CROSS PLATFORM GAMING

• US 20080268947A1
• Filed: 04/25/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Services Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Services Organization Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Bassali, Harpal S., Lechner, Marcelo D., Beckwith, Robert, Fyock, Christina, Alvo, Stella, Amin, Mansey K., Utley, Rick, Simon, Brent
• Granted Patent: US 8,825,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/29
• 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 13/77 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 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A first game server is configured to provide a game to a first category of user device. A second game server is configured to provide the game to a second category of user device. A game manager is configured to receive a request from a user device for the game application and to assign the request to one of the first game server and the second game server according to whether the user device is included in the first category of user device or the second category of user device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first game server configured to provide a game to a first category of user device;

a second game server configured to provide the game to a second category of user device; and

a game manager configured to receive a request from a user device for the game application and to assign the request to one of the first game server and the second game server according to whether the user device is included in the first category of user device or the second category of user device.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user profile database in selective communication with the first game server, the second game server, and the game manager, the first game server and the second game server being configured to provide the game at least in part according to information retrieved from the user profile database.

3. The system of claim 1, the game manager being further configured to receive the request from a user device via one of the first game server and the second game server.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first category of user device and the second category of user device are each selected from the group consisting of personal computers, cellular telephones, set top boxes, and handheld computers, and further wherein the first game server and the second game server are each one of a broadband game server, a wireless game server, and a television game server.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a media server in a video hub office, the media server being configured to receive a media stream from the game application and to provide the media stream to a device within a customer premises.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first game server, the second game server, and the game manager are included within a single computing device.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one third game server, the game manager being further configured to assign the request to one of the first game server, the second game server, and the third game server according to whether the user device is included in the first category of user device, a second category of user device, or a third category of user device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device is a first user device, the game manager being further configured to determine whether the request is a request for a saved game previously provided from the first game server to a second device included in a category of user device that does not include the first user device, the second game server being configured to continue the saved game.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first game server is configured to provide a game that is continued from play of a game previously provided from the second game server.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device is a first user device, the game manager being further configured to receive a second request for the game from a second user device, wherein the first game server selectively provides the game to the first user device while the second game server selectively provides the game to the second user device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first game server provides the game to the first user device according to a first set of connection parameters, and the second game server provides the game to the second user device according to a second set of connection parameters.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first set of connection parameters and the second set of connection parameters include at least one of:

connection speed, processor speed, graphics resolution, amount of device cache, and device type.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a request from a user device for a game;

making a determination regarding whether the user device is included in a first category of user device or a second category of user device;

assigning the request to one of a first game server and a second game server according to the determination.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

retrieving information from a user profile database; and

providing the game to the user device from one of the first game server and the second game server at least in part according to the information.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first category of user device and the second category of user device are each selected from the group consisting of personal computers, cellular telephones, set top boxes, and handheld computers, and further wherein the first game server and the second game server are each one of a broadband game server, a wireless game server, and a television game server.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first game server, the second game server, and the game manager are included within a single computing device.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the user device is a first user device, the method further comprising:

determining that the request is a request for a saved game previously provided by the first game server;

determining that the saved game was played on a second user device;

wherein the first user device is included in the first category of user device and the second user device is included in the second category of user device; and

continuing the saved game from the second game server.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the user device is a first user device, the method further comprising:

receiving a second request for the game from a second user device;

selectively providing, from the first game server, the game to the first user device; and

selectively providing, from the second game server, the game to the second user device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

providing, from the first game server, the game to the first user device according to a first set of connection parameters; and

providing, from the second game server, the game to the second user device according to a second set of connection parameters.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the first set of connection parameters and the second set of connection parameters include at least one of:

connection speed, processor speed, graphics resolution, amount of device cache, and device type.

21. The method of claim 13, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions included on a computer-readable medium.

22. A method, comprising:

receiving a first request from a first user device for a game;

making a determination that the first user device is included in a first category of user device;

assigning the request to a first game server according to the determination;

receiving a second request from a second user device for the game;

making a determination that the second user device is included in a second category of user device;

assigning the request to a second game server according to the determination;

selectively providing, from the first game server, the game application to the first user device according to a first set of connection parameters; and

selectively providing, from the second game server, the game to the second user device according to a second set of connection parameters.

23. The method of claim 22, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions included on a computer-readable medium.