IP Library Granted Patent US 10,300,377
Granted Patent B2
US 10,300,377 · App. 15/793,736 · Granted May 28, 2019

Providing virtual items based on location-based actions

Inventors: Kathleen Auterio (San Francisco, CA); Deniz Ersever (San Francisco, CA); Nathan Arthur Etter (San Jose, CA); Hardik Kheskani (San Jose, CA); Serena Lam (San Francisco, CA); Amitt Mahajan (San Francisco, CA); Christopher Joseph Makarsky (San Francisco, CA); Jay Monahan (Los Gatos, CA); Donald C. Mosites (San Francisco, CA); Benjamin Mullin (San Francisco, CA); Matthew Adam Ocko (Palo Alto, CA); Brian Reynolds (Lutherville, MD); Shantanu Talapatra (San Francisco, CA); Justin Waldron (Oakville, CT); Ian Wang (San Francisco, CA); Jackson Wang (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Zynga Inc.
A63F13/32A63F13/00A63F13/216A63F13/27A63F13/30A63F13/85A63F2300/40A63F2300/57A63F2300/575
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,300,377
App. No.
15/793,736
Granted
May 28, 2019
Kind
B2
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 (33)

1. A system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer memories;

one or more modules incorporated into the one or more computer memories, the one or more modules configuring the one or more computer processors to perform operations for providing an in-game asset to a player of a computer-implemented game before revealing at least a portion of an actual value of the in-game asset to the player, the operations comprising:

selecting the in-game asset for the player based on a profile of the player and a location-based action that an operator of an establishment at a real-world geographical location has determined to incentivize;

notifying the player of a subset of information about the in-game asset, the subset of information not including the portion of the actual value of the in-game asset; and

based on the player performing the location-based action, notifying the player of the portion of the actual value of the in-game asset.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the subset of information is a range of possible values corresponding to the actual value of the in-game asset.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the actual value is selected from the range based on an estimated value of the location-based action with respect to the operator of the establishment.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the subset of the information includes a range of values, the range of values including the actual value.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the notifying of the player of the actual value of the in-game asset occurs when the player logs into a game networking system on which the computer-implemented game is executing.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the notifying of the player of the actual value of the in-game asset includes presenting a message in a user interface of a mobile device of the player upon completion of the location-based action by the player.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the subset of information is a percentage chance that the player will win the in-game asset upon performing the location-based action.

8. A method comprising:

performing operations for providing an in-game asset to a player of a computer-implemented game before revealing at least a portion of an actual value of the in-game asset to the player, the operations comprising:

selecting the in-game asset for the player based on a profile of the player and a location-based action that an operator of an establishment at a real-world geographical location has determined to incentivize;

notifying the player of a subset of information about the in-game asset, the subset of information not including the portion of the actual value of the in-game asset; and

based on the player performing the location-based action, notifying the player of the portion of the actual value of the in-game asset.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the subset of information is a range of possible values corresponding to the actual value of the in-game asset.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the actual value is selected from the range based on an estimated value of the location-based action with respect to the operator of the establishment.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the subset of the information includes a range of values, the range of values including the actual value.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the notifying of the player of the actual value of the in-game asset occurs when the player logs into a game networking system on which the computer-implemented game is executing.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the notifying of the player of the actual value of the in-game asset includes presenting a message in a user interface of a mobile device of the player upon completion of the location-based action by the player.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the subset of information is a percentage chance that the player will win the in-game asset upon performing the location-based action.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions that, when incorporated into a game networking system as one or more modules implemented by at least one processor of the game networking system, cause the at least one processor to perform operations for providing an in-game asset to a player of a computer-implemented game before revealing at least a portion of an actual value of the in-game asset to the player, the operations comprising:

selecting the in-game asset for the player based on a profile of the player and a location-based action that an operator of an establishment at a real-world geographical location has determined to incentivize;

notifying the player of a subset of information about the in-game asset, the subset of information not including the portion of the actual value of the in-game asset; and

based on the player performing the location-based action, notifying the player of the portion of the actual value of the in-game asset.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the subset of information is a range of possible values corresponding to the actual value of the in-game asset.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the actual value is selected from the range based on an estimated value of the location-based action with respect to the operator of the establishment.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the subset of the information includes a range of values, the range of values including the actual value.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the notifying of the player of the actual value of the in-game asset occurs when the player logs into a game networking system on which the computer-implemented game is executing.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the notifying of the player of the actual value of the in-game asset includes presenting a message in a user interface of a mobile device of the player upon completion of the location-based action by the player.

Assignments (5)
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded May 23, 2022
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: ZYNGA INC.
Reel/Frame 060163/0437 →
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Dec 14, 2020
From: ZYNGA INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 054719/0490 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Dec 11, 2020
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS LENDER
To: ZYNGA INC.
Reel/Frame 054701/0393 →
NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Dec 21, 2018
From: ZYNGA INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS LENDER
Reel/Frame 049147/0546 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 26, 2017
From: 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
To: ZYNGA INC.
Reel/Frame 043955/0862 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 13435627 · Mar 30, 2012
Continuation 13174717 · Jun 30, 2011
Related Publication 20180043253A1 · Feb 15, 2018