System and method for providing a currency multiplier item in an online game with a value based on a user's assets

• US 9,799,163 B1
• Filed: 09/16/2013
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aftershock Services, Inc. (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Kim, John, Tsao, Bryan, Akpan, Inyang, Chanthasiriphan, Kevin, Wei, Albert, McNeill, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Yoo, Jasson
• Application Number:
  US14/028,422
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• 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 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games

Abstract

A system and method for providing currency multiplier items to one or more users of an online game is described. A user of an online game may obtain a currency multiplier item by purchase, by award, responsive to one or more actions taken in the online game, and/or by other methods. Use of the currency multiplier item may enable the user to adjust the amount of virtual currency in the inventory in the user'"'"'s user account, wherein the adjustment to the amount of currency is not provided to the first user prior to use of the currency multiplier item.

Claims

1. A system configured to facilitate providing currency multiplier items to one or more users of an online game, the system comprising:

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

execute an instance of a virtual space, and to implement the instance of the virtual space to facilitate participation by the one or more users in the online game within the virtual space by effectuating presentation of views of the virtual space to the one or more users via one or more client computing platforms;

maintain one or more user accounts for the respective one or more users, the one or more user accounts comprising a first user account for a first user, the first user account including an inventory of virtual currency available to the first user for expenditure in the virtual space, and virtual items available to the first user for use in the game, wherein the inventory comprises a currency multiplier item available for use by the first user wherein the currency multiplier item comprises a multiplier; and

facilitate use of virtual items from the inventory of the first user in the virtual space, wherein use of the currency multiplier item adjusts an entire amount and/or percentage first portion of the entire amount of virtual currency that is in the inventory in the first user account prior to use of the currency multiplier item by multiplying the amount of virtual currency contained in the inventory of the first user prior to use of the currency multiplier item by the multiplier, wherein the adjustment to the amount of currency is not provided to the first user prior to use of the currency multiplier item.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein use of the currency multiplier item adjusts the amount of virtual currency in the inventory by stochastically adjusting the amount of virtual currency.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiplier may be an integer value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiplier may be less than 1.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiplier may be determined based on a monetization value associated with the user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to present a store interface to the users, wherein the store interface presents a plurality of virtual items to the one or more users to purchase for a respective plurality of costs, the plurality of virtual items comprising the currency multiplier item.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to:

consume the currency multiplier item responsive to use of the currency multiplier item;

wherein consuming the currency multiplier item comprises removing the currency multiplier item from the inventory of the user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein use of the currency multiplier item adjusts the virtual items available to the first user by adding additional virtual items to the inventory of the first user.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the currency multiplier item comprises a multiplier, and

wherein use of the currency multiplier item multiplies an amount of a first virtual item in the inventory by the multiplier.

10. A computer-implemented method of providing currency multiplier items to one or more users of an online game, the method being implemented in a computer system comprising one or more physical processors, the method comprising:

executing an instance of a virtual space;

implementing the instance of the virtual space to effectuate presentation of views of the virtual space to the one or more users via the one or more client computing platforms;

maintaining one or more user accounts for the respective one or more users, the one or more user accounts comprising a first user account for a first user, the first user account including an inventory of virtual currency available to the first user for expenditure in the virtual space, and virtual items available to the first user for use in the game, wherein the inventory comprises a currency multiplier item available for use by the first user wherein the currency multiplier item comprises a multiplier; and

facilitating use of virtual items from the inventory of the first user in the virtual space, wherein use of the currency multiplier item adjusts an entire amount and/or percentage first portion of the entire amount of virtual currency that is in the inventory in the first user account prior to use of the currency multiplier item by multiplying the amount of virtual currency contained in the inventory of the first user prior to use of the currency multiplier item by the multiplier, wherein the adjustment to the amount of currency is not provided to the first user prior to use of the currency multiplier item.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein use of the currency multiplier item adjusts the amount of virtual currency in the inventory by stochastically adjusting the amount of virtual currency.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the multiplier may be an integer value.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the multiplier may be less than 1.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the multiplier may be determined based on a monetization value associated with the user.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

presenting a store interface to the users, wherein the store interface presents a plurality of virtual items to the one or more users to purchase for a respective plurality of costs, the plurality of virtual items comprising the currency multiplier item.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

consuming the currency multiplier item responsive to use of the currency multiplier item, wherein consuming the currency multiplier item comprises removing the currency multiplier item from the inventory of the user.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein use of the currency multiplier item adjusts the virtual items available to the first user by adding additional virtual items to the inventory of the first user.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the currency multiplier item comprises a multiplier, and

wherein use of the currency multiplier item multiplies an amount of a first virtual item in the inventory by the multiplier.

19. A non-transitory electronic storage media storing information related to providing currency multiplier items to one or more users of an online game, the stored information comprising:

a memory configured to store information related to the one or more users of an online game;

instructions configured to cause a client computing platform to;

execute an instance of a virtual space;

implement the instance of the virtual space to effectuate presentation of views of the virtual space to the one or more users via the one or more client computing platforms;

maintain one or more user accounts for the respective one or more users, the one or more user accounts comprising a first user account for a first user, the first user account including an inventory of virtual currency available to the first user for expenditure in the virtual space, and virtual items available to the first user for use in the game, wherein the inventory comprises a currency multiplier item available for use by the first user wherein the currency multiplier item comprises a multiplier; and

facilitate use of virtual items from the inventory of the first user in the virtual space, wherein use of the currency multiplier item adjusts an entire amount and/or percentage first portion of the entire amount of virtual currency that is in the inventory in the first user account prior to use of the currency multiplier item by multiplying the amount of virtual currency contained in the inventory of the first user prior to use of the currency multiplier item by the multiplier, wherein the adjustment to the amount of currency is not provided to the first user prior to use of the currency multiplier item.