rewards and promotions to the gamers within the game; and

exchanging SEP points accrued into redemption of rewards and promotions by brands that are sponsored by the game developer.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

using SEP to connect its games with LBS and develop joint marketing and advertising campaigns;

using SEP to expose LBS rewards and promotions to the gamers within the game; and

exchanging SEP points accrued into redemption of rewards and promotions by LBS merchants that are sponsored by the game developer.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of:

allowing a brand using SEP to connect with game developers and LBS to develop joint marketing and advertising campaigns to expose brand rewards and promotions to the gamers within the game; and

exchanging SEP points accrued into redemption of rewards and promotions by brands.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

allowing a LBS using SEP to connect with game developers and brands to develop joint marketing and advertising campaigns to expose LBS rewards and promotions to the gamers within the game; and

exchanging SEP points accrued into redemption of rewards and promotions by LBS.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

allowing a brand using SEP to register its rewards and offers with SEP;

allowing a brand using SEP to design and execute marketing and advertising campaigns targeted at the gamers of all the games connected to SEP; and

exchanging SEP points accrued into redemption of rewards and promotions by the brand.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

allowing a LBS using SEP to register its rewards and offers with SEP;

allowing a LBS using SEP to design and execute marketing and advertising campaigns targeted at the gamers of all the games connected to SEP; and

exchanging SEP points accrued into redemption of rewards and promotions by the LBS.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of allowing game developers, brands, and LBS merchants in setting up campaigns for offers in SEP based on gamer demographics.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of allowing game developers, brands, and LBS in setting up campaigns for offers in SEP based on the profile and interactions of a gamer on mobile devices.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of allowing game developers, brands, and LBS merchants in setting up campaigns for offers in SEP based on the profile and interactions of a gamer in SEP and other social networks.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of allowing game developers, brands, and LBS merchants in setting up campaigns for offers in SEP based on the location of a gamer.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of allowing a gamer to transfer game points into SEP Accounts online, on mobile devices, or in social networks.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of allowing a gamer to redeem offers in SEP using the SEP points online, on mobile devices, or in social networks.

15. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of allowing game developers, brands, and LBS use SEP to provide Rewards, Credits, Social Networking, and Analytics.

16. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of allowing game developers, brands, and LBS to provide Premium Rewards and Promotions to gamers online, on mobile devices, and in social networks when gamers purchase credits towards such premium offers in SEP.

17. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of delivering Premium Rewards and Promotions as needed to the gamers and offer/rewards fulfillment partners.

18. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of allowing donations of SEP points for Non-Profit Causes for exchange to redeem the rewards and promotions within SEP.

19. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

determining a points conversion method for points Based Games in SEP;

determining a points conversion method for non-points Based Games in SEP;

estimating initial points by a points conversion engine (PCE) in SEP; and

determining the acceleration of points by PCE in SEP.

20. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

providing a circuit breaker for excessive points conversion by PCE in SEP;

providing an Estimation of initial offers by offer recommendation engine (ORE) in SEP;

determining the acceleration of offers in SEP using ORE; and

providing a circuit breaker for excessive offer redemption in SEP.