Distributed processing system and method

• US 20070078929A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bigfoot Networks, Inc. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beverly, Harlan
• Granted Patent: US 9,455,844 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

A solution for managing communicative interactions between network elements is described herein. A system incorporating teachings of the present disclosure may include a processor module that monitors communications between a program resident on a user machine and a server program resident on a computing device remote from the user. The processor module may be utilized to effectively reduce the processing overhead of a server program and the number of communications actually transmitted between the client program and the server program. For example, the processor module may intercept certain client or server initiated communications intended for the server or client program and process those communications internally. The results of the processing which may require an updating to all object groups which may be associated with client programs. The updating of said client programs is then executed without server program involvement.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a housing component at least partially defining an enclosure;

a first processor located within the enclosure, the first processor configured to execute at least a portion of a locally stored game server and to communicate with a first remote game client; and

a game processing device, the game processing device responsive to the first processor and configured to maintain object group associations of the first remote game client.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the gaming processor module is located within the enclosure.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the game processor device is configured to intercept a communication between the game server and the remote game client and to update state data of game objects based on the communication.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the gaming processor module comprises a second processor and a second memory, the second memory accessible to the second processor.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second processor comprises a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the second processor comprises a microprocessor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the game processing device is configured to update the first group of game objects based on a grid algorithm.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the game processing device is configured to update the first group of game objects based on a source-based algorithm.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the game processing device is configured to update the first group of game objects based on a destination-based algorithm.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first processor is configured to communicate with a second remote game client, and wherein the game processing device is configured to maintain object group associations of a second group of game objects associated with the second remote game client.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second group of game objects is different from the first.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the second group of game objects may contains at least one object associated with the first game client.

13. A distributed processor module, comprising:

a first interface configured to receive a communication from a client;

a second interface configured to receive a different communication from a server;

a module processor communicatively coupled to at least one of the first and second interfaces and operable to monitor communications between the client and the server; and

a first memory to store a group of game objects or partial game objects associated with the client and to store executable instructions for updating the group of game objects.

14. The distributed processor module of claim 13, wherein each of the first and the second interfaces comprise an Ethernet-compliant interconnect.

15. The distributed processor module of claim 13, further comprising a cache operable to maintain information received via the second interface.

16. The distributed processor module of claim 13, further comprising a dongle housing component at least partially defining an internal space in which the module processor and the first memory are located.

17. A method, comprising:

monitoring communications between a client game program and a server game program, the client game program executed at a client computer and the server game program executed at a server computer;

intercepting an object state change request associated with a game object;

updating a first group of game objects based on the object state change request.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the object state change request includes positional information, and wherein updating the first group of game objects comprises updating the first group of game objects based on the positional information.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein updating the first group of game objects comprises adding an object to the first group of game objects.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein updating the first group of game objects comprises removing an object from the first group of game objects.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein updating the first group of game objects comprises changing positional information of an object of the first group of game objects.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining a set of groups of game objects associated with the game object, wherein the set of groups of game objects includes the first group of game objects;

updating each group of the set of groups of game objects based on the object state change request.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein each group of the set of groups of game objects is associated with a different client computer.