SYSTEM FOR GENERATING OR USING QUESTS

• US 20130132959A1
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Excalibur IP, LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Moore, Robert J.
• Application Number:
  US13/304,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20130132959A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Example methods, apparatuses, or articles of manufacture are disclosed that may be implemented, in whole or in part, using one or more computing devices to facilitate or otherwise support one or more processes or operations associated with a system for creating or using one or more quests.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

electronically generating one or more task-type instructions as part of performing a quest; and

detecting one or more machine-confirmable user actions indicating execution of said one or more task-type instructions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more machine-confirmable user actions qualify one or more users for a reward.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said reward comprises at least one of the following:

a physical reward;

a virtual reward;

or any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said reward comprises at least one of the following:

a reward visible in a quest application window prior to said execution of said one or more task-type instructions;

an indication of a reward visible in a quest application window prior to said execution of said one or more task-type instructions;

a reward not visible in said quest application window prior to said execution of said one or more task-type instructions;

or any combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more task-type instructions are generated by at least one of the following:

a provider of an on-line property;

an advertising sponsor;

one or more users;

or any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more task-type instructions are generated in connection with an authoring tool.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said authoring tool is provided by a provider of an on-line property.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more machine-confirmable user actions comprises one or more user actions confirmable via an application of a server-side process.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more task-type instructions direct one or more users to at least one of the following:

a web page specified via a uniform resource locator (URL);

a physical location specified via global positioning system (GPS) coordinates;

or any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more task-type instructions associate one or more users with non-game-related content.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more task-type instructions comprises one or more adventure-related instructions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said one or more adventure-related instructions comprises one or more story-related navigation instructions.

13. A method comprising:

generating one or more visual indicators to be displayed with displayable content,

said one or more visual indicators being based, at least in part, on execution of one or more task-type instructions by one or more users as part of performing a quest.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said one or more visual indicators are overlaid over at least a portion of at least one of the following:

a web page specified via a URL;

a digital map representative of a physical location specified via GPS coordinates;

a display associated with a client device;

or any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said one or more visual indicators are at least partially hidden or obscured in at least one of the following:

a web page specified via a URL;

a quest application window;

a digital map representative of a physical location specified via GPS coordinates;

a display associated with a client device;

or any combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said one or more visual indicators are overlaid without participation of at least one of the following:

a provider of an on-line property;

an advertising sponsor;

said one or more users;

or any combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said one or more users comprise a group of two or more mutually interacting users sharing one or more machine-confirmable user actions in response to said one or more task-type instructions.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a computing platform comprising at least one processor to;

generate one or more digital signals representative of a task-type instruction displayed in a quest application window associating one or more users with content;

electronically detect one or more machine-confirmable user actions in response to said task-type instruction; and

electronically keep track of said one or more machine-confirmable user actions in said quest application window upon or after said one or more users have been associated with said content.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein to said electronically keep track of said one or more machine-confirmable user actions comprises to keep track of at least one of the following:

an on-line location of said one or more users;

a physical location of said one or more users;

a user input detectable via said one or more machine-confirmable user actions;

or any combination thereof.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said task-type instruction is generated by at least one of the following:

a provider of an on-line property;

an advertising sponsor;

said one or more users;

or any combination thereof.