Method and system for matchmaking connections within a gaming social network

• US 10,463,972 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2017
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Hall, Shane, McCaffrey, Daniel, Sproule, Dylan, Hall, Ben, Catlin, Timothy J. O., Allen, Jason Paul, Stark, Clayton Rhodes
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S.
• Application Number:
  US15/637,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20170296930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• 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 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• 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 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

Techniques for recommending and establishing connections between users within a gaming social network, designed for connecting users having common gaming interests or characteristics. Embodiments include methods for recommending connections from members of an out-of-game social network, the gaming social network, and gaming activity participants; evaluating user profile information and user characteristics in a gaming social network and gaming activity in a game networking system to determine an appropriate set of connections for a selected user; and presenting graphical user interface content and configurations to enable the suggestion, review, and accepting of recommended connections in the gaming social network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

at a server, receiving game play information from a plurality of user devices associated with a corresponding plurality of users;

accessing user profile information maintained for a particular one of the plurality of users in a social networking application;

receiving a first social graph from a second social network;

receiving a first gaming graph from a gaming network;

generating for the particular user a recommendation of connecting with a candidate user from the plurality of users, the recommendation being based at least in part on;

the user profile information;

indication in the game play information of a prior favorable gaming outcome between the particular user and the candidate user;

the first social graph and game play information associated with a plurality of users in the first social graph;

the first gaming graph and game play information associate with a plurality of users in the first gaming graph;

causing display of the recommendation at a user device associated with the particular user, the recommendation advising participation by the candidate user in a game; and

in response to receiving player input indicating acceptance of the displayed recommendation, establishing a connection between the particular user and the recommended candidate user within a social network.

2. The method of claim 1, the recommendation being based at least in part on past in-game interactions comprising cooperative gameplay between the particular user and the candidate user.

3. The method of claim 1, the recommendation being based at least in part on past in-game interactions comprising competitive gameplay between the particular user and the candidate user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation is based at least in part a game play frequency indicated b the game play information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation is based at least in part on reputation data forming part of the game play information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation is based at least in part on an amount of overlapping time that the particular user and the candidate user play a same or similar game.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

combining the first social graph with the first gaming graph to generate the social network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining separate social networks for a plurality of games offered in a game networking system.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recommending game play participants based on a game-play state of a plurality of players in a user'"'"'s game-play graph and based on game-play states of a plurality of players in a user'"'"'s social graph.

10. A non-transitory machine readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions;

the instructions operable with a computer to perform operations comprising;

at a server, receiving game play information from a plurality of user devices associated with a corresponding plurality of users;

accessing user profile information maintained for a particular one of the plurality of users in a social networking application;

receiving a first social graph from a second social network;

receiving a first gaming graph from a gaming network;

generating for the particular user a recommendation of connecting with a candidate user from the plurality of users, the recommendation being based at least in part on;

the user profile information;

indication in the game play information of a prior favorable gaining outcome between the particular user and the candidate user;

the first social graph and game play information associated with a plurality of users in the first social graph;

the first gaming graph and game play information associate with a plurality of users in the first gaming graph;

causing display of the recommendation at a user device associated with the particular user, the recommendation advising participation by the candidate user in a game; and

in response to receiving player input indicating acceptance of the displayed recommendation, establishing a connection between the particular user and the recommended candidate user within a social network.

11. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, comprising computer-readable instructions to:

receive connection data from a contact list outside of structured social network or gaming network.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, comprising computer-readable instructions to:

generate connection recommendations based at least in part on a game play frequency or a player provided preference.

13. A computing system, comprising:

one or more hardware processors;

memory to store instructions that, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, configure the one or more hardware processors to perform operations comprising;

at a server, receiving game play information from a plurality of user devices associated with a corresponding plurality of users;

accessing user profile information maintained for a particular one of the plurality of users in a social networking application;

receiving a first social graph from a second social network;

receiving a first gaining graph from a gaining network;

generating for the particular user a recommendation of connecting with a candidate user from the plurality of users, the recommendation being based at least in part on;

the user profile information;

indication in the game play information of a prior favorable gaming outcome between the particular user and the candidate user;

the first social graph and game play information associated with a plurality of users in the first social graph;

the first gaming graph and game play information associate with a plurality of users in the first gaming;

causing display of the recommendation at a user device associated with the particular user, the recommendation advising participation by the candidate user in a game; and

in response to receiving player input indicating acceptance of the displayed recommendation, establishing a connection between the particular user and the recommended candidate user within a social network.

14. The computing system of claim 13, wherein the instructions configure the one or more hardware processors to generate the recommendation based at least in part on game play frequency or reputation data.

15. The computing system of claim 13, further comprising:

a connection to a second social network separate from the social network, the instructions configuring the one or more hardware processors to receive and process game play and user data communications from the second social network.

16. The computing system of claim 13, wherein the recommendation includes users in both the social network and the social networking application that are participating in a game the particular user is playing.

17. The computing system of claim 13, further comprising:

an interface module configured to provide a graphical user interface to individual users in connection with the social network, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to provide game play information associated with the recommendation.

18. The computing system of claim 13, the recommendation being based on past in-game interactions comprising cooperative gameplay between the particular user and the candidate user.