# US 8,751,296 B1 · Voting with your feet

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- Number: US 8,751,296 B1
- Document ID: US8751296B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 13/174,737
- Filed: 2011-06-30
- Granted: 2014-06-10
- Earliest claimed: 2011-06-30
- Assignees: Zynga Inc.
- Applicants: Amitt Mahajan; Matthew Adam Ocko; Brian Reynolds
- Inventors: Amitt Mahajan; Matthew Adam Ocko; Brian Reynolds
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8751296B1

## CPC

- G06Q 30/0218: {based on score}
- G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- H04W 4/206
- G06F 17/3087
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

A method of voting with your feet is disclosed. A performance of a location-based action by a player of a computer-implemented game is associated with a vote on a matter. The performance of the location-based action by the player is detected. A count of votes corresponding to the vote on the matter is incremented based on the detecting of the performance of the location-based action by the player.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
receiving a survey question and a plurality of possible answers to the survey question; associating a first location-based action with a first answer of the plurality of possible answers;
associating a second location-based action with a second answer of the plurality of possible answers;
incrementing a count of votes corresponding to the first answer based on a detecting of a performance of the first location-based action by a first player of a plurality of players of a computer-implemented game;
incrementing a count of votes corresponding to the second answer based on a detecting of a performance of the second location-based action by a second player of the plurality of players of the computer-implemented game, the incrementing of the count of votes corresponding to the second answer being performed by a hardware processor; and
incrementing the count of votes corresponding to the second answer based on a detecting of a lack of the performance of the first location-based action by the first player.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising determining which answer of the plurality of answers represents a collective opinion of the plurality of players of the computer-implemented game as to the best answer to the survey question.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the survey question and the plurality of possible answers to the survey question are received from a sponsor of the computer-implemented game.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the survey question pertains to a product being marketed by the sponsor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the incrementing of the count of votes corresponding to the first answer is further based on an amount of time that the first player is present at a location of the first location-based action.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, determining that an additional performance of the location-based action by the player is not to result in an additional incrementing of the count of the votes corresponding to the first answer.

### Claim 7

A system comprising:
at least one processor-implemented module configured to:
receive a survey question and a plurality of possible answers to the survey question;
associate a first location-based action with a first answer of the plurality of possible answers;
associate a second location-based action with a second answer of the plurality of possible answers;
increment a count of votes corresponding to the first answer based on a detecting of a performance of the first location-based action by a first player of a computer-implemented game;
increment a count of votes corresponding to the second answer based on a detecting of a performance of the second location-based action by a second player of the plurality of players of the computer-implemented game; and
increment the count of votes corresponding to an the second answer based on a detecting of a lack of the performance of the first location-based action by the first player.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein the processor-implemented module is further configured to determine which answer of the plurality of answers represents a collective opinion of the plurality of players of the computer-implemented game as to the best answer to the survey question.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the survey question and the plurality of answers to the survey question are received from a sponsor of the computer-implemented game.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the survey question pertains to a product being marketed by the sponsor.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein the incrementing of the count of votes corresponding to the first answer is further based on an amount of time that the first player is present at the first location.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the processor-implemented module is further configured to determine that an additional performance of the location-based action by the player is not to result in an additional

### Claim 13

A non-transitory machine-readable medium, the non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a set of computer instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform operations comprising:
receiving a survey question and a plurality of possible answers to the survey question;
associating a first location-based action with a first answer of the plurality of possible answers;
associating a second location-based action with a second answer of the plurality of possible answers;
incrementing a count of votes corresponding to the first answer based on a detecting of a performance of the first location-based action by a first player of a plurality of players of a computer-implemented game;
incrementing a count of votes corresponding to the second answer based on a detecting of a performance of the second location-based action by a second player of the plurality of players of the computer-implemented game, the incrementing of the count of votes corresponding to the second answer being performed by a hardware processor; and
incrementing the count of votes corresponding to the second answer based on a detecting of a lack of the performance of the first location-based action by the first player.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the incrementing of the count of votes corresponding to the first answer is further based on an amount of time that the first player is present at a location of the first location-based action.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, the operations further comprising determining that an additional performance of the location-based action by the player is not to result in an additional incrementing of the count of the votes corresponding to the first answer.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising decrementing the count of the votes corresponding to the first answer based on an amount of time having elapsed since the performing by the first player of the location-based action at the first location.

### Claim 17 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising providing a virtual item to at least one player character of the plurality of players of the computer implemented game, the virtual item pertaining to the collective opinion of the plurality of players of the computer implemented game as to the best answer to the survey question.