Using Connection Quality History to Optimize User Experience

• US 20160256775A1
• Filed: 02/24/2016
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gustafson, Jason, Breed, Ryan Hamilton
• Granted Patent: US 10,207,185 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/493 Resuming a game, e.g. after pausing, malfunction or power failure
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• 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 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

Methods and systems for assigning a data center to service a request from a user account include receiving a login request to a cloud gaming server. The login request is examined to identify a user account. A use history of the cloud gaming server is examined to identify a data center. The user account is assigned to the data center to start a session of streaming game play at a server within the data center. The data center is identified without performing a connection testing operation.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request from a user account of a user at a cloud gaming site, the request identifying a game for game play;

analyzing gaming history maintained for the user account to identify a gaming profile of the user, in response to the request received at the cloud gaming site, the gaming profile providing information to identify a data center available within the cloud gaming site that was previously assigned for servicing prior requests for game play of the game received from the user;

assigning the data center identified in the gaming profile to service the request from the user, the assigning causes a communication connection to be dynamically established between a server in the data center and a client device of the user from where the request was initiated, so as to allow game play of the game; and

verifying, during game play, connection attributes of the communication connection established between the server of the data center and the client device to determine that the identified data center performs in accordance to connection requirements expected for servicing the request from the user, the verifying performed after assigning of the data center,

wherein the verifying causes a signal to be generated for switching the data center for servicing the request, when the connection attributes of the data center assigned to service the request does not meet the connection requirements necessary for servicing the request and

wherein operations of the method are performed by a connection module executing on a server at the cloud gaming site.

2. The method of claim 1, further includes automatically updating user account metrics associated with the user account of the user with information from the game play of the game by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further includes automatically updating data center metrics associated with the data center assigned to service the request, with information from the game play and the request, upon servicing the request from the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection requirements include connection speed expected for exchange of data during the game play of the game.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying includes obtaining connection attributes of the communication connection from live data exchanged between the server of the data center and the client device during game play;

and

comparing the connection attributes against connection requirements expected for servicing the request.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein connection attributes include connection speed defined for the communication connection established between the client device and the data center server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein switching of data center is performed at a predefined transition point defined for the game.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein switching of data center is performed by,

providing an option at a user interface rendered on a display screen of the client device seeking user input for switching the data center;

and

performing the switching of the data center server, in response to the user input received at the user interface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the switching of data center further includes,

adjusting the communication connection so as to enable the client device to communicate with a server from the switched data center, the connection attributes of the adjusted communication connection satisfying the connection requirements expected for servicing the request.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the switching of data center further includes,

monitoring connection attributes of the communication connection between the server of the data center and the client device, during game play;

and

generating the signal to automatically switch to a new data center when the connection attributes of the communication connection currently established between the client device and the data center falls below the connection requirements by a pre-defined threshold level.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the new data center for switching is identified based on geo location of the user initiating the request.

12. A system, comprising:

a cloud gaming site providing a plurality of games for game play and configured to service a request for game play of a game from a user account of a user, the cloud gaming site including a plurality of data centers, each of the plurality of data centers including a plurality of servers, wherein each of the plurality of servers having a plurality of game consoles; and

a connection module executing on a processor of a server at the cloud gaming site and is configured to,

analyze gaming history associated with the user account to identify a game and a gaming profile of the user, the gaming profile identifying a data center for servicing the request received from the user account;

predict one or more connection attributes required for servicing the request by analyzing the gaming history of the user; and

analyze data center history maintained for each data centers within the system to identify a data center that was used for servicing prior game play requests from the user, the identified data center having necessary resources to satisfy the connection attributes required for servicing the prior game play requests of the user, the identified data center being assigned to service the request,

the assigning causes a communication connection to be dynamically established between the cloud gaming server of the identified data center and a client device from where the request was initiated to enable game play.

13. The system of claim 12, further includes a quality of service engine executing on the server of the cloud gaming site, the quality of service engine configured to verify connection attributes of the communication connection established between the client device and the server of the identified data center and to generate a signal to switch to a new data center, when the communication connection established between the client device and the data center does not meet the connection requirements for servicing the request.

14. The system of claim 12, further includes gaming history database that is configured to collect and update user account metrics associated with the user account of one or more users with information from the game play of one or more games;

and

data center history database that is configured to collect and update data center metrics associated with the data center with information from the request, upon servicing the request from one or more users.

15. A method, comprising,

receiving a request to access a cloud gaming server, the request identifying a user account;

examining a history of a user from the user account;

assigning a gaming session for the request to a data center based on the examining of the history of the user.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving a login request to a cloud gaming server;

examining the login request to identify a user account;

examining a use history of the cloud gaming server by the user account over a period of time, the examining used to identify a datacenter;

assigning the user account to the datacenter to start a session of streaming game play at a connection server within the data center;

wherein the datacenter is identified without performing a connection testing operation.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the datacenter is identified based using a prediction process regarding which of a plurality of datacenters is to provide an optimal connection speed for a type of game play processed by the user account in prior sessions.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the connection testing operation is performed after the session of streaming game play is started, using game data from the game play.

19. The method of claim 18, further includes generating a signal to assign the user account to a new data center to continue the session of streaming game play at the connection server within the new data center, when the connection testing operation detects the connection server within the assigned data center does not meet the optimal connection speed required for the session of streaming game play processed by the user account.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein assigning to the new data center is performed at a predefined transition point defined for a game that is providing the streaming game play.