Caching and reporting system for accelerating combined computer gaming and advertising

• US 20060135231A1
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Willis, Daniel, Godse, Dhananjay
• Granted Patent: US 8,246,464 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 13/12 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 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• 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 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system supporting the presentation of advertisements within video game is described in which a memory cache stores advertising data that is used to provide the advertisements. The memory cache is managed via instructions provided by an external server via a network data connection. The management of the cache supports the storage of a variety of advertisements for a single advertisement opportunity. In addition, the cache management system is designed to supports numerous different video games on a same computing device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

executing a first video game session on a first computing device;

allocating a portion of read-write memory of the first computing device for caching of advertising data therein;

downloading advertising data from a remote server via a communications network;

storing the advertising data in the portion of read-write memory; and

,

storing within memory a directory of contents of the portion of read-write memory.

2. A method according to claim 1 comprising:

communicating with a remote server to determine advertising data stored within the potion of read-write memory that are stale; and

removing the advertising data that is unnecessary from the directory of contents of the portion of read-write memory.

3. A method according to claim 2 comprising:

communicating with a remote server to determine advertising data stored within the potion of memory that are replaced;

downloading replacement advertising data from the remote server; and

replacing the advertising data that is replaced and updating the directory of contents of the portion of read-write memory.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein downloading is performed within a low priority task.

5. A method according to claim 1 comprising:

determining a quantity of advertising data within the portion of read-write memory and a quantity of advertising data to be downloaded;

adjusting a size of the allocated portion of read-write memory when the size of the allocated portion of read-write memory is insufficient for storing the total quantity of advertising data.

6. A method according to claim 1 comprising:

determining an advertising spot within the video game session;

identifying advertising data corresponding to a plurality of advertisements, each of the advertisements suitable for integration in the advertising spot; and

,

providing an advertisement of the plurality of advertisements for impressing upon a gamer via the advertising spot.

7. A method according to claim 1 comprising:

determining an advertising spot within the video game session;

identifying advertising data corresponding to an advertisement suitable for integration in the advertising spot; and

,

providing an advertisement for impressing upon a gamer via the advertising spot.

8. A method according to claim 7 comprising:

determining impression metrics relating to the impressed advertisement; and

storing within the portion of read-write memory data relating to the impression metrics.

9. A method according to claim 8 comprising:

at intervals, retrieving from the portion of read-write memory data relating to impression metrics, the data relating to each of a plurality of different impressions generated during at least a gaming session; and

,

transmitting a report based on the data to a remote server.

10. A method according to claim 8 comprising:

upon sensing one of an initiation of a gaming session and termination of a gaming session;

transmitting a report based on the impression data to the remote server; and

,

updating the reporting data stored within the portion of read-write memory in response to providing the report.

11. A method according to claim 1 comprising:

determining a presence of existing advertising data within the portion of read-write memory; and

,

other than overwriting the existing advertising data with downloaded advertising data,

wherein the existing advertising data remains within the portion of read-write memory for use in being impressed upon a user of a game session.

12. A method according to claim 11 comprising:

determining first advertising data of the existing advertising data that corresponds to a same advertisement as advertising data to be downloaded; and

,

other than downloading the first advertising data corresponding to the same advertisement from the remote server.

13. A method according to claim 1 comprising:

terminating the first video game session;

initiating a second video game session, the second video game session corresponding to a same video game as the first video game session; and

,

impressing an advertisement based on the advertising data within the portion of read-write memory within the second video game session.

14. A method according to claim 1 comprising:

terminating the first video game session;

initiating a second video game session, the second video game session corresponding to second video game different than the first video game session; and

,

impressing an advertisement based on the advertising data within the portion of read-write memory within the second video game session.

15. A method according to claim 1 wherein the portion of read-write memory has stored therein data relating to advertisements for being impressed in each of at least two different video games.

16. A method according to claim 1 wherein campaign data is stored in association with each advertising data indicating one of a temporal length of time for the campaign, a number of impressions for the campaign, and a frequency of impressions for the campaign.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the campaign data comprises data indicating a temporal length of time and wherein upon expiry of the temporal length of time, the advertising data is cleared from the portion of read-write memory.

18. A method according to claim 16 wherein the campaign data comprises data indicating a frequency and wherein the advertisement based on the advertising data is impressed from within a video game with a frequency based on the campaign data, the advertisement impressed from an advertising spot within the game with said frequency and other advertisements impressed from a same advertising spot interspersed with the advertisement.

19. A method comprising:

providing a read-write memory storage

providing a video game;

providing advertising spots within the game for impressing of advertising data therefrom;

determining impressions of content within the advertising spots upon a gamer playing the video game;

storing within the read-write memory storage first data relating to a plurality of impressions; and

,

at intervals, communicating an impression report in dependence upon the stored first data.

20. A method according to claim 19 wherein communicating comprises:

communicating an impression report relating to another video game other than the video game and including impression data relating to a plurality of impressions formed therein.

21. A method according to claim 19 wherein at intervals comprises at an initiation of a video game.

22. A method according to claim 19 wherein at intervals comprises during level transitions within the game.

23. A method according to claim 19 wherein the read-write memory comprises a cache memory.

24. A method according to claim 19 wherein the read-write memory comprises a hard disk drive.

25. A method according to claim 19 wherein the video game is an Internet enabled video game other than an on-line video game.

26. A method according to claim 19 comprising:

downloading of advertising content from a remote server; and

,

impressing the advertising content upon a gamer of the video game from an advertising spot therein.

27. A storage medium having instruction data stored therein, the instruction data for when executed resulting in performance of:

executing a first video game session on a first computing device;

allocating a portion of read-write memory of the first computing device for caching of advertising data therein;

downloading advertising data from a remote server via a communications network;

storing the advertising data in the portion of read-write memory; and

,

storing within memory a directory of contents of the portion of read-write memory.

28. A storage medium having instruction data stored therein, the instruction data for when executed resulting in performance of:

providing a read-write memory storage

providing a video game;

providing advertising spots within the game for impressing of advertising data therefrom;

determining impressions of content within the advertising spots upon a gamer playing the video game;

storing within the read-write memory storage first data relating to a plurality of impressions; and

,

at intervals, communicating an impression report in dependence upon the stored first data.

29. A system comprising:

a first computing device comprising a read-write memory and a processor for;

executing a first video game session on a first computing device;

allocating a portion of read-write memory of the first computing device for caching of advertising data therein;

downloading advertising data from a remote server via a communications network;

storing the advertising data in the portion of read-write memory; and

,

storing within memory a directory of contents of the portion of read-write memory.

30. A system comprising:

read-write memory;

a processor for;

providing a read-write memory storage

providing a video game;

providing advertising spots within the game for impressing of advertising data therefrom;

determining impressions of content within the advertising spots upon a gamer playing the video game;

storing within the read-write memory storage first data relating to a plurality of impressions; and

,

at intervals, communicating an impression report in dependence upon the stored first data.