System and method for awarding prizes in a local edition of an online game

• US 7,690,989 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2004
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Walker, Jay S., Heinemann, Kurt H., Suarez, Jose A., Tedesco, Daniel E., Gelman, Geoffrey M., Tulley, Stephen C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOSSER, ROBERT E
• Application Number:
  US10/825,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20040242332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,182 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/25, 463/7, 463/23, 463/29
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5513 involving billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/57 details of game services offered to the player

Abstract

According to some embodiments of the present invention a system and method are provided that allow a player of a game to receive at least one prize. The method may include receiving information about at least one merchant, enabling play of a game by a player, determining merchant information to communicate to the player, and providing at least one prize to the player. In some embodiments, the prizes made available to a player (e.g., for selection) may be based on the location of the player, a merchant, or both.

Claims

1. A game system for providing a local edition of an online game, the game system comprising:

a game device;

a game server in communication with the game device, the game server comprising;

a processor, and

a storage device in communication with the processor, the storage device storing instructions adapted to be executed by the processor for;

receiving from the game device an indication of a geographic location;

determining geographic data about a prize sponsor;

determining game content based on the geographic location and the geographic data about the prize sponsor;

transmitting the game content to the game device;

determining at least one prize to offer a player based on the geographic location,

in which determining the at least one prize to offer the player includes not selecting any prize of a category of which the player has accepted a prize within a predetermined preceding period of time;

prior to initiating play of a local edition of an online game including the game content, displaying to the player the at least one prize;

prior to initiating play of the local edition of the online game, receiving an indication of a selection by the player of a prize, from the at least one displayed prize, that the player will play for; and

initiating play of the local edition of the online game,

in which play comprises providing the player a first question about the prize selected by the player that the player will play for.

2. The game system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second storage device in communication with the game server, the second storage device storing data that identifies a plurality of prize sponsors,

in which each prize sponsor of the plurality of prize sponsors is associated with respective geographic data, and

in which each prize sponsor of the plurality of prize sponsors is associated with at least one respective prize.

3. The game system of claim 1, in which determining the at least one prize to offer the player comprises:

identifying a local prize sponsor from the plurality of prize sponsors based on the geographic location and the respective geographic data associated with each prize sponsor; and

determining a prize to offer the player,

in which the prize is associated with the local prize sponsor.

4. A method comprising:

receiving information about a plurality of merchants, each merchant being associated with respective first geographic data;

determining second geographic data that is associated with a user;

determining a set of local products based on the first geographic data and the second geographic data;

generating, by an electronic controller device, a local edition of a game, the local edition including a representation of at least one local product from the set of local products,

in which generating comprises not selecting any local product of a category of which the user has accepted an entitlement within a predetermined preceding period of time;

determining, by the electronic controller device, a measure of performance of the user in the game;

determining, by the electronic controller device and based on the measure of performance, whether to provide the user with at least one entitlement; and

prior to generating the local edition of the game, receiving, by the electronic controller device, an indication of a selection by the user of at least one entitlement,

in which each at least one selected entitlement is associated with a respective local product from the set of local products,

in which the local edition of the game comprises providing the user a first question about at least one entitlement selected by the player.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining a plurality of offers based on the geographic data.

6. A method comprising:

determining geographic data that is associated with a user;

determining at least one game element based on the geographic data;

prior to initiating a game including the at least one game element, transmitting to the user an indication of a plurality of retail entitlements,

in which none of the plurality of retail entitlements is of a category of which the user has accepted a retail entitlement within a predetermined preceding period of time;

prior to initiating the game, receiving, by an electronic controller device, an indication of a selection by the user of at least one retail entitlement that the user will play for;

initiating, by the electronic controller device, the game for the user, the game including the at least one game element,

in which the game comprises providing the user a first question about a retail entitlement selected by the player to play for;

determining a measure of performance of the user;

determining whether to provide at least one retail entitlement to the user based on the measure of performance; and

providing, via the electronic controller device, at least one retail entitlement to the user.

7. The method of claim 6, in which determining the measure of performance of the user comprises:

increasing the measure of performance based on play of the game by the user.

8. The method of claim 6, in which determining the measure of performance of the user comprises:

decreasing the measure of performance based on play of the game by the user.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying an indication of the measure of performance to the user.

10. The method of claim 6, in which displaying the indication of the measure of performance comprises:

displaying the measure of performance using a price meter.

11. The method of claim 6, in which the measure of performance comprises a credit amount.

12. The method of claim 6, in which the measure of performance comprises a price.

13. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining a purchase amount for the at least one retail entitlement; and

receiving the purchase amount from the user.

14. The method of claim 13, in which determining the purchase amount comprises:

determining the purchase amount based on the measure of performance.

15. The method of claim 13, in which determining the purchase amount comprises:

determining a target price; and

subtracting the measure of performance from the target price to determine the purchase amount.

16. The method of claim 6, in which the at least one game element comprises at least one of:

an indication of a merchant,

a representation of a product,

a price of a product,

a question about a price of a product, and

an indication of a location of the user.

17. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting respective indications of a plurality of products to the user.

18. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying a showcase of prizes to the user.

19. The method of claim 18, in which displaying the showcase comprises:

displaying the showcase of prizes to the user after play of the game is completed.

20. The method of claim 6, in which determining whether to provide at least one retail entitlement to the user comprises:

determining, based on the measure of performance, how many retail entitlements the user is eligible to receive.

21. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a payment from the user in exchange for the at least one retail entitlement.

22. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining an amount to charge the user for the at least one retail entitlement.

23. A computer-readable medium storing instructions configured to direct a processor to perform the method of claim 6.

24. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

the computer readable medium of claim 23 in communication with the processor.

25. A method comprising:

determining geographic data that is associated with a player;

determining a plurality of prizes based on the geographic data;

in which determining the plurality of prizes comprises not selecting any prize of a category of which the player has accepted a prize within a predetermined preceding period of time prior to initiating a game, transmitting to the user an indication of the plurality of prizes;

prior to initiating the game, receiving, by an electronic controller device, an indication of a selection by the player, from the plurality of prizes, of at least one prize that the player will play for;

initiating the game, by the electronic controller device,

in which the game comprises providing the player a first question about a prize selected by the player that the player will play for;

determining, by the electronic controller device, a measure of performance of the player in the game;

determining, by the electronic controller device and based on the measure of performance, whether to allow the player to select at least one prize from the at least one prize that the player selected to play for; and

receiving, by the electronic controller device, an indication of a selection by the player of at least one prize from the at least one prize that the player selected to play for.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

transmitting redemption information to the customer, the redemption information including an indication of the selected at least one prize.

27. The method of claim 26, in which the redemption information comprises information about a printable certificate.

28. The method of claim 26, in which the redemption information comprises a prize code.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

storing an indication of issuance of the at least one prize to the customer.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving a request from a merchant to validate a retail entitlement.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

determining whether the retail entitlement is valid.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

transmitting to the merchant a signal that indicates whether the retail entitlement is valid.

33. A method comprising:

determining location data that is associated with a user;

determining at least one game element based on the location data;

prior to initiating a game for the user including the at least one game element, transmitting to the user an indication of a plurality of retail entitlements,

in which none of the plurality of retail entitlements is of a category of which the user has accepted a retail entitlement within a predetermined preceding period of time;

prior to initiating the game, receiving, by the electronic controller device, an indication of a selection by the user of at least one retail entitlement that the user will play for;

initiating, by an electronic controller device, the game for the user, the game including the at least one game element,

in which the game comprises providing the user a first question about a retail entitlement selected by the user that the user will play for;

determining a measure of performance of the user;

determining a purchase amount of at least one retail entitlement based on the measure of performance; and

providing, by the electronic controller device, the user with a certificate associated with the at least one retail entitlement in exchange for the purchase amount, in which the certificate is redeemable by the user at a merchant.

34. A method comprising:

determining geographic data that is associated with a user;

determining a plurality of local merchants based on the geographic data;

determining, by an electronic controller device, a measure of performance of the user in a game;

determining, by the electronic controller device and based on the measure of performance, whether to allow the user to select at least one retail entitlement; and

prior to initiating the game for the user, receiving, by the electronic controller device, an indication of a selection by the user of at least one retail entitlement,

in which each at least one retail entitlement selected by the user is associated with a respective local merchant of the plurality of local merchants,

in which none of the at least one selected retail entitlement is of a category of which the user has accepted a retail entitlement within a predetermined preceding period of time, and

in which the game comprises providing the user a first question about a retail entitlement selected by the user.