System and method for implementing a refund calculator in a game

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10991203-B2
Application number	US-201916658796-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2019
Priority date	Jun 11, 2013
Publication date	Apr 27, 2021
Grant date	Apr 27, 2021

Abstract

One aspect of the disclosure relates to implementing a refund calculator in an online game. The refund calculator may provide the ability to prioritize what users may receive items, troops, and/or any other in-game parameters. The refund calculator may provide the ability to determine how many items and/or troops the user may be refunded, the time frame in which the user receives the items, troops and/or other aspects of a refund.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for implementing a mechanism for automatically determining and distributing requested refunds of virtual items to users in an online game, the system comprising:
one or more processors configured by machine-readable instructions to:
execute a game instance of a game space, and to facilitate presentation of views of the game space to the users to enable interaction of the users with the game space and/or each other by performing operations in the game space in response to commands received from the users through client computing platforms associated with the users;
store inventories of items that are available to the users in the game space, the inventories including a first inventory of items available to a first user in the game space and a second inventory of items available to a second user in the game space;
receive, from the first user, a first refund request for a first set of one or more virtual items to be refunded into the first inventory;

receive, from the second user, a second refund request for a second set of one or more virtual items to be refunded into the second inventory;
determine a first past user spending characterizing past spending by the first user in the online game, and a second past user spending characterizing past spending by the second user in the online game;
determine whether refunds are to be distributed in response to the first and second refund requests, wherein such determination is based on the first past user spending and the second past user spending, wherein distribution of the refunds into the inventories of the users is performed without requiring an exchange of consideration by the users for the refunds;
responsive to a first determination that the first refund is to be distributed, distribute the first refund for the first set of one or more virtual items into the first inventory of the first user; and
responsive to a second determination that the second refund is not to be distributed, the second refund for the second set of one or more virtual items is not distributed into the second inventory of the second user.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions such that amounts of past user spending in the online game are monitored by one or more of a spend velocity, a spend frequency, and/or a total amount spent.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to determine an amount of power of the users based on in-game resources of the users, wherein the amount of power of the users includes a first amount of power corresponding to the first user.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to determine a quantity of one or more virtual items to distribute into the first inventory, wherein the quantity is based on the first amount of power.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to determine numbers of refund requests of the users based on a period of time, wherein the numbers of refund requests includes a first number of refund requests from the first user.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to determine a quantity of one or more virtual items to distribute into the first inventory, wherein the quantity is based on the first number of refund requests.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to determine lifetimes of the users based on amounts of time the users have played the online game, wherein the lifetimes include a first lifetime of the first user.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to determine a quantity of one or more virtual items to distribute into the first inventory of the first user, wherein determination of the quantity is based on the first lifetime.

9. A computer implemented method for implementing a mechanism for automatically determining and distributing requested refunds of virtual items to users in an online game, the system comprising:
executing an instance of a game space, and implementing the instance of the game space to facilitate participation by the users in the online game that takes place in the game space, wherein facilitating interaction of the users with the game space and/or each other by performing operations in the game space in response to commands received from the users through client computing platforms associated with the users;
storing inventories of items that are available to the users in the game space, the inventories including a first inventory of items available to a first user in the game space and a second inventory of items available to a second user in the game space;
receiving, from the first user a first refund request for a first set of one or more virtual items to be refunded into the first inventory;
receiving, from the second user, a second refund request for a second set of one or more virtual items to be refunded into the second inventory;
determining a first past user spending characterizing past spending by the first user in the online game, and a second past user spending characterizing past spending by the second user in the online game;
determining whether refunds are to be distributed in response to the first and second refund requests, wherein distribution of the refunds into the inventories of the users is performed without requiring an exchange of consideration by the users for the refunds;
responsive to a first determination that the first refund is to be distributed, distributing the first refund for the first set of one or more virtual items into the first inventory of the first user; and
responsive to a second determination that the second refund is not to be distributed, not distributing the second refund for the second set of one or more virtual items into the second inventory of the second user.

10. The method of claim 9 , the method further comprising monitoring amounts of past user spending in the online game by one or more of a spend velocity, a spend frequency, and/or a total amount spent.

11. The method of claim 9 , the method further determining an amount of power of the users based on in-game resources of the users, wherein the amount of power of the users includes a first amount of power corresponding to the first user.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining a quantity of one or more virtual items to distribute into the first inventory is based on the first amount of power.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising determining an number of refund requests of the users based on a period of time, wherein the number of refund requests includes a first number of refund requests from the first user.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein determining a quantity of one or more virtual items to distribute into the first inventory is based on the first number of refund requests.

15. The method of claim 9 , the method further determining lifetimes of the users based on amounts of time the users have played the online game, wherein the lifetimes include a first lifetime of the first user.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein determining a quantity of one or more virtual items to distribute into the first inventory of the first user is based on the first lifetime.

Assignees

• Kabam Inc

Inventors

• Pieron Luc
• Im Peter

Classifications

• A63F2300/575

  for trading virtual items · CPC title

• G06Q30/0601

  Electronic shopping [e-shopping] · CPC title

• G07F17/3255

  Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements · CPC title

• G07F17/3244 Primary

  Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes · CPC title