Providing virtual items based on location-based actions

• US 9,220,985 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Mullin, Benjamin, Kheskani, Hardik, Waldron, Justin, Auterio, Kathleen, Ocko, Matthew Adam, Lam, Serena, Wang, Ian, Ersever, Deniz, Reynolds, Brian, Mahajan, Amitt, Wang, Jackson, Etter, Nathan Arthur, Talapatra, Shantanu, Makarsky, Christopher Joseph, Monahan, Jay, Mosites, Donald C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US13/174,717
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/9, 463/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/27 characterised by a large display in a public venue, e.g. in a movie theatre, stadium or game arena
• 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 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/40 characterised by details of platform network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/57 details of game services offered to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items

Abstract

A method of providing virtual items based on location-based action is disclosed. An indication is received of a performance of a location-based action by a player of a computer-implemented game. A virtual item is provided based on the receiving of the indication of the performance of the location-based action by the player of the computer-implemented game. The virtual item may be usable within the computer-implemented game.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of a performance of a location-based action by a player of a computer-implemented game executing on a game networking system, the location-based action including an attending of a live entertainment event by the player; and

providing a virtual item based on the receiving of the indication of the performance of the location-based action by the player of the computer-implemented game, the virtual item comprising one of a set of limited-edition virtual items to be provided exclusively to players of the computer-implemented game attending the live entertainment event, the virtual item being usable within the computer-implemented game, one or more modules incorporated into the game networking system to configure the game networking system to perform the receiving and providing, the one or modules implemented by one or more processors of the game networking system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual item is unique to a location of the location-based action.

3. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising providing the player with an incentive reward based on the player collecting each of the set of limited-edition virtual items.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the virtual item is a composite virtual item and each of the set of limited-edition virtual items corresponds to an element of the composite virtual item.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying the player that the virtual item is to be provided to the player based on the receiving of the indication of the performance of the location-based action by the player, the notifying including keeping a portion of information about the virtual item from the player and the providing of the virtual item includes revealing the portion of the information about the virtual item to the player.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual item is of a type that is capable of being consumed within the computer-implemented game and the providing of the virtual item is based on an additional virtual item of the type having been consumed within the computer-implemented game.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the location-based action with an in-game action and wherein the virtual item relates to a performance of the in-game action.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the location-based action is scanning a product code of a real-world item; and

the virtual item corresponds to the real-world item.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting an additional location-based action by the player and wherein the providing of the virtual item is based on a location of the location-based action and a location of the additional location-based action.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the virtual item reflects a path of travel between the location and the location of the additional location-based action.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the live entertainment event is a concert.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the virtual item represents a combination of the location and performer of the concert.

13. A system comprising:

one or modules implemented by one or more computer processors of a game networking system, the one or more modules incorporated into the game networking system to configure the game networking system to, at least;

receive an indication of a performance of a location-based action by a player of a computer-implemented game executing on the game networking system, the location-based action including an attending of a live entertainment event by the player; and

provide a virtual item based on the receiving of the indication of the performance of the location-based action by the player of the computer-implemented game, the virtual item comprising a limited-edition virtual item provided exclusively to the player attending the live entertainment event, the virtual item being usable within the computer-implemented game.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the virtual item is unique to a location of the location-based action.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the virtual item is one of a set of virtual items and the method further comprises providing the player with an incentive reward based on the player collecting each of the set of virtual items.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the virtual item is a composite virtual item and each of the set of virtual items corresponds to an element of the composite virtual item.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions that, when incorporated into a game networking system as one or more modules implemented by at least one processor of the game networking system, cause the at least one processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving an indication of a performance of a location-based action by a player of a computer-implemented game executing on the game networking system, the location-based action including an attending of live entertainment event by the player; and

providing a virtual item based on the receiving of the indication of the performance of the location-based action by the player of the computer-implemented game, the virtual item comprising one of a set of limited-edition virtual items to be provided exclusively to players of the computer-implemented game attending the live entertainment event, the virtual item being usable within the computer-implemented game.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising notifying the player that the virtual item is to be provided to the player based on the receiving of the indication of the performance of the location-based action by the player, the notifying including keeping a portion of information about the virtual item from the player and the providing of the virtual item includes revealing the portion of the information about the virtual item to the player.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the virtual item is virtual item of a type that is capable of being consumed within the computer-implemented game and the providing of the virtual item is based on an additional virtual item of the type having been consumed within the computer-implemented game.