Patent Application
20130130784
The internet has become a primary resource for entertainment. Many popular sites offset internet-based games and videos. Typically such sites are advertisement supports or require payment of a subscription fee. However, banner ads and other forms of advertisements displayed in a browser are easily ignored. Accordingly, the “click-through” rate for such advertisements is extremely low.
Many people also use the internet for shopping including both purchasing products from websites and researching products they wish to buy. The abundance of shopping sites makes it difficult to attract customers. In addition, the browsing habits of many users include only looking at a merchant's website for a matter of seconds before moving on to another site or navigating to another portion of a merchant's website.
In view of the foregoing it would be an advancement in the art to provide an approach to internet shopping and advertising that is able to attract customer's attention as well as providing the entertainment that many internet users seek.
The specific features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description and accompanying drawings where:
In the following description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention is may be practiced. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known circuits, components, algorithms, and processes have not been shown in detail or have been illustrated in schematic or block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention in unnecessary detail. Additionally, for the most part, details concerning networks, interfaces, computing systems, and the like have been omitted inasmuch as such details are not considered necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present invention and are considered to be within the understanding of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art. It is further noted that, where feasible, all functions described herein may be performed in either hardware, software, firmware, digital components, or analog components or a combination thereof, unless indicated otherwise. Certain terms are used throughout the following description and Claims to refer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, components may be referred to by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name, but not function. In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . .”
Embodiments of the present invention are described herein. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following detailed description of the present invention is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Reference will be made in detail to implementations of the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same reference indicators will be used throughout the drawings and the following detailed description to refer to the same or like parts.
In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of the implementations described herein are shown and described. It will, of course, be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made in order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with applications and business-related constraints, and that these specific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from one developer to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
The following description relates to methods for providing product-based gaming. A user may select a product or products and may also provide a ranking of a list of products. The products may be selected by scanning optical codes, such as by means of a camera provided on a smart phone or other portable computing device. A host receives the selection of a product or products and possibly a ranking. The host then manages interaction with the user to provide game play. According to an outcome of the game, the host selects one or both of a product and a promotion, which may include a discount amount, and presents one or both of these to the player. In some embodiments, images of the one or more products selected by the user are used as interface elements in the game. The player may pay a fee to play the game and the promotion may include a discount amount chosen to be at least as great as the fee. Upon redemption of the promotion, a merchant may pay a fee to an entity providing the product-based game.
Various additional features and alternative embodiments are disclosed herein, including various games suitable for use in accordance with the disclosed systems and methods
Computing device 100 includes one or more processor(s) 102, one or more memory device(s) 104, one or more interface(s) 106, one or more mass storage device(s) 108, one or more Input/Output (I/O) device(s) 110, and a display device 130 all of which are coupled to a bus 112. Processor(s) 102 include one or more processors or controllers that execute instructions stored in memory device(s) 104 and/or mass storage device(s) 108. Processor(s) 102 may also include various types of computer-readable media, such as cache memory.
Memory device(s) 104 include various computer-readable media, such as volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) 114) and/or nonvolatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM) 116). Memory device(s) 104 may also include rewritable ROM, such as Flash memory.
Mass storage device(s) 108 include various computer readable media, such as magnetic tapes, magnetic disks, optical disks, solid state memory (e.g., Flash memory), and so forth. As shown in
I/O device(s) 110 include various devices that allow data and/or other information to be input to or retrieved from computing device 100. Example I/O device(s) 110 include cursor control devices, keyboards, keypads, microphones, monitors or other display devices, speakers, printers, network interface cards, modems, lenses, CCDs or other image capture devices, and the like.
Display device 130 includes any type of device capable of displaying information to one or more users of computing device 100. Examples of display device 130 include a monitor, display terminal, video projection device, and the like.
Interface(s) 106 include various interfaces that allow computing device 100 to interact with other systems, devices, or computing environments. Example interface(s) 106 include any number of different network interfaces 120, such as interfaces to local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), wireless networks, and the Internet. Other interfaces include user interface 118 and peripheral device interface 122.
Bus 112 allows processor(s) 102, memory device(s) 104, interface(s) 106, mass storage device(s) 108, and I/O device(s) 110 to communicate with one another, as well as other devices or components coupled to bus 112. Bus 112 represents one or more of several types of bus structures, such as a system bus, PCI bus, IEEE 1394 bus, USB bus, and so forth.
For purposes of illustration, programs and other executable program components are shown herein as discrete blocks, although it is understood that such programs and components may reside at various times in different storage components of computing device 100, and are executed by processor(s) 102. Alternatively, the systems and procedures described herein can be implemented in hardware, or a combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. For example, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) can be programmed to carry out one or more of the systems and procedures described herein.
One or more workstations 212 may be operably coupled to the host server 202 or one or more of the servers 208a-208d, such as by means of the network 206. The workstation 212 may be used by a user wishing to access the services provided by the servers 208a-208d or host server 202. The workstation 212 may host a browser for presenting a web-based interface to processes running on the servers 208a-208d or host server 202. The workstation 212 may be embodied as a computing device such as that illustrated in
One or more of the servers 208a-208d may be coupled to a local area network (LAN) 214 having one or more of additional workstations 216, databases 218, and servers 220. In such embodiments, the server 208c coupled to the LAN may provide a gateway to a system seeking to access resources provided on the workstation 216, database 218, or server 220. Accordingly, the services “provided” by the server 208c may include those provided components coupled to the LAN 214 and accessed by means of the server 208c.
In some embodiments, the host server 202 may provide product-based gaming for users on one or more workstations 212. The servers 208a-208d may provide internet purchasing interfaces for users wishing to purchase products featured in a product-based game provided by the host server. For purposes of this disclosure a “product” may be anything that may be purchased with money including goods, services, and any and all intangible property.
A prospective player may also be presented 304 with a product selection on the workstation 212. The product selection may include products from one or more merchants and may be navigable and searchable as known in the art of online shopping. Presenting 304 may include presenting 304 the product selection in a web browser or embedded in a game interface. The products may be represented with images and/or text and may be presented with additional information such as customer reviews and links to related products. The prospective player chooses products from the product selection and these choices are transmitted to the host server 202. The host server receives 306 the prospective player's choices, in the form of product identifiers for the selected products. In some embodiments, prospective players may rank multiple products in order of preference. Accordingly, receiving 306 the prospective player's choices may include receiving a ranking for the products chosen.
In some embodiments, a user does not select products and is not presented with an opportunity to select products. For example, a user may simply be presented with an invitation to play a game for the opportunity to win a promotion, such as a discount, for a pre-determined product.
The host server 202 may then present 308 a game interface to one or more prospective players. The game interface may be a locally executed application. In such embodiments, presenting 308 the game interface may include transmitting an authorization or instruction to the local interface to present the game interface upon payment of the game fee and selection of one or more products. Alternatively, the game interface may be a web-based interface such that presenting 308 the game interface may include transmitting a web page operable to provide a game interface when rendered by a browser. Presenting 308 the game interface may include presenting 310 images of one or more produces selected by a player as interface elements. For example, game pieces, buttons, and other elements that a user may manipulate using a mouse may be displayed on the user workstation with an image of a selected product.
The game interface receives 312 user interactions therewith. For web based applications, receiving 312 user interactions may include receiving 312 these interactions at the host server 202 as transmitted from a web-based application or browser executing on the workstation 212. The host server 202 may interpret the user interactions and update the state of the game and transmit any updates to the game interface to the user workstation 212. For locally executing, applications, the locally executing application receives 312 the user interactions and updates the state of the locally executing game and locally presented game interface as necessary.
Upon conclusion of the game, the method 300 includes determining 314 which product and/or promotion or discount the player receives according to the outcome of the game. In some embodiments, the discount is fixed and the product is selected according to the outcome of the game. In some embodiments, an awarded promotion may include buy one, get one deals, gifts with purchase of a prize product, access to limited supply goods, access to events, access to special content, and the like. In other embodiments, the product is always one of the products selected by the player but the amount of the discount or type of promotion depends on the outcome of the game. In still other embodiments, the product and the promotion, such as a discount amount, are selected based on the outcome of the game. In embodiments where a fee is paid to play the game, the value of the promotion or amount of the discount is preferably greater than or equal to the amount of the game fee. In some embodiments, the product and/or promotion are selected by a random process where the likelihood of receiving one of the products selected by the player and/or a larger valued promotion, e.g., discount amount, increases based on the outcome of the game, i.e., number of points, win or loss, completion of a task, or the like. In embodiments, where users select products and rank them in terms of desirability, the likelihood that the user will receive a promotion, such as a discount, for a higher ranked product may increase based on the outcome of the game. For example, a larger number of points may increase the likelihood of getting a higher ranked product. The step of determining 314 the prize product and/or promotion may be performed by the host server 202 or by an application executing on the workstation 212.
A promotion message may then be transmitted 316 to the player, such as by transmitting a message to the workstation 212 by means of a web browser, email application, text message, or interaction with another locally executing application on the workstation 212. The promotion message may identify the prize product determined at step 314 and the promotion, such as a discount amount. The promotion message may further include a time limiter indicating how long the promotion will be available or providing other incentives to redeem the promotion in a timely manner. Other incentives may include promotions for accessories for the prize product that expire if not redeemed by a given time or an additional discount for the prize product that expires unless the promotion is redeemed by a given time. In addition to any incentives, offers, advertisements, and discounts, or other promotions for other products, which may relate to the prize product, may also be included in the promotion message. The promotion message may include a promotional code, electronic coupon, or other data enabling the player to redeem the promotion for the prize product at a website or physical store of a merchant.
Upon redemption of the promotion for the prize product by the player, the merchant that sold the product to the player may remit an affiliate fee or other compensation to the entity owning or controlling the host server 202. Accordingly the method 300 may include receiving 320 payment of an affiliate fee. The fee may be paid to a financial institution such that receiving 320 payment of the affiliate fee may include receiving 320 notice of payment of the affiliate fee. In some embodiments, a merchant providing products for selection using the method 300 may pay a sponsorship fee such that payment of an affiliate fee upon redemption of a promotion message is not performed.
The network profile interface 400 may additionally display an entry point 412 to launch a product-based game, such as described above with respect to
The method 500 may include receiving 504 a user selection of the game entry point. This may include receiving a message at a host server 202 as a result of user selection of the game entry point on a workstation 212. The method 500 may further include receiving 506 a user selection of network profile identifiers and transmitting 508 invitations to join in a group game to the identified users.
Various methods may be used to receive 506 a selection of invitees and transmit 508 the invitations to the invitees using a social networking interface. An inviter player may, for example, select invitee players from a contact list or friends list including identifiers for the network profiles of other users and then issue invitations to an inbox or other messaging data structure of a social networking profile of an invitee player using communication methods known in the art of social networking. The invitation may include hyptertext, buttons, or other user interface elements allowing the invitee player to click on the invitation when viewed in the network profile interface to indicate to the host server 202 an acceptance of the invitation. The invitation may be generated by the host server 202 and transmitted by means of the host server 202. For example, a locally executing application or interface to an application executing on the host server 202 may receive identifiers for prospective players and transmit invitations with required codes or user interface elements to the inbox of the invitee player's networking profile.
Alternatively, the invitation may include a game identifier. The invitee player may then transmit the game identifier to the host server 202 identifier upon initiation a game, such as by performing steps 502 and 504 using a network profile interface. The game identifier may be supplied by the user to the host server 202 upon initiating the game by performing steps 502 and 504. Alternatively, the game identifier may be transmitted from the host server 202 to the user's inbox upon performance of the steps 502 and 504. In some embodiments, invitations including a link, game identifier, or other access code, may be transmitted by email, text message, or the like, and accepted in the same manner as described above.
The host server 202 may receive 510 acceptances from one or more of the invitees. As noted above, acceptance may be initiated by an invitee may clicking a link in the invitation or by selecting a game entry point and entering a game identifier or other code in a game interface presented on the invitee computer. In embodiments where payment of a game fee is required the host server 202 may receive 512 payment of a game fee. As noted above, this may include receiving at the host server notification of payment of a game fee by a financial institution or other payment processing entity.
The method 500 therefore includes steps of presenting 514 products for game rewards on the user computers, and receiving 516 user selections of one or more desired products, which may include a ranking of the desired products. Interacting 518 with the players to provide the game play may be through a web browser executing on each of the inviter and invitee computers or an independent application. Interaction 518 between players may be managed on the host server 202 in data communication with the user computers or may be performed by the user computers with interaction achieved by communication between user computers.
The method 500 may include selecting 520, by the host server 202 or an application executing on the player computers, one or both of a prize product and a promotion, such as a discount amount, according to the outcome of the game. In some embodiments, selection 520 of a prize may be as described hereinabove except that the prize product selected 520 for an individual player may be any of the products selected by any of the other players of the group. Alternatively, the pool of products from which the prize product is selected 520 may include those of some or all of the players in the group as well as one or more other products that were not selected by any of the players. As already noted hereinabove, in embodiments where a game fee is required to play the value of the promotion, such as the value of a discount, is preferably at least as great as the game fee. The prize product and promotion may then be presented 522 to the players. Upon redemption of one or more of the promotions, the host server 202 may receive 524 or verify receipt of an affiliate fee from the merchant providing the prize product and promotion.
The method 600 may further include receiving 606 payment of a sponsorship fee. In some embodiments, receiving 606 payment of the sponsorship fee may include receiving verification of payment of the fee from another entity, such as a financial institution. The sponsorship fee may be a fee paid in order for the host server 202 to provide the merchant's product's as part of the product-based game and may also include a fee for providing advertising, e.g., banner ads, as part of a game interface. Where a merchant has a paid up sponsorship fee or a fee is otherwise not required, the step of receiving 606 payment of the sponsorship fee may be omitted.
The products received 604 from a merchant may then be presented 608 to players for selection as part of a product-based game. The products presented 608 may include those received 604 from multiple merchants. As noted above, presenting 608 products to players may include providing a web-based interface that is navigable and searchable. As in the other methods described herein, the method 600 may include receiving 610 a player's selection of one or more products from the interface for each player. Receiving 610 a player's selection may include receiving multiple products along with a ranking of the selected products.
The method 600 may include providing game play to one or more players. This may include presenting 612 one or more of a player's selected products as interface elements in a game interface and interacting 614 with one or more players to provide game play. In some embodiments, steps 612 and 614 may be performed by a software module executing on a user workstation 212.
Upon conclusion of the game, a player may be assigned 616 one or both of a product and a product promotion, such as a discount amount, based on the outcome of the game. The product assigned and the promotion may be defined by product records received 604. The product and/or promotion assigned 616 may then be presented 618 to the player. Presenting 618 the promotion may include transmitting a promotion message identifying the product and/or promotion to a workstation 212 associated with a user.
The method 600 may include presenting other information to the user along with the promotion message. This may include presenting 620 early purchase incentives. The purchase incentives may include free products for purchase by a deadline, additional promotions for the prize product, and the like. The method may also include retrieving related product records 622 and presenting 624 the retrieved products along with discounts or offers to purchase the retrieved products. As in other steps of the method 600, presenting may include transmitting the information to a user workstation 212.
The method 600 may further include detecting 626 redemption of any promotions or product offers presented in steps 618, 620, or 624. Detecting 626 may include receiving notice from a merchant that uploaded a record for the product redeemed that a product associated with one of the products offered in steps 618, 620, or 624. The method may also include receiving payment 628 of an affiliate fee, which may include receiving notice of payment of the affiliate fee from a financial institution.
The method 900 may include evaluating 910 whether a user wishes to buy points. If so, then the host server 202 manages interactions required for the user to transfer money to the entity owning or controlling the host server and associates points with the purchaser of the points. The method 900 may also include evaluating 912 whether a prospective player has played before. If not, then the host server 202 may present 914 a tutorial to the player. In either case, a game is then further initiated 916.
The following figures and description describe the logic of providing a white elephant type game. The method steps described may be executed on the host server 202, on a player workstation 212, a combination of the two, or by some other device alone or in combination with these devices. Interaction and instructions from players may be received and processed on a player workstation 212 or received on the player workstation 212 and transmitted to the host server 202 for processing.
A game may begin with execution of a method 1000 of
The player may then choose 1204 whether to swap the gift with another gift from the pile. If not, the player will keep 1206 the gift from the pile. If so, then the player swaps gifts with the pile and has an option to keep the gift swapped from the pile may choose 1208 whether to keep the second gift from the pile, after finding out the product associated with the second gift. If the player chooses to keep the gift, then the user may choose 1210 to pay a lock fee to prevent loss of the gift during later game play. If the player chooses to pay a lock fee then the lock fee is paid 1212 and received by the entity associated with the host server. The player may also choose 1214 whether to pay an early fee. If the player chooses 1214 to pay the fee, then the fee is paid 1216 and the game ends 1218 for that player.
If a player chooses 1208 not to keep a gift selected from the pile on that turn, the player may choose 1220 to steal a gift from another player. If so, then the method 1200 may include evaluating 1222 whether steal is permitted according to game logic described hereinbelow. If so, then the gift associated with the player is exchanged 1224 with a gift associated with another player chosen by the player. A player may choose 1226 to swap gifts with another player rather than to steal a gift. If the other player is found 1228 to agree with the swap, then the player and the other player exchange 1230 gifts. This may include changing the gifts associated with each player's game state.
In some embodiments, a message board as known in the art may be accessible and viewable by the players and may provide the ability for player's to post comments. In such embodiments, a player's turn may include marketing 1232 the product associated with a user on the message board to earn points, posting messages 1234 regarding transactions (swaps or steals) that took place during the player's turn, and post 1236 responses to other messages. Messages 1234 regarding transactions (swaps or steals) may include automatically generate text that the player may edit or not and then post to the message board or transmit to the other part of the transaction. Marketing messages may result in points being associated with the user for use at different points in the game.
The player may also indicate a choice 1308 to steal a product from a second player. If so, then the method 1300 may include evaluating 1310 whether the player has any steals left. Upon the commencement of the game a player may be given a certain number of steals that are used up with each steal. In some embodiments, additional steals may be purchased using points acquired by purchase or during game play. In some embodiments, a steal may be purchased outright. If the player is found 1310 to have free steals, the method 1300 may include evaluating 1312 whether the gift the player wishes to steal has remaining steals. Each gift may have a number of permitted steals associated therewith such that it can only be stolen a certain number of times before it can no longer be stolen. If the gift is found 1312 to not have any more steals, the method 1300 may include evaluating whether the stealing player has an extra steal. An extra steal may be purchased with points or money and allows a player to steal a gift notwithstanding the fact that the gift has no more steals left.
If the player chooses to steal the gift, has free steals left, and the player has an extra steal or the gift has steals left, the method 1300 may include evaluating 1316 whether the second player has and chooses to use immunity from stealing. An immunity may be purchased with points or money and is used up by choosing to invoke the immunity in response to an attempt to steal. In some embodiments, once the immunity is used it cannot be used again and another immunity must be purchased if one is to be used.
If the player cannot or chooses not to use immunity, then the gift of the second player is stolen 1318. This may include swapping the product identifiers of the products associated with the stealing player and the second player. If the player uses immunity or the steal is otherwise not permitted according to other method steps, then the steal is refused 1320.
As noted above, in some embodiments, a player may choose to end the game early, which may include payment of an early fee. In such embodiments, the game may end 1516 after a user has an opportunity to see the promotion message and redeem the promotion. However, even where an early end has been chosen, the end of the game for other players may precede or follow redemption of a discount by a player. Upon ending 1516 of the game for all players, all players may be presented 1518 with a baseline discount or baseline promotion, such as a baseline discount, that is independent of the outcome of the game and offers all players an opportunity to purchase products with the baseline promotion. As in other embodiments, the baseline promotion may be in the form of a promotional code or other data structure enabling a user to purchase a product at a discount. The player may then choose 1520 whether to buy products using the baseline promotion. If so, then the player may complete 1522 selection and purchase of the products benefiting from the baseline promotion, which may include generating 1524 affiliate revenue for an entity owning or controlling the host server 202. If a player chooses 1520 not to purchase products using the baseline promotion, then the player may hold 1526 the baseline promotion for later use.
The method 1600 may then include providing 1606 an interactive game to a user. The game interface for providing 1606 the interactive game may be displayed on the player workstation 212. Functions for updating the game interface and updating the game state in response to user inputs may be executed on one or both of the user workstation 212 and host server 202.
The outcome of the game may then be evaluated 1608. Evaluating 1608 may include evaluating a point total, success of failure at completing a task, or some other metric. A probability of obtaining a particular product may be assigned 1610 according to the evaluation 1608 of the outcome. In some embodiments, probabilities may be assigned 1610 to each, or each of a subset, of the products identified in the product selection received 1604. An additional probability may be generated according to the outcome indicating the likelihood of the user not receiving a promotion for any product. The method 1600 may also include assigning 1612 one or more probabilities to one or more promotion types or amounts. For example, probabilities of obtaining X, Y, and Z % discounts may be determined, where X, Y, and Z are values between 100 and 0. In some embodiments, promotion types may include promotions other than discount percentages such as “buy one get one free” offers, a free gift with purchase, access to exclusive online content, or other promotions described herein or as known in the art. In some embodiments, larger discount amounts or more valuable promotions may be assigned a larger probability for a larger point total or a successful completion of a task. In some embodiments, the sum of the probabilities for each possible promotion is equal to 1, or, stated differently, the probability of obtaining at least one promotion is 100%. A product and promotion may be randomly or pseudo-randomly selected 1614 according to the probabilities assigned at steps 1610, 1612. The steps of assigning 1610, 1612 probabilities and selecting 1614 a product and promotion may be performed on one or both of a player workstation 212 or on the host server 202. A promotional message indicating the selected product and promotion may then be transmitted 1616 to the player workstation 212 and/or displayed on the player workstation 212. The method of
In some embodiments, a player may be limited to one promotion per product within a given time period, e.g., per day, week, month, season, and the like. In such embodiments, if a product is randomly selected for which a promotion has already been awarded to a player within the given time period, another product may be selected or only a specified number of points may be assigned to a player's point total for future use, such as for promotions assigned using the method of
Tables 1 and 2 illustrate examples of how probabilities of obtaining a product may be assigned 1610 and probabilities of obtaining a promotion may be assigned 1612. The steps of assigning 1610, 1612 probabilities may be performed by looking up probabilities from tables, such as Tables 1 and 2.
Points may also be added 1706 to the campaign total for postings messages regarding one or more of the game, branded products, and the brand associated with the advertising campaign. The postings may be made to a player's social media account through an interface provided by the host server 202 or on the player workstation 212 such that a provider of the advertising campaign can verify the content and actual posting of the player's comments. Alternatively, the fact of a player's social media postings may be verified after the fact by accessing the player's social media site and analyzing the content thereof.
Additional points may be awarded for a “paired game.” A paired game is a game in which two players agree to play the same game. Upon both players completing the game, both players are awarded additional points. Paired games encourage people to recruit other players. Paired games may be set up using social media sites as discussed herein. Actual interaction between the players during a paired game is not required. In some embodiments, additional point for paired games will not be awarded more than once to the same pair of players within a given period, such as 24 hours. However, an individual player may have paired games with multiple other players and still receive the additional points for paired games.
In some embodiments, a player may be limited on the number of games that may be played per day for points to be added to the campaign total. In still other embodiments, the number of individual games is limited, but the number of paired games is not, or has a separate limit, provided a player is paired with a different player for each paired game.
The campaign totals for a plurality of players may be compared 1708 to one another and products and corresponding promotions may be assigned 1710 to one or more of the players according to the comparison. In some embodiments, the promotions assigned based on campaign totals are for items of greater value and greater appeal and the discounts offered may be even larger (such as up to 99% off). Assigning 1710 a product and promotion may include assigning a probability of obtaining a promotion for a coveted product according to a rank of a player's campaign point total and then randomly or pseudo randomly assigning a product and/or promotion according to that probability. In alternative embodiments, the probability of a promotion for a product and the probability of obtaining a particular promotion are assigned to each player independently according to campaign point totals as described with respect to the method 1600 of
In some embodiments, a player's campaign totals and/or individual game totals may be added 1712 to a platform total for that player. The platform total may reflect all points accumulated from playing games provided by a certain provider. The platform total may indicate total points with respect to individual games and/or a lumped sum of all points. The player's platform total 1712 may be compared 1714 to platform totals for other players, either with respect to individual games or a lump sum of points accumulated for all games. A product and promotion may then be assigned 1716 according to the comparison. Assigning 1716 a product and promotion may include assigning a probability of obtaining a promotion for a coveted product according to a rank of a player's platform total and then randomly assigning or not assigning the promotion for the product according to the probability. Alternatively, the type of promotion and the product associated with a promotion may be independently assigned based on a player's platform total, such as using the method 1600 of
Any number of games may advantageously be provided using the methods and systems described herein. Various examples of such games are described herein. As noted previously, the games may advantageously use images for products that can be awarded as part of a promotion as interactive game interface elements.
The tiles may then be dealt 1904. This may include associating the tiles with a player. Dealing 1904 the tiles may include revealing to the player the products associated with each tile by displaying the images of the two products associated with each tile thereon. Displaying the tiles enables the player to devise a strategy to create the longest train possible. Referring to
The method 1900 may include receiving 1906 a player's proposed tile placement and evaluating 1908 if the placement is valid. If not, the placement is not performed. If it is valid, then the placement is performed and points are assigned 1910. The method 1900 may include evaluating 1912 whether the player has tiles left. If not, the player may have the option of drawing more tiles. If the player chooses 1914 to draw more, more tiles are dealt 1916 to the player. If the player chooses 1914 not to draw tiles, then the game ends 1920.
If a player has tiles at the end of a turn, the method 1900 may include evaluating 1918 at the end of a turn whether a player can make any more valid placements. If not, then the game ends 1920. Ending the game may include calculating a final tally of points, which may include assigning a point value to all tiles placed and subtracting the point value of unplaced tiles. Points may also be assigned according to the time spent in placing tiles. In some embodiments, the game ends upon expiration of a time period.
The rules for what constitutes a valid tile placement may vary depending on the type of play. The method 1900 may be executed in the context of a multiplayer game. The players may be assembled using methods described herein such as using a social media site.
In one example, the game implemented is based loosely on the original game of Mexican Train Dominoes with some modifications. Possible game scenarios include:
For Single-Player game, a player plays as many of the player's dominoes as possible in a continuous train within the specified amount of time to get the highest total score after deducting points from dominoes that are not played. For Multi-Player games, the object is to be the first to play all of one's dominoes, or at least as many high-point dominoes as possible, in each round. The highest total score at the end of all rounds wins the game.
Single Player, Simultaneous v. Self
As noted above a retailer or brand may provide a collection of sponsored items for an advertising campaign, e.g., a period of time during which a retailer or brand features a collection of products paired with promotions and deployed on a web, mobile, advertising or social media platform.
In one embodiment, the game logic creates 51 tiles, each of which feature two images from the sponsored products, or products selected by a player. This creates the foundation for a double nine draw dominoes style game. A player selects up to nine products which become the images on the domino tiles.
Fifteen tiles are dealt to an individual player in a single player game. Multi-player games require alternative distribution of tiles based on total number of players as known in the art of domino-type games. A player organizes tiles and strategizes how the player will earn the highest number of points by placing them next to each other in a continuous train such that two matched images are always adjacent to each other from two different tiles. Each of the two images on each tile has a points value associated it with it that is visible on the tile to the player.
Once the tiles are dealt, the player begins placing tiles in the player's train with a clock measuring the time spent. The player selects a tile to start the train and continues placing tiles on one end of the train. Once a tile is placed down, it is a confirmed placement. Time elapsed and total points may be displayed for the player. In some embodiments, tile values are displayed on the tiles and based on the player's ranking of the products associated with the tiles, such as in reverse order, e.g., #1 rank is #9 in points value. In some embodiments, double clicking reverses the direction of a tile (i.e. the right side image becomes the left side image and vice versa). As they are used, the tiles are removed from the player's tile pile and cannot to be reused.
If a player does not have a tile that can be played, the player may pick a tile or end the game. If the player picks a tile that can be added to the train, the player continues to play until the player can no longer add tiles to the player's train. At this point, the game ends. The player may or may not have tiles remaining. The player may pick an additional X number of tiles.
The game ends at the earlier of the player using all the player's tiles in the player's tile pile or the player running out of additional tiles to play after adding tiles (if the player chooses to do so). A player may also manually end the game if the player believes the optimized score has been obtained. A player's score is the aggregate of all the points on the tiles in the player's train minus the value of the points on the tiles in the player's tile pile.
Upon concluding the game, a player sees the total points earned and receives a promotion based on the outcome of the game. This may include calculations unique to the provider of the game interface or to the brand manufacturer or retailer providing the game. Selection of a prize product and a promotion may be according to any of the methods described herein.
In some embodiments, the game implemented using the system and interfaces described herein may include the Mexican Train game described in the original “official” rules by Roy & Katie Parsons© 1994 and copyrighted by Puremco, Inc. in 2005, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as written by David Bauguess in 2007 for ease of use.
The method 2100 includes presenting 2102 a product sequence including images of certain products in a particular order. The sequence is then removed 2104 and player duplication attempt is received 2106. The player may have available an array of product images displayed to choose from when attempting to duplicate the sequence. The duplication attempt may be received 2106 by receiving player clicks on displayed product images. As shown in
If the player's duplication attempt is not found 2108 to be correct than the game ends 2110. If the duplication attempt is found 2108 to be correct then points are added 2112 to the player's score and the length of the sequence presented is incremented 2114, the method then returns to presenting 2102 of a random sequence having the incremented length. The player may be assigned a product and promotion according to any of the methods described herein, such as the methods of
The method 2300 may include sequentially highlighting 2302 product images. The products displayed may be selected by a player or selected according to a player's brand selection. Sequential highlighting may include briefly displaying a border around an image or otherwise visibly altering the product image itself or the area around the product image. The method 2300 then includes receiving 2304 a player's attempt to duplicate the sequence. This may include receiving a player's sequential selection of the product images, such as by clicking on them. If the player's sequential selection is not found 2308 to be correct, then the game ends 2308. Otherwise, points are added 2310 to a player's score and the length of the sequence is incremented 2312 and another sequence having the incremented length is presented 2302. The player may be assigned a product and promotion according to any of the methods described herein, such as the methods of
The method 2400 may include sequentially highlighting 2402 product images. The products displayed may be selected by a player or selected according to a player's brand selection. Sequential highlighting may include briefly displaying a border around an image or otherwise visibly altering the product image itself or the area around the product image. The method 2400 then includes receiving 2404 a player's attempt to duplicate the sequence. This may include receiving a player's sequential selection of the product images, such as by clicking on them. If the player's sequential selection is not found 2406 to be correct, then the game ends 2408. Otherwise, points are added 2410 to a player's score and the length of the sequence is incremented 2412.
The method 2400 may include evaluating 2414 whether the sequence length is long enough to advance to a next stage.
If not, then another sequence is highlighted 2402 and the method continues. If so, then a product array is displayed 2416. A subset of these products is then simultaneously highlighted 2418 briefly. The player's attempt to duplicate the subset selection is then received 2420. This may include a player clicking on product images within the displayed product. If the player's subset selection is not found 2422 to match that displayed at step 2416, then the game ends 2424. The player may be assigned and a product and promotion according to any of the methods described herein, such as the methods of
The method 2500 may include selecting 2502 a first player. A brief message, such as a text message or audio message, is briefly presented 2504 to the first player. The player then attempts to reproduce the message by typing it or verbally repeating it into a microphone. The player reproduction is then received 2506. Points are added 2508 to the player's score according to the accuracy of the reproduction, with greater points added 2508 for greater accuracy. If more players are found 2510 to exist that have not taken a turn, another player is selected 2512 and the reproduction received 2506 from the previous player is briefly presented 2514. The reproduction of that player is then received 2506 and the method continues.
If the last player 2510 is found to have taken a turn, then the method 2500 may include transmitting and/or displaying 2516 the original message and the reproductions of all the players to all of the players. Points may be added 2518 to all players' scores according to the accuracy of the final reproduction relative to the original message presented at step 2504 and the game ends 2520. The players may then be assigned a promotion for a product from products selected by the players or according to a brand selection according to any of the methods described herein.
The method 2600 may include selecting 2602 a first player from among the players who will be participating and briefly presenting 2604 a product set from the products selected by the players or selected according to a brand selection. The player may then be presented 2606 with a product selection that includes more products than those presented 2604. A player set selection is then received 2608 that represents the player's attempt to reproduce the product set presented 2604. This may include receiving clicks on product images representing the product selection. Points are then added 2610 to the player's score according to the accuracy of the player's reproduction, with more accurate reproductions receiving greater points. If the player is not found 2612 to be the last player, then another player is selected 2614 and the set selection of the previous player is briefly presented 2616. The method then repeats starting at step 2506 with respect to the player selected at step 2614.
If the last player is found 2612 to have taken a turn, then the original product set and the set selections of all the players may be transmitted and/or displayed 2618 to all the players. Points may be added 2620 to all the player's scores according to an accuracy of the final set selection with respect to the original selection. The game may then end 2622. Promotions or products may be assigned to the players according to the outcome of the game according to the methods described herein.
In some embodiments, the number of players may be open and turns may be conducted by a player forwarding an invitation to another player to take a turn. In such embodiments, the last player is the person who decides not to continue playing the game by forwarding an invitation to take a turn to someone else. The last player may be the last player to take a turn before an invitee fails to respond within a proscribed time period.
The method 2700 may include presenting 2702 the products, e.g., images of products, that are available to solve the puzzle and presenting 2704 the puzzle with initial product placements. For a Sudoku game, the puzzle is an N×N grid and the object is to populate the grid according to placement rules as known in the art of Sudoku puzzles, with the exception that numbers are replaced with product images. As an example, in a typical Sudoku puzzle, a number may not be placed in a column or row that has that same number in it. In the illustrated embodiment, a product image may not occupy a row or column that also has that same product image in it. Other analogs to typical Sudoku rules are also contemplated wherein a rules applied to numbers are applied to product images.
The puzzle is solved by receiving 2706 a player placement and evaluating 2708 the validity of the placement. If the placement is invalid, points may be subtracted 2710 from the player's score. If it is valid, then the puzzle is updated 2712 to include the placed product image. If the puzzle is not found 2714 to be complete, then another product placement is received 2706 and the method proceeds. If the puzzle is found 2714 to be complete, then the number of points may be determined 2716 according to the time taken to complete the puzzle and the number of invalid placement attempts.
As known in the art, a Sokoban type game includes a floor plan of a warehouse with various obstacles and objects. The objects must be moved around using only pushing movements to a goal configuration by a character that is constrained to move within the floor plan and cannot pass through or over objects or obstacles. In the illustrated embodiment, the objects to be moved around are represented using images of selected products.
The method 2800 may therefore include presenting 2802 a warehouse puzzle and presenting 2804 product images as items to be moved around within the puzzle. Player movements of the character are received 2806. If the movement is found 2808 to be valid the character and any objects moved by the character are moved and the puzzle display is updated 2810. Otherwise, the movement is not performed and the next movement is received 2806. If the puzzle is found 2812 to be complete than the points assigned to the player are determined 2814 according to a time required to complete the puzzle. The amount of points may also be greater for more difficult puzzles. If the player decides 2816 to play another round then the method repeats at step 2802 with a new puzzle. Otherwise, the game ends 2818.
If the puzzle is not found 2812 to be complete and there is still a possible solution such that the player is not found 2820 to have failed, then the next player move is received 2806 and the method repeats. If the player is found 2820 to have failed the game ends 2818. The player may be assigned a promotion for a product according to the methods described herein according to points awarded and/or success in completing one or more puzzles.
The method 3000 includes selecting 3002 a product, either by a player or automatically based on the player selected products or selected brand. A product image representing the selected product is sectioned 3004 into equally sized rectangles and the sections are presented 3006 in a scrambled configuration such that they do not form the original image.
The method 3000 may include receiving 3008 a player slide movement and updating 3010 the puzzle to reflect the movement. If the puzzle is found 3012 to be complete, then points are determined 3014 according to the time required to complete the puzzle. Otherwise, the next movement is received 3008 and the game continues. Upon completion of the game a promotion for the product selected 3002 or some other product may be assigned according to the methods described herein.
The method 3200 may include presenting 3202 an array of product images, some of which are identical. A player swap is then received 3204. Referring to
After receiving 3204 a swap, the displayed product array 3206 is updated. The method 3200 may include evaluating 3208 whether the game is over, this may include receiving an input from the player indicating a desire to end the game. Alternatively, some other criteria may be used to end the game, such as expiration of a time limit or the achievement of a maximum possible number of matches. Upon ending the game, a final point total may be determined 3210. This may include assigning points based on the length of sets of contiguous identical product images. The points assigned to a row or column of identical images may depend on a point value assigned to the product depicted, which may depend on a rank assigned to the product by the player.
A player may then scan 3406 product codes, such as by scanning optical codes affixed to products at a retail location or scanning some other type of display including optical product codes. Scanning 3406 may be done with a camera coupled to the workstation 212, or by means of some other scanner coupled to the workstation 212. The products that may be scanned and used for assigning promotions may be limited to a subset of all products available at a retail location in accordance with an ad campaign associated with the brand code. Scanning 3406 may be executed within the context of execution of the game launched or downloaded at step 3404.
A branded game may then be provided 3408 using images of the products scanned 3406 as one or both of interactive elements of the game interface and as a reward in the form of a promotion according to an outcome of the game. A promotion may then be assigned 3410 according to the game outcome according to any of the methods described herein. The promotion may be displayed on the user workstation 212 upon assignment and may include an optical code that may be scanned by a scanner, such as a laser scanner, at a point of sale (POS) device in order to redeem the promotion when purchasing the product associated with the promotion.
A puzzle may then be generated 3510 and displayed. The puzzle may be a conventional puzzle, such as a maze, or may be an interface to any type of game. Generating the puzzle may include displaying 3512 product images as interface elements in accordance with the brand and/or category selected at steps 3504, 3506 and displaying the selected background image. Player interaction with the interface may be received 3514 and a score updated 3516 according to the player interaction until it is found 3518 that the game is ended, either due to completion of a task, failure to complete a task, expiration of a time limit, or a player decision not to continue. Upon ending the game, points may be assigned 3520 according to a completion time or other metric of the player's performance. A promotion for a product associated with the selected brand and/or category may be assigned according to the methods described herein.
A puzzle may then be generated 3610 and displayed. The puzzle may be a conventional puzzle, such as a maze, or may be an interface to any type of game. Generating the puzzle may include displaying 3612 images of products from a product set as interface elements in accordance with the brand and/or category selected at steps 3604, 3606 and displaying the selected background image. The product set may be determined according to the selection steps 3604, 3608 or may be individually specified by the player. Player interaction with the interface may be received 3614. The method 3600 may include evaluating 3616 the player interactions to determine whether to assess a penalty. For example, where the puzzle is a maze, products may be removed for wrong turns. If so, then a product is removed 3618 from the product set determined according to the selection steps 3604, 3606. The products may be removed randomly or more desirable products may be removed first. In some embodiments, a step is added whereby a player may rank potential products. In such embodiments products may be removed 3618 from a set of available products according to their ranks. The display may be updated to remove the image of the product removed from the product set. Following a player interaction, points may be assigned 3622 to a player's score (or subtracted) according to the game logic. If a game is found 3624 to have concluded, a product may be selected from those remaining in the product set and a promotion for the selected product may also be chosen. A game may end when there are no products left in the set, in which case the likelihood that no product will be awarded may be higher than if a product remained. A game may also end upon completing a task, failing to complete a task, expiration of a timer period, or a player input indicating intent to stop playing. Both the product and promotion may be selected according to methods described herein. If the game is not found 3624 to have ended another player interaction is received 3614 and the game continues.
As discussed herein, the invention may involve a number of functions to be performed by a computer processor, such as a microprocessor. The microprocessor may be a specialized or dedicated microprocessor that is configured to perform particular tasks according to the invention, by executing machine-readable software code that defines the particular tasks embodied by the invention. The microprocessor may also be configured to operate and communicate with other devices such as direct memory access modules, memory storage devices, Internet-related hardware, and other devices that relate to the transmission of data in accordance with the invention. The software code may be configured using software formats such as Java, C++, XML (Extensible Mark-up Language) and other languages that may be used to define functions that relate to operations of devices required to carry out the functional operations related to the invention. The software code may also include scripting languages such Pearl, Python, PHP, and the like. The code may be written in different forms and styles, many of which are known to those skilled in the art. Different code formats, code configurations, styles and forms of software programs and other means of configuring code to define the operations of a microprocessor in accordance with the invention will not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Within the different types of devices, such as laptop or desktop computers, hand held devices with processors or processing logic, and also possibly computer servers or other devices that utilize the invention, there exist different types of memory devices for storing and retrieving information while performing functions according to the invention, this is used for transitive and non-transitive storage. Cache memory devices are often included in such computers for use by the central processing unit as a convenient storage location for information that is frequently stored and retrieved. Similarly, a persistent memory is also frequently used with such computers for maintaining information that is frequently retrieved by the central processing unit, but that is not often altered within the persistent memory, unlike the cache memory. Main memory is also usually included for storing and retrieving larger amounts of information such as data and software applications configured to perform functions according to the invention when executed by the central processing unit. These memory devices may be configured as random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), flash memory, and other memory storage devices that may be accessed by a central processing unit to store and retrieve information. During data storage and retrieval operations, these memory devices are transformed to have different states, such as different electrical charges, different magnetic polarity, and the like. Thus, systems and methods configured according to the invention as described herein enable the physical transformation of these memory devices. Accordingly, the invention as described herein is directed to novel and useful systems and methods that, in one or more embodiments, are able to transform the memory device into a different state during transitive and non-transitive storage. The invention is not limited to any particular type of memory device, or any commonly used protocol for storing and retrieving information to and from these memory devices, respectively.
Although the components and modules illustrated herein are shown and described in a particular arrangement, the arrangement of components and modules may be altered to process data in a different manner. In other embodiments, one or more additional components or modules may be added to the described systems, and one or more components or modules may be removed from the described systems. Alternate embodiments may combine two or more of the described components or modules into a single component or module.
Finally, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, the invention is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts so described and illustrated. The scope of the invention is to be defined by the claims appended hereto, any future claims submitted here and in different applications, and their equivalents.
The foregoing description has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Further, it should be noted that any or all of the aforementioned alternate embodiments may be used in any combination desired to form additional hybrid embodiments of the invention.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/557,782 filed Nov. 9, 2011 and entitled ONLINE SHOPPING/GAMING, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This application is also a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/293,020 filed Nov. 9, 2011 and entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCT-BASED GAMING, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/493,357 filed Jun. 3, 2011, and entitled ONLINE SHOPPING/GAMING, both of which applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61557782 | Nov 2011 | US | |
| 61493357 | Jun 2011 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13293020 | Nov 2011 | US |
| Child | 13673907 | US |
