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WO-2026096647-A1 - SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTEGRATING SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENTS AS IN-APP ACTIONS WITH REAL-TIME FEEDBACK

WO2026096647A1WO 2026096647 A1WO2026096647 A1WO 2026096647A1WO-2026096647-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure offers a novel way for integrating social media engagements as actionable game moves, significantly enhancing user interaction and providing real-time feedback within a gaming environment. By bridging the gap between social media and gaming, this integration creates a dynamic and engaging user experience that can adapt and scale across platforms and applications. This integration not only enriches the gaming experience but also opens new avenues for marketing, community building, and user retention. This integration positions the game as a forward-thinking platform that leverages modern social media trends to create immersive and interactive content.

Inventors

  • FEINSTEIN, Jordan
  • HOERNER, Timothy
  • PARNELL, Michael

Assignees

  • EUREKA MANAGEMENT LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251029
Priority Date
20241029

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A computer-implemented method for integrating social media engagements as inapplication actions with real-time feedback, the method comprising: establishing via a secure authentication process an association between a user’s social media account and a profile in a computerized environment; monitoring, by an asynchronous background process, at least one social media platform for a social media engagement made by the user’s social media account that is relevant to the computerized environment; verifying that the social media engagement meets predefined eligibility criteria required by the computerized environment; triggering, in response to successful verification, a corresponding in-application action or reward within the computerized environment; and providing real-time feedback to the user regarding the triggered in-application action in the computerized environment.
  2. 2 The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the association comprises using an OAuth- based secure authentication protocol to bind the user’s social media account to the profile and to obtain an access token permitting authorized retrieval of the user’s social media engagement data.
  3. 3 The method of any one of claims 1-2, wherein the social media engagement is selected from the group consisting of: a post, a comment or reply, a share or re-post, a reaction indicating approval, or any combination thereof on the social media platform.
  4. 4 The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein verifying the social media engagement comprises checking that the engagement: originates from the authenticated social media account linked to the user’s profile; includes at least one predefined keyword, hashtag, or mention associated with a event; has not been previously processed by the system for a reward; and occurred within an active time window designated for the event.
  5. 5 The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein triggering the corresponding inapplication action comprises awarding to the user a benefit selected from the group consisting Docket No. P14996WOOO of: virtual in-application currency, an in-application item, an entry in an in-application raffle or lottery, access to a special event, or any combination thereof.
  6. 6. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein providing the real-time feedback comprises generating an in-application notification to the user and at least one of: sending an electronic message to the user or updating a user-visible dashboard in the application interface to confirm the in-application action triggered by the social media engagement.
  7. 7 The method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the method excludes any step of interpreting crowd-sourced free-form text commands from a public social media chat channel as direct application control inputs, such that no in-application action is initiated based on unanalyzed text commands from unauthenticated users.
  8. 8 The method of any one of claims 1-7, wherein the in-application action is triggered without requiring an invitation to or participation by any other user, thereby eliminating any dependency on friend network referrals or third-party user acceptance for the social media engagement to affect the application.
  9. 9 A computer-implemented method of processing a user-submitted social media engagement for in-application rewards, the method comprising: receiving, via a user interface, an input from the user identifying a specific social media post created by the user on the social media platform; verifying, in response to the user input, that the identified social media post meets predefined criteria and originates from the user’s authenticated social media account linked to the profile; updating, upon successful verification, a computerized environment to grant at least one inapplication reward associated with the identified social media post; and providing immediate feedback to the user by displaying a notification of the granted inapplication reward within the application interface.
  10. 10 The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the input from the user further comprises prompting the user to authenticate the social media account via the OAuth protocol if the social media account is not already linked to the profile, and upon successful authentication, storing a token representative of the user’s authorization for subsequent verifications. Docket No. P14996WOOO
  11. 11. The method of any one of claims 9-10, wherein verifying that the identified social media post meets the predefined criteria includes confirming that the social media post (i) originates from the user’s linked social media account, (ii) contains any required keyword or hashtag defined by the application, (iii) has not been previously processed for an in-application reward, and (iv) was posted within a predetermined allowable time period for eligibility.
  12. 12. The method of any one of claims 9-11, wherein the updating of the application environment and providing of the feedback are performed substantially in real-time upon the user’s submission, without waiting for a scheduled polling cycle, thereby immediately reflecting the user’s social media post in the application progress.
  13. 13. A system for integrating social media engagements as actions with real-time feedback, the system comprising: an authentication module configured to securely link a player’s social media account to a player profile in an computerized environment using an authenticated token, thereby binding the player’s in-application identity to their social media identity; a social media monitoring module configured to asynchronously monitor at least one social media platform for engagements made by the player’s linked social media account that are relevant to the computerized environment; a verification engine configured to evaluate whether a detected social media engagement meets predefined eligibility criteria required by the computerized environment and to validate authenticity of the engagement; an integration module configured to translate a verified social media engagement into at least one corresponding in-application action affecting the computerized environment; and a feedback module configured to provide a real-time notification to the player within the computerized environment in response to the in-application action triggered by the social media engagement.
  14. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the social media monitoring module operates as an asynchronous background process that periodically queries or listens to the social media platform for new engagements using the authenticated token, thereby retrieving engagement data without interrupting or degrading real-time performance. Docket No. P14996WOOO
  15. 15. The system of any one of claims 13-14, wherein the verification engine is configured to maintain a record of social media engagements that have already been processed and to automatically ignore any engagement identified as a duplicate of a previously processed engagement, thereby preventing multiple in-application rewards for the same social media action.
  16. 16. The system of any one of claims 13-15, wherein the authentication module utilizes an OAuth protocol to obtain and refresh an access token for the player’s social media account, and stores the token in an encrypted form, such that the system can securely access permitted social media data for the player without exposing or storing the user’s login credentials.
  17. 17. The system of any one of claims 13-16, further comprising a user computing device running a client application associated with the computerized environment, wherein the feedback module is configured to transmit said real-time notification to the client application for display to the user during use.
  18. 18. The system of any one of claims 13-17, wherein the system is implemented in a context selected from the group consisting of: an online entertainment video game, an educational gamification platform, a promotional marketing campaign system, or a corporate training simulation, such that social media engagements by users in any of these contexts produce corresponding in-game effects and feedback.
  19. 19. The system of any one of claims 13-18, wherein the computerized environment is hosted and executed independently of the social media platform, such that no portion of the computerized application runs on the social media platform’s infrastructure.
  20. 20. The system of any one of claims 13-19, wherein the social media platform is selected from the group consisting of: a microblogging service, a social networking service, an image or video sharing service, or a live streaming service with an associated chat platform.

Description

Docket No. P14996WOOO TITLE : SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTEGRATING SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENTS AS IN-APP ACTIONS WITH REAL-TIME FEEDBACK CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to provisional patent application U.S. Serial No. 63/713,439, filed October 29, 2024. The provisional patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, including without limitation: the specification, claims, and abstract, as well as any figures, tables, appendices, or drawings thereof. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates to the field of interactive software applications (also referred to herein as “app” or “apps”), such as games online, and, more particularly, to the integration of social media interactions as actionable instructions within a computerized environment, such as gaming platforms. Systems and methods for integrating social media engagements provide realtime feedback and rewards to users based on their social media engagements, enhancing user engagement and bridging the gap between social media platforms and gaming experiences. BACKGROUND [0003] The background description provided herein gives context for the present disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art. [0004] The proliferation of social media platforms has transformed the way individuals interact, share content, and engage with communities online. According to recent studies, over 4.2 billion people regularly use social media worldwide, with platforms like X experiencing significant user engagement growth annually, and 5.5 billion people are connected to social media in some way. However, the functionality of social media remains shallow. Brands cannot drive seamless conversations within these platforms and are instead forced to push audiences elsewhere to turn engagement to monetary gain. There is often a 97%-99% drop-off between social media awareness and engagement/sales. As a result, the present solutions in the art only try to decrease this drop off, often only by 1-2%, by significantly investing in advertisements that are less noticeable or more appealing. This has not only worked with only limited effect, but has allowed third party advertisers to control the look and feel of social media, further hindering the user experience. Docket No. P14996WOOO [0005] Simultaneously, the global gaming industry has expanded rapidly, with an estimated 2.7 billion gamers contributing to a market value exceeding $160 billion. Despite this growth, there remains a disconnect between social media interactions and gaming experiences. Traditional gaming systems often operate independently of social media activities, missing opportunities to leverage user engagements on platforms like X to enrich gameplay. Existing solutions lack seamless integration, resulting in missed opportunities for enhanced user engagement, retention, and satisfaction. [0006] Moreover, with the increasing importance of data privacy and protection, systems need to comply with various regional regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States. Ensuring compliance with these regulations is critical for user trust and legal operation. [0007] There is a need in the art for a system that bridges this gap by integrating social media actions as inputs for software applications, driving awareness into action directly on social media. SUMMARY [0008] The present invention provides a comprehensive system and method for integrating social media actions — specifically engagements on platforms like X — as game moves within a gaming environment. The system monitors specific social media interactions, verifies their authenticity and eligibility, and processes them to trigger in-game events, rewards, or actions. Users receive real-time feedback based on their social media activities, enhancing engagement and creating a dynamic link between social media and gaming. [0009] The following objects, features, advantages, aspects, and/or embodiments are not exhaustive and do not limit the overall disclosure. No single embodiment need provide each and every object, feature, or advantage. Any of the objects, features, advantages, aspects, and/or embodiments disclosed herein can be integrated with one another, either in full or in part. [0010] It is a primary object, feature, and/or advantage of the present disclosure to improve on or overcome the deficiencies in the art. [0011] It is a further object, feature, and/or advantage of the present disclosure to provide a gaming engine or a gaming platform with real-time verification and a reward mechanism, thereby immediately processing and acknowledging user actions. This can help provide the use instant gra