Providing virtual items based on location-based actions

• US 10,881,954 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2019
• Issued: 01/05/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Auterio, Kathleen, Ersever, Deniz, Etter, Nathan Arthur, Kheskani, Hardik, Lam, Serena, Mahajan, Amitt, Makarsky, Christopher Joseph, Monahan, Jay, Mosites, Donald C., Mullin, Benjamin, Ocko, Matthew Adam, Reynolds, Brian, Talapatra, Shantanu, Waldron, Justin, Wang, Ian, Wang, Jackson
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US16/393,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20190247749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/27 characterised by a large display in a public venue, e.g. in a movie theatre, stadium or game arena
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/40 characterised by details of platform network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/57 details of game services offered to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items

Abstract

A method of providing virtual items based on location-based action is disclosed. An indication is received of a performance of a location-based action by a player of a computer-implemented game. A virtual item is provided based on the receiving of the indication of the performance of the location-based action by the player of the computer-implemented game. The virtual item may be usable within the computer-implemented game.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer memories;

a set of instructions incorporated into the one or more computer memories, the set of instructions configuring the one or more computer processors to perform operations for implementing a contract for sharing of revenue between a game networking system and an operator system with respect to a real-time targeted advertising opportunity, the operations comprising;

detecting the real-time targeted advertising opportunity based on a tracking of data associated with a player of a game executing on the game networking system;

offering the real-time targeted advertising opportunity to the operator system;

based on a purchasing of the offer by the operator system, offering the player an incentive reward for performing a location-based action at a geographical location associated with the operator system; and

based on a detection of the completion of the location-based action by the player, providing the player with the incentive reward.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the incentive reward includes a coupon for an item that is sold by the operator at the geographical location and the location-based action includes a purchasing of the item by the player.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the offering of the real-time targeted advertising opportunity occurs via an auction and the purchasing of the offer by the operator system is based on a winning of the auction by the operator system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the player includes at least one of an in-game action of the player or a location-based action of the player.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the player includes at least one of preference, profile, or social networking data associated with the player.

6. The system of claim 1, the operations further comprising, based on the purchasing of the offer by the operator system, enabling the operator system to send an in-game reminder to the player.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the in-game reminder is customizable by the operator system based on the data associated with the player.

8. A method comprising:

performing, using one or more computer processors of a game networking system, operations for implementing a contract for sharing of revenue between the game networking system and an operator system with respect to a real-time targeted advertising opportunity, the operations comprising;

detecting the real-time targeted advertising opportunity based on a tracking of data associated with a player of a game executing on the game networking system;

offering the real-time targeted advertising opportunity to the operator system;

based on a purchasing of the offer by the operator system, offering the player an incentive reward for performing a location-based action at a geographical location associated with the operator system; and

based on a detection of the completion of the location-based action by the player, providing the player with the incentive reward.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the incentive reward includes a coupon for an item that is sold by the operator at the geographical location and the location-based action includes a purchasing of the item by the player.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the offering of the real-time targeted advertising opportunity occurs via an auction and the purchasing of the offer by the operator system is based on a winning of the auction by the operator system.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the data associated with the player includes at least one of an in-game action of the player or a location-based action of the player.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the data associated with the player includes at least one of preference, profile, or social networking data associated with the player.

13. The method of claim 8, the operations further comprising, based on the purchasing of the offer by the operator system, enabling the operator system to send an in-game reminder to the player.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the in-game reminder is customizable by the operator system based on the data associated with the player.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions, the set of instructions configuring one or more computer processors to perform operations for implementing a contract for sharing of revenue between a game networking system and an operator system with respect to a real-time targeted advertising opportunity, the operations comprising:

detecting the real-time targeted advertising opportunity based on a tracking of data associated with a player of a game executing on the game networking system;

offering the real-time targeted advertising opportunity to the operator system;

based on a purchasing of the offer by the operator system, offering the player an incentive reward for performing a location-based action at a geographical location associated with the operator system; and

based on a detection of the completion of the location-based action by the player, providing the player with the incentive reward.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the incentive reward includes a coupon for an item that is sold by the operator at the geographical location and the location-based action includes a purchasing of the item by the player.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the offering of the real-time targeted advertising opportunity occurs via an auction and the purchasing of the offer by the operator system is based on a winning of the auction by the operator system.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the data associated with the player includes at least one of an in-game action of the player or a location-based action of the player.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the data associated with the player includes at least one of preference, profile, or social networking data associated with the player.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising, based on the purchasing of the offer by the operator system, enabling the operator system to send an in-game reminder to the player.