Clan wars

• US 8,506,409 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2011
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Bethke, Erik Paul, Broom, Michael, Jones, Robert Aaron, Koenigsberg, Scott, Mahajan, Amitt, Mooney, William Henry Kelly, Ocko, Matthew Adam, Wang, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Brewster, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): SKAARUP, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US13/244,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20130005473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 688 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/29
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5378 for displaying an additional top view, e.g. radar screens or maps using two or more virtual cameras concurrently A63F13/5252
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• 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 13/69 by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

A method of implementing clan wars is disclosed. An incentive reward is generated that is to be provided to at least one member of a group of users of a game networking system based on the group exercising a level of influence over a location during a time period that is greater than a level of influence of an additional group of users over the location during the time period. It is determined that the group exercised the level of influence over the location during the time period. The incentive reward is provided to the at least one member of the group based on the determining that the level of influence exercised by the group is greater than the level of influence of the additional group over the location during the time period.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

using at least one computer processor to execute instructions stored in a memory to perform operations comprising;

generating an incentive reward that is to be provided to at least one member of a group of users of a game networking system based on the group exercising a level of influence over a location during a time period that is greater than a level of influence of an additional group of users over the location during the time period;

detecting a simultaneous presence of a number of members of the group at the location during the time period;

detecting a simultaneous presence of a number of members of the additional group at the location during the time period;

determining that the group exercised the level of influence over the location during the time period based on the number of simultaneously present members of the group being greater than the number of simultaneously present members of the additional group; and

providing the incentive reward to the at least one member of the group based on the determining that the level of influence exercised by the group is greater than the level of influence of the additional group over the location during the time period.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a number of members of the group performed at least one of a set of location-based actions at the location during the time period;

determining that a number of members of the additional group performed at least one of the set of location-based actions at the location during the time period; and

wherein the determining that the group exercised the level of influence over the location during the time period is based on the number of the members of the group being greater than the number of members of the additional group.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying the group of users and the additional group of users of the generating of the incentive reward.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the at least one member of the group based on a contribution of the at least one member of the group to the level of influence exercised by the group.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a designation of the location-based action from an operator of the location.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the generating of the incentive reward is based on an accessing of an inventory system of an operator of a location of the location-based action.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the simultaneous presence of the number of members of the group at the location during the time period is performed based on a passive tracking of locations of each of the number of the members of the group.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the passive tracking of the locations of each of the number of the members of the group includes processing data received from a location networking system pertaining to devices owned by each of the number of the members of the group.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the passive tracking of locations is performed based on a receiving of a permission from each of the number of the members of the group to perform the passive tracking.

10. A system comprising:

a processor-implemented game networking system configured to;

generate an incentive reward that is to be provided to at least one member of a group of users of a game networking system based on the group exercising a level of influence over a location during a time period that is greater than a level of influence of an additional group of users over the location during the time period;

detect a simultaneous presence of a number of members of the group at the location during the time period;

detect a simultaneous presence of a number of members of the additional group at the location during the time period;

determine that the group exercised the level of influence over the location during the time period based on the number of the simultaneously present members of the group being greater than the number of simultaneously present members of the additional group; and

providing the incentive reward to the at least one member of the group based on the determining that the level of influence exercised by the group is greater than the level of influence of the additional group over the location during the time period.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein processor-impleinented game networking system is further configured to:

determine that a number of members of the group performed at least one of a set of location-based actions at the location during the time period;

determine that a number of members of the additional group performed at least one of the set of location-based actions at the location during the time period; and

wherein the determining that the group exercised the level of influence over the location during the time period is based on the number of the members of the group being greater than the number of members of the additional group.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein processor-implemented game networking system is further configured to notify the group of users and the additional group of users of the generating of the incentive reward.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein processor-implemented game networking system is further configured to select the at least one member of the group based on a contribution of the at least one member of the group to the level of influence exercised by the group.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein processor-implemented game networking system is further configured to receive a designation of the location-based action from an operator of the location.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the generating of the incentive reward is based on an accessing of an inventory system of an operator of a location of the location-based action.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations comprising:

generating an incentive reward that is to be provided to at least one member of a group of users of a game networking system based on the group exercising a level of influence over a location during a time period that is greater than a level of influence of an additional group of users over the location during the time period;

detecting a simultaneous presence of a number of members of the group at the location during the time period;

detecting a simultaneous presence of a number of members of the additional group at the location during the time period;

determining, using a processor of a machine, that the group exercised the level of influence over the location during the time period based on the number of the simultaneously present members of the group being greater than the number of simultaneously present members of the additional group; and

providing the incentive reward to the at least one member of the group based on the determining that the level of influence exercised by the group is greater than the level of influence of the additional group over the location during the time period.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

determining that a number of members of the group performed at least one of a set of location-based actions at the location during the time period;

determining that a number of members of the additional group performed at least one of the set of location-based actions at the location during the time period; and

wherein the determining that the group exercised the level of influence over the location during the time period is based on the number of the members of the group being greater than the number of members of the additional group.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising notifying the group of users and the additional group of users of the generating of the incentive reward.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising selecting the at least one member of the group based on a contribution of the at least one member of the group to the level of influence exercised by the group.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising receiving a designation of the location-based action from an operator of the location.