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

• US 8,485,878 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2007
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• 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: Aaron, Jeffrey, Ruckart, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOANG, BACH V
• Application Number:
  US11/620,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20080167129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,384 Days
• Field of Search: 463/6, 463 59- 60, 463/7, 463/40, 463/42, 273445-446
• US Class Current: 463/6
• 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 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;

displaying to the player via the 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 wireless device;

awarding the player a virtual prize after the confirming that the player physically arrived at all of the respective waypoints, the waypoint, wherein the virtual prize is associated with the video game and comprises points in the video game, and wherein the points are awarded based on a time that the player is confirmed as being physically present at the waypoint as compared to respective times that other players of the game are confirmed as being physically present at the waypoint, on a time it took the player to arrive at the waypoint after the providing of the information regarding the location of the waypoint, and on an order the player arrived at the waypoint with respect to the other players, wherein the awarding of the player the virtual prize is performed by the processor.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. The method of claim 1, 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.

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

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the virtual prize is selected at least in part based on whether the player provides a correct answer to the question.

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

12. 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.

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

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying at least one advertisement on a display used by the player to play the game.

15. 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.

8. 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 comprising:

computer readable program code that provides information regarding a location of a respective one of a plurality of waypoints to a player of the game;

computer readable program code that confirms 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;

computer readable program code that displays to the player via the wireless device items in a virtual cache associated with the respective one of the plurality of waypoints;

computer readable program code that allows the player to remove a first item from the virtual cache and deposit the first item in a virtual depository;

computer readable program code that allows 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;

computer readable program code that displays to the player via the 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 wireless device; and

computer readable program code that awards the player a virtual prize in response to confirming that the player is physically present at the pre-selected location wherein the virtual prize comprises points in the video game, and wherein the points are awarded based on a time that the player is confirmed as being physically present at the pre-selected location as compared to respective times that other players of the game are confirmed as being physically present at the pre-selected location, on a time it took the player to arrive at the pre-selected location after the providing of the information regarding the pre-selected location, and on an order the player arrived at the pre-selected location with respect to the other players, and after the confirming that the player physically arrived at all of the respective waypoints.

9. The video game of claim 8, wherein the video game comprises a web-based video game.

10. The video game of claim 8, wherein the virtual prize comprises a key that facilitates entry into a different level of the video game.