Enhanced online game mechanisms

• US 6,676,521 B1
• Filed: 08/18/2000
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LSF Network
• Original Assignee: Cariocas
• Inventors: Tennenholtz, Moshe, Shoham, Yoav, La Mura, Pierfrancesco
• Primary Examiner(s): HOTALING, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US09/642,196
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/9, 463/20, 463/42, 463/25, 463/29, 705/1, 705/14, 705/15
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• 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 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/847 Cooperative playing, e.g. requiring coordinated actions from several players to achieve a common goal
• 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 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• 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 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game

Abstract

A method of providing interactive online communication through a network comprising creating a population from a plurality of network participants in which the said participants are operatively coupled to participate in a game, then selecting a sub-population from the population based upon some pre-selected criteria, inviting the population to said game and receiving a confirmation from said sub-population.

Claims

1. A method for providing an enhanced online community game system to a population of network participants, said method comprising:

aggregating a plurality of participants into “

K”

teams to participate in an online game, said game providing “

K”

player support;

providing a communication mechanism to said participants; and

providing a voting mechanism to perform a single act for each of said “

K”

teams, wherein said game is a team trivia game, said team trivia game comprises;

transmitting a trivia question to each participant in one of said teams,

receiving a trivia response from each said participant,

determining whether said trivia response is correct,

if said trivia response is correct, providing an award to at least one of said participant who provides the first correct response to said trivia question and said participant'"'"'s team;

ending said team trivia game upon the occurrence of a termination event wherein said team trivia game comprises;

if said trivia response is incorrect, determining if a pre-determined number of incorrect responses have been exceeded,

if said pre-determined number of incorrect responses has not been exceeded, penalizing each participant of said team,

if said pre-determined number of incorrect responses has been exceeded, ending said trivia game without providing an award to said team.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said termination event is internal to said team trivia game.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said termination event is external to said team trivia game.

4. A method for providing an enhanced online community game system to a population of network participants, said method comprising:

aggregating a plurality of participants into “

K”

teams to participate in an online game, said game providing “

K”

player support;

providing a communication mechanism to said participants;

providing a voting mechanism to perform a single act for each of said “

K”

teams wherein said game is a visual puzzle game, said visual puzzle game comprises;

transmitting a piece of a visual puzzle to each participant, in one of said teams,

receiving a visual puzzle response from each said participant,

determining whether said visual puzzle response is correct,

if said visual puzzle response is correct, providing an award to at least one of said participant who provides the first correct response to said visual puzzle and said participant'"'"'s team;

if said visual puzzle response is incorrect, determining if a pre-determined number of incorrect responses have been exceeded,

if said pre-determined number of incorrect responses has not been exceeded, penalizing each participant of said team, and

if said pre-determined number of incorrect responses has been exceeded, ending said visual puzzle game without providing an award to said team.