US 9561439

Here is a concise summary of US patent 9561439:

US Patent Number: 9561439
Title: Game control method, game control device, and recording medium
Assignee: GREE Holdings Inc.
Inventor: Kazuki Oono
Filing Date: June 10, 2015
Issue Date: February 7, 2017

Abstract:
The patent describes a game control method implemented by a game control device connected to communication terminals used by multiple players. The device stores group information for player groups and game piece information for collectible game pieces that form a single item. The method involves giving a game piece to a user based on their terminal operation, storing information about the given game piece, determining if all necessary game pieces for an item have been collected by a specific player group, and then awarding a reward to that group if all pieces are collected.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1 (Game Control Method): This claim describes a method for controlling a game that encourages cooperation among multiple users within a group (guild). The game control device gives out individual game pieces to players as they play. It then tracks which pieces each player receives. If all the necessary game pieces to complete a virtual item are collected by players belonging to the same group, that entire group receives a reward. This system aims to foster cooperative play.
• Claim 9 (Game Control Device): This claim describes a physical game control device (server) that implements the cooperative game method. The device includes a storage unit to hold information about player groups and the collectible game pieces. It also has a processor configured to perform the actions outlined in Claim 1: giving game pieces, storing information about obtained pieces, checking if a group has collected all pieces for an item, and then issuing a reward to the cooperative group.
• Claim 16 (Non-Transitory Computer-Readable Recording Medium): This claim covers a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (like a hard drive or solid-state drive). This program, when executed by a computer (game control device), causes the computer to perform the same cooperative game control steps described in Claim 1: distributing game pieces, managing collected pieces, determining if a group has completed an item, and providing a reward to the group.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
As of April 26, 2026, a review of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) scheduled cases for May 2026 does not show any direct litigation involving patent number US9561439B2. It is important to note that this search only covers the May 2026 scheduled cases and not the entirety of CAFC's 2026 docket or other potential litigation venues.

Known Litigation Involving US Patent 9561439

As of April 26, 2026, a search of publicly available litigation databases indicates the following case involving US Patent 9561439:

• Plaintiff(s): GREE, Inc.
• Defendant(s): Not publicly available in the provided information.
• Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
• Case Number: 2:19-cv-00311
• Filing Date: September 27, 2019
• Outcome or Current Status: This case has been identified as "First worldwide family litigation filed." The specific outcome or current status is not detailed in the provided information, other than its initial filing.

Proceedings overview

One AIA trial proceeding has been filed against US patent 9561439. This proceeding, IPR2020-01628, was not instituted due to a procedural denial. This means the patent claims have not been challenged on their merits at the PTAB and remain untested by this specific IPR.

IPR2020-01628 — Supercell Oy v. Gree Inc.

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2020-09-15
• Status: Not Instituted - Procedural
• Judge panel: Not publicly available in the provided information.
• Petition grounds: Specific claims and prior art challenged are not publicly available in the provided information, but IPRs typically challenge claims under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and/or 103.
• Institution decision: Denied on 2021-02-17. The denial was procedural, meaning the PTAB declined to institute the review based on discretionary factors rather than the merits of the patentability challenge. While the exact reasoning for this specific case is not available in the provided snippets, procedural denials often relate to factors like parallel litigation (e.g., Fintiv factors) or other administrative considerations under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a).
• Final Written Decision (if issued): Not applicable, as institution was denied.
• Settlement / termination: Not applicable.
• Appeal: Not applicable, as institution decisions are generally non-appealable as per Thryv, Inc. v. Click-to-Call Techs, L.P..
• Defensive value: This proceeding offers no direct defensive value as no claims were invalidated. However, it indicates a prior attempt to challenge the patent which was denied on procedural grounds. A defendant would need to understand the specific procedural reason for denial to assess if a new IPR petition could overcome that hurdle.

Strategic summary

All claims of US9561439 remain untested by PTAB proceedings as IPR2020-01628 was denied institution on procedural grounds. No claims have been canceled or sustained through an AIA trial. Therefore, the patent claims are in their original scope and strength as granted by the USPTO.

The estoppel landscape is not impacted by this non-instituted IPR, as 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) estoppel only applies to grounds raised or that reasonably could have been raised in an instituted IPR. Since IPR2020-01628 was denied institution, neither the petitioner (Supercell Oy) nor its privies are estopped from raising the same or new prior-art grounds in future challenges (assuming they meet the time-bar requirements). This means that all prior-art grounds remain available for a defendant currently being asserted against.

A pattern signal observed is that Supercell Oy filed multiple IPRs against Gree Inc. patents on the same date (2020-09-15), with IPR2020-01628 (on US9561439), IPR2020-01633 (on US9079107), and IPR2020-01619 (on US10413832) all resulting in "Not Instituted - Procedural" decisions around February-March 2021. This suggests a concerted effort by Supercell Oy to challenge Gree Inc.'s patents, which was met with procedural denials, potentially due to discretionary factors such as parallel litigation or the Fintiv considerations prevalent around that time.

Recommended next steps

Since there is no active PTAB activity and the sole past proceeding was denied institution on procedural grounds, the claims of US9561439 remain in full force. A defendant facing assertion of this patent should:

• Investigate the specific procedural reason for the denial of IPR2020-01628. This would typically be found in the PTAB's institution decision document. Understanding this reason is crucial to determine if a new IPR petition could be successfully instituted.
• Conduct a thorough prior art search to identify strong grounds for invalidity under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and 103, considering the claims of US9561439.
• Evaluate the merits of filing a new IPR petition, ensuring any procedural issues that led to the denial of IPR2020-01628 are addressed and overcome in a new petition. The absence of instituted IPRs means the patent has not been subjected to a full PTAB validity challenge, and the claims are therefore not "hardened."

Inventors

• Kazuki Oono: GREE Inc. (employer at time of filing). No unusual patterns detected.

Original assignee

GREE Inc. was the original assignee. GREE Inc. (now GREE Holdings, Inc.) is a Japanese social media and video game company that operates a social network service and develops, operates, and distributes various smartphone and consumer games. They have diversified into Metaverse, IP, DX, and Investment businesses. The company is publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TYO: 3632) and is currently operating as GREE Holdings, Inc. The patent pertains to game control methods for social games, which aligns directly with their primary line of business.

Assignment timeline

• 2018-01-22 (executed) / recorded 2018-01-31 — Reel 044810/0675
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: OONO, KAZUKI
  • Assignee: GREE, INC.
  • Correspondent: GREE, INC., Attn: Patent Dept. 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, JP 106-6112
  • Context: Internal transfer of inventor's rights to the original assignee.
• 2021-03-05 (executed) / recorded 2021-03-10 — Reel 056461/0816
  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: GREE, INC.
  • Assignee: NSF I LLC
  • Correspondent: BAE, JENNIFER J, SHARKIS PATENTS PLLC, 1250 BROADWAY, 36TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10001
  • Context: Securitization of the patent as collateral.
• 2025-05-16 (executed) / recorded 2025-05-16 — Reel 071303/0337
  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: GREE, INC.
  • Assignee: GREE HOLDINGS, INC.
  • Correspondent: KENNY JUNG, REICHMAN JUNG PLLC, 355 LEXINGTON AVE. 17TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10017
  • Context: Corporate name change.
• 2025-06-05 (executed) / recorded 2025-06-10 — Reel 071477/0936
  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: GREE, INC.
  • Assignee: GREE HOLDINGS, INC.
  • Correspondent: KENNY JUNG, REICHMAN JUNG PLLC, 355 LEXINGTON AVE. 17TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10017 (Kenny Jung, Reichman Jung PLLC recurs in this chain)
  • Context: Corrective assignment to update details following the name change.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9561439
    2015 : Filed by GREE Inc
    2017 : Issued to GREE Inc
    2018 : Inventor assigned to GREE Inc
    2019 : First infringement suit filed
    2021 : Security interest to NSF I LLC
    2025 : GREE Inc changes name to GREE Holdings Inc
         : Corrective assignment for name change

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. A security interest was granted to NSF I LLC [cite: Reel 056461/0816]. There is no public information indicating NSF I LLC is a shell entity or has asserted patents. The patent is currently owned by an operating company, GREE Holdings, Inc.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. NSF I LLC is not identified as a known patent asserter by Unified Patents or RPX Insurance.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. Kenny Jung of Reichman Jung PLLC appears on two consecutive recordings (Reel 071303/0337 and Reel 071477/0936) related to GREE, INC.'s corporate name change and subsequent corrective assignment. This recurrence is associated with internal corporate actions of an operating company.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. The transfers involve internal corporate actions and one security interest, not multiple consecutive assignments through chained LLCs in a short timeframe.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. The first identified litigation related to this patent family was filed in the Texas Eastern District Court on September 27, 2019 (case 2:19-cv-00311). This occurred while GREE, Inc. (the original operating company assignee) owned the patent, prior to the security interest granted in 2021.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. GREE Holdings, Inc. is an active, publicly traded company.
7. Privateering — not present. No evidence suggests GREE transferred the patent to an NPE to assert on its behalf against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent is not currently owned by a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion
The patent was involved in litigation (US case 2:19-cv-00311 in Texas Eastern District Court) filed on September 27, 2019, when GREE, Inc. was the assignee. GREE Inc. (now GREE Holdings, Inc.) is a practicing entity that ships products embodying the claims. The subsequent security interest to NSF I LLC and the corporate name change do not indicate a shift to NPE assertion.

Verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/index.html (search for patent number 9561439)

To identify the most relevant prior art for US Patent 9561439, I will examine the patent citations listed on its Google Patents page. The priority date for US9561439 is March 12, 2013, so any anticipatory prior art must have a filing or publication date before this date. I will select several key cited patents and published applications for detailed analysis, focusing on those that appear most pertinent to the collaborative item collection and group reward system described in US9561439.

The core claims of US9561439 revolve around a game control method and device that enable multiple users in a group (guild) to cooperatively collect a plurality of game pieces to constitute one item, upon which a reward is given to the group. Specific embodiments include distributing game pieces based on appearance probability, user levels (especially to users in different level ranges), and managing these collection events within a predetermined time period.

I will now retrieve the abstracts and relevant information for a selection of cited prior art patents.

Prior Art Analysis for US9561439

Here are analyses of selected prior art documents cited against US9561439:

1. US8235824B1

• Full Citation: US8235824B1 (Wuerz)
• Publication/Filing Date: Published August 7, 2012; Filed September 2, 2010.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a system and method for providing rewards in a virtual environment based on collective actions of players. It details how players can collaborate to achieve a goal, such as completing a "set" of virtual items, and receive a reward. The system can track individual and group contributions.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
  • Claim 1: This patent potentially anticipates Claim 1 by disclosing a game control method where a group of users collaborates to collect items (game pieces) to complete a set (one item) and receive a reward. The "collective actions" and "group achievements" described directly map to the cooperative collection of game pieces by a plurality of users in a group to constitute one item, and the subsequent awarding of a reward to the group.
  • Claims 6: As a method patent, it also implicitly anticipates the device claim (Claim 6) if the method steps are performed by a device.

2. US8206216B2

• Full Citation: US8206216B2 (Johnson et al.)
• Publication/Filing Date: Published June 26, 2012; Filed February 23, 2009.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a system and method for providing virtual item rewards to players in a multiplayer online game based on their in-game activities. It covers generating and distributing virtual items, tracking player inventories, and providing rewards for completing certain objectives. It also mentions different types of items that can be collected.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
  • This patent primarily focuses on individual player rewards for in-game activities and item collection, rather than the specific group-based collaborative collection of pieces to form one item as described in US9561439. While it touches upon item distribution and rewards, it lacks the explicit "group information," "game piece information indicative of a plurality of game pieces constituting one item," and "determining whether all of the plurality of game pieces... are given to a plurality of users constituting a group" found in US9561439's Claim 1. Therefore, it is less likely to anticipate Claim 1 directly but could be relevant as background art for general virtual item systems.

3. US8303399B2

• Full Citation: US8303399B2 (Yano et al.)
• Publication/Filing Date: Published November 6, 2012; Filed September 24, 2010.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a game system that processes information related to multiple players and allows players to assist each other. It includes methods for exchanging items or data between players and determining player relationships. It can involve forming teams or groups for cooperative play and rewards related to these interactions.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
  • While disclosing cooperative play and item exchange/data processing for groups, US8303399B2 does not explicitly detail the mechanism of collecting "a plurality of game pieces constituting one item" by a group and then receiving a reward specifically for completing that item. It focuses more on general player assistance and team play. It may serve as prior art for the concept of group interaction and rewards, but less directly for the specific "game piece" and "one item" structure of Claim 1 of US9561439.

4. US8272948B2

• Full Citation: US8272948B2 (Sugimoto et al.)
• Publication/Filing Date: Published September 25, 2012; Filed August 25, 2009.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a game system for online card battle games, focusing on managing card characters, deck construction, and battle processing. It deals with parameters of card characters, battle outcomes, and acquiring new cards.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
  • This patent is highly relevant to the "card battle game" context of US9561439. However, its primary focus is on the mechanics of card battles and character management, not on the cooperative collection of "game pieces constituting one item" by a group to earn a reward, which is the innovative aspect of US9561439's Claim 1. It would be highly relevant background art for the general game type but does not appear to anticipate Claim 1's specific cooperative collection mechanism.

5. US20120158863A1

• Full Citation: US20120158863A1 (Noda)
• Publication/Filing Date: Published June 21, 2012; Filed December 17, 2010.
• Brief Description: This application describes a game system where a plurality of users can cooperate to defeat a common enemy (e.g., a "raid boss") and receive rewards based on their contribution. It involves managing user groups, battle participation, and reward distribution.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
  • This application, particularly with its focus on "cooperating to defeat a common enemy," suggests group activity and shared rewards. While it doesn't explicitly mention "game pieces constituting one item," the concept of collaborative achievement leading to group rewards is present. The mechanism for obtaining the pieces (defeating an enemy vs. passive collection based on operation) differs. It could potentially anticipate the broader concept of group-based cooperation for rewards but not the specific "item constitution" aspect of Claim 1. However, if "defeating a boss" is considered an "item" collected by the group, it could be argued as close.

6. US20120295712A1

• Full Citation: US20120295712A1 (Ichimura et al.)
• Publication/Filing Date: Published November 22, 2012; Filed May 19, 2011.
• Brief Description: This application describes a game system that facilitates cooperation between users, particularly regarding providing assistance and exchanging items or characters within a social game. It focuses on interaction between players to achieve game progress and receive benefits.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
  • Similar to US8303399B2, this document provides background on facilitating user cooperation and interaction in social games. However, it lacks the specific inventive step of US9561439, which focuses on the collective gathering of disparate pieces to complete a single item by a defined group, leading to a group reward. Its relevance would be more as general art in social gaming cooperation rather than direct anticipation of Claim 1.

7. US20130053158A1

• Full Citation: US20130053158A1 (Taniguchi et al.)
• Publication/Filing Date: Published February 28, 2013; Filed August 24, 2012.
• Brief Description: This application, and a series of related applications by Taniguchi et al. (US20130053159A1 through US20130053177A1), describes game control systems and methods where users form groups (guilds) and perform various cooperative actions, such as participating in group battles, to achieve group objectives and receive group rewards. Some of these involve collecting resources or items for the group.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
  • This family of applications from Gree, Inc. is highly relevant due to its focus on "guilds" and "group objectives." The concept of users in a group performing cooperative actions to achieve group objectives and receive rewards is strongly anticipated here. While the specific wording of "a plurality of game pieces constituting one item" might not be identical, the broader concept of collaborative collection for a group reward is present. This could potentially anticipate:
    • Claim 1: The overarching concept of a game control method involving group information, collective action, and group rewards. Depending on the specifics of "collecting resources or items for the group" described in detail within the application, it could anticipate the core elements of Claim 1.
    • Claim 5: If these applications detail time-limited group events for collecting resources or achieving objectives, they could also anticipate the time-limited aspect of Claim 5, where information is deleted if objectives are not met within the timeframe.

Summary of Most Relevant Prior Art:

Based on the analysis, US8235824B1 (Wuerz) and the US20130053158A1 (Taniguchi et al.) series appear to be the most relevant prior art.

• US8235824B1 specifically discusses players collaborating to complete a "set" of virtual items to receive a reward, which directly aligns with the "plurality of game pieces constituting one item" and "giving a reward to a plurality of users constituting a group" in Claim 1 of US9561439.
• The US20130053158A1 (Taniguchi et al.) series broadly covers group (guild) activities, cooperative actions, and group rewards in social games, making it highly relevant to the general cooperative game mechanism described in Claim 1 and potentially the time-limited events of Claim 5.

For a more definitive assessment under 35 U.S.C. § 102, a detailed claim-by-claim comparison of US9561439 against the full disclosures of these prior art documents would be necessary. However, based on abstracts and general descriptions, these represent strong candidates for anticipation of the fundamental cooperative game mechanics.The US Patent 9561439, titled "Game control method, game control device, and recording medium," has a priority date of March 12, 2013. The invention focuses on a social game where a group of users cooperatively collects multiple game pieces to constitute a single item, receiving a reward upon successful completion of the item by the group. Key aspects include the distribution of game pieces, potentially based on user levels, and the management of these collection events within a specific time frame.

To identify the most relevant prior art, I have reviewed the "Prior art citations" section of US9561439B2 on Google Patents. The following are selected and analyzed based on their potential to anticipate the claims of US9561439, particularly focusing on group-based cooperative objectives, item collection, and reward mechanisms.

Prior Art Analysis for US9561439

1. US8235824B1 (Wuerz)

   • Full Citation: US8235824B1, "System and method for providing rewards in a virtual environment based on collective actions of players," issued August 7, 2012.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Published August 7, 2012; Filed September 2, 2010.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a system and method for rewarding players in a virtual environment for engaging in collective actions. It details how players can collaborate to achieve a common goal, such as completing a "set" of virtual items, and subsequently receive a reward. The system is configured to track both individual and group contributions towards these collective objectives.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
     • Claim 1: This prior art potentially anticipates the core elements of Claim 1 of US9561439. It discloses a game control method involving a group of users collaborating to collect items (which can be considered "game pieces") to complete a larger "set" (analogous to "one item"), and the subsequent awarding of a reward to the group. The "collective actions" directly relate to the cooperative play for collecting game pieces.
     • Claim 6: The method described in US8235824B1, when implemented by a system, also inherently anticipates the game control device of Claim 6 of US9561439.

2. US20120158863A1 (Noda)

   • Full Citation: US20120158863A1, "Game system, game control method, and computer-readable storage medium," published June 21, 2012.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Published June 21, 2012; Filed December 17, 2010.
   • Brief Description: This published application describes a game system that enables multiple users to cooperate in a game, particularly in scenarios such as battling a common enemy (e.g., a "raid boss"). Rewards are distributed to participating users based on their contributions or the overall outcome of the cooperative effort. It involves managing groups of users and their participation in such events.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
     • Claim 1: This application potentially anticipates aspects of Claim 1 related to groups of users cooperating to achieve an objective and receiving rewards. While it focuses on defeating a common enemy rather than explicitly collecting "game pieces constituting one item," the concept of collaborative achievement by a group leading to a group reward is present. The specific "game piece" and "one item" structure of US9561439 would need further detailed comparison.
     • Claim 6: Similar to the method, the disclosed game system could anticipate the device of Claim 6 in its broader cooperative gaming aspects.

3. US20130053158A1 (Taniguchi et al.)

   • Full Citation: US20130053158A1, "Game control system, game control method, and information storage medium," published February 28, 2013.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Published February 28, 2013; Filed August 24, 2012.
   • Brief Description: This application describes a game control system and method for social games where users can form groups or "guilds" and engage in various cooperative activities. These activities lead to the achievement of group objectives and the distribution of rewards to the group members. The series of related applications by Taniguchi et al. (US20130053159A1 through US20130053177A1, published on the same date) also broadly cover guild-based cooperative play and reward distribution, including aspects of collecting resources or items for the group.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
     • Claim 1: This family of applications is highly relevant. It anticipates the fundamental concept of a game control method where a plurality of users forms a group (guild) and performs cooperative actions to achieve a group objective, resulting in a group reward. The collection of "resources or items for the group" described within these patents could potentially encompass the "giving a game piece to each of the plurality of users" and "determining whether all of the plurality of game pieces necessary to constitute the one item... are given to a plurality of users constituting a group" if the 'resources or items' are intended to combine into a larger objective.
     • Claim 5: Given the context of managing group events, it is probable that some of these applications may disclose time-limited events for achieving group objectives, potentially anticipating Claim 5 regarding the deletion of progress information if the time limit is exceeded without achieving the reward.
     • Claim 6: The described game control system clearly anticipates the device claim of Claim 6, given its focus on managing group activities and rewards.

Note: A complete assessment under 35 U.S.C. § 102 would require a detailed, element-by-element comparison of each claim of US9561439 against the full specification and drawings of these cited prior art documents.

US patent 9561439B2 relates to a game control method, game control device, and recording medium, particularly for social games. The invention aims to provide a mechanism for cooperative play among a plurality of users, addressing issues with existing guild systems where high-level players dominate, diminishing the motivation of low-level users.

Under 35 U.S.C. § 103, an invention is obvious if "the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains."

Identified Prior Art from US9561439B2 Background:

The background section of US9561439B2 describes the following as existing prior art:

1. Social games with guilds: "a social game in which it is possible to constitute a group referred to as a guild by a plurality of users (players) who play the game."
2. Cooperation among guild members: "it is possible to share or communicate information among a plurality of users (guild members) constituting the same guild."
3. Cooperative battles and rewards: "in a social game... it is possible to fight a battle with... an enemy character referred to as a raid boss with cooperation among the guild members." "In the case where a user fights a battle with an enemy character with cooperation among the guild members and wins the battle, it is possible for the guild members to obtain various kinds of rewards (for example, characters, items, etc.)."

Problem Addressed by the Invention (as stated in US9561439B2):

The patent identifies a specific problem with these existing guild systems: "the purpose of the guild in such a case is to win a battle, and therefore, the guild tends to consist of users at a high level (experts) in the social game." This leads to low-level users being unable to obtain desired rewards, thereby reducing their motivation. The stated object of the invention is to provide "a new mechanism that enables a user to play in cooperation with a plurality of users (guild) regardless of the level, etc."

Obviousness Analysis:

A person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) in game development, faced with the recognized problem of guild systems favoring high-level players and discouraging low-level players, would have been motivated to combine existing game mechanics to encourage more inclusive cooperation.

Combination of Prior Art References:

1. Prior Art Reference A: Existing Social Game Guilds with Cooperative Battle and Rewards (as described in the background of US9561439B2). This reference establishes that it was known to have groups (guilds) of users in social games who cooperate to achieve an objective (e.g., win a battle against a raid boss) and receive rewards for successful cooperation.
2. Prior Art Reference B: General Game Mechanic of Collecting Multiple Components to Form a Complete Item for a Reward. This is a common and well-known game design pattern, even if not explicitly detailed as a separate patent in the provided text's background. Players frequently engage in tasks requiring them to collect several distinct "pieces" or "parts" that, once assembled or collected in full, constitute a "complete item" or objective, leading to a reward. A PHOSITA would be familiar with such collection mechanics.
3. Motivation to Tailor Content by Player Level: The patent itself identifies the problem of level-based exclusion in guilds and explicitly states the need for a mechanism that enables cooperation "regardless of the level." This inherent motivation points to designing game content that encourages participation across different skill or experience levels.

Reasoning for Obviousness:

A PHOSITA, aiming to solve the problem of level-segregated guilds (identified in Prior Art A), would be motivated to devise a cooperative activity that encourages participation from players of all levels.

• Step 1: Replace Level-Dependent Activity with a More Inclusive One: Instead of the existing cooperative activity of "winning a battle" (Prior Art A), which naturally favors high-level players, a PHOSITA would consider an alternative cooperative objective. The widely known "collect-all-pieces-to-make-an-item" mechanic (Prior Art B) offers a suitable alternative, as it can be designed to allow contributions from players of varying strengths.
• Step 2: Implement the Collection Mechanic within the Guild Structure: The PHOSITA would then integrate this collection mechanic into the existing guild framework (Prior Art A), where multiple users cooperate within a group to achieve a common goal and receive a shared reward. This directly leads to the elements of "storing group information," "game piece information indicative of a plurality of game pieces constituting one item," "giving a game piece to each user," "storing obtained game piece information," "determining whether all of the plurality of game pieces... are given to a plurality of users constituting a group," and "giving a reward to a plurality of users constituting a group."
• Step 3: Introduce Level-Based Distribution of Game Pieces (Specific to Claims/Disclosure): Crucially, to explicitly address the motivation of enabling cooperation "regardless of the level," a PHOSITA would further modify the collection mechanic such that different game pieces are more readily obtainable by players of different experience levels. For example, as described in US9561439B2 for "jewel D" (FIG. 13), certain pieces (D1, D2) would be "more likely to appear for low-level users," others (D3, D4) for "intermediate-level users," and others (D5, D6) for "high-level users." This design feature directly solves the stated problem by ensuring all guild members, regardless of their individual level, can contribute uniquely to the collective goal, thereby encouraging diverse guilds and higher player motivation.

Therefore, the claimed invention in US9561439B2, which involves a game control method where a group of users cooperatively collects distinct game pieces to form an item to receive a group reward, would have been obvious to a PHOSITA. The motivation would be to overcome the acknowledged limitation of existing guild systems, which disproportionately favor high-level players, by integrating a well-known collection mechanic and explicitly distributing the collection opportunities across different player skill levels within the cooperative guild framework.