# US 8,771,080 B2 · Socially-mediated flash sales

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- Number: US 8,771,080 B2
- Document ID: US8771080B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/244,821
- Filed: 2011-09-26
- Published: 2013-01-03
- Granted: 2014-07-08
- Earliest claimed: 2011-06-30
- Assignees: Zynga Inc.
- Applicants: Matthew Adam Ocko; Sudhanshu Pintu Sethi
- Inventors: Matthew Adam Ocko; Sudhanshu Pintu Sethi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8771080B2

## CPC

- A63F 13/795: for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
- A63F 13/61: using advertising information
- G06Q 30/06: Buying, selling or leasing transactions
- G07F 17/3255: {Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements}
- G07F 17/40: for devices for accepting orders, advertisements, or the like
- H04W 4/21: for social networking applications
- A63F 13/216: using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
- A63F 13/335: using Internet
- A63F 13/35: Details of game servers
- A63F 13/533: for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
- A63F 13/822: Strategy games; Role-playing games (A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence)
- A63F 13/87: Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
- A63F 2300/538: for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
- A63F 2300/556: Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
- A63F 2300/575: for trading virtual items
- A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- 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
- G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00})
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

A flash sale mechanic of a virtual game may perform a flash sale transaction based on transaction details for the flash sale transaction. These transaction details may indicate an item for sale, invitation requirements applicable to a player of the virtual game, and transaction requirements applicable to participants of the flash sale transaction. The flash sale mechanic may selectively provide an invitation request to a first player of the virtual game based on the invitation requirements of the flash sale transaction, and may receive acceptance responses from players that choose to participate in the flash sale transaction. The flash sale mechanic may complete the flash sale transaction if it determines that it has received an acceptance response from at least a minimum number of players that are needed to complete the flash sale transaction, and that these players have satisfied the transaction requirements.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for performing a flash sale transaction of a computer-implemented virtual game, the method comprising:
storing flash sales transaction details received via a network from a merchant server;
in response to an event notification in a virtual game of a first player, accessing the transaction details for the flash sale transaction, the transaction details indicating at least an item for sale, invitation requirements applicable to the first player of the virtual game and including a physical location of the first player, and transaction requirements applicable to participants of the flash sale transaction, the transaction requirements including participant presence at a specified location;
based on the physical location associated with the first player, selectively providing an invitation request to the first player;
receiving an acceptance response from at least a minimum number of players of the virtual game that are needed to complete the flash sale transaction, the minimum number of players being within a social graph of the first player and having received the transaction details for the flash sale from the first player;
using at least one processor, completing the flash sale transaction based on determining that the minimum number of players have satisfied the transaction requirements and wherein the minimum number of players includes:
a second player of the virtual game that is invited to the flash sale transaction directly by the first player; and
at least one third player of the virtual game that is invited to the flash sale transaction indirectly by the second player; and
storing transaction data to be communicated to the merchant server, the transaction data associated with the players that have participated in the flash sale transaction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the invitation requirements include one or more of:
a player attribute;
a player game state;
an in-game objective that the first player has not completed;
an in-game objective that the first player has completed;
a virtual object that the first player does not own;
a virtual good that the first player consumes at or above a determinable rate;
a minimum engagement level for the first player as determined by a game engagement metric of the virtual game;
an association that the first player has with other players of the virtual game as reflected within relationship data;
flash sales previously accepted by the first player;
a speed at which the invitation request was propagated in the virtual game; and
a speed at which friends of the player responded to the invitation request.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction requirements include one or more of:
a minimum number of friends, as reflected within relationship data, that the first player is to refer to the flash sale transaction;
a minimum propagation depth, as reflected within the relationship data, to which at least one referral from the first player is to propagate;
a physical location that the first player is to visit; and
an in-game objective that the first player is to complete.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively providing of the invitation request to the first player comprises:
selecting a qualifying player that satisfies the invitation requirements of the flash sale transaction;
generating the invitation request for the qualifying player based on the transaction details for the flash sale transaction, the invitation request indicating that the player is invited to participate in the flash sale transaction; and
providing the invitation request to the qualifying player.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the selecting of the qualifying player comprises determining that the qualifying player has at least one player attribute in common with one or more participants of the flash sale transaction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the selecting of the qualifying player comprises determining that the qualifying player has a play pattern similar to one or more participants of the flash sale transaction as determined by a play pattern metric.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction details further include an incentive identifier for an award to offer to the first player, and incentive requirements applicable to the first player.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising:
monitoring an action performed by the first player;
determining that the first player's action satisfies the incentive requirements; and
providing the award to the first player based on the determining that the player has satisfied the incentive requirements.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising:
associating a first participant and a second participant of the flash sale transaction with an in-game objective of the virtual game; and
generating incentive requirements indicating that the first and second participants are to complete the in-game objective before an expiration date of the incentive.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the incentive requirements include one or more of:
a minimum number of flash sale referrals that the first player is to send to other players of the virtual game;
a minimum engagement level for the first player as determined by a game engagement metric of the virtual game;
a physical location that the first player is to visit; and
an in-game objective that the first player is to complete in response to participating in the flash sale transaction.

### Claim 11

An apparatus to facilitate performing a flash sale transaction of a computer-implemented virtual game, the apparatus comprising:
a storage module to store transaction details for the flash sale transaction received from a merchant server, the transaction details indicating at least an item for sale, invitation requirements applicable to a first player of the virtual game and including a physical location of the first player, and transaction requirements applicable to participants of the flash sale transaction, the transaction requirements including participant presence at a specified location;
a transaction-processing module to selectively provide, based on physical location associated with the first player, an invitation request to the first player of the virtual game; and
a communication mechanism to receive an acceptance response from at least a minimum number of players of the virtual game that are needed to complete the flash sale transaction, the minimum number of players being within a social graph of the first player and having received the transaction details for the flash sale from the first player, the transaction-processing module being further configured to complete the flash sale transaction based on determining that the minimum number of players have satisfied the transaction requirements and store transaction data to be communicated to the merchant server, the transaction data associated with the players that have participated in the flash sale transaction, wherein the minimum number of players includes:
a second player of the virtual game that is invited to the flash sale transaction directly by the first player; and
at least one third player of the virtual game that is invited to the flash sale transaction indirectly by the second player.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the invitation requirements include one or more of:
a player attribute;
a player game state;
an in-game objective that the first player has not completed;
an in-game objective that the first player has completed;
a virtual object that the first player does not own;
a virtual good that the first player consumes at or above a determinable rate;
a minimum engagement level for the first player as determined by a game engagement metric of the virtual game; and
an association that the first player has with other players of the virtual game as reflected within relationship data.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transaction requirements include one or more of:
a minimum number of friends, as reflected within relationship data, that the first player is to refer to the flash sale transaction;
a minimum propagation depth, as reflected within the relationship data, to which at least one referral from the first player is to propagate;
a physical location that the first player is to visit; and
an in-game objective that the first player is to complete.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the selectively providing of the invitation request to the first player comprises:
selecting a qualifying player that satisfies the invitation requirements of the flash sale transaction;
generating the invitation request for the qualifying player based on the transaction details for the flash sale transaction, the invitation request indicating that the player is invited to participate in the flash sale transaction; and
using the communication module to provide the invitation request to the qualifying player.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the selecting of the qualifying player comprises determining that the qualifying player has at least one player attribute in common with one or more participants of the flash sale transaction.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the selecting of the qualifying player comprises determining that the qualifying player has a play pattern similar to one or more participants of the flash sale transaction as determined by a play pattern metric.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transaction details further include an incentive identifier for an award to offer to the first player, and incentive requirements applicable to the first player.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising an incentive-processing module to:
monitor action performed by the first player;
determine that the first player's action satisfies the incentive requirements; and
provide the award to the first player based on the determining that the player has satisfied the incentive requirements.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising an incentive-processing module to:
associate a first participant and a second participant of the flash sale transaction with an in-game objective of the virtual game; and
generate incentive requirements indicating that the first and second participants are to complete the in-game objective before an expiration date of the incentive.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the incentive requirements include one or more of:
a minimum number of flash sale referrals that the first player is to send to other players of the virtual game;
a minimum engagement level for the first player as determined by a game engagement metric of the virtual game;
a physical location that the first player is to visit; and
an in-game objective that the first player is to complete in response to participating in the flash sale transaction.

### Claim 21 (depends on 11)

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein payment for a flash sale transaction is authenticated out-of-band using a telephone-based payment authentication technique.

### Claim 22 (depends on 11)

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the flash sale transaction is auctioned to a plurality of advertisers.

### Claim 23 (depends on 11)

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a graphical user interface (GUI) is provided with a “flash sale inbox icon” to allow a player to defer responding to an invitation request.

### Claim 24

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions, which when executed using one or more processors performs operations for facilitating the processing of a flash sale transaction, the operations comprising:
storing flash sales transaction details received via a network from a merchant server;
in response to an event notification in a virtual game of a first player, accessing the transaction details for the flash sale transaction, the transaction details indicating at least an item for sale, invitation requirements applicable to the first player of the virtual game and including a physical location of the first player, and transaction requirements applicable to participants of the flash sale transaction, the transaction requirements including participant presence at a specified location;
based on the physical location associated with the first player, selectively providing an invitation request to the first player;
receiving an acceptance response from at least a minimum number of players of the virtual game that are needed to complete the flash sale transaction, the minimum number of players being within a social graph of the first player and having received the transaction details for the flash sale from the first player;
using at least one processor, completing the flash sale transaction based on determining that the minimum number of players have satisfied the transaction requirements and wherein the minimum number of players includes:
a second player of the virtual game that is invited to the flash sale transaction directly by the first player; and
at least one third player of the virtual game that is invited to the flash sale transaction indirectly by the second player; and
storing transaction data to be communicated to the merchant server, the transaction data associated with the players that have participated in the flash sale transaction.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The storage medium of claim 24, wherein the invitation requirements include:
a player attribute;
a player game state;
an in-game objective that the first player has not completed;
an in-game objective that the first player has completed;
a virtual object that the first player does not own;
a virtual good that the first player consumes at or above a determinable rate;
a minimum engagement level for the first player as determined by a game engagement metric of the virtual game; and
an association that the first player has with other players of the virtual game as reflected within relationship data.

### Claim 26 (depends on 24)

The storage medium of claim 24, wherein the transaction requirements:
a minimum number of friends, as reflected within relationship data, that the first player is to refer to the flash sale transaction;
a minimum propagation depth, as reflected within the relationship data, to which at least one referral from the first player is to propagate;
a physical location that the first player is to visit; and
an in-game objective that the first player is to complete.

### Claim 27 (depends on 24)

The storage medium of claim 24, wherein the selectively providing of the invitation request to the first player comprises:
selecting a qualifying player that satisfies the invitation requirements of the flash sale transaction;
generating the invitation request for the qualifying player based on the transaction details for the flash sale transaction, the invitation request indicating that the player is invited to participate in the flash sale transaction; and
providing the invitation request to the qualifying player.

### Claim 28 (depends on 24)

The storage medium of claim 24, wherein the transaction details further include a physical location that the first player is to visit.