Zynga Patent Applications

VIRAL PROGRESSIVE JACKPOT

Granted: March 2, 2017
Application Number: 20170061738
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for executing a computer game. One method includes an operation for setting an initial value to the jackpot of a first player. The jackpot of the first player is increased based on each bet by the first player in the computer game. Additionally, the jackpot of the first player is increased based on each bet made by friends of the first player in the computer game. The friends of the first player have a social connection with the first…

DISPLAY AND NAVIGATION OF VIRTUAL BUILT ENVIRONMENTS IN COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED GAMES

Granted: June 30, 2016
Application Number: 20160184699
A method and system provides a multiplayer computer-implemented game in which a game instance defines a virtual world comprising a building displayed to a user in a game display which can be switched between an overview comprising a side on, elevational view of the building in which the interiors of multiple rooms that together define the house are simultaneously visible, and a close-up side on view of a selected room. At least the close-up view may provide a three-dimensional…

SIDE BETTING IN BLACKJACK GAME

Granted: November 12, 2015
Application Number: 20150325087
Methods, systems, and computer programs are provided for providing players with additional side betting options. One method includes operations for receiving user account information of a first player for playing a blackjack game, and for providing data for a sideboard interface to be presented before a round of the blackjack game. The sideboard interface provides options for side bets, which are wagers on cards dealt during the round. Additionally, the method includes an operation for…

Methods to Determine Luck Profile of a User

Granted: October 22, 2015
Application Number: 20150302682
Methods and computer programs for determining outcome of an online slot game includes receiving a spin action from a player, during game play of the online slot game. A profile graph is identified for the player. The profile graph is defined by a template with a plurality of peaks and valleys defined therein. The peaks represent a higher probability of generating a winning result and the valleys represent a higher probability of generating a losing result. Each spin action of the player…

Methods for Using Touch-Screens to Simulate Balancing and Manipulation of Curved Object During Gameplay

Granted: October 22, 2015
Application Number: 20150297987
Methods and computer programs include associating a three-dimensional collider component and a rigid body component to a two-dimensional game object used in the game play. The three-dimensional collider component and the rigid body component define a plurality of physics attributes to enable control of physical behavior of the game object. A second three-dimensional collider component is associated with a game cursor that is used for providing user input to the gameplay. The game cursor…

IDENTIFICATION OF SIDE POT PARTICIPANTS IN POKER GAME

Granted: August 6, 2015
Application Number: 20150221179
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for providing information in a poker game. One method includes operations for providing an interface to a player for playing a poker game, and for detecting the creation of a side pot in the poker game during play. The side pot is presented in a first format, which includes the amount of the side pot. Additionally, the method includes an operation for detecting a selection by the first player in the poker game requesting additional…

APPLICATION FAILURE MANAGEMENT IN COMPUTER- IMPLEMENTED ONLINE GAMES

Granted: July 30, 2015
Application Number: 20150209667
Disclose methods and systems provide for management of game failure in distributed gaming by automated indication of a failure acknowledgment to a client device on which an associated player plays the game, for example by automatically presenting a failure apology message on the client device. An automated interactive acknowledgment process can include providing in-game compensation to the player, thereby to lessen player frustration resulting from game failures. The automated…

SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF DISTRIBUTING GAME NETWORK FEATURES

Granted: April 9, 2015
Application Number: 20150099588
A device, machine-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method of distributing game network features is provided. A game request to access one or more features associated with a game networking system are received by a mobile game application operating on a client device and associated with a mobile game developed by a game developer. The one or more features are integrated into the mobile game application using a software development kit (SDK)…

OPERATION OF A BROWSER-INCOMPATIBLE APPLICATION WITHIN A BROWSER

Granted: April 2, 2015
Application Number: 20150094150
Disclosed in some examples are methods, machine readable mediums, and systems for allowing a user to utilize an application that is not normally browser-compatible in a browser. In some examples, this may be accomplished by utilizing a source-to-source compiler to compile the source code of the browser-incompatible application itself into browser-compatible code (such as JavaScript). In other examples, this may be accomplished by utilizing a source-to-source compiler to compile the…

SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO PRESENT LOCATION-BASED LEADERBOARDS

Granted: March 19, 2015
Application Number: 20150080131
A system, computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method to present a location-based leaderboard is provided. A request to play a game against a second player is received, the request being received from a first client device of a first player and including a location of the first client device. A pre-defined location associated with the location of the first client device is determined. A game instance of the game is generated in…

GAMING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING ITEM GROUPING AND GROUP ACTIONS

Granted: March 5, 2015
Application Number: 20150065241
A system, computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for providing game object grouping are discussed herein. For example, a virtual gaming environment is generated on a client system. The virtual gaming environment may include a first game object and a second game object. Responsive to detecting a user selection of the first game object, a game object grouping is generated. The game object grouping may include the first game object…

Methods and Systems for Computer Application Incentivization Based on Reduced Advertisement

Granted: February 12, 2015
Application Number: 20150046247
A notification of requirements to earn a reduced-ad reward is provided to a user of an ad-associated computer application (app). Actions of the user are monitored to determine whether or not requirements to earn the reduced-ad reward are satisfied by the user. Upon determining that requirements to earn the reduced-ad reward are satisfied by the user, the reduced-ad reward is provided to the user of the ad-associated app. The reduced-ad reward is a specified amount of time in which the…

SLOTS GAME WITH IMPROVING BONUS-WINNING ODDS

Granted: February 12, 2015
Application Number: 20150045105
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for adjusting bonus winning odds while playing an online slots game. One method includes an operation for receiving user input during a session of an online slots game, where the user input is defined to spin wheels of the online slots game. In addition, the method includes an operation for defining an initial tier and one or more additional tiers for play of the online slots game during the session, each tier being assigned an odds…

CHALLENGING PLAYERS IN ONLINE GAME TO COMPETE IN MODULAR GAME

Granted: February 12, 2015
Application Number: 20150045104
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for allowing players to challenge other players in an online game to compete by playing a modular game within the online game. One method includes an operation for providing an interface to a first player for challenging a second player to compete in the modular game after detecting completion of the modular game by the first player. The modular game is played within an online game. Further, the method includes operations for sending…

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRAPPING ENEMY UNITS IN A GAME

Granted: December 11, 2014
Application Number: 20140364236
Methods and systems are directed to the trapping of enemy units in a game. A game may give each player control of a certain territory or area. Each player may build or place buildings within their territory. Each player may build units capable of attacking the territory of one or more other players. One or more players may place traps within their territory. An attacking enemy unit may be captured by the trap. A captured unit may be put to work for the capturing player (e.g., to generate…

DYNAMICALLY VARIABLE ADVERTISING INCENTIVE REWARDS IN ONLINE GAMES

Granted: December 4, 2014
Application Number: 20140358260
A system and method for managing a computer-implemented online game provides dynamically variable rewards to incentivize player interaction with sponsored content presented within the game. The particular reward offered to incentivize player interaction with particular sponsored content (e.g., a particular advertisement) can be dynamically variable based on the attributes of the player, thus providing user-specific custom rewards for interaction with sponsored content. Properties of…

INTERACTING WITH SPONSORED CONTENT TO EARN REWARDS

Granted: December 4, 2014
Application Number: 20140357345
Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing players with rewards are described. Data indicating that a player has selected an unavailable reward may be processed. Sponsored content based on the processed data may be obtained and presented to the player. Data indicating that the player has completed an interaction with the sponsored content may be obtained and the reward may be provided in response to processing the data that indicates that the player has completed the…

LEVEL-BALANCING AN ONLINE PROGRESSION GAME

Granted: October 2, 2014
Application Number: 20140295925
Systems and methods for level-balancing an online progression game, such as by determining a placement order for puzzle games (or, other game challenges) within the progression game, are described. In some example embodiments, the systems and methods access difficulty metrics assigned to puzzle games presented by an online progression game, select a cadence, pattern and/or sequence associated with placing the puzzle games within the online progression game, and place the puzzle games…

SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF FOLLOWING GAME-RELATED CONTENT BASED ON KEYWORDS

Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number: 20140274375
A system, machine-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for following game-related content based on keywords is provided. A game server receives a web feed request for a web feed to be displayed on a client device, where the web feed request includes a keyword identifying a type of content to be displayed in the web feed. The game server identifies web feed content to be displayed in the web feed, including identifying content relevant to…

SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF PROVIDING PARENTAL CONTROLS FOR GAME CONTENT

Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number: 20140274376
A system, machine-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method of providing parental controls for game content is provided. A game server receives a request to access game content associated with a computer-implemented game, including receiving the game request from a game user interface on a client device. In response to the game request, the game server identifies that a safe mode is enabled, where the safe mode prevents restricted game…