Methods and apparatus for distributed gaming over a mobile device

• US 20050288101A1
• Filed: 06/24/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Winview IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Airplay Network
• Inventors: Lockton, David B., Berner, Mark K., Micheli, Mark J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,376,855 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/75 Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players
• 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 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• 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 13/92 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 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5586 for enforcing rights or rules, e.g. to prevent foul play

Abstract

A system and method are provided for updating game participants. In some embodiments, the participants receive game control information via a one-way broadcast. The method selects a set of sampling participants from the set of all participants of a game. In some embodiments, the selection occurs prior to the start of the game. The method of some embodiments establishes a two-way connection between a server and each of the sampling participants. For some embodiments, the two-way connection is realtime. The method continuously maintains the two-way connection throughout the game. During each discrete game period, the method receives from a sampling participant, data for the sampling participant'"'"'s game period performance. Based on the received data, the method determines the performance for the game period and broadcasts this information to a non-sampling participant. A non-sampling participant is a participant who was not selected for the set of sampling participants. In some embodiments, the non-sampling participant determines a standing relative to the other participants in the game event. Some embodiments provide a method and system for detecting unusual performance in a game. The game has a participant. The method calculates for the participant an average performance level. Based on the average performance level, the method tracks for the participant a participant improvement factor and stores the participant improvement factor. The method compares the participant improvement factor to a threshold value.

Claims

1. A method of updating participants of a game, comprising:

selecting from a plurality of participants of the game, a subset of sampling participants;

establishing a two-way connection with a plurality of the sampling participants;

maintaining the two-way connection throughout the game;

periodically, receiving through the two-way connection, data from a sampling participant, the data representing performance of the sampling participant for a period of the game;

based on the sampling data, determining a performance metric for the game; and

broadcasting the performance metric to a participant of the game.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasting to the participant comprises a non-sampling participant, wherein the non-sampling participant is a participant of the game that was not selected for the subset of sampling participants.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasting is to a plurality of participants of the game.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting occurs before the start of the game.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the game performance metric comprises a distribution of scores based on the received data from the plurality of sampling participants, wherein the plurality of sampling participants substantially represent a statistically significant number of participants in the game.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting the subset of sampling participants comprises utilizing a random selection methodology.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a local performance metric for the broadcast participant;

receiving the game performance metric; and

comparing the local performance metric to the received game performance metric.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising displaying the comparison.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the displaying comprises a histogram.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein based on the comparison, the broadcast participant sends the local performance metric to a server, the server for hosting the game.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the game comprises a mobile device network.

12. A system for updating participants of a game, comprising:

means for selecting from a plurality of participants of the game, a subset of sampling participants;

means for establishing a two-way connection with a plurality of the sampling participants;

means for maintaining the two-way connection throughout the game;

means for periodically, receiving through the two-way connection, data from a sampling participant, the data representing performance of the sampling participant for a period of the game;

means for based on the sampling data, determining a performance metric for the game; and

means for broadcasting to a participant of the game the game performance metric.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the broadcasting to the participant comprises a non-sampling participant, wherein the non-sampling participant is a participant of the game that was not selected for the subset of sampling participants.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the broadcasting is to a plurality of participants of the game.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the selecting occurs before the start of the game.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the game performance metric comprises a distribution of scores based on the received data from the plurality of sampling participants.

17. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

determining a local performance metric for the broadcast participant;

receiving the game performance metric; and

comparing the local performance metric to the received game performance metric.

18. The system of claim 12, further comprising means for displaying the comparison.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein based on the comparison, the broadcast participant sends the local performance metric to a server, the server for hosting the game.

20. A system for updating game participants, the system comprising:

a server to host the game;

a first mobile device having a two-way connection with the server;

a second mobile device having a one-way connection with the server; and

a network, wherein the first mobile device communicates with the server through the network by using the two-way connection, wherein based on the two-way communication, the server broadcasts to the second mobile device by using the one-way connection.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the two-way connection is realtime.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising a first set of data, wherein the first mobile device uploads the first set of data over the two-way connection.

23. The system of claim 20, further comprising a second set of data, wherein the server broadcasts the second set of data to the second mobile device over the one-way connection.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the second set of data is based on the uploaded first set of data.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the one-way broadcast comprises a histogram.

26. A server for updating game participants, the server comprising:

a communication layer for providing connections through a network, the communication layer further comprising;

a plurality of one-way connections between a first plurality of mobile devices and the server; and

a plurality of two-way connections between a second plurality of mobile devices and the server;

wherein the one-way connections are updated based on the two-way connections.

27. The server of claim 26 further comprising:

a master layer for hosting the game, wherein data received by using the two-way connections are processed by the master layer.

28. The server of claim 26, wherein the two way connections are selected by the server.

29. The server of claim 26, wherein the server comprises a cluster.

30. The server of claim 26, further comprising a connection to a mobile device.

31. A mobile device for receiving updates during a game, the mobile device comprising:

a communication module for connecting to a network, the communication module having one-way and two-way connectivity, wherein the communication module receives a one way broadcast from a server through the network, including a received data set, and communicates game results to the server by using the two-way connectivity;

a processor coupled to the communication module, the processor for calculating a local data set and for comparing the local data set to the received data set;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory for storing applications and data, including the local data set and the received data set; and

a display for presenting data.

32. The mobile device of claim 31, wherein the mobile device comprises a cellular telephone.

33. The mobile device of claim 31, wherein the one-way broadcast comprises a histogram.

34. The mobile device of claim 31, further comprising an application allowing connection to a server for participation in the game.

35. The mobile device of claim 31, wherein based on the one-way broadcast, the mobile device establishes a two-way connection with a server.

36. The mobile device of claim 31, wherein the server examines the mobile device by using the two-way connection.

37. The mobile device of claim 31, further comprising modules for:

determining whether the mobile device has been accessed abnormally;

or

determining whether data stored by the mobile device has been altered;

or

determining whether data stored by the mobile device includes an anomaly, wherein the anomaly indicates a prohibited action for the game.