ACTIONABLE PUSH NOTIFICATIONS FOR COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED GAMES

• US 20170340963A1
• Filed: 05/26/2017
• Published: 11/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Bucher, Jason, Steinbauer, Troy
• Granted Patent: US 11,083,958 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• 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 13/335 using Internet
• 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 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A online gaming system provides for presentation on a user device of actionable game-related push notifications. The push notification is presented outside of a game interface and includes both contextual information about a particular game event and one or more action elements. Responsive to selection of a particular action element, a corresponding game-related action is performed with launching or switching to a game application for the game on the user device. Thus, the push notification mechanism provides for performance of a game-related action without receiving user input via a game-specific user interface provided by a corresponding game application executed by the user device

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing automatic presentation of a push notification about a computer implemented multiplayer online game on an electronic user device of a player of the game, presentation of the push notification being performed on the user device outside of a game application that is installed on the user device and that is executable to load a game instance of the game in a game user interface on the user device, the push notification comprising;

contextual information indicating occurrence of an in-game event; and

one or more action elements for respective user-initiated actions related to the in-game event, each action element being a user-selectable user interface element displayed as part of the push notification;

receiving user input indicating user-selection of a particular one of the one or more action elements; and

in an automated operation performed responsive to the user input indicating user-selection of the selected action element and performed using circuitry configured to perform the automated operation, causing performance of an in-game action corresponding to the selected action element without executing or switching to the game application on the user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the push notification comprises two or more action elements representing corresponding alternative options, so that no more than one of the one or more action elements can be selected responsive to presentation of the push notification on the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device is a mobile electronic device, the presentation of the push notification comprising on-screen display of the push notification via a push notification functionality commonly employed by multiple different applications on the mobile electronic device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the presentation of the push notification comprises display of the push notification on a lockscreen of the mobile electronic device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more action elements present one or more social action elements for performing a corresponding social interaction between the player and another player of the game.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more social action elements includes a comment element with respect to the in-game event indicated by the contextual information, the in-game action performed responsive to selection of the comment element comprising posting a user-provided comment to the game in association with the in-game event indicated by the contextual information of the push notification.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, responsive to user-selection of the comment element and before the posting of the comment:

presenting a comment input interface on the user device in association with the push notification and outside of the game application; and

receiving via the comment input interface user input indicating content of the comment to be posted in association with the indicated game event.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more social action elements includes a like element with respect to the in-game event indicated by the contextual information, the in-game action performed responsive to selection of the like element comprising posting a like notification from the user to the game in association with the in-game event indicated by the contextual information of the push notification.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein the one or more action elements comprise one or more social assistance elements for performing an in-game action in assistance to a particular player associated with the push notification and indicated by the contextual information;

and

wherein the in-game action performed responsive to selection of a particular one of the one or more social assistance elements comprises performing the in-game action in assistance to the particular player.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more social assistance elements include a resource provision element for transferring in-game resources to the particular player associated with the push notification, the in-game action performed responsive to selection of the resource provision element comprising deducting a specified quantum of a specified resource from a game state of the player, and adding the specified quantum of the specified resource to a game state of the particular player associated with the push notification.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more action elements include a vote element that is selectable to register a vote for the player with respect to a collective issue indicated by the contextual information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the collective issue indicated by the push notification and votable on by selection of the corresponding vote element comprises a proposed collective activity for a guild or alliance of players of which the player associated with the user device forms part.

13. A system comprising:

a notification engine configured to cause automatic presentation of a push notification about a computer implemented multiplayer online game on an electronic user device of a player of the game, presentation of the push notification being performed on the user device outside of a game application that is installed on the user device and that is executable to load a game instance of the game in a game user interface on the user device, the push notification comprising;

contextual information indicating occurrence of an in-game event; and

one or more action elements for respective user-initiated actions responsive to the in-game event, each action element being a user-selectable user interface element displayed as part of the push notification;

an input interpreter configured to receive user input indicating user-selection of a particular one of the one or more action elements; and

a background action mechanism configured to cause performance of an in-game action corresponding to the selected action element without executing or switching to the game application on the user device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user device is a mobile electronic device, the presentation of the push notification comprising on-screen display of the push notification via a push notification functionality commonly employed by multiple different applications on the mobile electronic device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the presentation of the push notification comprises display of the push notification on a lockscreen of the mobile electronic device.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more action elements comprise a gameplay element selectable to trigger a corresponding in-game action in the form of a gameplay action performed with respect to a particular game instance associated with the player of the user device, without launching the game application or a separate game interface on the user device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the gameplay action comprises modification of a state or condition of a particular in-game object located in a virtual world of the particular game instance.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein modification of the state or condition of the particular in-game object comprises activating or deactivating an in-game functionality of the particular in-game object.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the gameplay action comprises reactivating a countdown timer controlling periodic expiry of a corresponding gameplay functionality.

20. A machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions for causing a machine, when executing the instructions, to perform operations comprising:

causing automatic presentation of a push notification about a computer implemented multiplayer online game on an electronic user device of a player of the game, presentation of the push notification being performed on the user device outside of a game application that is installed on the user device and that is executable to load a game instance of the game in a game user interface on the user device, the push notification comprising;

contextual information indicating occurrence of an in-game event; and

one or more action elements for respective user-initiated actions related to the in-game event, each action element being a user-selectable user interface element displayed as part of the push notification;

receiving user input indicating user-selection of a particular one of the one or more action elements; and

responsive to the user input indicating user-selection of the selected action element, causing performance of an in-game action corresponding to the selected action element without executing or switching to the game application on the user device.