Obviousness

A Person Having Ordinary Skill in the Art (PHOSITA) in the context of US patent 8668592, which was filed in 2011, would be a programmer or computer scientist with ordinary experience in video game development and relevant programming environments. This individual would understand standard programming practices and possess ordinary creativity and knowledge of the available technology at that time. The PHOSITA would be capable of understanding scientific and engineering principles of the relevant art and fitting the teachings of multiple patents together.

To determine the obviousness of US patent 8668592, we must consider whether the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art would have been obvious to this hypothetical PHOSITA before the effective filing date of December 17, 2010.

Here's an analysis of combinations of prior art references that could render the claims of US patent 8668592 obvious:

Independent Claim 1: This claim outlines a method for enabling virtual gameplay where a first player's geographic location is detected, and a storyline related to that location is retrieved for their character to interact with. Crucially, it also states that other players' characters can interact with this storyline as long as the first player remains connected, and that other storylines open and close as other players enter and leave the game.

Combination 1: US20060105838A1 (Mullen) + US20090017913A1 (Bell)

• US20060105838A1 (Mullen) - "Location-based games and augmented reality systems": This patent application, published in 2006, describes location-based games where player's physical location influences gameplay. It explicitly mentions the use of GPS for detecting location and modifying game content based on that location.

• US20090017913A1 (Bell) - "Location-based multiplayer gaming platform": This patent application, published in 2009, focuses on multiplayer gaming platforms that utilize location-based services. It describes players in different geographic locations interacting within a shared game environment.

• Motivation for Combination: A PHOSITA would be motivated to combine Mullen's concept of location-based game modifications with Bell's multiplayer location-based platform to enhance the multiplayer experience. It would be an obvious step to integrate dynamic storyline changes based on individual player locations within a multiplayer setting to create a more immersive and varied game. Specifically, if Mullen teaches changing game aspects (like content or tasks) based on location, and Bell teaches a multiplayer game where players are geographically dispersed, it would be obvious to a PHOSITA to combine these to allow each player's location to influence the shared storyline, rather than just their individual gameplay. The idea that player presence (logging in/out) could affect available storylines in a multiplayer context would be a natural extension for managing the complexity and dynamism of such a combined system.

Combination 2: US20070281766A1 (Mullen) + US20110319148A1 (Microsoft Corporation)

• US20070281766A1 (Mullen) - "Systems and methods for location based games and employment of the same on location enabled devices": This patent application, published in 2007, further details location-based games on mobile devices, emphasizing how location data (e.g., from GPS) can trigger events or modify game elements.

• US20110319148A1 (Microsoft Corporation) - "Virtual and location-based multiplayer gaming": This application, published in 2011 (after the priority date but before the filing date of US8668592, so it could potentially be considered for obviousness in certain scenarios, though generally obviousness is assessed against prior art before the effective filing date), describes virtual and location-based multiplayer gaming, focusing on shared virtual experiences tied to real-world locations.

• Motivation for Combination: Assuming the PHOSITA in 2011 had access to the concepts in Microsoft's application (or similar contemporary knowledge), the motivation would be to create a rich, dynamically changing storyline in a multiplayer location-based game. Mullen already lays the groundwork for location-triggered game changes. Microsoft's patent could then inspire extending this to a shared, evolving storyline in a multiplayer context, where the entry and exit of players from specific locations dynamically influences available plot points for all participants. The concept of "opening and closing" storylines as players join or leave from unique locations would be a logical design choice for a PHOSITA trying to manage the narrative flow in such a dynamic multiplayer environment.

Combination 3: US7970749B2 (Navteq North America, Llc) + US20080280684A1 (Mga Entertainment, Inc.)

• US7970749B2 (Navteq North America, Llc) - "Method and system for using geographic data in computer game development": This patent, granted in 2011 (with a priority date in 2004), details using geographic data for computer game development, including modifying game environments and scenarios based on real-world geography.

• US20080280684A1 (Mga Entertainment, Inc.) - "Virtual world electronic game": This patent application, published in 2008, describes a virtual world electronic game with features related to virtual character interaction and game progression within a virtual environment.

• Motivation for Combination: Navteq highlights the use of geographic data to influence game development, while Mga Entertainment focuses on virtual world mechanics and character interactions. A PHOSITA aiming to create a more engaging virtual world would combine these to make the game's storyline directly responsive to the player's real-world location. The concept of "storyline" encompassing elements like plot, character interactions, and settings (as defined in US8668592) would naturally be affected by the integration of location-specific geographic data. The specific aspect of "other storylines are opened and closed to the first player's character as other players enter and leave the game" could be a design choice to manage the dynamic narrative complexity arising from multiple players' real-world locations influencing a shared virtual world, which would be obvious to a PHOSITA working on a multiplayer virtual world.

General Motivation for Combining:

The overarching motivation for a PHOSITA in the gaming industry around 2010-2011 to combine elements from these prior art references would be to:

1. Increase Player Engagement and Immersion: Making a game's storyline responsive to a player's real-world location creates a more personalized and immersive experience, potentially fostering an "emotional bond" as stated in US8668592.
2. Enhance Multiplayer Dynamics: In a growing multiplayer online game market, leveraging real-world locations to dynamically alter the shared game narrative would provide novel and unpredictable gameplay, promoting social interaction and replayability.
3. Utilize Ubiquitous Location Technology: With the increasing prevalence of GPS and other location-sensing technologies in mobile devices, it would be an obvious design choice to incorporate this readily available data into game mechanics.
4. Create Dynamic and Evolving Content: Moving beyond static or predictably branching storylines (as noted in the background of US8668592), the ability to dynamically open and close storylines based on player locations and their presence in the game would offer a more fluid and less pre-scripted experience.

Therefore, the core concept of adapting a game's storyline based on a player's real-world geographic location, and extending this dynamic adaptation to a multiplayer environment where player presence influences shared narrative elements, would likely have been considered obvious to a PHOSITA at the time of the invention, given the available prior art in location-based gaming and virtual worlds.