Method and system for establishing location-based leaderboard

• US 8,784,214 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Parks, William T., Bond, Luke, Petty, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Assistant Examiner(s): PINHEIRO, JASON PAUL
• Application Number:
  US13/176,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20130013094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 463 40- 42, 709/202, 455/465.5
• 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 13/33 using wide area network [WAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• 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 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

Methods for establishing a location-based leaderboard by a computer game system are disclosed. The world may be partitioned into a set of regions and sub-regions by the computer game system using a hierarchical spatial data structure, wherein the regions and sub-regions are arranged according to a hierarchy, each sub-region being encompassed by a higher-level sub-region or region, and two or more highest-level sub-regions being encompassed by a region. A location of a user of the computer game system along with one or more statistics associated with the user may be assigned to a smallest sub-region created by the hierarchical spatial data structure. A rank of the user may then be determined within a region or sub-region encompassing the smallest sub-region to which the user'"'"'s location was assigned, wherein the rank is determined using the one or more statistics associated with the user. One or more users may then be notified of the rank.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for establishing a location-based leaderboard by a computer system, comprising:

a) associating a location of a user of the computer system in a virtual world to a smallest sub-region of the virtual world with the computer system, wherein the virtual world is partitioned into a set of regions and sub-regions using a hierarchical spatial data structure, wherein the regions and sub-regions are arranged according to a hierarchy, each sub-region being encompassed by a higher-level sub-region or region, and two or more highest-level sub-regions being encompassed by a region created by the hierarchical spatial data structure;

b) obtaining a rank of the user within a region or sub-region encompassing the smallest sub-region to which the user'"'"'s location was assigned, wherein the rank is determined using one or more statistics associated with the user, wherein the size of the sub-regions or regions created by the hierarchical spatial data structure are established based on population density for the region or sub-region, and wherein a region or sub-region is subdivided if the population density of the region or sub-region is above a threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising partitioning the world into the set of regions and sub-regions with the computer system using the hierarchical spatial data structure.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying, storing, or transmitting the rank obtained in b) with the computer system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the user is determined by a global positioning system (GPS) in the computer system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system is a computer game system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more statistics associated with the user include a number of computer game trophies earned.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more statistics associated with the user include a number of levels completed by the user for a particular game title.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more statistics associated with the user include a high score earned by the user for a particular game title.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical spatial data structure is a geodesic grid, a quad tree, or an R-tree.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical spatial data structure is a geodesic grid.

10. A system for implementing a location-based leaderboard, comprising:

a processor;

a memory; and

computer coded instructions embodied in the memory and executable by the processor, wherein the computer coded instructions are configured to execute a method for implementing a location-based leaderboard, comprising;

a) associating a location of a user of the computer system in a virtual world to a smallest sub-region of the virtual world with the computer system, wherein the virtual world is partitioned into a set of regions and sub-regions using a hierarchical spatial data structure, wherein the regions and sub-regions are arranged according to a hierarchy, each sub-region being encompassed by a higher-level sub-region or region, and two or more highest-level sub-regions being encompassed by a region created by the hierarchical spatial data structure;

b) obtaining a rank of the user within a region or sub-region encompassing the smallest sub-region to which the user'"'"'s location was assigned, wherein the rank is determined using one or more statistics associated with the user, wherein the size of the sub-regions or regions created by the hierarchical spatial data structure are established based on population density for the region or sub-region, and wherein a region or sub-region is subdivided if the population density of the region or sub-region is above a threshold.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer-coded instruction further comprise instructions for partitioning the world into the set of regions and sub-regions with the computer system using the hierarchical spatial data structure.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer-coded instruction further comprise instructions for displaying, storing, or transmitting the rank obtained in b).

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a geo-location device coupled to the processor.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the system is a computer game system.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more statistics associated with the user include a number of computer game trophies earned.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more statistics associated with the user include a number of levels completed by the user for a particular game title.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more statistics associated with the user include a high score earned by the user for a particular game title.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the hierarchical spatial data structure is a geodesic grid, a quad tree, or an R-tree.

21. The system of claim 10, wherein the hierarchical spatial data structure is a geodesic grid.

19. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in said medium for implementing a location-based leaderboard, said computer program product having;

a) associating a location of a user of the computer system in a virtual world to a smallest sub-region of the virtual world with the computer system, wherein the virtual world is partitioned into a set of regions and sub-regions using a hierarchical spatial data structure, wherein the regions and sub-regions are arranged according to a hierarchy, each sub-region being encompassed by a higher-level sub-region or region, and two or more highest-level sub-regions being encompassed by a region created by the hierarchical spatial data structure;

b) obtaining a rank of the user within a region or sub-region encompassing the smallest sub-region to which the user'"'"'s location was assigned, wherein the rank is determined using one or more statistics associated with the user, wherein the size of the sub-regions or regions created by the hierarchical spatial data structure are established based on population density for the region or sub-region, and wherein a region or sub-region is subdivided if the population density of the region or sub-region is above a threshold.