USER COMMUNICATION

• US 20160346679A1
• Filed: 05/27/2015
• Published: 12/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: King.com, Ltd (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: King.com, Ltd (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ortega Sabogal, Andres
• Granted Patent: US 10,456,691 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat

Abstract

A method comprising: storing information relating to one or more game objects; determining game objects to be displayed in a manner enabling a first user to play a game using the objects; causing at least one graphical representation associated with a second user to be displayed on the game board in association with at least one of the game objects, information of the at least one graphical representation being obtained from an electronic database storing information relating to a plurality of user profiles, and at least one game criteria being associated with the at least one graphical representation of the second user; and receiving a user input from the first user in response to the user input determining a match condition between a plurality of game objects, the match condition causing the game criteria to be satisfied; and responsive to satisfying the game criteria, initiating communication with the second user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing in a memory information relating to one or more game objects;

determining by a processor in communication with the memory one or more of the game objects to be displayed on a game board on a display in a manner enabling a first user to play a game using the one or more game objects;

causing by the processor at least one graphical representation associated with a second user to be displayed on the game board in association with at least one of the one or more game objects, information of the at least one graphical representation being obtained from an electronic database storing information relating to a plurality of user profiles, and at least one game criteria being associated with the at least one graphical representation of the second user; and

receiving a user input from the first user via a user interface and in response to the user input determining a match condition between a plurality of game objects, the match condition causing the game criteria to be satisfied; and

responsive to satisfying the game criteria, initiating communication with the second user.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the game criteria comprises releasing a game object with which the graphical representation of a second user is associated from a locked status in the game.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the match condition causing the game criteria to be satisfied comprises an n^th match condition.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one game object associated with the graphical representation associated with the second user is displayed on the game board adjacent the plurality of game objects satisfying the match condition.

5. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one game object associated with the graphical representation associated with the second user is at least one of the game objects satisfying the match condition.

6. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the match condition indirectly causes the game criteria to be satisfied.

7. A method as set forth in claim 6, wherein indirectly causing the game criteria to be satisfied comprises removing at least one of:

the at least one game object associated with the graphical representation associated with the second user; and

at least one object associated with the at least one game object associated with the graphical representation associated with the second user.

8. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more game objects is removed from the game board in response to the match condition.

9. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein on detecting the match condition, the method comprises causing at least three game objects to be removed from the displayed game board and causing replacement game objects to be displayed on the game board.

10. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the received user input from the first user comprises an operation comprising swapping a position of at least two game objects on the game board.

11. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the received user input comprises an operation comprising sliding one or more game objects on the game board.

12. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the initiating communication comprises transmitting a message to the second user.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the message comprises link information, and the method comprises enabling the second user to select the link information to view a video of the game.

14. A method as set forth in claim 12, wherein the message is addressed to the second user from the first user.

15. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the causing at least one graphical representation associated with a second user to be displayed comprises selecting the at least one graphical representation based on at least one parameter associated with the second user.

16. A method as set forth in claim 15, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a ranking of the second user.

17. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the graphical representation comprises a profile picture of the second user obtained from a social network.

18. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the graphical representation comprises an avatar.

19. A computer readable storage device storing instructions that, when processed by at least one processor of a device, causes said processor to:

store in a memory information relating to one or more game objects;

determine by the processor in communication with the memory one or more of the game objects to be displayed on a game board on a display in a manner enabling a first user to play a game using the one or more game objects;

cause by the processor at least one graphical representation associated with a second user to be displayed on the game board in association with at least one of the one or more game objects, information of the at least one graphical representation being obtained from an electronic database storing information relating to a plurality of user profiles, and at least one game criteria being associated with the at least one graphical representation of the second user; and

receive a user input from the first user via a user interface and in response to the user input determining a match condition between a plurality of game objects, the match condition causing the game criteria to be satisfied; and

responsive to satisfying the game criteria, initiate communication with the second user.

20. A device comprising:

at least one memory;

at least one processor in communication with the at least one memory;

the at least one memory storing information relating to one or more game objects;

the at least one processor configured to determine one or more of the game objects to be displayed on a game board on a display in a manner enabling a first user to play a game using the one or more game objects;

cause at least one graphical representation associated with a second user to be displayed on the game board in association with at least one of the one or more game objects, information of the at least one graphical representation being obtained from an electronic database storing information relating to a plurality of user profiles, and at least one game criteria being associated with the at least one graphical representation of the second user; and

receive a user input from the first user via a user interface and in response to the user input determine a match condition between a plurality of game objects, the match condition causing the game criteria to be satisfied; and

responsive to satisfying the game criteria, initiate communication with the second user.