# US 8,540,566 B2 · System and method for presenting a game space with discoverable items to be prospected > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,540,566 B2 - Document ID: US8540566B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/115,867 - Filed: 2011-05-25 - Published: 2012-11-29 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2011-05-25 - Assignees: Maslow Six Entertainment, Inc. - Applicants: Bengt Gregory-Brown; Derek Harp; Brad McQuaid - Inventors: Bengt Gregory-Brown; Derek Harp; Brad McQuaid - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8540566B2 ## CPC - A63F 13/822: Strategy games; Role-playing games (A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence) - A63F 13/52: involving aspects of the displayed game scene - A63F 13/5375: for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game - A63F 13/88: Mini-games executed independently while main games are being loaded - A63F 2300/575: for trading virtual items - A63F 2300/807: Role playing or strategy games - A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A game space may be provided to a user in which the user attempts to obtain discoverable items that have been associated with individual zones in the game space. The user may attempt to obtain the items through strategically employing one of a plurality of selectable actions that are associated with different costs in the game space. The costs of the actions may be balanced to create a prospecting mechanic within the game. The game space may be provided to the user as a discrete game, or as one or more mini-game(s) within a larger game or virtual space. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system configured to provide an electronic game to a user, the system comprising: one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules, the computer program modules comprising: a game space module configured to determine a view of a game space for presentation to a user, the game space being segmented into an array of separate zones depicted in the view of the game space; an item module configured to associate discoverable items with individual zones; an action selection module configured to receive selection of an action to be performed on a zone of the game space from among a set of potential actions, the set of potential actions including a harvesting action and a locator action, wherein the harvesting action is associated with a first cost of a rechargeable resource in the game space and the locator action is associated with a second cost of the rechargeable resource in the game space; a zone selection module configured to receive selection of a zone of the games space on which the selected action should be performed; and a selection result module configured to determine a result of the selected action on the selected zone, wherein, responsive to the harvesting action being the selected action, the result determined by the selection result module includes collecting the first cost of the rechargeable resource from the user in the game space, and wherein, responsive to the locator action being the selected action, the result determined by the selection result module includes collecting the second cost of the rechargeable resource from the user in the game space. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the selection result module is further configured such that (i) responsive to the harvesting action being the selected action and an item being associated with the selected zone by the item module, the item is awarded to the user in the game space, and (ii) responsive to the locator action being the selected action, an indication is provided in the view determined by the game space module as to whether or not an item has been associated with the selected zone by the item module. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the selection result module is further configured such that, responsive to the locator action being the selected action and an item not being associated with the selected zone, a hint is provided in the view determined by the game space module indicating another zone in the game space that has been associated with an item by the item module. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the selection result module is configured such that the hint specifies a particular zone that has been associated with an item by the item module. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the selection result module is configured such that the hint specifies a direction in which a zone that has been associated with an item by the item module is with respect to the selected zone. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the selection result module is further configured such that, responsive to the harvesting action being the selected action and no item being associated with the selected zone by the item module, no item is awarded to the user in the game space. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the game space module is configured such that, responsive to the harvesting action being the selected action, the view of the game space indicates that the selected zone has been harvested. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the action selection module is further configured such that the set of potential actions includes an identifier action, and wherein the selection result module is further configured such that, responsive to the selected action being the identifier action and the selected zone being associated with an item by the item module, the view of the game space indicates information about the item. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the selection result module is configured such that collecting the first cost from the user in the game space includes deducting a first amount of the rechargeable resource from an inventory of a character in the game space associated with the user, and wherein selection result module is further configured such that collecting the second cost from the user in the game space includes deducting a second amount of the rechargeable resource from the inventory of the character. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the first amount is greater than the second amount. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the action selection module is configured such that receiving a selection of an action to be performed on a selected zone comprises receiving selection of a virtual tool available in the game space. ### Claim 12 A computer-implemented method of providing an electronic game to a user, the method being implemented by a system comprising one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules, the method comprising: determining a view of a game space for presentation to a user, the game space being segmented into an array of separate zones depicted in the view of the game space; associating discoverable items with individual zones in the game space; receiving selection of an action to be performed on a zone of the game space from among a set of potential actions, the set of potential actions including a harvesting action and a locator action, wherein the harvesting action is associated with a first cost of a rechargeable resource in the game space and the locator action is associated with a second cost of the rechargeable resource in the game space; receiving selection of a zone of the games space on which the selected action should be performed; and determining a result of the selected action on the selected zone, wherein, responsive to the harvesting action being the selected action, the result determined includes collecting the first cost of the rechargeable resource from the user in the game space, and wherein, responsive to the locator action being the selected action, the result determined includes collecting the second cost of the rechargeable resource from the user in the game space. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein determining the result of the selected action on the selected zone comprises, (i) responsive to the harvesting action being the selected action and an item having been associated with the selected zone, the item being awarded to the user in the game space, or, (ii) responsive to the locator action being the selected action, an indication being provided in the view of the game space as to whether or not an item has been associated with the selected zone. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein determining the result of the selected action on the selected zone further comprises, responsive to the locator action being the selected action and an item not having been associated with the selected zone, a hint being provided in the view of the game space indicating another zone in the game space that has been associated with an item. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the hint specifies a particular zone that has been associated with an item. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the hint specifies a direction in which a zone that has been associated with an item is with respect to the selected zone. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein determining the result of the selected action on the selected zone further comprises, responsive to the harvesting action being the selected action and no item having been associated with the selected zone, no item being awarded to the user in the game space. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein, responsive to the harvesting action being the selected action, the view of the game space indicates that the selected zone has been harvested. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein the set of potential actions includes an identifier action, and wherein determining the result of the selected action on the selected zone further comprises, responsive to the selected action being the identifier action and the selected zone that has been associated with an item, the view of the game space indicates information about the item. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein collecting the first cost from the user in the game space includes deducting a first amount of the rechargeable resource from an inventory of a character in the game space associated with the user, and wherein collecting the second cost from the user in the game space includes deducting a second amount of the rechargeable resource from the inventory of the character. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the first amount is greater than the second amount. ### Claim 22 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein receiving a selection of an action to be performed on a selected zone comprises receiving selection of a virtual tool available in the game space.