Message insertion system and method

• US 20030130020A1
• Filed: 09/19/2001
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoesis, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zoesis, Inc.
• Inventors: Loyall, A. Bryan, Bates, Joseph, Wood, Stanton E., Weyhrauch, Peter W., Piselli, Paolo M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,709,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/205 for detecting the geographical location of the game platform
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8029 Fighting without shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising

Abstract

In a data processing system executing a process for interacting with at least one user, the process for a period of time, during execution of the process, at a moment of likely intensity of the user'"'"'s interaction with the process, a message is displayed to the user.

In another aspect, in a mobile networked device, the location of the device is determined, a message is selected for display based on the location of the device and the message is displayed on the device.

In another aspect, in a mobile networked device, a message is selected for display based on previously stored information about the user of the device.

Claims

1. In a data processing system executing a process for interacting with at least one user, the method comprising:

(a) executing the process for a period of time; and

(b) during execution of the process, at a moment of likely intensity of the user'"'"'s interaction with the process, displaying a message to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(c) monitoring data about the process; and

(d) determining the moment of likely intensity of the user'"'"'s interaction with the process based on the results of the monitoring.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the message further comprises suspending the process during the display the message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the process comprises a game process, and wherein suspending the process comprises temporarily halting the progress of the game while the message is being displayed, and continuing the progress of the game only after the message has been displayed.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the process comprises an online real time discussion medium and monitoring data about the process comprises measuring the rate of message traffic in the medium.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the process comprises a fighting game having characters, and wherein monitoring data about the process comprises determining the relative health of a first character.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first character is a character corresponding to a player.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein measuring the intensity of the user'"'"'s interaction further comprises determining the rate of message traffic in the medium relative to the number of users of the medium.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the process comprises a simulated team ball game, and wherein monitoring data about the process determining a measure of a likelihood of a player scoring.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the process comprises a game having one or more players, and wherein monitoring data about the process comprises determining a measure of likely change in a measure of success of a player in the game.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the process comprises a game having one or more players, and wherein monitoring data about the process comprises determining a change in a measure of success of a player in the game.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a state of the process and selecting the content of the message according to the state of the process.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the process comprises a game having simulated characters who interact with a character representing the user, and further comprising:

(c) determining a relationship between a particular simulated character and the character representing the user; and

(d) determining the content of the message according to the identity of the simulated character.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the relationship comprises determining a distance between the particular simulated character and the character representing the user and wherein determining the content of the message comprises selecting a message associated with the simulated character.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the simulated character is associated with a product or service, and wherein the message comprises an advertisement for the product or service.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(c) repeatedly performing steps (a)-(b);

(d) determining at least one waiting interval; and

(e) during each repetition, waiting for a determined waiting interval.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the process comprises a game process, and further comprising determining the interval of time according to an estimate or measure of the amount of time remaining in the game.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises an advertising message.

19. The method of claim 2, wherein the process presents an interactive drama to the user, and wherein the message is not part of the dramatic storyline.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the measuring data about the process comprises monitoring the user'"'"'s knowledge of a fact about the drama.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein monitoring the user'"'"'s knowledge of a fact about the drama comprises estimating a degree of user certainty about whether the fact is true.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein measuring data about the process comprises providing an association between events within the interactive drama and thoughts that a user is likely to have in response to an event, and monitoring changes in the thoughts that a user is likely to be having based on one or more events that occurred in the drama.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein measuring data about the process comprises providing an association between events that have occurred within the interactive drama and goals of a user, and monitoring changes in the goals that a user is likely to have based on one or more events that have occurred in the drama.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein measuring data about the process comprises monitoring events that have occurred in the drama, monitoring the active goals of the user, and determining whether the events occurred by the user attempting to achieve one of the active goals.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the data processing system is connected to a network, and further comprising receiving the content of the message in the data processing system from the network.

26. The method of claim 2, wherein the process comprises a game process, and wherein monitoring data about the process comprises comparing the user'"'"'s score with a pre-existing recorded score.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises an interactive presentation.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a fixed audio/video presentation.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the data processing system comprises a mobile telephone.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the data processing system comprises a personal digital assistant.

31. The method of claim 12, wherein the process comprises a game having simulated characters who interact with a character representing the user, and further comprising:

(c) determining a location of the character representing the user; and

(d) determining the content of the message according to the location of the simulated character.

32. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(c) determining an urgency of user response to the process; and

(d) determining whether to display the message based on the urgency of user response.

33. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(c) determining a geographical location of the user on the earth; and

(d) determining the content of the message according to the location of the user.

34. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining the interval of time according to an estimate or measure of likely intensity of the user'"'"'s interaction with the process based on the results of the monitoring.

35. The method of claim 6, wherein the game comprises a multi-user game operating over a network.

36. The method of claim 2, wherein monitoring the process comprises determining whether the process is in an urgent state, and further comprising determining whether to display the message based on whether the process is in an urgent state.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the process comprises a character-based fighting game, and wherein determining whether the process is in an urgent state comprises determining whether a character associated with the user is within a line of sight of any enemies.

38. The method of claim 3, wherein monitoring the process comprises determining whether the process is in an urgent state, and further comprising resuming the process after the display of the message and modifying the state of the process to a non-urgent state after displaying the message and before resuming the process.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the process comprises a character-based fighting game, and wherein determining whether the process is in an urgent state comprises determining whether a character associated with the user is within a line of sight of any enemies.

40. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording a history of the display of the interactive process and, after displaying the message to the user, redisplaying a portion of the recorded history.

41. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an appropriate time for displaying the message and, in response to the determination, increasing the likely intensity of the user'"'"'s interaction by modifying the state of the process.

42. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the content of the message based on the contents of a user profile for the user.

43. The method of claim 1, wherein the data processing system comprises a set top box.

44. The method of claim 1, wherein the data processing system comprises a game console.

45. The method of claim 1, wherein the data processing system comprises a digital TV system.

46. A method for displaying messages in a mobile networked device comprising:

(a) determining the location of the device;

(b) selecting a message for display based on the location of the device; and

(c) displaying the message on the device.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the message comprises an advertising message.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the device comprises a mobile telephone.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the device comprises a personal digital assistant.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein the advertising message comprises an advertisement for a business in the same location as the device.

51. The method of claim 47, further comprising determining the local time in the location of the device and selecting the message based on the local time.

52. A method for displaying a message on a mobile networked device comprising:

(a) selecting a message for display based on previously stored information about the user; and

(b) displaying the message on the device.

53. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, for inserting a message during a user interactive process, the product comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

(a) execute the process for a period of time; and

(b) during execution of the process, at a moment of likely intensity of the user'"'"'s interaction with the process, display a message to the user.

54. The product of claim 53, further comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

(a) monitor data about the process; and

(b) determine the moment of likely intensity of the user'"'"'s interaction with the process based on the results of the monitoring.

55. The product of claim 53, further comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to determine an appropriate time for displaying the message and, in response to the determination, increase the likely intensity of the user'"'"'s interaction by modifying the state of the process.

56. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, for displaying messages in a mobile networked device, the product comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

(a) determine the location of the device;

(b) select a message for display based on the location of the device; and

(c) display the message on the device.

57. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, for displaying messages in a mobile networked device, the product comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

(a) select a message for display based on previously stored information about the user; and

(b) display the message on the device.

58. A data processing system for inserting a message during a user interactive process comprising:

(a) means for executing the process for a period of time; and

(b) means for, during execution of the process, at a moment of likely intensity of the user'"'"'s interaction with the process, displaying a message to the user.

59. The system of claim 58, further comprising:

(c) means for monitoring data about the process; and

(d) means for determining the moment of likely intensity of the user'"'"'s interaction with the process based on the results of the monitoring.

60. The system of claim 59, further comprising means for determining an appropriate time for displaying the message and, in response to the determination, increasing the likely intensity of the user'"'"'s interaction by modifying the state of the process.

61. A data processing system for displaying messages in a mobile networked device comprising:

(a) means for determining the location of the device;

(b) means for selecting a message for display based on the location of the device; and

(c) means for displaying the message on the device.

62. A data processing system for displaying messages in a mobile networked device comprising:

(a) means for selecting a message for display based on previously stored information about the user; and

(b) means for displaying the message on the device.