Game rewards based on device characteristics

• US 9,943,762 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2014
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Big Fish Games Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Big Fish Games Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Inventors: Galic, Steven, Comstock, John Frederick, Starin, John Amos, Kanter, Noah, Byrd, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US14/523,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20160114251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/217 using environment-related information, i.e. information generated otherwise than by the player, e.g. ambient temperature or humidity
• 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 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• 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 2300/6018 where the game content is authored by the player, e.g. level editor or by game device at runtime, e.g. level is created from music data on CD
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6063 for sound processing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6072 of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition

Abstract

A reward associated with a game may be provided based at least partly on a characteristic associated with a user device used to play the game. A threshold or level associated with the device characteristic may be determined. A current level of the characteristic while a user is playing the game via the user device may be determined. Based at least partly on a determination that the current level of the characteristic satisfies the threshold or the level during play of the game, a reward associated with the game may be provided to the user device and/or the user.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-executable instructions stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to;

facilitate play of a game via the mobile device;

determine a threshold associated with a characteristic of the mobile device, the characteristic being a volume of the mobile device and the threshold being a predetermined volume level associated with the mobile device;

monitoring the characteristic with respect to the threshold;

determining, during play of the game, that a current level of the characteristic satisfies the threshold, the current level of the characteristic being a current volume level of the mobile device; and

based at least partly on the current level of the characteristic satisfying the threshold, causing a reward associated with the game to be provided.

2. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the characteristic associated with the mobile device is a battery consumption of the mobile device;

the threshold is a predetermined battery level associated with the mobile device; and

the current level of the characteristic is a current battery level of the mobile device.

3. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the mobile device is associated with at least one of:

active applications associated with the mobile device;

media content captured with or presented by the mobile device;

a screen brightness of the mobile device;

an extent of user interaction with the game;

wireless connectivity associated with the mobile device;

or

an extent of processing performed by the mobile device during play of the game.

4. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, wherein the reward is provided to at least one of:

a user playing the game via the mobile device;

a cumulative amount of rewards previously earned by the user;

or

a user account or a user profile associated with the user.

5. The mobile device as recited in claim 4, wherein the reward includes at least one of:

points or tokens that are added to a cumulative amount of points or tokens previously earned by the user;

unlocking of one or more game features that were previously unavailable or inaccessible to the user;

or

a multiplier that indicates a rate in which rewards are provided to the user.

6. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to:

determine a type of the mobile device; and

causing the reward associated with the game to be provided based at least partly on the type of the mobile device.

7. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the reward is a first reward based at least partly on a first determination that the mobile device is a mobile telephone;

determining that the reward is a second reward based at least partly on a second determination that the mobile device is a tablet device, wherein the first reward is greater than the second reward; and

determining that the reward is a third reward based at least partly on a third determination that the mobile device is a laptop computer, wherein the second reward is greater than the third reward.

8. A system comprising:

memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-executable instructions stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to;

facilitate play of a game via a user device located remotely from the system;

determine a threshold associated with a characteristic of the user device, the characteristic being a volume of the user device and the threshold being a predetermined volume level associated with the user device;

receive, from the user device, an indication of a current level of the characteristic, the current level of the characteristic being a current volume level of the user device;

determine, during play of the game via the user device, that the current level of the characteristic satisfies the threshold; and

based at least partly on the current level of the characteristic satisfying the threshold, causing a reward associated with the game to be provided.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein:

the characteristic associated with the user device is a battery consumption of the user device;

the threshold is a predetermined battery level associated with the user device; and

the current level of the characteristic is a current battery level of the user device.

10. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to monitor the current level of the characteristic while a user associated with the user device plays the game.

11. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the reward is based at least partly on at least one of the characteristic associated with the user device, the threshold, or the current level of the characteristic.

12. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to:

determine a second threshold of the characteristic associated with the user device;

determine, during play of the game via the user device, that a second current level of the characteristic satisfies the second threshold; and

based at least partly on the second current level of the characteristic satisfying the second threshold, causing a second reward that is associated with the game and that is different from the reward to be provided.

13. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the reward includes at least one of:

points or tokens that are added to a cumulative amount of points or tokens previously earned by a user playing the game via the user device;

unlocking of one or more game features that were previously unavailable to the user;

or

a multiplier that indicates a rate in which rewards are provided to the user.

14. A method comprising:

facilitating play of a game via a user device;

determining a threshold associated with a characteristic of the user device, the characteristic being a volume of the user device and the threshold being a predetermined volume level associated with the user device;

determining, during play of the game via the user device, that a current level of the characteristic satisfies the threshold, the current level of the characteristic being a current volume level of the user device; and

based at least partly on the current level of the characteristic satisfying the threshold, causing a reward associated with the game to be provided.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the characteristic includes a battery consumption of the user device, the battery consumption being associated with at least one of:

active applications associated with the user device;

media content captured with or presented by the user device;

a screen brightness of the user device;

an extent of user interaction with the game;

wireless connectivity associated with the user device;

or

an extent of processing performed by the user device during play of the game.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the characteristic includes a battery consumption of the user device, and wherein the reward is based at least partly on the user device powering down as a result of a current battery level of the user device reaching zero.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

determining a second threshold associated with the characteristic of the user device, the second threshold being a second predetermined volume level of the user device;

determine, during play of the game via the user device, that a second current level of the user device satisfies the second threshold, the second current level of the characteristic being a second current volume level of the user device; and

based at least partly on the second current level of the user device satisfying the second threshold, causing a second reward that is associated with the game and that is different from the reward to be provided.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the reward includes at least one of:

points or tokens that are added to a cumulative amount of points or tokens previously earned by the user playing the game via the user device;

unlocking of one or more game features that were previously unavailable to the user;

or

a multiplier that indicates a rate in which rewards are provided to the user.

19. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the reward is based at least partly on at least one of the threshold or the current level of the characteristic.

20. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

determining that the reward is a first reward based at least partly on a first determination that the mobile device is a mobile telephone or a tablet device; and

determining that the reward is a second reward based at least partly on a second determination that the mobile device is a laptop computer or a desktop computer, wherein the first reward is greater than the second reward.