Multi-protocol game engine

• US 20070050838A1
• Filed: 08/25/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Derek Liu, John Loethrer
• Original Assignee: Derek Liu, John Loethrer
• Inventors: Liu, Derek, Loethrer, John
• Application Number:
  US11/212,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050838A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/3
• 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 13/352 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 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• 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 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload

Abstract

A network-based game system includes a computer network and a computer storage device and a first server connected to the computer network. The computer storage device can store a plurality of protocols for message encryption and message decryption, The first server stores a game-system-interface program that is configured to receive a first encrypted message from a game client application running on a computer device in communication with the computer network and decrypt the first encrypted message using one or more of the plurality of the protocols.

Claims

1. A network-based game system, comprising:

a computer network;

a computer storage device connected to the computer network, configured to store a plurality of protocols for message encryption and message decryption; and

a first server connected to the computer network, configured to store a game-system-interface (GSI) program that is configured to receive a first encrypted message from a game client application running on a computer device in communication with the computer network and decrypt the first encrypted message using one or more of the plurality of the protocols.

2. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the first encrypted message includes a serialized message and at least one of the protocols includes rules for serializing messages and de-serializing serialized messages.

3. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the first encrypted message bundles a plurality of requests from the game client application to the GSI program.

4. The network-based game system of claim 3, wherein at least two requests bundled in the first encrypted message are encrypted using different protocols.

5. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the first encrypted message includes one or more of user identification, session identification, and game room information associated with a game client application running on the computer device.

6. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the first encrypted message comprises game status information comprising one or more of game statistics and game configurations associated with a game client application running on the computer device.

7. The network-based game system of claim 1, further comprising

a data storage device connected to the computer network, configured to receive information associated with the first encrypted message from the GSI program and store the information associated with the first encrypted message.

8. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the GSI program is configured to receive a request from the game client application in the first encrypted message and respond to the request by sending a second encrypted message to the game client application.

9. The network-based game system of claim 8, wherein the second encrypted message is encrypted using one or more of the plurality of protocols stored on the computer storage device.

10. The network-based game system of claim 8, wherein the first encrypted message includes authentication information and the second encrypted message includes verification information.

11. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the GSI program comprises a GSI controller configured to decrypt the first encrypted message and encrypt a response message using one or more of the protocols stored on the computer storage device.

12. The network-based game system of claim 11, wherein the GSI program comprises a GSI model that includes a pre-stored application logic, wherein the GSI model is configured to develop the response message in accordance with application logic.

13. The network-based game system of claim 1, wherein the game client application is executed by a plug-in to a web browser installed on the computer device.

14. The network-based game system of claim 13, wherein the game client application is configured to display vector-graphic animations independent of the type of the web browser.

15. A network-based game system, comprising:

a computer network configured to communicate with a plurality of computer devices, each running one or more game client applications;

a computer storage device connected to the computer network, configured to store a plurality of protocols for message encryption and message decryption; and

a first server connected to the computer network, configured to store a game-system-interface (GSI) program that is configured to receive a plurality of first encrypted messages from the game client applications running on the computer devices and decrypt the first encrypted messages using one or more of the plurality of protocols.

17. The network-based game system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the protocols includes rules for de-serializing the first encrypted messages.

18. The network-based game system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the first encrypted messages bundles a plurality of requests from one of the game client applications to the GSI program.

16. The network-based game system of 15, wherein the first encrypted messages are encrypted by the game client applications using the plurality of protocols.

19. A method of providing a game over a computer network, comprising:

receiving a request in a first encrypted message from a game client application running on a computer device through a computer network;

decrypting the first encrypted message by a game-system-interface (GSI) controller stored on a first server using one or more protocols stored on a storage device, wherein the first server and the storage device are connected to the computer network;

developing a response message by a game-system-interface (GSI) model in accordance to game application logic accessible by the GSI model;

encrypting the response message by the GSI controller to produce a second encrypted message using the same protocol of the first encrypted message; and

sending the second encrypted message to the game client application by the GSI controller.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving requests in a plurality of first encrypted messages from a plurality of game client applications running on computer devices;

decrypting the first encrypted messages by a game-system-interface (GSI) controller stored on a first server using a plurality of protocols stored on a storage device, wherein the computer devices, the first server, and the storage device are connected to the computer network;

developing response messages by a game-system-interface (GSI) model to the requests in accordance to game application logic accessible by the GSI model;

encrypting the response messages by the GSI controller to produce a plurality of second encrypted messages using the protocols corresponding to the protocols encrypting the respective requests in the first encrypted messages; and

sending the second encrypted messages to the game client applications by the GSI controller.