Mystery boxes that adjust due to past spending behavior

• US 9,744,446 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2014
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Inventors: McLellan, Sam, Pieron, Luc, Swift, Dylan, Schultz, Stephanie
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Assistant Examiner(s): Clarke, Jr., Robert T
• Application Number:
  US14/282,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20150335995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• 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 13/70 Game security or game management aspects
• 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: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H

Abstract

A system and method for varying the distribution probabilities of individual potential awards associated with probability item bundles depending on a purchase history of a user activating a probability item bundle.

Claims

1. A system that delivers offers to users of an online game, the system comprising:

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

execute an instance of a game space such that the users participate in the online game in the game space through client computing platforms, the users include a first user;

effectuate presentation to the users on the client computing platforms of a shop interface that includes offers to sell virtual items in exchange for consideration, the virtual items including probability item bundles, the individual probability item bundles being associated with individual sets of potential awards where the individual potential awards include one or more of the virtual items usable in the online game, the offers including a first offer to sell a first probability item bundle associated with a first set of potential awards;

monitor purchase histories of the users through the shop interface;

in response to receiving acceptance of the first offer by the first user, effectuate purchase of the first probability item bundle by the first user by adding the first probability item bundle to a user inventory of the first user;

characterize a purchase history of a first user as the first user'"'"'s spending metric;

obtain distribution probabilities for the potential awards included in the first set of potential awards associated with the first probability item bundle purchased by the first user, such that one or more of the distribution probabilities is determined, by the one or more physical processors, based on the first user'"'"'s spending metric;

in response to activation of the first probability item bundle by the first user, stochastically selecting one of the potential awards in the first set of potential awards as an actual award based on the obtained distribution probabilities; and

distributing the actual award to the first user in the online game.

2. A system of claim 1, wherein the first set of potential awards includes a first potential award associated with a first distribution probability that increases as the first user'"'"'s spending metric indicates a decrease in spending level.

3. A system of claim 2, wherein the decrease in spending level is determined by comparing, via the one or more physical processors, the first user'"'"'s spending metric to a predetermined value.

4. A system of claim 2, wherein the decrease in spending level is determined by comparing , via the one or more physical processors, the first user'"'"'s spending metric to a dynamically determined value.

5. A system of claim 2, wherein the first distribution probability is a function of the first user'"'"'s spending metric.

6. A system of claim 2, wherein the first user'"'"'s spending metric is a summation of the first user'"'"'s purchase history.

7. A system of claim 2, wherein the first user'"'"'s spending metric is a summation of the first user'"'"'s purchase history over a period of time.

8. A system of claim 2, wherein the first user'"'"'s spending metric is a total number of purchases in the first user'"'"'s purchase history.

9. A system of claim 2, wherein the first user'"'"'s spending metric is a total number of purchases in the first user'"'"'s purchase history over a period of time.

10. A computer implemented method of delivering offers to users of an online game, the method being implemented in a computer system that includes one or more physical processors executing machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

executing an instance of a game space such that the users participate in the online game in the game space through client computing platforms, the users include a first user;

effectuating presentation to the users on the client computing platforms of a shop interface that includes offers to sell virtual items in exchange for consideration, the virtual items including probability item bundles, the individual probability item bundles being associated with individual sets of potential awards where the individual potential awards include one or more of the virtual items usable in the online game, the offers including a first offer to sell a first probability item bundle associated with a first set of potential awards;

monitoring purchase histories of the users through the shop interface;

in response to receiving acceptance of the first offer by the first user, effectuating purchase of the first probability item bundle by the first user by adding the first probability item bundle to a user inventory of the first user;

characterizing a purchase history of a first user as the first user'"'"'s spending metric;

obtaining distribution probabilities for the potential awards included in the first set of potential awards associated with the first probability item bundle purchased by the first user, one or more of the distribution probabilities being determined based on the first user'"'"'s spending metric;

in response to activation of the first probability item bundle by the first user, stochastically selecting one of the potential awards in the first set of potential awards as an actual award based on the obtained distribution probabilities; and

distributing the actual award to the first user in the online game.

11. A method of claim 10, wherein the first set of potential awards includes a first potential award associated with a first distribution probability that increases as the first user'"'"'s spending metric indicates a decrease in spending level.

12. A method of claim 11, wherein the decrease in spending level is determined by comparing the first user'"'"'s spending metric to a predetermined value.

13. A method of claim 11, wherein the decrease in spending level is determined by comparing the first user'"'"'s spending metric to a dynamically determined value.

14. A method of claim 11, wherein the first distribution probability is a function of the first user'"'"'s spending metric.

15. A method of claim 11, wherein the first user'"'"'s spending metric is a summation of the first user'"'"'s purchase history.

16. A method of claim 11, wherein the first user'"'"'s spending metric is a summation of the first user'"'"'s purchase history over a period of time.

17. A method of claim 11, wherein the first user'"'"'s spending metric is a total number of purchases in the first user'"'"'s purchase history.

18. A method of claim 11, wherein the first user'"'"'s spending metric is a total number of purchases in the first user'"'"'s purchase history over a period of time.