Method and system for providing an event space associated with a primary virtual space

• US 9,613,179 B1
• Filed: 04/18/2013
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Inventors: Go, Ken, Schultz, Stephanie K., Caldarone, Michael C.
• Primary Examiner(s): YEN, JASON TAHAI
• Application Number:
  US13/865,906
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/75 Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/57 details of game services offered to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/60 Methods for processing data by generating or executing the game program
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6036 for offering a minigame in combination with a main game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/609 for unlocking hidden game elements, e.g. features, items, levels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8094 Unusual game types, e.g. virtual cooking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played

Abstract

An approach to facilitate providing an event space associated with a primary virtual space is provided. An event space is provided to users of a primary virtual space, wherein the event space comprises one or more event objectives. Users of the primary virtual space having primary user accounts have associated event space accounts indicating event user parameters, event game parameters, and event inventory information for the first user. The user may be provided with event virtual items for purchase wherein the event virtual items are used in the event space during the event period. In response to a determination of the progress of the user associated with one or more event objectives an event award is determined for distribution to the user, wherein the event award may be used within the primary virtual space.

Claims

1. A system for providing an event space associated with a primary virtual space, the system comprising:

one or more processors configured to execute machine-readable instructions to;

execute an instance of a primary virtual space, and to implement the instance of the primary virtual space by effectuating transmission of information over a network to client computing platforms associated with users to facilitate interaction of the users with the primary virtual space and/or each other by performing operations in the primary virtual space in response to commands received over the network from the client computer platforms associated with the users;

manage accounts of users related to the primary virtual space that include a first primary user account associated with a first user, wherein the first primary user account includes inventory information for the first user which indicates virtual items available to the first user in the primary virtual space;

execute an instance of an event space, and to implement the instance of the event space by effectuating transmission of information over a network to the client computing platforms associated with the users to facilitate interactions of the users with the event space and/or each other during an event period by performing operations in the event space in response to commands received over the network from the client computer platforms associated with the users, wherein the event space comprises one or more event objectives;

manage accounts of users related to the event space that include a first event user account associated with the first user, wherein the first event user account indicates a set of event user parameters for the first user, a set of event game parameters for the first user, and event inventory information which indicates virtual items available to the first user in the event space, wherein the event user parameters include an association of the first event account with the first primary user account, and wherein the virtual items available to the first user in the event space are different than the virtual items available to the first user in the primary virtual space;

facilitate purchase of event virtual items useable in the event space such that responsive to purchase of an event virtual item in the event space by the first user, the event inventory information reflects the availability of the event virtual item to the first user in the event space;

determine the progress of the users with respect to the one or more event objectives, and

determine event rewards to be awarded to individual ones of the users based on the progress of the individual users with respect to the one or more event objectives, wherein the event rewards are usable in the primary virtual space; and

;

distribute event rewards to the users in the primary virtual space such that responsive to determination of a first event reward for the first user, the primary inventory information in the first primary account is updated to reflect the availability to the first user in the primary virtual space of one or more virtual items included in the first event reward, wherein distributing the event rewards to the users in the primary virtual space includes effectuating transmission over the network to a first client computing platform associated with the first user of communications that cause the first client computing platform to present the availability of the one or more virtual items included in the first event reward.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual items available to the first user in the primary virtual space are unavailable to the first user in the event space.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual items available to the first user in the event space are unavailable to the first user in the primary virtual space.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the event inventory information for the first user reflects removal of the event virtual item in the event space to the first user upon expiration of the event period.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute machine-readable instructions to modify the inventory information for the first user to indicate the availability of the event reward for use by the first user in the primary virtual space, in response to expiration of the event period.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the event rewards are unavailable for use by the users in the event space.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute machine-readable instructions to facilitate entry and/or selection by an administrator of one or more objectives, one or more virtual items available to the first user in the event space, and one or more event rewards available for awarding to the individual users based on progress of the individual users with respect to one or more event objectives.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute machine-readable instructions to facilitate selection and/or entry by the administrator of an amount of real currency required to be spent on event items before the first user is eligible to receive the one or more event rewards.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute machine-readable instructions to implement the instance of the event space upon an indication that the first user has reached a specified level in the primary virtual space.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute machine-readable instructions to determine a user cost to the first user for individual ones of the event items based upon a purchase history of the first user as indicated in the primary user account for the first user.

11. A method for providing an event space associated with a primary virtual space, the method being implemented on a computer system that includes one or more physical processors configured to execute machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

executing an instance of a primary virtual space;

implementing the instance of the primary virtual space by effectuating transmission of information over a network to client computing platforms associated with users to facilitate interaction of the users with the primary virtual space and/or each other by performing operations in the primary virtual space in response to commands received over the network from the client computer platforms associated with the users;

managing accounts of users related to the primary virtual space that include a first primary user account associated with a first user, wherein the first primary user account includes inventory information for the first user which indicates virtual items available to the first user in the primary virtual space;

executing an instance of an event space;

implementing the instance of the event space by effectuating transmission of information over a network to the client computing platforms associated with the users to facilitate interactions of the users with the event space and/or each other during an event period by performing operations in the event space in response to commands received over the network from the client computer platforms associated with the users, wherein the event space comprises one or more event objectives;

managing accounts of users related to the event space that include a first event user account associated with the first user, wherein the first event user account indicates a set of event user parameters for the first user, a set of event game parameters for the first user, and event inventory information which indicates virtual items available to the first user in the event space, wherein the event user parameters include an association of the first event account with the first primary user account, and wherein the virtual items available to the first user in the event space are different than the virtual items available to the first user in the primary virtual space;

facilitating the purchase of event virtual items useable in the event space such that responsive to purchase of an event virtual item in the event space by the first user, the event inventory information reflects the availability of the event virtual item to the first user in the event space;

determining the progress of the users with respect to the one or more event objectives;

determining event rewards to be awarded to individual ones of the users based on the progress of the individual users with respect to the one or more event objectives, wherein the event rewards are usable in the primary virtual space; and

,

distributing event rewards to the users in the primary virtual space such that responsive to determination of a first event reward for the first user, the primary inventory information in the first primary account is updated to reflect the availability to the first user in the primary virtual space of one or more virtual items included in the first event reward, wherein distributing the event rewards to the users in the primary virtual space includes effectuating transmission over the network to a first client computing platform associated with the first user of communications that cause the first client computing platform to present the availability of the one or more virtual items included in the first event reward.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the virtual items available to the first user in the primary virtual space are unavailable to the first user in the event space.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the virtual items available to the first user in the event space are unavailable to the first user in the primary virtual space.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the event inventory information for the first user reflects removal of the event virtual item in the event space to the first user upon expiration of the event period.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying the inventory information for the first user to indicate the availability of the event reward for use by the first user in the primary virtual space, in response to expiration of the event period.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the event rewards are unavailable for use by the users in the event space.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising facilitating entry and/or selection by an administrator of one or more objectives, one or more virtual items available to the first user in the event space, and one or more event rewards available for awarding to the individual users based on progress of the individual users with respect to one or more event objectives.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising facilitating selection and/or entry by the administrator of an amount of real currency required to be spent on event items before the first user is eligible to receive the one or more event rewards.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising implementing the instance of the event space upon an indication that the first user has reached a specified level in the primary virtual space.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining a user cost to the first user for individual ones of the event items based upon a purchase history of the first user as indicated in the primary user account for the first user.