Systems and methods for association of virtual gaming to physical environments

• US 10,052,552 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2015
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Worrall, John David, Monroe, Shannon R., Villeta, Jose, Gorin, Joshua B., Wilson, Brian J., Lowe, Robert, Nelson, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Clarke, Jr., Robert T
• Application Number:
  US14/724,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20160346683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• 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 13/71 using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing

Abstract

A system for associating virtual activity of a user in a virtual space and a real-world activity of a user in a physical environment are presented herein. User activities and/or experiences within the physical environment and/or the virtual environment may be created (e.g., new experiences/personalizations being presented to the user), changed, accelerated, and/or otherwise managed such that each one enhances the other and/or enriches the overall experiences of the users over time.

Claims

1. A system configured to associate virtual activity with real-world activity of users, the system comprising:

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

maintain activity histories of the users that reflect activities performed by the users in both a virtual space and a physical environment, the activity histories including a first activity history that includes at least one activity performed by a first user in the virtual space and at least one activity performed by the first user in the physical environment;

receive activity information related to the activities of the users in both the virtual space and the physical environment, and include the received activity information in the activity histories of the users, such that, responsive to receiving information related to a first activity performed by the first user in the virtual space and a second activity performed by the first user in the physical environment, the information related to the first activity and the second activity are included in the first activity history of the first user, the first activity including the first user participating in a video game that takes place in the virtual space;

determine personalizations of the physical environment for the users based on the activities performed by the users in the virtual space and determine personalizations of the virtual space for the users based on the activities performed by the users in the physical environment, including determining a first personalization of the physical environment for the first user based on the first activity and determining a second personalization of the virtual space for the first user based on the second activity;

determine the first personalization of the physical environment for the first user based on the first activity by determining a first real-world attribute of user experience in the physical environment to change, add, remove, and/or enhance, the first real-world attribute of user experience including a real-world performance score of a game to be played on a ride in the physical environment, the first personalization being determined based on a virtual performance score of the first user in the video game; and

determine that the first personalization comprises handicapping the real-world performance score based on the virtual performance score prior to the first user playing the game in the physical environment.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by computer-readable instructions such that the activity histories that reflect the activities performed by the users in the virtual space are maintained by a virtual space user account associated with individual ones of the users and the activity histories that reflect the activities performed by the users in the physical environment are maintained by a physical environment user account associated with the individual ones of the users.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by computer-readable instructions such that the activity histories of the users that reflect the activities performed by the users in both the virtual space and the physical environment are maintained by a user account associated with individual ones of the users.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first real-world attribute of user experience and the first activity are related.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first real-world attribute of user experience and the first activity are unrelated.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first activity further includes the first user interacting with a second user in the video game taking place in the virtual space, wherein the first personalization requires the first user to interact with the second user in the game to be played on the ride in the physical environment.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first activity further includes the first user creating virtual content within the video game taking place in the virtual space, and wherein the first personalization further includes the created virtual content being presented in the game to be played on the ride in the physical environment.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by computer-readable instructions such that determining the personalizations of the virtual space for the first user based on the second activity comprises determining a first virtual attribute of user experience in the virtual space to change, add, remove, and/or enhance.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience and the second activity are related.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience and the second activity are unrelated.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the second activity corresponds to the first user being in a predetermined location within the physical environment, and wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience corresponds to a virtual-world-equivalent of the predetermined location.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the second activity corresponds to the first user traveling a predetermined distance within the physical environment, and wherein a personalization of the first virtual attribute of user experience corresponds to the predetermined distance.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the second activity corresponds to the first user performing a predetermined number of activities within the physical environment, and wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience corresponds to the performance of the predetermined number of activities.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the physical environment is a theme park, and the activities performed by the users in the physical environment include attending attractions available in the theme park.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the second activity corresponds to the first user performing a predetermined sequence of activities within the physical environment and wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience corresponds to the performance of the sequence of activities.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the physical environment is a theme park, and the activities performed by the users in the physical environment include attending attractions available in the theme park.

17. The system of claim 8, wherein the second activity corresponds to the first user interacting with a second user in the physical environment, and wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience corresponds to the first user interacting with the second user in the virtual space.

18. The system of claim 8, wherein the second activity corresponds to the first user obtaining a physical object in the physical environment, and wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience corresponds to a virtual-object-equivalent of the physical object in the virtual space.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein the second activity corresponds to the first user taking a photo in the physical environment, and wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience corresponds to the photo being displayed in the virtual space.

20. A method of associating virtual activity with real-world activity of users, the method being implemented in a computer system including one or more physical processors and storage media storing machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

maintaining activity histories of the users that reflect activities performed by the users in both a virtual space and a physical environment, the activity histories including a first activity history that includes at least one activity performed by a first user in the virtual space and at least one activity performed by the first user in the physical environment;

receiving activity information related to the activities of the users in both the virtual space and the physical environment, and include the received activity information in the activity histories of the users, such that, responsive to receiving information related to a first activity performed by the first user in the virtual space and a second activity performed by the first user in the physical environment, the information related to the first activity and the second activity are included in the first activity history of the first user, the first activity including the first user participating in a video game that takes place in the virtual space;

determining personalizations of the physical environment for the users based on the activities performed by the users in the virtual space and determine personalizations of the virtual space for the users based on the activities performed by the users in the physical environment, including determining a first personalization of the physical environment for the first user based on the first activity and determining a second personalization of the virtual space for the first user based on the second activity;

determining the first personalization of the physical environment for the first user based on the first activity by determining a first real-world attribute of user experience in the physical environment to change, add, remove, and/or enhance, the first real-world attribute of user experience including a real-world performance score of a game to be played on a ride in the physical environment, the first personalization being determined based on a virtual performance score of the first user in the video game; and

determining that the first personalization comprises handicapping the real-world performance score based on the virtual performance score prior to the first user playing the game in the physical environment.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the activity histories that reflect the activities performed by the users in the virtual space are maintained by a virtual space user account associated with individual ones of the users and the activity histories that reflect the activities performed by the users in the physical environment are maintained by a physical environment user account associated with the individual ones of the users.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the activity histories of the users that reflect the activities performed by the users in both the virtual space and the physical environment are maintained by a user account associated with individual ones of the users.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the first real-world attribute of user experience and the first activity are related.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the first real-world attribute of user experience and the first activity are unrelated.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the first activity further includes the first user interacting with a second user in the video game taking place in the virtual space, wherein the first personalization requires the first user to interact with the second user in the game to be played on the ride in the physical environment.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the first activity further includes the first user creating virtual content within the video game taking place in the virtual space, and wherein the first personalization further includes the created virtual content being presented in the game to be played on the ride in the physical environment.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein determining the personalizations of the virtual space for the first user based on the second activity comprises determining a first virtual attribute of user experience in the virtual space to change, add, remove, and/or enhance.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience and the second activity are related.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience and the second activity are unrelated.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the second activity corresponds to the first user being in a predetermined location within the physical environment, and wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience corresponds to a virtual-world-equivalent of the predetermined location.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the second activity corresponds to the first user traveling a predetermined distance within the physical environment, and wherein a personalization of the first virtual attribute of user experience corresponds to the predetermined distance.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the second activity corresponds to the first user performing a predetermined number of activities within the physical environment, and wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience corresponds to the performance of the predetermined number of activities.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the physical environment is a theme park, and the activities performed by the users in the physical environment include attending attractions available in the theme park.

34. The method of claim 27, wherein the second activity corresponds to the first user performing a predetermined sequence of activities within the physical environment, and wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience corresponds to the performance of the sequence of activities.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the physical environment is a theme park, and the activities performed by the users in the physical environment include attending attractions available in the theme park.

36. The method of claim 27, wherein the second activity corresponds to the first user interacting with a second user in the physical environment, and wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience corresponds to the first user interacting with the second user in the virtual space.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein the second activity corresponds to the first user obtaining a physical object in the physical environment, and wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience corresponds to a virtual-object-equivalent of the physical object in the virtual space.

38. The method of claim 27, wherein the second activity corresponds to the first user taking a photo in the physical environment, and wherein the first virtual attribute of user experience corresponds to the photo being displayed in the virtual space.