Zynga Patent Grants

Apparatus, method and computer readable storage medium for collecting doobers in an electronic game

Granted: March 19, 2019
Patent Number: 10232259
An apparatus, method and computer-readable storage medium for efficiently collecting doobers. A game area may be presented in a graphical user interface on a display device. The game area may include a game character associated with a first player, regions and objects within the regions. The character may move within the regions and interact with the objects. One or more doobers may be presented in the game area, and the doober(s) may be identified as collected by the first player in…

Gaming platform providing a game action sweep mechanic

Granted: March 19, 2019
Patent Number: 10232250
A system, computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for providing a game action sweep mechanic are presented. A virtual game environment that includes a first virtual object and a second virtual object may be generated for a user. User interactions involving a game pointer and a selection input are then monitored. In response to detecting the selection input being activated while the game pointer is located proximate to the first…

Providing content to a scrollable user interface

Granted: March 5, 2019
Patent Number: 10220301
Systems and methods for displaying dynamically changing content within scrollview class applications are described. In some example embodiments, an intermediate module fetches images from an underlying layer of a webview module, and provides the images to a scrollview module, which presents the images via a scrollable user interface on a computing device, such as a scrollable user interface within a game application presenting an online game via a user interface of a mobile device.

Asset transfers between interactive social games

Granted: February 12, 2019
Patent Number: 10201757
A method and system to transfer assets between interactive social games is described. In some embodiments, the method generates a visual expression of a transfer mechanism in a first computer-implemented game. The method further generates the visual expression of the transfer mechanism in a second computer-implemented game. The transfer mechanism is capable of transferring an in-game asset from the first computer-implemented game to the second computer-implemented game. The method…

Automated hand strength estimation for card games

Granted: January 29, 2019
Patent Number: 10192397
In various embodiments, a method of estimating odds that a player will win a round of a card game is disclosed. Information is received pertaining to cards that have been dealt from a deck at a particular point during a round of a card game. The information identifies cards that have been revealed to the player and a number of cards that have not been revealed to the player. An estimation of odds that the player will win the round of the card game is generated. The generating includes…

Multitenancy gaming services platform

Granted: January 15, 2019
Patent Number: 10182460
Systems and methods for providing multitenancy gaming platform services are presented. In one embodiment a method for providing multitenancy gaming platform services comprises receiving, at a server computer, a request from one of a plurality of applications for an operation associated with a service, the request including a token, data related to an application, and a target user identifier. The method further comprises, decoding the token to determine an application identifier and a…

Detached economy in online game

Granted: January 15, 2019
Patent Number: 10181127
Methods, systems, and computer programs for generating revenue in an online game are presented. One method includes an operation for creating, in the online game, a first virtual currency and a game score, where the amount of the first virtual currency can be increased in exchange for real currency. The first virtual currency can be traded for advancement in the online game. Further, a game module, that is an autonomous game within the online game, is started, and a second virtual…

Adaptive object placement in computer-implemented games

Granted: January 15, 2019
Patent Number: 10179288
A system, a machine-readable storage medium storing instructions, and a computer-implemented method are described herein for an Alliance Engine. The Alliance Engine receives a selection, by a first player, of a first tile to be controlled by a first enforcer asset on behalf of the first player. The first tile provides access to a first type of in-game resource to the first player. The Alliance Engine detects the first tile is adjacent to a second tile. The second tile is controlled by a…

Limiting transfer of virtual currency in a multiuser online game

Granted: December 25, 2018
Patent Number: 10163306
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for limiting transfer of virtual currency in an online game. One method includes an operation for receiving, at a server, a purchase order for virtual currency from a first player. The purchase order is made with legal currency, and the virtual currency is usable within a computer-implemented gambling game. Further, the method includes operations for using a particular type of virtual currency available in an account of the first…

Identification of side pot participants in poker game

Granted: December 18, 2018
Patent Number: 10157521
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…

Changing a virtual world based on real-world locations of players

Granted: December 4, 2018
Patent Number: 10143926
A method of changing a virtual world of a computer-implemented game based on real-world locations of players of the computer-implemented game is disclosed. A presence of a player of the computer-implemented game is detected at a physical location. A presence of an additional player of the computer-implemented game is detected at the physical location based on a communication received from the player of the computer-implemented game. An aspect of the virtual world of the…

Cross platform social networking messaging system

Granted: November 20, 2018
Patent Number: 10135776
Disclosed is a method of cross-social network communication. The method may include determining a plurality of recipients of a social networking service interaction, determining a plurality of target social networking services based upon the plurality of recipients of the social networking service interaction, and a plurality of authentication information associated with the plurality of social networking services. The method may include constructing an application programming interface…

Systems and methods of automatic game creation

Granted: November 13, 2018
Patent Number: 10124253
A system, machine-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for automatic game creation are presented. An access module can access player information for a receiver and an originator. Additionally, a matching module can determine that the receiver and the originator have a connection based on the player information. Furthermore, a game invitation module can detect that a recipient game is installed on an originator device of the originator…

Systems and methods for indicating positions of selected symbols in a target sequence

Granted: October 30, 2018
Patent Number: 10112112
A system, a machine-readable storage medium storing instructions, and a computer-implemented method are described herein to display positions of symbols in a target sequence. In various embodiments, a Sequence Generator generates a target sequence of symbols to be identified by a player in a virtual gaming environment. The Sequence Generator generates an obscured display of the target sequence. The Sequence Generator receives from the player a first selected sequence of symbols to be…

Dynamic update of application as code is checked-in

Granted: October 23, 2018
Patent Number: 10108410
Software parses an app update schedule with a parsing utility to obtain a current app version number of an app and determines that the deployed app version number is older than the current app version number. The software conducts a dependency analysis of the current version of the app using a scanning utility that outputs a hierarchical tree diagram of dependent code modules. The hierarchical tree diagram identifies a name and a code version number for each dependent code module. The…

Automated tuning of computer-implemented games

Granted: October 23, 2018
Patent Number: 10105603
A system for automated tuning of a computer-implemented game is configured to enable definition of a performance metric indicative of player performance in a computer-implemented game that has tunable gameplay parameters. A performance target is defined that represents target values for the performance metric during progress in the game. The system executes a gameplay simulation using an automated player, and performs an iterative tuning operation based on results of the simulation. The…

System and method for connecting gaming devices to a network for remote play

Granted: October 16, 2018
Patent Number: 10102713
Software for a gaming system receives a password over a network from a user of a remote player device for a gaming system for a gambling game. The software authenticates the user using the password. The software also receives an age from the user and determines that the user is of age to gamble on the gambling game, based on data stored in a database for the gaming system. Then software transmits a program to the remote player device. When executed, the program interactively presents the…

Side betting in blackjack game

Granted: October 2, 2018
Patent Number: 10089816
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…

Low-friction response in a social game

Granted: October 2, 2018
Patent Number: 10086292
A method for performing a social project in a video game is provided. A session of the video game for a primary user is initiated, and a social project is initiated within the session of the video game. One or more secondary users are determined from a social graph of the primary user. A message requesting help to complete the social project is sent to the one or more secondary users, the message including a low-friction response mechanism. Upon activation of the low-friction response…

Systems and methods of dynamically selecting contacts for a networked gaming environment

Granted: September 11, 2018
Patent Number: 10071317
A system, a machine-readable storage medium, and a computer-implemented method are directed to a Contact Ranking Engine (hereinafter “CR Engine”). The CR Engine identifies a plurality of contacts of a player of a first game on a gaming network environment (or a game networking system). The CR Engine collects contact attributes for each of the plurality of contacts from one or more contact attribute sources. The CR Engine requests a first configuration table related to the first game.…