Systems and methods for linking physical items to virtual content

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11565184-B1
Application number	US-202016820475-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 16, 2020
Priority date	Mar 16, 2020
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

Systems and methods for linking physical items to virtual content. Exemplary implementations may: receive a first request to verify whether a first activation of a first item has occurred; if not, transmit a notification in reply to the first request; receive, from a first user, a second request to effectuate the first activation of the first item and to make particular virtual content accessible to the first user; modify state of a smart contract on a decentralized database such that subsequent requests confirm the first activation has occurred; establish a link between the first item and the first user such that the particular virtual content is accessible to the first user; and responsive to the particular virtual content being accessible to the first user, transmit a second notification in reply to the second request.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for linking physical items to virtual content,
wherein a first physical item of the physical items is associated with a pair of keys, wherein the pair of keys include a public key and a private key, wherein the public key is visually publicly available, wherein the private key is not visually publicly available, wherein the private key is available to an owner of the first physical item, wherein the virtual content is unlocked for users in an online gaming platform upon activation of the first physical item, the system comprising:
electronic storage configured to store information, wherein the stored information includes an association between the first physical item and particular virtual content, wherein the particular virtual content is unlocked in the online gaming platform upon a first activation of the first physical item, wherein the first activation requires provision of the private key; and
one or more processors configured by machine-readable instructions to:
manage user accounts for the users in the online gaming platform, wherein individual ones of the user accounts are associated with individual ones of the users, wherein the individual ones of the user accounts include individual user inventories of virtual items that are usable within the online gaming platform by the individual ones of the users, wherein the users include a first user, wherein the first user is associated with a first user account, and wherein the first user account includes a first user inventory of one or more virtual items that are usable by the first user within the online gaming platform;
receive a first request to verify whether the first activation of the first physical item has occurred, wherein the first request includes the public key;
determine whether the first activation of the first physical item has occurred, wherein determination includes accessing a smart contract on a decentralized database;
responsive to a determination that the first activation of the first physical item has not occurred, transmit a notification in reply to the first request, wherein the notification indicates that the first activation of the first physical item has not occurred;
receive, from the first user, a second request to effectuate the first activation of the first physical item and to unlock the particular virtual content for the first user, wherein the second request includes the private key;
effectuate the first activation of the first physical item and unlock the particular virtual content by modifying a state of the smart contract on the decentralized database, wherein modification of the state of the smart contract includes invoking a function of the smart contract with the private key as an argument, such that subsequent requests to verify whether the first activation of the first physical item has occurred will be replied to with notifications that indicate the first activation of the first physical item has occurred;
establish a link between the first physical item and the first user such that the particular virtual content is unlocked for the first user, wherein establishment of the link is based on the association between the first physical item and the particular virtual content; and
responsive to the particular virtual content being unlocked for the first user, transmit a second notification in reply to the second request, wherein the second notification indicates the particular virtual content is unlocked for the first user.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the public key of the first physical item is depicted on one or both of a packaging of the first physical item and an exterior of the first physical item such that an observer can obtain the public key without being the owner of the first physical item by observing one or both of the packaging and the exterior.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the private key of the first physical item is hidden from public view such that an observer cannot legally obtain the private key, by observing one or both of a packaging of the first physical item and an exterior of the first physical item, without being the owner of the first physical item.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein modifying the state of the smart contract includes recording a transaction on the decentralized database that modifies a particular address in the smart contract.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the modification of the state of the smart contract is irreversible.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first request is embedded in a uniform resource locator (URL).

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein accessing the smart contract includes reading all or part of the state of the smart contract.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the particular virtual content includes one or both of a virtual item usable within the online gaming platform and an activity, event, or area within a virtual space of the online gaming platform.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein modifying the state of the smart contract is performed such that the modified state cannot be reverted to be unmodified.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein modifying the state of the smart contract is performed responsive to a determination that the private key included in the second request is associated with the first physical item.

11. A method for linking physical items to virtual content, wherein the physical items include a first physical item, the method comprising:
storing information, wherein the stored information includes an association between the first physical item and particular virtual content, wherein the particular virtual content is unlocked for to one or more users in the online gaming platform upon a first activation of the first physical item, wherein the first physical item is associated with a pair of keys, wherein the pair of keys include a public key and a private key, wherein the public key is visually publicly available, wherein the private key is not visually publicly available, wherein the private key is available to an owner of the first physical item, wherein the first activation is based on the private key;
managing user accounts for the users in the online gaming platform, wherein individual ones of the user accounts are associated with individual ones of the users, wherein the individual ones of the user accounts include individual user inventories of virtual items that are usable within the online gaming platform by the individual ones of the users, wherein the users include a first user, wherein the first user is associated with a first user account, and wherein the first user account includes a first user inventory of one or more virtual items that are usable by the first user within the online gaming platform;
receiving a first request to verify whether the first activation of the first physical item has occurred, wherein the first request includes the public key;
determining whether the first activation of the first physical item has occurred, wherein determination includes accessing a smart contract on a decentralized database;
responsive to a determination that the first activation of the first physical item has not occurred, transmitting a notification in reply to the first request, wherein the notification indicates that the first activation of the first physical item has not occurred;
receiving, from the first user, a second request to effectuate the first activation of the first physical item and to unlock the particular virtual content for the first user, wherein the second request includes the private key;
effectuating the first activation of the first physical item and unlocking the particular virtual content by modifying a state of the smart contract on

Assignees

• Mythical Inc

Inventors

• Linden John
• Thacker Cameron

Classifications

• A63F13/60

  Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor · CPC title

• A63F13/70 Primary

  Game security or game management aspects · CPC title

• G06Q20/06 Primary

  Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme · CPC title

• G06Q20/223

  based on the use of peer-to-peer networks · CPC title

• A63F13/69

  by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions · CPC title