DISTRIBUTED SESSION LISTING AND CONTENT DISCOVERY

• US 20070288647A1
• Filed: 08/22/2007
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: TOLL, ROD, JOHNSTON, G., HUMPHREY, BRETT, EVANS, C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,024,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• 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 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• 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 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• 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 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction

Abstract

The present invention enables a game server to provide hosting services by connecting the game server device to a peer group, notifying at least one member of the peer group of the availability of the server device, and enabling the server device to accept and respond directly to searches for the hosting services, which are directed at the peer group by one or more gaming client devices. Discovery of peer group gaming content as well as updating such content are also provided by the present invention. The present invention further enables both peer group protocol supported and non-supported devices to interact with and provide the services provided by a peer group.

Claims

1. A method in a peer-to-peer gaming network computing environment for providing a game hosting service by a game server computing device adapted to communicate with a member game server of a peer group, the game hosting service provided to one or more game client computing devices, comprising the steps of:

joining the game server computing device to the peer group;

designating the joined game server computing device as a member game server, wherein each member game server of the peer group being another game server computing device previously joined thereto;

notifying at least one other member game server of the peer group of availability as a game hosting service by the joined game server computing device;

accepting and responding directly to searches for the game hosting service of the joined game server computing device, which are directed at the at least one other member game server of the peer group by the one or more game client computing devices; and

locating the game hosting service by way of intercommunication between the member game servers of the peer group.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

first requesting, by the game server computing device, certification to join the peer group; and

conforming, by the game server computing device, to acceptable load balancing criteria for the peer group.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving certification and connection information to enable the game server computing device joining the peer group;

connecting to the one or more client systems interested in the game hosting service of the game server computing device; and

providing the hosting service to said one or more client systems.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the notification by the game server computing device includes a plurality of gaming parameters pertaining to the hosting service available on the game server computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said joining to said peer group is made by a game server computing device that has no support for a protocol of the peer group, further comprising:

utilizing a gateway computing device to locate the peer group;

receiving information from the gateway computing device, by the protocol unsupported game server computing device, regarding the location of one or more member game server nodes of the peer group, said one or more member game server nodes of the peer group being usable, by the protocol unsupported game server computing device, as a proxy node number of the peer group.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said connection to said peer group is made by a game server computing device that supports a protocol of the peer group, further comprising utilizing said protocol to directly communicate with member game server nodes of the peer group to become a member game server of the peer group.

7. A computing system having a processor, a memory and an operating environment, the computing system operable to execute the method of claim 1.

8. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

9. A method in a peer-to-peer gaming network computing environment for discovering downloadable content files known to members of a content peer group and of interest to a game client computing device, comprising the steps of:

locating, by the game client computing device, on said peer-to-peer gaming network, at least one member of the content peer group; and

automatically receiving at the game client computing device without a request therefrom, an index of downloadable content files from said at least one member, said index of downloadable content files containing the location of downloadable content files located in one or more content file repositories.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

requesting, by the game client computing device, certification to join the content peer group; and

conforming to acceptable load balancing criteria for the content peer group.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving certification and connection information to enable access to the content peer group.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the game client computing device has no support for the protocol of the content peer group, further comprising:

utilizing, by the game client computing device, a gateway computing device to locate the content peer group; and

receiving information from the gateway computing device, by the game client computing device, regarding the location of one or more member nodes of the content peer group, said one or more member nodes of the peer group being usable, by the game client computing device, as a proxy node member of the content peer group.

13. The member of claim 9, wherein the game client computing device supports a protocol of the content peer group, further comprising directly communicating with member nodes of the content peer group and becoming a member of the content peer group.

14. A computing system having a processor, a memory and an operating environment, the computing system operable to execute the method of claim 9.

15. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 9.

16. A method in a peer-to-peer gaming network computing environment for updating information relating to downloadable content files known to gaming members of a content peer group, comprising the steps of:

requesting certification to access the content peer group and to update a content index shared by all members of said peer group;

receiving certification and connection information to enable joining the content peer group;

connecting to the content peer group;

updating the downloadable content file index of at least one member of the content peer group without a request therefrom; and

automatically propagating said updated downloadable content file index throughout the content peer group to other members of the content peer group.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a game client computing device desires access to the downloadable content file index but has no support for the protocol of the content peer group, further comprising:

utilizing, by the game client computing device, a gateway computing device to locate the content peer group; and

receiving information from the gateway computing device, by the game client computing device, regarding the location of one or more member nodes of the content peer group, said one or more member nodes of the peer group being usable, by the game client computing device as a proxy node member of the content peer group.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein a game client computing device desires access to the downloadable content file index and wherein the game client computing device supports a protocol of the peer group, further comprising:

directly communicating with member nodes of the content peer group and becoming a member of the content peer group, whereby the downloadable content file index is shared with the game client computing device.

19. A computing system having a processor, a memory and an operating environment, the computing system operable to execute the method of claim 16.

20. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 16.