Regulating and scoring player interactions within a virtual world associated with a location-based parallel reality game

• US 9,545,565 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Niantic, Inc.
• Inventors: Wang, Jim, Hanke, John, Kornmann, David, Vladimirov, Alexander, Hibbert, Chris, Spirakis, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B
• Application Number:
  US14/068,704
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 463/9
• 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 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories

Abstract

A parallel reality game has a virtual world that parallels at least a portion of the real world. A captured region is identified within the virtual world that is associated with a team within the parallel reality game. A geographic region is identified within the real world corresponding to the captured region within the virtual world. Data associated with population density for at least a portion of the geographic region is accessed. A score is assigned for the captured region based on the population density.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for scoring player interactions within a location-based parallel reality game, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer system from a mobile device of a player, a request to link a plurality of portals captured by a team in a virtual world of a parallel reality game that parallels at least a portion of a real world, the player a member of the team;

receiving, by the computer system from the mobile device, a location of the player in the real world, the location of the player in the real world determined by a positioning device included with the mobile device;

mapping, by the computer system, the location of the player in the real world to a location in the virtual world;

determining, by the computer system, whether the location in the virtual world is within an interaction range of at least one portal from the plurality of portals in the virtual world;

responsive to determining that the location in the virtual world is within the interaction range of the at least one portal, linking, by the computer system, the plurality of virtual portals to generate a captured region within the virtual world;

identifying, by the computer system, a geographic region within the real world corresponding to the captured region within the virtual world; and

assigning, by the computer system, a score to the team for the captured region based on a population density of the geographic region.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the captured region corresponds to a polygon defined by lines extending between virtual elements within the virtual world.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the virtual elements of the virtual world are verified to be controlled by the team prior to the team capturing the captured region.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the captured region comprises a first plurality of coordinates defining a virtual space within the virtual world, wherein identifying the geographic region comprises identifying a second plurality of coordinates within the real world corresponding to the first plurality of coordinates.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein assigning a score to the team comprises multiplying the population density of the geographic region by an area of the geographic region.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining a team score for the team by aggregating scores for each captured region associated with the team.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the virtual world includes a first plurality of coordinates defining a virtual space within the virtual world corresponding to a second plurality of coordinates defining the geographic region within the real world, a location of the player within the virtual space being varied as the player moves around the geographic region within the real world.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for scoring player interactions within a location-based parallel reality game, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

receiving, by a computer system from a mobile device of a player, a request to link a plurality of portals captured by a team in a virtual world of a parallel reality game that parallels at least a portion of a real world, the player a member of the team;

receiving, by the computer system from the mobile device, a location of the player in the real world, the location of the player in the real world determined by a positioning device included with the mobile device;

mapping, by the computer system, the location of the player in the real world to a location in the virtual world;

determining, by the computer system, whether the location in the virtual world is within an interaction range of at least one portal from the plurality of portals in the virtual world;

responsive to determining that the location in the virtual world is within the interaction range of the at least one portal, linking, by the computer system, the plurality of virtual portals to generate a captured region within the virtual world;

identifying, by the computer system, a geographic region within the real world corresponding to the captured region within the virtual world; and

assigning, by the computer system, a score to the team for the captured region based on a population density of the geographic region.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the captured region corresponds to a polygon defined by lines extending between virtual elements within the virtual world.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the virtual elements of the virtual world are verified to be controlled by the team prior to the team capturing the captured region.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the captured region comprises a first plurality of coordinates defining a virtual space within the virtual world, wherein identifying the geographic region comprises identifying a second plurality of coordinates within the real world corresponding to the first plurality of coordinates.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein assigning a score to the team comprises multiplying the population density of the geographic region by an area of the geographic region.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising determining a team score for the team by aggregating scores for each captured region associated with the team.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the virtual world includes a first plurality of coordinates defining a virtual space within the virtual world corresponding to a second plurality of coordinates defining the geographic region within the real world, a location of the player within the virtual space being varied as the player moves around the geographic region within the real world.

15. A computer system for scoring player interactions within a location-based parallel reality game, the system comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instruction which when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to perform steps comprising;

receiving, from a mobile device of a player, a request to link a plurality of portals captured by a team in a virtual world of a parallel reality game that parallels at least a portion of a real world, the player a member of the team;

receiving, from the mobile device, a location of the player in the real world, the location of the player in the real world determined by a positioning device included with the mobile device;

mapping the location of the player in the real world to a location in the virtual world;

determining whether the location in the virtual world is within an interaction range of at least one portal from the plurality of portals in the virtual world;

responsive to determining that the location in the virtual world is within the interaction range of the at least one portal, linking the plurality of virtual portals to generate a captured region within the virtual world;

identifying a geographic region within the real world corresponding to the captured region within the virtual world; and

assigning a score to the team for the captured region based on a population density of the geographic region.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the captured region corresponds to a polygon defined by lines extending between virtual elements within the virtual world.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the captured region comprises a first plurality of coordinates defining a virtual space within the virtual world, wherein identifying the geographic region comprises identifying a second plurality of coordinates within the real world corresponding to the first plurality of coordinates.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein assigning a score to the team comprises multiplying the population density of the geographic region by an area of the geographic region.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising determining a team score for the team by aggregating scores for each captured region associated with the team.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the virtual world includes a first plurality of coordinates defining a virtual space within the virtual world corresponding to a second plurality of coordinates defining the geographic region within the real world, a location of the player within the virtual space being varied as the player moves around the geographic region within the real world.