LEVERAGING SOCIAL GRAPHS WITH GAME PLAY AUTO-NEIGHBORING

• US 20130231179A1
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Sproule, Dylan, Hall, Shane, Hall, Ben, Catlin, Timothy J.O., Allen, Jason Paul, Stark, Clayton Rhodes
• Granted Patent: US 10,552,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/55 Details of game data or player data management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers

Abstract

Techniques for automatically establishing connections between users within a gaming social network, designed for connecting users having common gaming interests, social connections, or characteristics. Embodiments include methods for automatically establishing connections from members of an out-of-game social network, the gaming social network, and gaming activity participants; evaluating user profile information and user characteristics in a gaming social network and gaming activity in a game networking system to determine an appropriate set of connections for a selected user. Embodiments include systems configured to automatically establish and maintain connections between players in a gaming social network based on gaming activity in a gaming networking system and social relationship information retrieved from one or more social networks where the players have a social relationship.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving game play information, at a server, from devices coupled to the server, wherein each device is associated with a user of a plurality of users;

receiving a selection of a game from a user;

in response to the selection of the game, obtaining user profile information including a social graph associated with the user;

selecting game play neighbors from the plurality of users for the user based on the social graph and the received game play information; and

automatically establishing a connection between the user and the neighbors playing the game within a gaming network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the user profile information includes obtaining social graph information retrieved from a first social network.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a second social graph associated with the user from a second social network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user profile information includes a contact list provided by the user that is separate from the first social network and the second social network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the game play information includes:

a history of game play, a game play frequency, a prior favorable gaming outcome, reputation data, or past cooperation or competition with the plurality of users.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection corresponds to a specific game, a specific type of game, or a user criteria.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

filtering a list of the plurality of users to include neighbors playing the game selection;

wherein the filtered list of users is used in the selecting of game play neighbors.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

maintaining separate social networks for a plurality of games offered in the game networking system;

wherein automatically establishing the connection between the user and the neighbors playing the game is performed with the separate social network for the game.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting game play neighbors from the plurality of users for the user is further based on the game-play state of individual users in the social graph associated with the user.

10. A computing system, comprising:

a storage module configured to store user profile information of a plurality of users in a gaming network, wherein the user profile information includes game play data and a social graph;

a communication module configured to receive communications occurring within the gaming network and from one or more social networks;

an update module configured to update the user profile information in response to the received communications;

a connection matching module configured to automatically create connections between the plurality of users in the gaming network based on the user profile information, and communication within the gaming network; and

an analysis module configured to extract data elements from the user profile information, and the gaming network interactions between the plurality of users for use by the connection matching module.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the game play data includes:

a history of game play, a game play frequency, a prior favorable gaming outcome, reputation data, or past cooperation or competition with the plurality of users.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a connection to a social network separate from the gaming network, and the communication module being configured to receive and process separate game play and user data communications from the social network.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the user data communications includes relationship data between users in the gaming network.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the analysis module is further configured to extract data elements from the social network for use by the connection matching module.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the user profile information includes a recommendation preference provided by the user that includes:

a geographic location, a geographic proximity, an age range, a degree of connection in the social graph or the gaming network, or a level of the game play participants gaming participation;

wherein connection matching module is further configured to utilize the recommendation preference to automatically create the connections between the plurality of users in the gaming network.

16. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium comprising computer-readable instructions, the instructions operable with a computer to:

receive game play information, at a server, from devices coupled to the server, wherein each device is associated with at least one user of a plurality of users;

receive a game selection from a user;

in response to the game selection, obtain user profile information from a social graph associated with the user;

select game play neighbors from the plurality of users for the user based on the information obtained from the social graph and the received game play information; and

automatically establish a connection between the user and the neighbors playing the game selection within a gaming network.

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the social graph includes information retrieved from a first social network.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, comprising computer-readable instructions to:

receive a second social graph associated with the user from a second social network.

19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the user profile information includes a contact list provided by the user that is separate from the social network.

20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the game play information includes:

a history of game play, a game play frequency, a prior favorable gaming outcome, reputation data, or past cooperation or competition with the plurality of users.

21. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the connection corresponds to a specific game, a specific type of game, or a user criteria.

22. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, comprising computer-readable instructions to:

filter a list of the plurality of users to include neighbors playing the game selection;

wherein the filtered list of users is used in the selecting of game play neighbors.