TECHNIQUES TO INTERACT WITH AN APPLICATION VIA MESSAGING

• US 20150050993A1
• Filed: 08/13/2013
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Blayer, Oded, Golde, Ittai, Makavy, Ran, Rosenfeld, Amir
• Granted Patent: US 9,553,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/537 for exchanging game data using a messaging service, e.g. e-mail, SMS, MMS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes

Abstract

Techniques to interact with an application via messaging are described. An apparatus may comprise an application support component and a communication component. The application support component may be operative to generate an image representing a state of an application and to update the state of the application according to a text command. The communication component may be operative to transmit the image to a client device via a messaging system as an image attachment to a first message and to receive a second message from the client device via the messaging system, the second message comprising the text command. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

generating an image representing a state of an application;

transmitting the image to a client device;

receiving from the client device a text command; and

updating the state of the application according to the text command.

2. The method of claim 1, the application comprising a game, the text command comprising a player'"'"'s move in the game.

3. The method of claim 1, the image including a legend visually indicating a set of available commands.

4. The method of claim 1, the image transmitted to the client device via a messaging system as an image attachment and the text command received from the client device via the messaging system as a message.

5. The method of claim 4, the messaging system comprising one of a text-messaging system, an instant-messaging system, or a social-networking messaging system.

6. The method of claim 4, comprising:

determining that the message comprises the text command from a set of available commands;

receiving a second message from the client device via the messaging system;

determining that the second message does not correspond to the set of available commands; and

forwarding the second message to a second client device via the messaging system.

7. The method of claim 1, the application comprising a multiplayer game, the text command comprising a first player'"'"'s move in the multiplayer game, further comprising:

generating a second image representing the updated state of the multiplayer game;

transmitting the second image to a second client device;

receiving from the second client device a second text command, the second text command comprising a second player'"'"'s move in the multiplayer game; and

updating the state of the application according to the second text command.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating a second image representing the updated state of the application; and

transmitting the second image to the client device.

9. The method of claim 1, the application comprising a multiuser application, comprising:

generating a second image representing the updated state of the application; and

transmitting the second image to a second client device.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor circuit on a device;

an application support component operative on the processor circuit to generate an image representing a state of an application and to update the state of the application according to a text command; and

the communication component operative on the processor circuit to transmit the image to a client device via a messaging system as an image attachment to a first message and to receive a second message from the client device via the messaging system, the second message comprising the text command.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, the image including a legend visually indicating a set of available commands, the communication component operative to determine that the second message comprises the text command from the set of available commands.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, the messaging system comprising one of a text-messaging system, an instant-messaging system, or a social-networking messaging system.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, the communication component operative to receive a third message from the client device via the messaging system, to determine that the third message does not correspond to the set of available commands, and to forward the third message to a second client device via the messaging system.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, the application comprising a multiplayer game, the text command comprising a first player'"'"'s move in the multiplayer game, further comprising:

the application support component operative to generate a second image representing the updated state of the multiplayer game and to update the state of the application according to a second text command; and

the communication component operative to transmit the second image to a second client device and to receive from the second client device the second text command, the second text command comprising a second player'"'"'s move in the multiplayer game.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, comprising:

the application support component operative to generate a second image representing the updated state of the application; and

the communication component operative to transmit the second image to the client device as a third image attachment to a third message.

16. At least one computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:

generate an image representing a state of a game;

transmit the image to a client device;

receive from the client device a text command; and

updating the state of the game according to the text command.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the image including a legend visually indicating a set of available moves in the game, comprising further instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:

determine that the second message comprises the text command from the set of available moves.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the image transmitted to the client device via a messaging system as an image attachment and the text command received from the client device via the messaging system as a message.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, the messaging system comprising one of a text-messaging system, an instant-messaging system, or a social-networking messaging system.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the game comprising a multiplayer game, the text command comprising a first player'"'"'s move in the multiplayer game, comprising further instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:

generate a second image representing the updated state of the multiplayer game;

transmit the second image to a second client device;

receive from the second client device a second text command, the second text command comprising a second player'"'"'s move in the multiplayer game; and

update the state of the application according to the second text command.