Bringing achievements to an offline world

• US 9,098,859 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2011
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Moinuddin, Mohammed, Futty, Joseph, Dyor, Matthew Graham, Walther, Dan E., Gollapudi, Sreenivas, Paparizos, Stelios, Shafer, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Assistant Examiner(s): PINHEIRO, JASON PAUL
• Application Number:
  US13/095,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20120277004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 713/176
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An achievement system tracks users'"'"' offline activities and awards achievements to users for participation in particular offline activities. The achievements that are awarded for particular activities and/or to particular users may be sponsored by merchants, who may compensate an achievement system provider for the opportunity to sponsor the achievements. To award users achievements, the users'"'"' offline activities are tracked. When a user participates in an offline activity for which achievements are available, the user is awarded an achievement. The achievement may be stored in an achievement profile for the user. In some embodiments, achievements earned by users may be converted into other benefits and alternative awards.

Claims

1. One or more computer-storage hardware devices storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform a method, the method comprising:

storing, by an achievement system provided by a gaming system provider providing a gaming system platform, definitions for a plurality of gaming achievements and offline achievements, the definition for each gaming achievement specifying a gaming achievement being achievable via game play of at least one game on the gaming system platform and associated with a corresponding number of achievement points, the definition for each offline achievement specifying a corresponding offline activity for which participation in the corresponding offline activity results in awarding the offline achievement and a corresponding number of achievement points, wherein the achievement points are not a form of virtual currency, have no monetary value, and are not redeemable;

receiving, at the achievement system over one or more communication networks, an indication of a user being located at a particular location based on detection of a mobile device associated with the user at the particular location;

based on the indication of the user being located at the particular location and a first definition for a first offline achievement from the plurality of offline achievements specifying the particular location, identifying, by the achievement system, participation by the user in a first offline activity corresponding with the first offline achievement;

awarding, by the achievement system, the first offline achievement to the user for participation in the first offline activity;

providing, by the achievement system, a certain number of achievement points based on the first offline achievement; and

storing, by the achievement system, the first offline achievement and the certain number of achievement points in a gaming achievement profile storing gaming achievements earned by the user, offline achievements earned by the user, and offline achievement points earned by the user for participating in different offline activities, the gaming achievement profile further including a score for the user based at least in part on the offline achievement points earned by the user, the gaming achievement profile providing an online profile accessible, over the one or more communication networks, by the user and one or more other users to view the gaming achievements and offline achievements earned by the user and the score for the user.

2. The one or more computer-storage hardware devices of claim 1, wherein the first definition for the first offline activity is based on an indication from a merchant of the first offline activity having a given time and the particular location.

3. The one or more computer-storage hardware devices of claim 1, wherein a second definition for a second offline activity from the plurality of offline activities is based on an indication from a merchant of a type of offline activity having merchant-defined criteria.

4. The one or more computer-storage hardware devices of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a plurality of users currently at a particular location;

accessing an achievement profile for each of the users;

identifying a level of achievements for each of the users from each user'"'"'s achievement profile;

identifying at least one leader based on the level of achievements for each of the users; and

awarding a benefit to the at least one leader.

5. The one or more computer-storage hardware devices of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of the user being located at the particular location comprises receiving location information from the mobile device associated with the user.

6. The one or more computer-storage hardware devices of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of the user being located at the particular location comprises receiving an indication that a user has checked into the particular location by placing the mobile device associated with the user near a near-field communication device used to track participation in the first offline activity.