System and method for determining offer placement in a virtual space store interface

• US 9,381,425 B1
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Inventors: Curtis, Matthew, Koh, James, Smalley, Kellen Christopher, Caldarone, Michael C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US14/029,701
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence

Abstract

One aspect of the disclosure relates to determining locations for offers in a shop interface for an online game. The locations may be determined based on observance of purchases made by users in a test bed environment. The test bed environment may grant free virtual currencies to players that can be spent in the isolated and controlled test environment. The spending of these virtual currencies by users on offers of virtual items for use in the test bed environment may then be used to automatically adjust the shop menu/interface in a live environment for the online game, where the virtual currency spent has been purchased for real money consideration.

Claims

1. A system for adjusting the displaying of virtual items, the system comprising:

one or more physical processors configured by machine-readable instructions to;

execute an instance of an online game, and to use the instance to generate state information that is transmitted over a network to client computing platforms associated with users, wherein the transmission of the state information over the network facilitates presentation of views of the online game to the users, and to implement the instance of the online game to facilitate participation of the users in the online game;

present offers to sell sets of one or more virtual items usable in the online game to the users in a game shop interface, the individual offers for the sets of one or more virtual items having purchase prices in a virtual currency having a real money value, the offers including a first offer to sell a first set of one or more items for a first purchase price;

execute an instance of an online test game, and to use the instance to generate state information that is transmitted over a network to client computing platforms associated with users, wherein the transmission of the state information over the network facilitates presentation of views of the online game to the users, and to implement the instance of the online test game to facilitate participation of the users in the online test game;

present offers to sell sets of one or more virtual items usable in the online test game to the users in a test shop interface, the individual offers for the sets of one or more virtual items having purchase prices in a test currency, the offers including a second offer to sell the first set of one or more items for a second purchase price;

obtain test purchase information that characterizes past purchases of the individual virtual items in the sets of one or more virtual items purchased through the test shop interface, the test purchase information including purchase information that characterizes past purchases of the individual virtual items in the first set of one or more virtual items through the test shop interface; and

obtain user context information characterizing user context at the times the past purchases were made; and

determine the placement in the game shop interface for users individually based on the present user context in the game, the users include a first user, such that it determines the placement of the first offer for the first user based on the present user context in the game and the past purchases of the individual virtual items in the sets of one or more virtual items purchased through the test shop interface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to analyze test purchase information and user context information to determine user context criteria corresponding to display priority adjustments for the first offer, the display priority adjustments for the first offer including a first display priority adjustment that increases a display priority of the first offer, the first display priority adjustment corresponding to a first set of user context criteria.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by machine-readable instructions such that satisfaction of the first set of user context criteria by the user context of the first user, and a resulting application of the first display priority adjustment of the first offer for the first user causes the placement of the first offer in the game shop interface for the first user to be adjusted to a more prominent location in the game shop interface.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein satisfaction of the first set of user context criteria indicates the first offer is of greater relevance to users that satisfy the first set of user context criteria.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to analyze test purchase information and user context information to determine user context criteria corresponding to display priority adjustments for the first offer, the display priority adjustments for the first offer including a second display priority adjustment that decreases a display priority of the first offer, the second display priority adjustment corresponding to a first set of user context criteria.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by machine-readable instructions such that satisfaction of the first set of user context criteria by the user context of the first user, and a resulting application of the second display priority adjustment of the first offer for the first user causes the placement of the first offer in the game shop interface for the first user to be adjusted to a less prominent location in the game shop interface.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein satisfaction of the first set of user context criteria indicates the first offer is of less relevance to users that satisfy the first set of user context criteria.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the offers individually comprise one or more virtual items.

9. A computer implemented method for providing an individualized experience that varies for users, the method being implemented in a computer system that includes one or more physical processors configured by machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

executing an instance of an online game, and using the instance to generate state information that is transmitted over a network to client computing olatforms associated with users, wherein the transmission of the state information over the network facilitates presentation of views of the online game to the users, and implementing the instance of the online game to facilitate participation of the users in the online game;

presenting offers to sell sets of one or more virtual items usable in the online game to the users in a game shop interface, the individual offers for the sets of one or more virtual items having purchase prices in a virtual currency having a real money value, the offers including a first offer to sell a first set of one or more items for a first purchase price;

executing an instance of an online test game, and using the instance to generate state information that is transmitted over a network to client computing olatforms associated with users, wherein the transmission of the state information over the network facilitates presentation of views of the online game to the users, and to implement the instance of the online test game to facilitate participation of the users in the online test game;

presenting offers to sell sets of one or more virtual items usable in the online test game to the users in a test shop interface, the individual offers for the sets of one or more virtual items having purchase prices in a test currency, the offers including a second offer to sell the first set of one or more items for a second purchase price;

obtaining test purchase information that characterizes past purchases of the individual virtual items in the sets of one or more virtual items purchased through the test shop interface, the test purchase information including purchase information that characterizes past purchases of the individual virtual items in the first set of one or more virtual items through the test shop interface;

obtaining user context information characterizing user context at the times the past purchases were made; and

determining the placement in the game shop interface for users individually based on the present user context in the game, the users include a first user, such that it determines the placement of the first offer for the first user based on the present user context in the game and the past purchases of the individual virtual items in the sets of one or more virtual items purchased through the test shop interface.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising analyzing test purchase information and user context information to determine user context criteria corresponding to display priority adjustments for the first offer, the display priority adjustments for the first offer including a first display priority adjustment that increases a display priority of the first offer, the first display priority adjustment corresponding to a first set of user context criteria.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein satisfaction of the first set of user context criteria by the user context of the first user, and a resulting application of the first display priority adjustment of the first offer for the first user causes the placement of the first offer in the game shop interface for the first user to be adjusted to a more prominent location in the game shop interface.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein satisfaction of the first set of user context criteria indicates the first offer is of greater relevance to users that satisfy the first set of user context criteria.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising analyzing test purchase information and user context information to determine user context criteria corresponding to display priority adjustments for the first offer, the display priority adjustments for the first offer including a second display priority adjustment that decreases a display priority of the first offer, the second display priority adjustment corresponding to a first set of user context criteria.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the satisfaction of the first set of user context criteria by the user context of the first user, and a resulting application of the second display priority adjustment of the first offer for the first user causes the placement of the first offer in the game shop interface for the first user to be adjusted to a less prominent location in the game shop interface.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein satisfaction of the first set of user context criteria indicates the first offer is of less relevance to users that satisfy the first set of user context criteria.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the offers individually comprise one or more virtual items.