Interactive gaming server and online community forum

• US 6,352,479 B1
• Filed: 08/31/1999
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA US Investment Company (NVIDIA Corporation)
• Inventors: Sparks, John Judson II
• Primary Examiner(s): ONEILL, MICHAEL W
• Application Number:
  US09/387,596
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 463/40, 463/41, 463/42, 463/23, 463/29, 700/91, 709/228, 709/227, 709/223, 709/204
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• 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 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/208 for storing personal settings or data of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players

Abstract

A multiplayer game system is implemented over the WWW using a plurality of game servers dynamically linked to and controlled by a WWW server. The WWW server dynamically links game players who log on to a web site hosted by the WWW server as a function of game playing statistics for each game player which are stored in the WWW server. The game servers generate the game player statistics for each player during and/or after game play and upload the game player statistics to the WWW server. The WWW server matches game players to appropriate games currently being played on the game servers based on the skill level required by the game and the corresponding skill levels of other current players of that game as represented by the game player statistics stored by the WWW server and dynamically generates links for the game player to the appropriate games. The user can then select which game to play by choosing one of the dynamically generated links.

Claims

1. A multiplayer game system played over the Internet comprising:

a plurality of game servers, each game server running a different video game;

a network server linked to the game servers and connected to the Internet, and

one or more game players connected to the Internet;

wherein the network server is periodically supplied and stores individual play statistics for a plurality of individual game players by sending requests for the statistics to the game servers at periodic intervals, the play statistics representing a skill level of each game player, and information regarding the level of skill required to play each video game running on the game servers;

wherein the statistics are capable of being outputted in the form of a report;

wherein the network server matches a game player to one or more video games as a function of the game player'"'"'s individual statistics and dynamically generates links between the game player and the one or more video games matched by the network server to the game player, each link providing a means for connecting the game player to a game server running a video game matched to the game player;

wherein the Internet includes the world wide web (WWW), the network server is a WWW server, and the WWW server uses a graphical user interface (GUI) to interface with the user via terminals via the WWW;

wherein the GUI displays the video games to which the WWW server is capable of linking, and allows the user to select one of the video games to be linked;

wherein the GUI displays a number of game players currently playing each of the displayed video games;

wherein the GUI displays a profile of the game player, the profile including the game player'"'"'s game name, the game player'"'"'s real name, an arch-nemesis player'"'"'s name, preferred weapons of the game player, a type of I/O device of the game player, number of games played by the game player, honors of the game player, hardware information associated with a computer of the game player;

wherein the network server matches the game player to the one or more video games as a function of both the game player'"'"'s individual statistics and the individual statistics of other players currently playing each of the one or more video games;

wherein the network server additionally matches the game player to the one or more video games as a function of a required skill level for each video game;

wherein the network server additionally matches the game player to the one or more video games as a function of the game player'"'"'s expressed game preferences;

wherein the network server matches the game player to the one or more video games by;

(a) loading the game player'"'"'s individual statistics and the game player'"'"'s expressed game preferences,

(b) determining a skill level of the game player by comparing the game player'"'"'s relative successes during previous attempts at playing each game,

(c) setting a counter flag to one (1), the counter flag representing a designation of a current game server,

(d) determining a name of a game associated with the current game server, and a minimum skill level required for playing the game on the current game server,

(e) identifying the skill level and preferences of other players currently playing the game on the current game server,

(f) adding the game to a list on the GUI if the skill level of the game player is greater than the minimum skill level for the game, if attributes of the game comply with the game player'"'"'s expressed game preferences, if the skill level of the game player is greater than an average of the skill levels of the other players currently playing the game on the current game server, and if the game player'"'"'s expressed game preferences comply with the preferences of the other players currently playing the game on the current game server,

(g) determining whether another game server can be checked, and

(h) incrementing the counter flag by one and repeating (d)-(h) if it is determined that another game server can be checked;

wherein the game servers are connected to the Internet and have individual Internet addresses and the dynamically generated links are links to the Internet addresses of the game servers;

wherein the network server limits which levels of play within a game a user may enter depending upon the game player'"'"'s individual statistics as supplied by the game server;

wherein the network server determines game characteristics attributable to each game player including weapons available for use by the game player in playing games based on the user'"'"'s game player statistics;

wherein the user can input preferences through the GUI with respect to aspects of the game to be played, and the input preferences and the game player'"'"'s individual statistics are correlated after which the WWW server links a user to a particular game server as a function of both the input preferences and the user'"'"'s game player statistics;

wherein the preferences a level of skill of other game players simultaneously playing a game as reflected by their game player statistics;

wherein the users interfacing with the network server input an election as to a preferred game to be played and the network server controls the game server to load a game elected by the majority of users;

wherein the network server and the game server are physically proximate to each other and directly connected together;

wherein the network server and the game server are geographically remote from each other and the network server interfaces with the game server via the network.