Business goal incentives using gaming rewards

• US 8,244,567 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2008
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synnex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Synnex Corporation
• Inventors: Estill, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Jasmin, Lynda C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Koneru, Sujay
• Application Number:
  US12/319,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/7.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Gaming rewards are provided as an incentive for performing business goals. A business goal can be comprised of one or more tasks and a threshold for each task. When one or more participants perform tasks which satisfies the corresponding thresholds, a corresponding gaming reward is awarded to the participants. A business goal may require a single participant to satisfy a single task threshold, multiple participants to satisfy a threshold for one or more tasks, or a single participant to satisfy one or more thresholds for several tasks.

Claims

1. A method for providing business goal incentives using gaming rewards, the method comprising:

storing information in memory in a business goal table that contains a listing of various business goals, the information regarding business goals;

defining the business goals as business tasks and thresholds associated with the business tasks;

associating the business goals with virtual gaming rewards, the virtual gaming rewards are non-tangible rewards received in an electronic game, the virtual gaming rewards selected from a group consisting of virtual titles, virtual abilities, and virtual powers;

associating the virtual gaming rewards with participants who achieve particular business goals;

receiving at a server task data from a reporting device, the task data indicating participant progress in performance of the business task associated with the business goal;

determining that the task data meets the threshold associated with the business goal, the determination taking place at the server;

assigning the virtual gaming reward associated with the business goal to the participant upon the determination that the task data meets the threshold associated with the business goal, the assignment taking place at the server;

generating a report concerning the virtual gaming reward assigned to the participant;

generating a metric based on the task data; and

determining that the task data meets the threshold comprises comparing the metric to the threshold, the task data concerning performance of a plurality of business tasks by a plurality of participants and a portion of the task data is compared to a second threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing information in a memory concerning the assigned virtual gaming reward in association with information concerning the participant.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a query from the server to the reporting device, the query requesting information concerning the business task performed by the participant.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the task data is further based on automatic detection of performance of the business task by the participant.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the task data is further based on user input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the report includes generating a display of the virtual gaming reward on a content page.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a notification to the participant, the notification concerning a status of the participant, the status including information regarding progress made by the participant toward performance of the business goal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the reporting device is a mobile device associated with the participant and wherein the received task data includes information detected by the mobile device.

9. A method for providing gaming rewards as business incentives, the method comprising:

defining a business goal as a business task and a threshold associated with the task based on user input;

storing the business goal in a memory;

setting the threshold for the business goal, the threshold being set by a server;

storing in memory in a business goal table that contains a listing of various business goals;

making an association between virtual gaming rewards and the business goals, wherein the virtual gaming rewards are non-tangible rewards received in an electronic game, the virtual gaming rewards selected from a group consisting of virtual titles, virtual abilities, and virtual powers;

associating the virtual gaming rewards with participants who achieve a particular business goal;

receiving task data by the server, the task data concerning a first participant performing the business task associated with the business goal;

storing in memory the virtual gaming reward in association with information concerning the first participant upon the determination that the task data meets the threshold associated with the business goal;

generating a metric based on the task data; and

determining that the task data meets the threshold comprises comparing the metric to the threshold, the task data concerning performance of a plurality of business tasks by a plurality of participants and a portion of the task data is compared to a second threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the business goal further comprises a second business task and a second threshold associated with the second business task.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising updating the business goal when the virtual gaming reward is associated with the first participant information.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising updating the virtual gaming reward associated with the updated business goal.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the task data further concerns a second participant performing the business task and wherein storing the virtual gaming reward includes storing the virtual gaming reward for the second participant when the task data concerning the performance of the business task by the second participant satisfies the threshold.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for providing business goal incentives using gaming rewards, the method comprising:

storing information in memory in a business goal table that contains a listing of various business goals, the information regarding business goals;

defining the business goals as business tasks and thresholds associated with the business tasks;

associating the business goals with the virtual gaming rewards, the virtual gaming rewards are non-tangible rewards received in an electronic game, the virtual gaming rewards selected from a group consisting of virtual titles, virtual abilities, and virtual powers;

associating the virtual gaming rewards with participants who achieve particular business goals;

receiving task data indicating participant progress in performance of the business task associated with the business goal;

determining that the task data meets the threshold associated with the business goal;

assigning the virtual gaming reward associated with the business goal to the participant upon the determination that the task data meets the threshold associated with the business goal;

generating a report concerning the virtual gaming reward assigned to the participant;

generating a metric based on the task data; and

determining that the task data meets the threshold comprises comparing the metric to the threshold, the task data concerning performance of a plurality of business tasks by a plurality of participants and a portion of the task data is compared to a second threshold.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, the processor being further executable to generate a query directed to the reporting device, the query requesting information concerning performance of the business task.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, the processor being further executable to generate the report as a display of the gaming reward on a content page.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, the processor being further executable to generate a metric based on the task data and to determine that the task data meets the threshold by comparing the metric to the threshold.