Managing location-based meta games

• US 9,440,146 B1
• Filed: 08/23/2011
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Chow, David, Rouse, Justin, Holme, Kevin, Hurd, Daniel, Tomlinson, Jason, Yang, Grant, Lohstroh, Shawn, Oyhenart, Jessica
• Primary Examiner(s): Rowland, Steve
• Application Number:
  US13/215,689
• Time in Patent Office: 1,848 Days
• Field of Search: 463/29, 463/41, 463/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 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 13/795 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 13/847 Cooperative playing, e.g. requiring coordinated actions from several players to achieve a common goal
• 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 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

In a method of managing a location-based meta game, a presence of a device is detected at a location. The device is configured to execute a computer-implemented game. Based on the detecting of the presence of the device, the device is instructed to present a user of the computer-implemented game with an option to participate in a computer-implemented meta game associated with the location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a presence of a device at a location, the device configured to execute a computer-implemented game; and

based on the detecting, instructing the device to present a user of the computer-implemented game with an option to participate in a computer-implemented meta game associated with the location, wherein the computer-implemented meta game corresponds to the computer-implemented game and enables at least one gaming event that is unsupported by the computer-implemented game.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising linking the computer-implemented game with the computer-implemented meta game.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructing of the device is further based on a detecting of an action performed by the user within the computer-implemented game at the location.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising detecting that the action performed by the user pertains to the meta game.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-implemented meta game is available for a limited duration.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-implemented meta game includes a competition between a first group of users of the computer-implemented game and a second group of users of the computer-implemented game, the first group of users being associated with the location, the second group users being associated with an additional location.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the computer-implemented meta game from a plurality of computer-implemented meta games based on a relevancy of the computer-implemented meta game to the user.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining the relevancy of the computer-implemented meta game based on a meta-game preference received from the user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising incorporating into the computer-implemented meta game a result of an action of the user within the computer-implemented game.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the computer-implemented meta game is a leader board associated with the location, the result of the action of the user within the computer-implemented game is a qualifying result with respect to the leader board, and the incorporating into the computer-implemented meta game the result of the action of the user within the computer implemented game includes adding the qualifying result to the leader board associated with the location.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising instructing the device to notify the user of an incentive to participate in the computer-implemented meta game, the incentive based on an advertising campaign of a business at the location.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructing of the device to notify the user of the option to participate in the computer-implemented meta game includes instructing the device to notify the user of an incentive reward that is to be provided to the user based on the user performing a game action that is relevant to a business at the location.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a user interface of the computer-implemented meta game includes a visual theme associated with a business at the location.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructing of the device to present the user with the option to participate in the computer-implemented meta game is based on an action of the user within the computer-implemented game that satisfies a criterion of the computer-implemented meta game.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the computer-implemented meta game from a plurality of computer-implemented meta games based on an action of the user within the computer-implemented game.

16. A system comprising:

a processor-implemented game networking system configured to;

detect a presence of a device at a location, the device configured to execute a computer-implemented game; and

based on the detecting, instruct the device to notify a user of the computer-implemented game with an option to participate in a computer-implemented meta game associated with the location, wherein the computer-implemented meta game corresponds to the computer-implemented game and enables at least one gaming event that is unsupported by the computer-implemented game.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a database that stores a plurality of computer-implemented meta games and wherein the game networking system is further configured to select the computer-implemented meta game from the plurality of computer-implemented meta games stored in the database based on a relevancy of the computer-implemented meta game to the user.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the game networking system is further configured to determine a relevancy of the computer-implemented meta game based on a meta game preference received from the user.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

detecting a presence of a device at a location, the device configured to execute a computer- implemented game; and

based on the detecting, instructing the device to present a user of the computer-implemented game with an option to participate in a computer-implemented meta game associated with the location, wherein the computer-implemented meta game corresponds to the computer-implemented game and enables at least one gaming event that is unsupported by the computer-implemented game.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, the method further comprising:

receiving a parameter from an operator of a business at the location, the parameter including information about the business; and

creating the computer-implemented meta game based on the parameter.