GAME STATE SYNCHRONIZATION AND RESTORATION ACROSS MULTIPLE DEVICES

• US 20140156599A1
• Filed: 02/05/2014
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Razer (Asia-Pacific) Pte. Ltd. (Razer Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Nextbit Systems, Inc. (Razer Incorporated)
• Inventors: Quan, Justin, Chan, Michael A., Moss, Tom, Fleming, Michael K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,775,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/634
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/50 Controlling the output signals based on the game progress
• 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: G06F 9/461 Saving or restoring of program or task context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Technology for a method for backing up and restoring mobile game application state across multiple devices is disclosed herein. The method includes running an instance of a game application at a first electronic device, determining a backup event that occurs in the first electronic device, wherein the backup event suggests a backup of application state data and the application state data represent an application state of the game application at the backup event, and transmitting the application state data of the game application to a remote storage service, in response to the backup event. A second electronic device can retrieve the application state data from the remote storage service and restore the game application state.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for playing a mobile game in a distributed operating system, the method comprising:

providing a distributed cloud operating system;

running an instance of a game application at a first mobile computing device;

identifying a second mobile computing device capable of synchronizing application state data with a cloud storage system operated by the distributed cloud operating system;

confirming the second computing device is in a pre-determined group with the first computing device;

receiving a signal that the instance of the game application stops running because the first computing device switching to a low power mode;

transmitting, to the cloud storage system, application state data representing a game status when the instance of the game application stops; and

receiving a notice that the second computing device has downloaded the application state data from the cloud based storage service and restored the game status to a second instance of the game application running at the second computing device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the signal is transmitted via a network.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first mobile computing device is a smart phone.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the notice is sent by an email system.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second computing device is a tablet computer.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the application state data includes game save information.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the network includes Internet, a WiFi network, or a cellular phone network.

8. A mobile electronic device comprising:

computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for;

running an instance of a game application at the mobile electronic device;

enabling a user to define sync events for the game application;

automatically determining a sync event that occurs in the electronic device, wherein the sync event is a user defined sync event;

transmitting state data of the game application to a storage server, in response to the sync event, wherein the electronic device is capable of transmitting the state data of the game application to the storage server via a network, wherein the storage server belongs to a cloud storage service cluster;

obtaining a synchronization scheme defined by the user;

detecting a second device connected with the storage system and physically close to the electronic device, wherein locations of the electronic device and the second device are determined by at least one of GPS coordinates, WiFi network locations, or cellular network locations;

verifying existence of the game application at the second device;

sending the state data of the game application to the second device according to the synchronization scheme; and

running a second instance of the game application at the second device by resuming game application state recorded in synchronized state data of the game application.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the mobile electronic device is a smart phone.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the second device is a tablet computer.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the state data of the game application includes game save information.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the step of transmitting includes:

transmitting a difference between the state data of the game application and previously transmitted state data to a storage server, in response to the sync event.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying a plurality of electronic devices capable of synchronizing state data of a game application with a cloud storage system, wherein the game application is a mobile game application;

running a first instance of a game application at a first electronic device of the plurality of the electronic devices, wherein the first electronic device is a smart phone;

determining a backup event that occurs in the first electronic device, wherein the backup event is an event from events including at least three of the instance of the game application being closed, the instance of the game application being paused, the instance of the game application has been continuously running for a preconfigured period of time, the instance of the game application being switched by another application, a battery level of the electronic device being below a preconfigured value, the electronic device turning off, the electronic device switching to standby mode;

transmitting the application state data of the game application to a remote storage service, in response to the backup event, wherein the first electronic device is capable of transmitting the application state data to the remote storage service via a network;

analyzing a user profile for a user who runs the game application at the first electronic device and at least a second electronic device of the plurality of the electronic devices;

determining a target electronic device from the at least one second electronic device, based on the analyzing of the user profile and the at least one second electronic device; and

transmitting the application state data to the target electronic device, wherein the application state data enable another instance of the game application to resume the application state at the sync event at the target electronic device.

running a second instance of the game application at the second device by resuming game application state recorded in synchronized state data of the game application.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the step of analyzing includes:

identifying an electronic device other than the first electronic device, the electronic device having established a user account of the user who runs the game application at the first electronic device.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the step of analyzing includes:

identifying an electronic device other than the first electronic device, wherein the user has used the electronic device for a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time period.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the step of analyzing includes:

identifying an electronic device being in proximity of the first electronic device.

17. A mobile electronic device comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the mobile electronic device to perform a process including;

running a game application at the mobile electronic device;

automatically determining a sync event that occurs in the mobile electronic device, wherein the sync event is an event from events including at least four of the instance of the game application being closed, the instance of the game application being paused, the instance of the game application has been continuously running for a preconfigured period of time, the instance of the game application being switched by another application, a battery level of the mobile electronic device being below a preconfigured value, the mobile electronic device turning off, the mobile electronic device switching to standby mode, a clock of the mobile electronic device reaching a preconfigured time of day, and the mobile electronic device being a preconfigured location;

transmitting state data of the game application to a storage server, in response to the sync event, wherein the mobile electronic device is capable of transmitting the state data of the game application to the storage server via a network, wherein the storage server belongs to a cloud storage service cluster, wherein the state data of the game application includes application memory data, application local storage data, hardware configuration data, or user account configuration data; and

a network component configured to transmit the state data of the game application to a storage server, in response to the sync event, wherein the application state data of the game application enable another instance of the game application to resume the application state at the sync event at another electronic device.

18. The mobile electronic device of claim 17, wherein the state data of the game application includes game save data for the game application.

19. The mobile electronic device of claim 17, wherein the step of determining includes:

automatically determining a sync event that occurs in the mobile electronic device without user intervention, wherein the sync event suggests a synchronization of the state data of the game application and the state data of the game application represents an application state of the game application at the sync event.