Niantic, Inc.

Google Inc.

Nvidia Corporation

Silicon Graphics International Corporation

Silicon Graphics, Incorporated

Phillip Craig Keslin

John V Hanke

Mark A Aubin

Charles Spirakis

James Dinkelacker

Keith Patrick Golden

Alexander Vladimirov

Steven E Molnar

Mark J French

Adam Clark Weitkemper

David Kornmann

Edward Wu

Niniane Wang

Chikai J Ohazama

Chris Hibbert

Alexander Mendes Da Costa

Joey Chiu-Wen Liaw

Vernon Melvin Guymon, Iii

Cass Watson Everitt

George R Lynch

Neal Kanodia

Tatsuo Nomura

David L Anderson

Yennie Solheim

Jim Wang

Mike Quigley

William J Kilday

Bill Kilday

Michael Steranka

Raza Ahmad

Kento Suga

Keith Shoji Kiyohara

Lior Stern

Leor Stern

Bill J Kilday

Computer-implemented methods and systems for locating virtual elements that can be used or collected by players of a parallel reality game having a virtual world that parallels at least a portion of the real world are provided. In particular, the location of virtual elements in the virtual world is determined based on data associated with one or more real world conditions. Virtual elements can be located in the virtual world at locations corresponding to locations in the real world that encourage safe and effective game play. Locating virtual elements in the virtual world based on data associated with real world conditions improves the link between the parallel virtual world and the real world, enhancing the illusion that the virtual world is another dimension of the real world that the player can interact with through the parallel reality game.

Placement of virtual elements in a virtual world associated with a location-based parallel reality game

Systems and methods for linking real world activity, such as real world commercial activity or real world data collection activity, with a location-based parallel reality game are provided. In particular, a game server hosting a parallel reality game can modify, update, or add to game data stored in a game database associated with the parallel reality game to include certain game features in the parallel reality game linked with real world activity in the real world. The game features can be linked with activities in the real world such that player actions associated with the game features in the virtual world can lead to or encourage activity in the real world, such as commercial activity and/or data collection activity in the real world. A one-time password may be used to validate a player's location in the real world and to enable controlled access to game features in the virtual world.

Validating a player's real-world location using activity within a parallel-reality game

Systems and methods for detecting and preventing cheating in a location-based game are provided. In particular, a server-side statistical cheat detection algorithm can be implemented upon receiving a player request to perform a game action. A given dataset describing the respective times and locations of previous game events performed by the player can be analyzed to determine a probability that such game events represent legitimate gameplay. The determined probability can affect whether the player-requested game action is effectuated or can influence a number of points awarded for completion of the game action. An example system includes a host server and a client device in communication over a network.

Detecting and preventing cheating in a location-based game

Validating a player's real-world location using activity within a parallel reality game

Systems and methods for linking real world activity, such as real world commercial activity or real world data collection activity, with a location-based parallel reality game are provided. In particular, a game server hosting a parallel reality game can modify, update, or add to game data stored in a game database associated with the parallel reality game to include certain game features in the parallel reality game linked with real world activity in the real world. The game features can be linked with activities in the real world such that player actions associated with the game features in the virtual world can lead to or encourage activity in the real world, such as commercial activity and/or data collection activity in the real world.

Linking real world activities with a parallel reality game

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for remote rendering of computer graphics. The system includes a graphics application program resident at a remote server. The graphics application is invoked by a user or process located at a client. The invoked graphics application proceeds to issue graphics instructions. The graphics instructions are received by a remote rendering control system. Given that the client and server differ with respect to graphics context and image processing capability, the remote rendering control system modifies the graphics instructions in order to accommodate these differences. The modified graphics instructions are sent to graphics rendering resources, which produce one or more rendered images. Data representing the rendered images is written to one or more frame buffers. The remote rendering control system then reads this image data from the frame buffers. The image data is transmitted to the client for display or processing. In an embodiment of the system, the image data is compressed before being transmitted to the client. In such an embodiment, the steps of rendering, compression, and transmission can be performed asynchronously in a pipelined manner.

System, method and computer program product for remote graphics processing

Systems and methods for verifying player proximity within a location-based game are disclosed. In one aspect, a method for verifying player proximity may include receiving a request associated with verifying the proximity of a first player of the location-based game relative to a second player of the location-based game and transmitting a visual indicator to a first client of the first player, wherein the visual indicator is associated with a data record configured to expire within a predetermined time period. In addition, the method may include receiving a copy of the visual indicator from a second client of the second player and determining whether the copy of the visual indicator was received prior to the expiration of the data record.

Systems and methods for verifying player proximity within a location-based game

Computer-implemented methods and systems for mapping real world actions to a virtual world associated with a parallel reality game are provided. The virtual world has experiences that relate to real world actions. The method includes accessing a data source associated with one or more real world actions; and modifying game data associated with the parallel reality game to generate experiences in the virtual world based at least in part on the data associated with the one or more real world actions. Generating experiences in the virtual world based on data associated with real world actions improves the link between the parallel virtual world and the real world, enhancing illusion that the virtual world is another dimension of the real world that the player can interact with through the parallel reality game.

Mapping real world actions to a virtual world associated with a location-based game

System, method, and computer program product for remote graphics processing

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Phillip Craig Keslin