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US 2012/0278739 A1Published application
System and method of triggering periodic events within an instance of a virtual space
AssigneeIdle Games
InventorTim McClarren
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A virtual space is provided to users via client computing devices. In order to execute an instance of the virtual space, periodic events within the instance of the virtual space may be triggered with the appropriate periodicities. The periodic triggering may be implemented without the need to remove and/or re-enter an event after each trigger.
Claims18
A system configured to host a virtual space to client computing devices for interaction by users of the client computing devices, the system comprising:
- one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules configured to instance a virtual space, the computer program modules comprising:
- a time module configured to maintain a time reading in the instance of the virtual space by incrementing the time reading at regular intervals;
- a timeline module configured to organize periodic events into recursive timelines, the periodic events comprising a first set of periodic events having a first period, wherein the timeline module is configured such that the first set of periodic events is organized by assigning individual events in the first set of periodic events to timeslots in a first timeline associated with the first set of periodic events, wherein the first timeline has n timeslots and has a length that corresponds to the first period;
- a timeslot translation module configured to translate the time reading maintained by the time module into the timeslots of the recursive timelines such that as the time reading is incremented the time reading is iteratively translated into a next timeslot in the first timeline from an initial timeslot in the first timeline through the timeslots in the first timeline to an nth timeslot in the first timeline and back to the initial timeslot;
- an event trigger module configured to trigger the periodic events at the assigned timeslots in the timelines, thereby causing the individual periodic events to be triggered with appropriate periodicity, wherein the event trigger module is configured such that responsive to the time reading being incremented to a value translated by the timeslot translation module as an mth timeslot between the initial timeslot in the first timeline and the nth timeslot in the first timeline, the event trigger module triggers, in the instance of the virtual space, the periodic events in the first set of periodic events assigned to the mth timeslot in the first timeline.
2 more elements
A method of hosting a virtual space to client computing devices for interaction by users of the client computing devices, the method comprising:
- maintaining a time reading in the instance of the virtual space by incrementing the time reading at regular intervals;
- organizing periodic events into recursive timelines, the periodic events comprising a first set of periodic events having a first period, wherein the first set of periodic events are organized by assigning individual events in the first set of periodic events to timeslots in a first timeline associated with the first set of periodic events, wherein the first timeline has n timeslots and has a length that corresponds to the first period;
- translating, in an ongoing manner, the time reading into the timeslots of the recursive timelines such that as the time reading is incremented the time reading is iteratively translated into a next timeslot in the first timeline from an initial timeslot in the first timeline through the timeslots in the first timeline to an nth timeslot in the first timeline and back to the initial timeslot;
- and
- triggering the periodic events at the assigned timeslots in the timelines, thereby causing the individual periodic events to be triggered with appropriate periodicity, wherein, responsive to the time reading being incremented to a value translated as an mth timeslot between the initial timeslot in the first timeline and the nth timeslot in the first timeline, the periodic events in the first set of periodic events assigned to the mth timeslot in the first timeline are triggered in the instance of the virtual space.
2 more elements
A system configured to host a virtual space to client computing devices for interaction by users of the client computing devices, the system comprising:
- one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules configured to instance the virtual space, the computer program modules comprising:
- a time module configured to maintain a time reading in the instance of the virtual space by incrementing the time reading at regular intervals;
- a timeline module configured to organize periodic events into recursive timelines by assigning the periodic events to timeslots in timelines having lengths that correspond to the periods of the periodic events;
- an event trigger module configured to cycle recursively through the timelines as the time reading is incremented, and to trigger the periodic events in the timelines with the periodicities dictated by the length of the recursive timelines.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.