IN-GAME LOCATION BASED GAME PLAY COMPANION APPLICATION

• US 20170354892A1
• Filed: 03/30/2017
• Published: 12/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Benedetto, Warren, Noss, Landon, Sherwani, Adil, Kusumoto, Akihiko
• Granted Patent: US 11,045,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/50 Controlling the output signals based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/58 by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video

Abstract

A method for gaming. The method including receiving location based information of game play of a user playing a gaming application as displayed on a first computing device, wherein the location based information is made with reference to a location of a character in the game play of the user in a gaming world associated with the gaming application. The method including aggregating location based information of a plurality of game plays of a plurality of users playing the gaming application. The method including generating contextually relevant information for the location of the character based on the location based information of the plurality of game plays. The method including generating a companion interface including the contextually relevant information. The method including sending the companion interface to a second computing device associated with the user for display concurrent with the game play of the user.

Claims

1. A method of gaming, comprising:

receiving location based information of game play of a user playing a gaming application as displayed on a first computing device, wherein the location based information is made with reference to a location of a character in the game play of the user in a gaming world associated with the gaming application;

aggregating location based information of a plurality of game plays of a plurality of users playing the gaming application;

generating contextually relevant information for the location of the character based on the location based information of the plurality of game plays;

generating a companion interface including the contextually relevant information; and

sending the companion interface to a second computing device associated with the user for display concurrent with the game play of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming application is executing locally on the first computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

instantiating an instance of the gaming application in association with the game play of the user; and

delivering data representative of the game play of the user to the first computing device over a first communication channel for interaction by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating contextually relevant information comprises:

determining a task to be completed within the game play of the user; and

determining one or more solutions to completing the task, wherein the contextually relevant information provides assistance in completing the task based on the one or more solutions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining one or more solutions comprises:

determining a sequence of steps necessary to accomplish the task;

delivering in companion interface a first step in the sequence;

determining completion of the first step within the game play of the user; and

delivering the next step in the sequence in the companion interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sequence of steps is determined based on one of the following as selected by the user:

one or more game plays of one or more users playing the gaming application;

game play of a friend of the user playing the gaming application; and

game play of an expert playing the gaming application.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining an asset needed by the character to accomplish the task; and

delivering a message in the companion interface offering the asset to the character.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a first snapshot during game play of the user, wherein the first snapshot includes game state of gaming application and the location based information of the game play of the user, wherein the first snapshot enables execution of an instance of the gaming application beginning from a point in the gaming application corresponding to the first snapshot;

outputting the first snapshot; and

collecting the first snapshot that is output.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the location based information comprises:

current assets of the character;

current skill set of the character;

history of task accomplishments within the gaming application;

current geographic location of the character in the gaming world;

progress through the gaming application in the game play of the user; and

current status of the game play.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for help from the user;

sending a beacon associated with the request for help across one or more companion interfaces of one or more friends of the user that are playing the gaming application, wherein beacons are inserted into the one or more radar mappings showing the gaming world in the one or more user interfaces, each beacon located at a point corresponding to the location of the character of the user in the gaming world;

receiving an acceptance of the request by a first friend;

streaming the data representative of the game play of the user to a third computing device associated with the friend; and

establishing a communication session conducted through companion interfaces of the user and the first friend.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating contextually relevant information comprises:

detecting a predefined event within the game play of the user;

accessing a previously generated message from a friend of the user; and

delivering the message within the contextually relevant information.

12. A method of gaming, comprising:

instantiating a first instance of a gaming application in association with game play of a user;

delivering data representative of the game play of the user to a first computing device over a first communication channel for interaction by the user;

determining location based information for a character in the game play of the user, wherein the location information is made with reference to a gaming world associated with the gaming application;

aggregating location based information of a plurality of game plays of a plurality of users playing the gaming application;

generating contextually relevant information for the location of the character based on the location based information of the plurality of game plays;

generating a companion interface including the contextually relevant information; and

sending the companion interface over a second communication channel to a second computing device associated with the user for display concurrent with the game play of the user.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining a task to be completed within the game play of the user;

including in the contextually relevant information an offer to complete the task;

receiving an acceptance of the offer;

instantiating a second instance of the gaming application in a first jump game play based on a first snapshot generated during execution of the first instance, wherein the first snapshot includes first game state of the first instance and the location based information, wherein the first jump game play begins from a point in the gaming application corresponding to the first snapshot;

generating a second snapshot during execution of the second instance of the gaming application and includes second game state of the second instance, wherein the second instance is controlled by an expert, and wherein the task is completed in the first jump game play;

instantiating a third instance of the gaming application in a second jump game play based on the second snapshot, wherein the third instance is controlled by the user, wherein the task is completed in the second jump game play

14. The method of claim 12, wherein determining location based information of game play of the user comprises:

generating a first snapshot during game play of the user, wherein the first snapshot includes game state of gaming application and the location based information of the game play of the user, wherein the first snapshot enables execution of an instance of the gaming application beginning from a point in the gaming application corresponding to the first snapshot;

outputting the first snapshot; and

collecting the first snapshot that is output.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program for gaming, the computer-readable medium comprising:

program instructions for receiving location based information of game play of a user playing a gaming application as displayed on a first computing device, wherein the location based information is made with reference to a location of a character in the game play of the user in a gaming world associated with the gaming application;

program instructions for aggregating location based information of a plurality of game plays of a plurality of users playing the gaming application;

program instructions for generating contextually relevant information for the location of the character based on the location based information of the plurality of game plays;

program instructions for generating a companion interface including the contextually relevant information; and

program instructions for sending the companion interface to a second computing device associated with the user for display concurrent with the game play of the user.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions for instantiating an instance of the gaming application in association with the game play of the user; and

program instructions for delivering data representative of the game play of the user to the first computing device over a first communication channel for interaction by the user.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein program instructions for generating contextually relevant information comprises:

program instructions for determining a task to be completed within the game play of the user; and

program instructions for determining one or more solutions to completing the task, wherein the contextually relevant information provides assistance in completing the task based on the one or more solutions.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

program instructions for determining an asset needed by the character to accomplish the task; and

program instructions for delivering a message in the companion interface offering the asset to the character.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the program instructions for determining one or more solutions comprises:

program instructions for determining a sequence of steps necessary to accomplish the task;

program instructions for delivering in companion interface a first step in the sequence;

program instructions for determining completion of the first step within the game play of the user; and

program instructions for delivering the next step in the sequence in the companion interface.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions for generating a first snapshot during game play of the user, wherein the first snapshot includes game state of gaming application and the location based information of the game play of the user, wherein the first snapshot enables execution of an instance of the gaming application beginning from a point in the gaming application corresponding to the first snapshot;

program instructions for outputting the first snapshot; and

program instructions for collecting the first snapshot that is output.