Obviousness

Obviousness Analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for US Patent 10946284

This analysis will identify combinations of prior art references that would render the claims of US patent 10946284 obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA), along with the motivation for combining them. The primary focus will be on independent Claim 1, as it represents the broadest scope of the invention.

Prior Art References Considered:

• US20120157197A1 (XMG Studio Inc.): "Systems and methods of changing storyline based on player location" (Priority Date: 2010-12-17; Publication Date: 2012-06-21). This patent is particularly relevant as US10946284 is a continuation application claiming priority from the same provisional application as US20120157197A1 via US14/084,113. Therefore, the detailed description of US10946284 largely reflects the disclosure of US20120157197A1.
• US8795084B2 (Bell): "Location-based multiplayer gaming platform" (Priority Date: 2007-03-16; Issue Date: 2014-08-05).

Combination 1: US20120157197A1 (XMG Studio Inc.) in view of US8795084B2 (Bell)

Claim 1 Breakdown and Disclosure in Prior Art:

Claim 1 of US10946284 recites a computer-implemented method comprising the following elements:

1. Computer-implemented method of enabling virtual gameplay on a computing device in communication with a storage means and a location sensor.

   • US20120157197A1 discloses a computer-implemented method for virtual gameplay using gaming devices such as smartphones with built-in GPS sensors, connected to storage means and capable of data coverage.

2. Providing access to a video game having a virtual character with a virtual character statistic in which a player in a real world player geographic location interacts with the video game and with other players in other real world player geographic locations playing other virtual characters.

   • US20120157197A1 describes multiplayer embodiments where the locations of each player introduce virtual characters associated with local elements, changing the storyline based on the real-world local elements of the players' locations. It further defines "virtual character" as represented by "one or more gameplay statistics."
   • US8795084B2 explicitly teaches a "location-based multiplayer gaming platform" where a "game may be played by multiple players over a network," and the game is "tied to real world geographic locations."

3. Detecting with the location sensor the real world player geographic location of the player and storing the real world player geographic location in the storage means.

   • US20120157197A1 teaches determining player location using methods such as GPS sensors, Wireless Assisted GPS (A-GPS), WiFi networks, or IP addresses, and storing this information in a file or database.

4. Creating in a database a local element script associated with the real world player geographic location, the local element script actuatable in the video game to modify one or more of the virtual character statistic and a plot node.

   • US20120157197A1 describes retrieving local elements from a database based on player location and correlating them to a local element script. These scripts are actuatable in the video game to "supplement or replace the video game's storyline." The patent clarifies that "storyline" can include "plot nodes" and that "statistics (stat)" represent aspects of a virtual character, which can "depend on the local elements of the player location and may change when these local elements changes."

5. Retrieving from the database mapping information related to the real world player geographic location of the player.

   • US20120157197A1 explains that digital maps (e.g., Google Maps) can be used to identify the location/geographic landscape once GPS coordinates are received, which implies retrieving mapping information.

6. Actuating the corresponding local element script in the video game while the player is interacting with the video game and the player's real world player geographic location is not represented by another player.

   • US20120157197A1 explicitly states: "The system checks to see if the local elements of above said player location are unique, i.e. if any other player from the same location is also engaged in the gameplay... If player location and its local elements are unique then the system may load alternate/complementary set of storyline plot nodes associated with these new local elements. Gameplay continues using the new information." This directly teaches the conditional actuation based on uniqueness.

7. And not actuating the corresponding local element script when the player's real world player geographic location is represented by another player.

   • US20120157197A1 directly follows its uniqueness check with: "If player location and its local elements are not unique then gameplay continues with no changes." This aligns with not actuating the script.

8. Wherein actuating the local element script comprises modifying the virtual character statistic of the player's virtual character.

   • US20120157197A1 teaches that "the statistics of the player character (PC)...may depend on the local elements of the player location and may change when these local elements changes."

9. And modifying one or more of a virtual character statistic and a plot node of at least one of the other players' virtual characters.

   • US20120157197A1 states that in multiplayer embodiments, "the storyline keeps changing, since the combination of virtual characters changes based on the real world local elements of the location of the players." Since storyline includes plot nodes and character statistics, changes impacting the storyline in a multiplayer context would logically affect other players' virtual characters and their associated plot nodes.
   • US8795084B2 supports this by teaching that player actions (or influences related to their location) "may have an effect on a game environment located at or proximate to that geographic location." In a multiplayer game, such effects on the shared game environment would naturally propagate to and modify elements (like virtual character statistics and plot nodes) associated with other players' virtual characters.

Motivation to Combine US20120157197A1 and US8795084B2:

A person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) in the field of video game development, seeking to create a more immersive and dynamic multiplayer location-based gaming experience, would have been motivated to combine the teachings of US20120157197A1 and US8795084B2.

• US20120157197A1 provides a comprehensive framework for dynamically altering game storylines, including virtual character statistics and plot nodes, based on real-world local elements and player location, even contemplating a uniqueness check for these local elements. However, while it describes multiplayer aspects, US8795084B2 explicitly focuses on a "location-based multiplayer gaming platform," which offers a robust environment for multiple players interacting within a game tied to real-world geographic locations.
• The motivation to combine these would be to leverage the detailed dynamic content generation and modification system of US20120157197A1 within a well-defined multiplayer, location-aware architecture as taught by US8795084B2. Specifically, a PHOSITA would recognize that to create a truly interactive and responsive multiplayer experience where local elements significantly impact gameplay for all participants, the game system needs to:
  1. Effectively manage the presence of multiple players across different real-world locations (from Bell).
  2. Incorporate real-world local elements to dynamically influence the shared game narrative and character attributes (from XMG Studio Inc.).
  3. Implement logical rules for how these local elements, particularly from newly arriving or unique players, are integrated into the game state to ensure distinct and meaningful impacts for all players, rather than creating redundant or chaotic effects (the uniqueness check in XMG Studio Inc. becomes a clear design choice in the multiplayer context of Bell).
  4. Ensure that changes initiated by one player's unique local elements propagate appropriately to other interacting players' virtual characters and plot nodes to maintain a coherent and interactive shared game world (a standard multiplayer game design principle, further enabled by Bell's "effect on a game environment" and XMG Studio Inc.'s dynamic storyline changes).

Therefore, combining the explicit multiplayer platform and environment-affecting teachings of Bell with the detailed dynamic storyline, character statistic, plot node modification, and uniqueness check mechanisms of XMG Studio Inc. would have been an obvious design choice for a PHOSITA aiming to create a sophisticated, location-based multiplayer game with adaptive narratives.