METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROVIDING A GAME CENTER HAVING CUSTOMIZED NOTIFICATIONS

• US 20110250971A1
• Filed: 09/20/2010
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: van Os, Marcel, Lampell, Mike
• Application Number:
  US12/886,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20110250971A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/57 details of game services offered to the player

Abstract

Described herein are methods and systems for providing a game center having customized notifications. For example, in at least certain embodiments, data is generated to be presented on a graphical user interface of a system. The data is indicative of recent matches between a user and one or more other players of a game. The data including games the user recently played with the one or more other players. In another embodiment, a user initiates a multi-player gaming application on a system. Data is generated for presenting on a graphical user interface of the system. The data includes invite status information for one or more invited friends and one or more auto-matched players.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

generating data to present on a graphical user interface of a system, the data indicative of recent matches between a user and one or more other players of a game, the data including games the user recently played with the one or more other players.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the data further comprises a list of players and associated games with the list of players being filtered based on a first option that includes only friends or a second option that includes friends and non-friends.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the list of players comprises gaming information for each friend including status message, avatar, and date of last match with the user, wherein the gaming information for each non-friend includes avatar and date of last match with the user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein each player in the list of recent game matches is associated with a selectable option.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a selection of one of the selectable options associated with a non-friend; and

generating data to present to the graphical user interface, the data includes details regarding the selected non-friend including a send friend request option and a report concern option.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the send friend request option; and

generating data to present to the graphical user interface, the data includes a friend request communication to be sent to the selected non-friend, wherein the system searches for contact information for a non-friend to invite from the user'"'"'s contacts or address book, wherein the system determines from the contact information whether a particular player is registered with a game service associated with the game center module.

7. A computer-readable medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a computing system cause said system to perform a medium, the medium comprising:

generating data to present on a graphical user interface of a system, the data indicative of recent matches between a user and one or more other players of a game, the data including games the user recently played with the one or more other players.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the data further comprises a list of players and associated games with the list of players being filtered based on a first option that includes only friends or a second option that includes friends and non-friends.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the list of players comprises gaming information for each friend including status message, avatar, and date of last match with the user, wherein the gaming information for each non-friend includes avatar and date of last match with the user.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein each player in the list of recent game matches is associated with a selectable option.

11. The medium of claim 10, the computer-implemented method further comprising:

receiving a selection of one of the selectable options associated with a non-friend; and

generating data to present to the graphical user interface, the data includes details regarding the selected non-friend including a send friend request option and a report concern option.

12. The medium of claim 11, the method further comprising:

receiving a selection of the send friend request option; and

generating data to present to the graphical user interface, the data includes a friend request communication to be sent to the selected non-friend, wherein the system searches for contact information for a non-friend to invite from the user'"'"'s contacts or address book, wherein the system determines from the contact information whether a particular player is registered with a game service associated with the game center module.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

initiating a multi-player gaming application on a system;

receiving data that identifies one or more of a user'"'"'s friends to invite to play the multi-player gaming application;

receiving data that identifies one or more auto-matched players for playing the multi-player gaming application; and

generating data for presenting on the graphical user interface, the data including invite status information for the one or more invited friends and the one or more auto-matched players.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the invite status information includes one or more invited friend positions that each include status information including one of waiting and ready.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein each invite friend position that has a waiting status also has an uninvite player option.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the uninvite player option associated with an invite friend position in order to uninvite the previously invited friend associated with the invite friend position.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the invite status information includes one or more auto-match positions each having an invite friend option.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a selection of an invite friend option associated with an auto-match friend position in order to replace the auto-match position with the invite friend position.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 14,

receiving a decline invite from one invited friend having a waiting status;

generating data to present to the graphical user interface, the data indicative of a flashing invite friend position; and

generating data to present to the graphical user interface, the data indicative of an auto-match position that replaces the invite friend position that was declined by the friend.

20. A computer-readable medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a computing system cause said system to perform a computer-implemented method, the computer-implemented method comprising:

initiating a multi-player gaming application on a system;

receiving data that identifies one or more of a user'"'"'s friends to invite to play the multi-player gaming application;

receiving data that identifies one or more auto-matched players for playing the multi-player gaming application; and

generating data for presenting on the graphical user interface, the data including invite status information for the one or more invited friends and the one or more auto-matched players.

21. The medium of claim 20, wherein the invite status information includes one or more invited friend positions that each include status information including one of waiting and ready.

22. The medium of claim 21, wherein each invite friend position that has a waiting status also has an uninvite player option.

23. The medium of claim 22, the method further comprising:

receiving a selection of the uninvite player option associated with an invite friend position in order to uninvite the previously invited friend associated with the invite friend position.

24. The medium of claim 20, wherein the invite status information includes one or more auto-match positions each having an invite friend option.

25. The medium of claim 24, the method further comprising:

receiving a selection of an invite friend option associated with an auto-match friend position in order to replace the auto-match position with the invite friend position.

26. The medium of claim 21, the method further comprising:

receiving a decline invite from one invited friend having a waiting status;

generating data to present to the graphical user interface, the data indicative of a flashing invite friend position; and

generating data to present to the graphical user interface, the data indicative of an auto-match position that replaces the invite friend position that was declined by the friend.

27. A system, comprising:

a computer-readable medium to store a game center module;

one or more processing units coupled to the computer-readable medium; and

an input/output device coupled to the one more processing units, wherein the one or more processing units are configured to generate data to present on the input/output device, the data indicative of recent matches between a user and one or more other players of a game, the data including games the user recently played with the one or more other players.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein the data further comprises a list of players and associated games with the list of players being filtered based on a first option that includes only friends or a second option that includes friends and non-friends.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the list of players comprises gaming information for each friend including status message, avatar, and date of last match with the user, wherein the gaming information for each non-friend includes avatar and date of last match with the user.