Interactive events platform

• US 10,695,673 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2018
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Webb, Jon
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S.
• Application Number:
  US15/900,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20180185756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/493 Resuming a game, e.g. after pausing, malfunction or power failure
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/497 Partially or entirely replaying previous game actions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/71 using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/86 Watching games played by other players

Abstract

The system is directed towards an interactive events platform. The interactive events platform may discover current in-game events associated with different video games currently available (or active). The platform may further notify a user of the discovered in-game events associated with different video games and facilitate the user joining a particular in-game event. The interactive events platform may also discover and notify the user of future in-game events associated with different video games. In some embodiments, the discovery and notification of any in-game events are based on games currently being played (or registered) with the user.

Claims

1. A system for an interactive events platform used for in-game events, the system comprising:

a game server that hosts an in-game event;

a plurality of client computing devices each storing information regarding an associated user, wherein each of the client computing devices has an events interface; and

a network computing device that;

receives in-game event information from the game server, wherein the in-game event information includes instructions for customizing in-game event access based on the user information,

forwards the in-game event information to the plurality of client computing devices, wherein the in-game event information appears on the events interface of the plurality of client computing devices,

receives a request made through the events interface of one of the client computing devices regarding participation in the in-game event,

generates customized event instructions for execution by the requesting client computing device, wherein the event instructions are customized to the requesting client computing device based on interactions between the requesting client computing devices and the game server and based on the user received by the game server, and

provides the requesting client computing device with customized in-game event access in accordance with the generated customized event instructions upon receiving the request without requiring further action from the requesting client computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network computing device further:

identifies one or more game titles of interest for each user; and

filters the received in-game event information from the game server to generate a filtered list of the game titles of interest that are available for play.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the network computing device identifies the game titles of interest based on a list of game titles of interest sent by the client computing device of the user.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the network computing device further ranks the received in-game event information from the game server based on a number of different participants, and provides a ranked order of in-game events to the client computing devices.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the network computing device further organizes the received in-game event information from the game server into a calendar, wherein the calendar indicates when in-game events are active.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the calendar is searchable based on queries for specified games.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the generated customized event instructions are executable by the client computing device to set up a peripheral for use in the in-game event.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein use in the in game event comprises communication with devices of users who are part of a same team competing in the in-game event.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the network computing device further generates a notification regarding an event in the in-game event, wherein the notification is displayed while the user is engaged in non-tournament activities on the client computing device, and wherein the notification includes a link for customized access to the in-game event.

10. A method for providing an interactive events platform used for in-game events, the method comprising:

hosting an in-game event via a game server;

storing information about a user on a respective client computing device, wherein the respective client computing device has an events interface used to participate in the in-game event;

receiving in-game event information from the game server, wherein the in-game event information includes instructions for customizing in-game event access based on the respective user information;

forwarding the in-game event information to the client computing device, wherein the in-game event information appears on the events interface of the client computing device;

receiving a request made through the events interface of the client computing device regarding participation in the in-game event; and

executing instructions stored in memory by a processor to;

generate customized event instructions, wherein the event instructions are customized to the requesting client computing device based on interactions between the requesting client computing devices and the game server and based on the user received by the game server, and

provide the requesting client computing device with customized in-game event access in accordance with the generated customized event instructions upon receiving the request without requiring further action from the requesting client computing device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying one or more game titles of interest for the user; and

filtering the received in-game event information from the game server to generate a filtered list of the game titles of interest that are available for play.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the network computing device identifies the game titles of interest based on a list of game titles of interest sent by the client computing device of the user.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

ranking the received in game event information from the game server based on a number of different participants; and

providing a ranked order of in-game events to the client computing devices.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising organizing the received in-game event information from the game server into a calendar, wherein the calendar indicates when in-games events are active.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the calendar is searchable based on queries for specified games.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the generated customized event instructions are executable by the client computing device to set up a peripheral for use in the in-game event.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein use in the in-game event comprises communication with devices of users who are part of a same team competing in the in-game event.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating a notification regarding an event in the in-game event, wherein the notification is displayed while the user is engaged in non-tournament activities on the client computing device, and wherein the notification includes a link for customized access to the in-game event.