Systems and Methods for Game Activation

• US 20100323798A1
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Uniloc Luxembourg S.à r.l. (f/k/a Uniloc Luxembourg S.A.) (Uniloc Corporation Pty. Limited)
• Inventors: Etchegoyen, Craig S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,473 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers

Abstract

Techniques are provided for controlling the activation of computer games. In one embodiment, the technique may involve receiving a combination of a game identifier for the game and a device identifier for the device. The technique may further involve accessing a database of known game identifiers, each known game identifier being associated with a device count corresponding to a total number of known devices on which a known game was previously played or activated, and obtaining a usage policy for the game.

Claims

1. A system for activating a computer game in response to a user attempting to play the game on a computing device, comprising:

a license server configured to detect a communication link between the license server and the computing device, and to execute, responsive to detecting the communication link, functions to;

receive from the computing device a combination of (a) a game identifier for a requested game and (b) a device identifier for the computing device via the link, the device identifier derived from a combination of at least one user-configurable parameter and at least one non-user-configurable parameter of the computing device;

access a database of known game identifiers, each known game identifier being associated with (a) a known game, (b) a device count corresponding to a total number of known devices on which the known game was previously played, and (c) known device identifiers for the known devices;

obtain from the database a usage policy for the requested game, the usage policy including a maximum device count for the requested game; and

send an activation instruction to the computing device based at least in part on (a) a device comparison between the device identifier for the computing device and the known device identifiers, and (b) a count comparison between the device count and the maximum device count.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the activation instruction comprises a disallow instruction when the device count exceeds the maximum device count, the disallow instruction preventing the user from playing the requested game on the computing device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the activation instruction comprises an allow instruction when the device identifier matches one of the known device identifiers or when the device count does not exceed the maximum device count, the allow instruction allowing the user to play the game on the computing device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the usage policy comprises a defined maximum play time for the game on the computing device; and

the activation instruction is based at least in part on a time comparison between the maximum play time and an actual play time of the game on the computing device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the activation instruction comprises a disallow instruction when the actual play time exceeds the maximum play time, the disallow instruction preventing the user from playing the game on the computing device.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) server in operative communication with the license server and the computing device, the IVR server configured to instruct the user to complete a phone transaction in response to the license server detecting no communication link between the license server and the computing device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the IVR server instructs the user to provide a game code comprising at least one of the game identifier and a first hash code of the game identifier.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the IVR server instructs the user to provide a device code comprising at least one of the device identifier and a second hash code of the device identifier.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the IVR server is configured to:

translate the game code and the device code into at least one activation code, and

send the at least one activation code to the license server; and

wherein the license server is further configured to extract the game identifier and the device identifier from the at least one activation code.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the license server is further configured to update the database in response to the combination of the game identifier and the device identifier being unique from known combinations of the known game identifiers and the known device identifiers.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the license server is further configured so that when the game identifier matches a known game identifier, and when the device identifier does not match a known device identifier, the license server:

associates the device identifier with the known game identifier; and

increments the device count for the known game identifier.

12. An apparatus for activating a computer game in response to a user attempting to play the game on a computing device, comprising:

a transceiver for communicating with a license authority;

at least one processor operatively coupled to the transceiver; and

a memory operatively coupled to the at least one processor and comprising executable code for the at least one processor to;

determine a game identifier for the game;

collect machine parameters of the computing device, the machine parameters comprising a combination of at least one user-configurable parameter and at least one non-user-configurable parameter;

generate a device identifier for the computing device based at least in part on the machine parameters;

determine availability of a communication link between the transceiver and the license authority;

instruct the transceiver, responsive to the link being available, to send the game identifier and the device identifier to the license authority; and

prompt the user, responsive to the link not being available, to complete a phone transaction with the license authority.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

the at least one processor associates the game identifier with the device identifier to generate an audit number; and

the transceiver sends the audit number to the license authority for authorization to play the game.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor generates the audit number by concatenating the game identifier with the device identifier.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor executes code stored in the memory to:

determine a geo-location code for the computing device; and

associate the geo-location code with at least one of the game identifier and the device identifier to generate the audit number.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the game identifier comprises a serial number.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor generates the device identifier by implementing at least one irreversible transformation such that the machine parameters cannot be derived from the device identifier.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one non-user-configurable parameter comprises a computer readable representation of one of the following:

a model number, a serial number, a patent number, a type number, a revision number, a bus speed, a manufacturer name, a version number, a release date, a memory capacity, a machine UUID, a machine service tag, a specification, a CPU voltage, a CPU external clock speed, a peripheral device model number, a peripheral device serial number;

a peripheral device specification.

19. A method for activating a computer game in response to a user attempting to play the game on a computing device, comprising:

receiving from the computing device, in response to detecting availability of a communication link and via the link, a combination of (a) a game identifier for the game and (b) a device identifier for the computing device, the device identifier derived from at least one user-configurable parameter and at least one non-user-configurable parameter of the computing device;

accessing a database of known game identifiers, each known game identifier being associated with (a) a known game, (b) a device count corresponding to a total number of known devices on which the known game was previously played, and (c) known device identifiers for the known devices;

obtaining a usage policy for the game, the policy comprising a maximum device count for the game; and

sending an activation instruction to the computing device based at least in part on (a) a device comparison between the device identifier for the computing device and the known device identifiers, and (b) a count comparison between the device count and the maximum device count.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the activation instruction comprises a disallow instruction when the device count exceeds the maximum device count, the disallow instruction preventing the user from playing the game on the device.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the activation instruction comprises an allow instruction when the device identifier matches one of the known device identifiers or when the device count does not exceed the maximum device count, the allow instruction allowing the user to play the game on the computing device.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising sending the activation instruction to the computing device based at least in part on a time comparison between (a) a maximum play time defined in the usage policy and (b) an actual play time of the game on the computing device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the activation instruction comprises a disallow instruction when the actual play time exceeds the maximum play time, the disallow instruction preventing the user from playing the game on the computing device.