Method and system for providing interactive services over a wireless communications network

• US 10,245,508 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2014
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Hutcheson, S. Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Joshua D
• Application Number:
  US14/467,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20150141142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,681 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• 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 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others

Abstract

A system for providing one or more interactive applications to one or more users via a wireless communications network, the system including: one or more servers cooperating with the network to substantially deliver one or more interactive applications to one or more wireless access devices each corresponding to at least one of the users; wherein, after the one or more wireless access devices receive the substantially delivered one or more applications, upon request of one of the users the one or more corresponding wireless access devices receives communication from the server to facilitate the one of the users accessing the one or more interactive applications using the corresponding wireless access device.

Claims

1. A system for providing an interactive application to one or more users via a wireless communications network, the system comprising:

a wireless access device coupled to a server cooperating with a wireless communication network, the wireless access device configured to receive an interactive application delivered from the server over the wireless communication network, the wireless access device corresponding to at least one user of a plurality of users interacting with the interactive application over the wireless communication network;

the wireless access device is further configured to execute the interactive application in response to a request received over the wireless communication network or a request by the user of the wireless access device, wherein the interactive application executing on the wireless access device stores state information into a cache on the wireless access device, the cached state information indicating changes in state of one or more degrees of freedom associated with the interactive application on the wireless access device, wherein each degree of freedom includes multiple states;

the wireless access device is further configured to communicate the cached state information from the wireless access device to the server;

the wireless access device is further configured to receive, responsive to a request of any one of plurality of users, a cached communication from the server to facilitate interacting with the interactive application, wherein the cached communication includes cached state information indicating changes in state of one or more degrees of freedom associated with the plurality of users interacting with the interactive application, wherein each degree of freedom includes multiple states, wherein a maximum of the one or more degrees of freedom is determined by the server based on the interactive application being a specific game to enable the server to dynamically calculate an optimal frame size, and wherein a maximum latency for a fast-paced interactive application or a slow-paced interactive application is determined by the server based on the specific game being played to enable the server to calculate an allowable frames per second to and from the server; and

the wireless access device further configured to store, in a memory of the wireless access device, the cached state information received from the server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein communicating changes in state of one or more degrees of freedom to the server is performed at a predetermined interval or in response to an actual change of state in the cached state information of the wireless access device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless access device includes a handheld device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless access device includes a microprocessor.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the microprocessor utilizes a clock speed of greater than about 4 MHz.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless access device includes at least one memory.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless access device includes a color display.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless access device includes a battery power source.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of users is interacting with the interactive application simultaneously.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of users comprises three or more users.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of communications from the wireless access network to the wireless access device is at a full frame rate.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless access device is configured to receive at least a portion of the cached communication from the server at a half frame rate over the wireless access network.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the interactive application offers each of the plurality of users at least three degrees of freedom.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless access device is further configured to store in memory the interactive application.

15. A method for performing an interactive application using a wireless access device over a wireless communication network, said method comprising:

substantially receiving, by the wireless access device, from a server, over the wireless communication network, software necessary to perform the interactive application;

executing the interactive application in response to a request received over the wireless communication network or a request by a user of the wireless access device;

storing, into a cache of the wireless access device, state information of the interactive application executing on the wireless access device, the cached state information indicating changes in state of one or more degrees of freedom associated with the interactive application on the wireless access device, wherein each degree of freedom includes multiple states;

communicating, by the wireless access device, changes in state of one or more degrees of freedom associated with the interactive application to at least one server; and

,

receiving, from the server, communications indicative of synchronization of the interactive application, including cached updates to at least one of the one or more degrees of freedom associated with the interactive application based on interaction by a plurality of users with the interactive application, including cached state information indicating changes in state of the one or more degrees of freedom, each degree of freedom having multiple states associated with the interactive application, the interactive application including a game wherein a maximum of the one or more degrees of freedom is determined by the server based on the interactive application being a specific game to enable the server to dynamically calculate an optimal frame size, and wherein a maximum latency for a fast-paced interactive application or a slow-paced interactive application is determined by the server based on the specific game being played to enable the server to calculate an allowable frames per second to and from the server.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein communicating changes in state of one or more degrees of freedom to the server is performed at a predetermined interval or in response to an actual change of state in the cached state information of the wireless access device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the wireless communication network device comprises a handheld device and the method further comprises substantially storing the software using the handheld device.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the receiving communications is performed at a full frame rate.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the receiving communications is performed at a half frame rate.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the receiving communications is performed at less than a full frame rate.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the interactive application offers users at least three degrees of freedom.

22. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for performing an interactive application using a wireless access device over a wireless communication network, the computer program product comprising:

code for substantially receiving, by the wireless access device, from a server, over a wireless communication network, software necessary to perform the interactive application;

code for executing the interactive application in response to a request received over the wireless communication network or a request by a user of the wireless access device;

code for storing, into a cache of the wireless access device, state information of the interactive application executing on the wireless access device, the cached state information indicating changes in state of one or more degrees of freedom associated with the interactive application on the wireless access device, wherein each degree of freedom includes multiple states;

code for the wireless access device to communicate changes in state of one or more degrees of freedom associated with the interactive application to at least one server at a predetermined interval; and

,

code for receiving, from the server, communications indicative of synchronization of the interactive application, including cached updates to at least one of said the one or more degrees of freedom associated with the interactive application based on interaction by a plurality of users with the interactive application, wherein the cached updates include including cached state information indicating changes in state of the one or more degrees of freedom, each degree of freedom having multiple states associated with the interactive application, the interactive application including a game, wherein a maximum of the one or more degrees of freedom is determined by the server based on the interactive application being a specific game to enable the server to dynamically calculate an optimal frame size, and wherein a maximum latency for a fast-paced interactive application or a slow-paced interactive application is determined by the server based on the specific game being played to enable the server to calculate an allowable frames per second to and from the server.