Incentivizing location-based actions by groups

• US 9,626,689 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Bethke, Erik Paul, Koenigsberg, Scott, Mahajan, Amitt, Ocko, Matthew Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): RENWICK, REGINALD A
• Application Number:
  US13/174,720
• Time in Patent Office: 2,119 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16, 463 42, 705100
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5378 for displaying an additional top view, e.g. radar screens or maps using two or more virtual cameras concurrently A63F13/5252
• 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 13/69 by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions
• 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 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/609 for unlocking hidden game elements, e.g. features, items, levels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 : constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 : Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information

Abstract

A method of incentivizing location-based actions by groups is disclosed. A group of users of a game networking system is notified that an incentive reward is to be provided based on a number of members of the group performing a location-based action transgressing a threshold. The incentive reward is provided based on the number of members of the group performing the location-based action transgressing the threshold.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

modifying a data item in one or more data stores of a game networking system to provide an incentive reward, a value of the incentive reward being dynamically changed in proportion to a subset of an aggregation of measurements pertaining to social graphs maintained in data models by an online social networking system for each of a number of members of a group of users performing a location-based action, the modifying of the data item including;

collecting information about the plurality of users of the game networking system, the information about the plurality of users including information about friendships between the plurality of users that is stored in the one or more data stores of the online social network system, the information including measurements pertaining to the social graphs maintained by the online social networking system for each of the plurality of users;

selecting a subset of the plurality of users as a group of users based on the measurements;

communicating notifications for presentation in devices of the group of users, the notifications notifying the group of users that the incentive reward is to be provided based on a number of members of the group performing a location-based action transgressing a threshold, the game networking system dynamically changing the value of the incentive reward in proportion to the subset of the aggregation of the measurements, the subset corresponding to the number of the members of the group performing the location-based action; and

modifying the data item in the one or more data stores of the game networking system to provide the incentive reward based on the number of members of the group performing the location-based action transgressing the threshold, a detection that the number of members of the group performed that action based on location data received from the devices of the group of users, one or more modules incorporated into the game networking system to configure one or more processors of the game networking system to perform the modifying of the data item.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the group based on a proximity of each member of the group to a location of the location-based action.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the incentive reward includes providing the incentive reward to each member of the group that performed the location-based action.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the incentive reward is influence over a virtual location of a virtual world of a computer-implemented game of the game networking system, the virtual location corresponding to a location of the location-based action.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the collecting of the information about the plurality of users of the game networking system is from an out-of-game social networking system to which the plurality of users belong.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a commonality between the members of the group based on the information about the plurality of users; and

selecting the incentive reward based on the commonality.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information about the friendships includes a degree of separation between each of the plurality of users.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the subset of the plurality of users as the group of users is based on each member of the group of users sharing an affiliation with an organization.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the incentive reward and a criterion for selecting the subset of the plurality of users as the group of users is based on input received from an operator of the location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the value of the incentive reward provided to each member of the group is based on a number of friends of each member of the group who complete the location-based action.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the information about the friendships between the plurality of users includes strengths of the friendships, the strengths of the friendships derived from game state data items associated with each of the plurality of users.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the information about the friendships is derived from an in-game social network of the plurality of users that is based on game state data items associated with the game networking system, the online social network being independent of an out-of-game social network of the plurality of the users.

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;

collect information about a plurality of users of a game networking system, the information about the plurality of users including information about friendships between the plurality of users that is stored in one or more data stores of the online social network system, the information including an aggregation of measurements pertaining to social graphs maintained in data models by the online social networking system for each of the plurality of users;

select a subset of the plurality of users as a group of users based on the measurements;

communicate notifications for presentation in devices of the group of users, the notifications notifying the group of users that an incentive reward is to be provided based on a number of members of the group performing a location-based action transgressing a threshold, the game networking system dynamically changing the value of the incentive reward in proportion to a subset of the aggregation of the measurements, the subset of the aggregation corresponding to the number of the members of the group performing the location-based action; and

modify a data item in the one or more data stores of the game networking system to provide the incentive reward based on the number of members of the group performing the location-based action transgressing the threshold, a detection that the number of members of the group perform that action based on location data received from the devices of the group of users.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the game networking system is further configured to select the group based on a proximity of each member of the group to a location of the location-based action.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the providing of the incentive reward includes providing the incentive reward to each member of the group that performed the location-based action.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the incentive reward is influence over a virtual location of a virtual world of a computer-implemented game of the game networking system, virtual location corresponding to a location of the location-based action.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions that, 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 of the game networking system to perform operations, the operations comprising:

collecting information about a plurality of users of a game networking system, the information about the plurality of users including information about friendships between the plurality of users that is stored in one or more data stores of the online social network system, the information including an aggregation of measurements pertaining to social graphs maintained in data models by the online social networking system for each of the plurality of users;

selecting a subset of the plurality of users as a group of users based on the measurements;

communicating notifications for presentation in devices of the group of users, the notifications notifying the group of users that an incentive reward is to be provided based on a number of members of the group performing a location-based action transgressing a threshold, the game networking system dynamically changing the value of the incentive reward in proportion to the subset of the aggregation of the measurements, the subset corresponding to the number of the members of the group performing the location-based action; and

modifying a data item in the one or more data stores of the game networking system to provide the incentive reward based on the number of members of the group performing the location-based action transgressing the threshold, a detection that the number of members of the group performed that action based on location data received from the devices of the group of users.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising selecting the group based on a proximity of each member of the group to a location of the location-based action.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the providing of the incentive reward includes providing the incentive reward to each member of the group that performed the location-based action.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the incentive reward is influence over a virtual location of a virtual world of the computer-implemented game that corresponds to a location.