Billing a subset of mobile devices associated with an online gaming environment rendered on the subset of mobile devices

• US 10,137,368 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Belz, Steven, Pratt, James, Sullivan, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Haresh N
• Application Number:
  US15/237,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20160354687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 709205
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/386 using messaging services or messaging apps using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS G06Q20/3255
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 : in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 : Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 : Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 : Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 : for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 : User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing

Abstract

Organization of a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) via mobile units is enabled. Features of mobile units such as messaging and location based services are incorporated into the game to enhance the user experience. The MMOG provides social networking opportunities to players by associating players based on similarities such as shared interests and activities. These shared interests and activities can be determined based on associations of the players in other situations, such as disparate online games or websites. In addition, advertising content can be provided to players based on similar factors. For example, the MMOG can comprise a game similar to the offline game of tag, wherein players can “tag” each other through in-game interactions via the mobile units. These interactions can be triggered based on players being a fixed predetermined distance from each other.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

selecting a group of mobile devices for a session of an online application associated with a gaming environment based on first data received from the online application and second data received from the group of the mobile devices;

updating, based on the session of the online application, the first data and the second data to generate updated first data and updated second data; and

billing the group of the mobile devices based on the updated first data, the updated second data, and advertisement data representative of an advertisement that is generated based on condition data representative of a condition associated with the session of the online application.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise displaying the advertisement data during the session of the online application.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise selecting the online application for the group of the mobile devices based on the first data and the second data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise selecting, based on the first data and the second data, the online application from different versions of the online application associated with different gaming environments.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the selecting the group of the mobile devices comprises selecting the group of the mobile devices based on respective geographical locations of the group of the mobile devices.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing the first data and the second data in a data store; and

in response to the updating, replacing the first data stored in the data store with the updated first data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to establishing the session of the online application, enabling the group of the mobile devices to communicate via a messaging service associated with a network device in communication with the group of the mobile devices.

8. A method, comprising:

selecting, by a system comprising a processor, devices for a session of an multiplayer online application associated with a gaming environment based on application information for the multiplayer online application and mobile device information for the devices;

generating, by the system, updated application information and updated mobile device information by updating the application information and the mobile device information based on the session of the multiplayer online application; and

billing, by the system, the devices based on the updated application information, the updated mobile device information, and an advertisement generated in response to a condition being satisfied during the session of the multiplayer online application.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising selecting, by the system, the multiplayer online application for the devices based on the application information and the mobile device information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the selecting the multiplayer online application comprises selecting the multiplayer online application from different versions of the multiplayer online application.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the selecting the devices comprises selecting the devices based on respective geographical locations associated with the devices.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, by the system, first player alias information associated with a first device of the devices and second player alias information associated with a second device of the devices.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising enabling, by the system, the first device and the second device to communicate via an interface to a wireless communications network associated with the session based on the first player alias information and the second player alias information.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising enabling, by the system, a first device and a second device included in the devices to communicate via a text message after establishing the session of the multiplayer online application.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the condition is a first condition, and further comprising enabling, by the system, a first device and a second device included in the devices to communicate via a multimedia message in response to a determination that a second condition during the session of the multiplayer online application is satisfied.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

selecting a group of the mobile devices for a session of an online game based on game information for the online game and mobile device information for the group of the mobile devices;

updating, based on the session of the online game, the game information and the mobile device information to generate updated game information and updated mobile device information; and

billing the group of the mobile devices based on the updated game information, the updated mobile device information, and an advertisement that is generated based on a criterion being determined to be satisfied during the session of the online game.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise presenting the advertisement during the session of the online game in response to the criterion being determined to be satisfied.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise selecting the online game for the group of the mobile devices based on the game information and the mobile device information.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the selecting the group of the mobile devices comprises selecting a mobile device from the group of the mobile devices based on location data indicative of a geographic location associated with the mobile device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to another criterion during the session of the online application being satisfied, enabling the group of the mobile devices to communicate via a messaging service associated with a network device of a wireless communications network associated with the session.