INVITATION SERVICE FOR MULTI-DEVICE APPLICATION SESSIONS

• US 20100319062A1
• Filed: 06/15/2010
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: King.com, Ltd (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Damon Danieli, Josh Gruenberg
• Inventors: Danieli, Damon, Gruenberg, Josh
• Granted Patent: US 8,621,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

A multi-device invitation system and method are provided herein.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating a multi-device networked-application session, the method comprising:

receiving, by an invitation server from an inviter device via a network, a request to invite an invitee user to join the multi-device networked-application session, said request having been initiated by an authenticated inviter user of said inviter device, said request indicating a networked application and a session identifier corresponding to said multi-device networked-application session;

persisting in a data store, by said invitation server, an invitation payload including said session identifier, said invitation payload enabling said invitee user to join said multi-device networked-application session;

identifying, by said invitation server via a device identifier, an invitee device associated with said invitee user;

pushing an invitation notification to said invitee device via said device identifier, said invitation notification indicating said invitee user and comprising a payload identifier corresponding to said invitation payload, said invitation notification omitting said invitation payload;

receiving from said invitee device a response from a user of said invitee device, said response including said payload identifier;

authenticating said responding user as said invitee user; and

when authenticated;

providing said persisted invitation payload to said invitee device to enable said authenticated invitee user joining said multi-device networked-application session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining said device identifier corresponding to said invitee device comprises:

identifying, via a networked-application identifier, an invitation-enabled networked application previously used by said invitee user; and

determining that said device identifier is associated with said invitee user and said previously-used invitation-enabled networked application.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

obtaining an application identifier corresponding to said networked application indicated by said request;

determining, via said application identifier, that said networked application indicated by said request is not installed on said invitee device; and

providing said application identifier to said invitee device via said previously-used invitation-enabled networked application to facilitate obtaining and installing said networked application indicated by said request on said invitee device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said request further indicates at least one of a personal message from said inviter user to said invitee user, a session-start time corresponding to said multi-device networked-application session, an expiration time, and a sound identifier identifying a notification sound for playback on said invitee device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said pushed invitation notification further comprises a count of pending persisted invitation requests associated with said invitee user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying said invitee device associated with said invitee user comprises:

determining a plurality of device identifiers associated with said invitee user; and

selecting one of said plurality of device identifiers according to at least one of a most-recently-used-device criterion and a most-frequently-used-device criterion.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, via a second device identifier, a second invitee device associated with said invitee user; and

pushing said invitation notification to said second invitee device via said second device identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said device identifier is a unique device identifier, said session identifier is a unique session identifier, and said payload identifier is a unique payload identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said inviter device and said invitee devices are mobile devices.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said multi-device networked-application session comprises a multi-user networked game session.

11. An apparatus comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, perform the method of claim 1.

12. A tangible computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the method of claim 1.

13. A client device comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, perform a method for accepting an invitation to a multi-device networked-application session, the method comprising:

receiving a pushed invitation notification from an invitation server, said pushed invitation notification indicating, via identifiers, at least an invitation from an inviter user for an invitee user to join a multi-device session of a subject networked application, said pushed invitation notification omitting an invitation payload to enable said invitee user to join said multi-device session of said subject networked application;

notifying a user of the client device that said inviter user has invited said invitee user to join said multi-device session;

obtaining an indication from said user of the client device to accept said invitation to join said multi-device session;

sending a response to said invitation server according to said indication, said response identifying said invitation;

authenticating said user of the client device as said invitee user to said invitation server;

in response to authenticating said user of the client device as said invitee user, receiving said invitation payload from said invitation server; and

attempting to join said multi-device session according to said invitation payload.

14. The client device of claim 13, the method further comprising automatically launching said subject networked application prior to attempting to join said multi-device session.

15. The client device of claim 13, wherein notifying said user comprises displaying a first interface comprising an action control, configured to display a second interface, and an ignore control, configured to disregard said invitation without notifying said invitation server;

and

wherein obtaining said indication from said user of the client device to accept said invitation to join said multi-device session comprises displaying said second interface upon activation of said action control, said second notification comprising an invitation-accept control, configured to indicate acceptance of said invitation, and an invitation-decline control, configured to notify said invitation server that said invitation is declined.

16. The client device of claim 13, the method further comprising automatically obtaining and installing said subject networked application prior to launching said networked application.

17. The client device of claim 16, wherein automatically obtaining and installing said subject networked application comprises automatically initiating a networked-application purchase for completion by said user of the client device.

18. The client device of claim 13, the method further comprising:

determining that said multi-device session has terminated; and

in response to determining that said multi-device session has terminated, automatically generating a re-invitation from said original invitee user inviting said original inviter user to join a new multi-user session of said networked application.

19. The client device of claim 13, wherein said pushed invitation notification is received via a second networked application, different from said subject networked application.

20. The client device of claim 13, the method further comprising:

prior to authenticating said user of the client device as said invitee user, determining that said user of the client device is signed-in to a user account that does not correspond to said invitee user; and

displaying an interface to facilitate signing-in to a user account corresponding to said invitee user.

21. The client device of claim 13, wherein said client device is a mobile device.

22. The client device of claim 13, wherein said multi-device networked-application session comprises a multi-user networked game session.