Personalizing access of game web site based on user configuration

• US 7,546,534 B1
• Filed: 08/26/2002
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Andrews, David, Heutchy, Eric D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh; Ba
• Assistant Examiner(s): BECKER, SHASHI KAMALA
• Application Number:
  US10/228,879
• Time in Patent Office: 2,479 Days
• Field of Search: 715/747, 715/742, 715/744, 715/745, 705/10, 717/11, 717168-170, 717/174, 717/178, 345/747, 463/1
• US Class Current: 715/747
• 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 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/209 characterized by low level software layer, relating to hardware management, e.g. Operating System, Application Programming Interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device

Abstract

A personalized web page displays a subset of multiplayer games available on a game web site, corresponding to game software programs that are installed on a user'"'"'s computer. When the user connects to the web site, an extended markup language (XML) data file, a web page that is not yet personalized, and a control file are downloaded. An executable instance of an ActiveX™ control program instantiated by JScript included in the web page queries the operating system registry to produce an XML text string listing each software program of a specific type that are installed. The results are then compared to the XML data downloaded from the web site, returning the subset of the games that are available on the web site and also installed on the computer. The web page is then transformed to display the subset, producing the personalized web page.

Claims

1. A method for personalizing a gaming web page displayed to a user on the user'"'"'s client computing device when accessing an online game service at which a plurality of interactive games are available from which the user may select to play on the user'"'"'s client computing device, such that the personalized web page lists only interactive games for which the user has compatible software installed on the client computing device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) from the online game service, downloading to the client computing device of the user accessing the gaming web site;

(i) an unpersonalized gaming web page for the online game service;

(ii) data listing the plurality of interactive games supported by the gaming web site and included for listing on the unpersonalized gaming web page, wherein each of the plurality of interactive games requires a specific software program installed on the client computer device of the user; and

(iii) instructions specifying how the data listing the plurality of interactive games will be used to modify the unpersonalized gaming web page to create a personalized gaming web page, wherein the instructions are in a scripting language;

(b) at the client computing device, executing the instructions in the scripting language on the client computing device, wherein executing the instructions causes the client computing device of the user to;

(i) creating, at the client computing device, an instance of a control program stored by the online game service, the instance of the control program being an ActiveX control stored by the online game service;

(ii) execute the ActiveX control with the client computing device, which ActiveX control causes the client computing device to query a registry of an operating system running on the client computing device for direct play (DPlay) registry keys to identify each specific gaming software program installed on the client computing device that supports participation by the client computing device in any of the interactive games of the online game service, (iii) receive, from the control program, a markup language text string which includes all multiplayer games installed on the client computing device and having DPlay registry keys, which multiplayer games installed on the client computing device include multiplayer games supported by the gaming web page and one or more multiplayer games not supported by the gaming web page; and

(iv) compare each specific gaming software program installed on the client computing device with the listing of the plurality of interactive games included on the unpersonalized gaming web page and downloaded from the online gaming service and determine a subset of interactive games that includes only interactive games included on the unpersonalized gaming web page which are also installed on the client computing device of the user, wherein comparing including executing the instructions in the scripting language and, in turn, executing additional instructions that are XSL instructions and match entries in the markup language text string with interactive games supported by the gaming web sit as provided in the data listing the plurality of interactive games downloaded to the client computing device;

(c) at the client computing device of the user, executing the instructions of the scripting language and thereby modifying the unpersonalized gaming web page to create a personalized gaming web page that includes a listing of only the subset of interactive games which are included in the unpersonalized gaming web page and already installed on the client computing device of the user, and which are supported by the online gaming service; and

(d) displaying the personalized gaming web page for the online gaming service on the client computing device of the user, thereby enabling the user to only view the subset of interactive games which are already installed on the client computing device and to select an interactive game in which to participate using the client computing device, from among the subset of interactive games included on the personalized gaming web page.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the control program matches the entries in the data to the markup language text string identifying each such gaming software program, producing the subset of interactive games in a markup language format for use in displaying the personalized gaming web page on the client computing device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the data are in a markup language format, further comprising the step of forming a union of the data and the markup language text string, to produce the subset of the interactive options.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of interactive games comprise a plurality of different multiplayer games.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of enabling the user to manually add other interactive games to the personalized gaming web page that are not included within the data received from the web site.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the scripting language is JavaScript, the markup language text string is an XML text string.

7. A client system for providing a personalized gaming web page for display to a user who has connected to a server of an online gaming service over a network to access a gaming web site at which a plurality of interactive games are available from which the user may select to play on the client system, comprising:

(a) a display;

(b) a memory usable to store registry information, an unpersonalized gaming web page, a script for initializing an executable instance of a control program, data, instructions for modifying the unpersonalized gaming web page to create a personalized gaming web page, an operating system for running on the client system, and a registry of the operating system;

(c) a network interface; and

(d) a processor that is coupled to the display, to the network interface, and to the memory, said processor being coupled in communication with the server over the network using the network interface and downloading the data, the control program, and the instructions from the gaming web site, said data providing a listing of the plurality of interactive games available at the gaming web site and which require a specific gaming software program to be stored in a memory of the client computing device, said instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the processor of the client system to;

(i) create, at the client computing device, an instance of a control program stored by the online game service, the instance of the control program being an ActiveX control stored by the online game service;

(ii) execute the ActiveX control with the client computing device, which ActiveX control causes the client computing device to query a registry of an operating system running on the client computing device for direct play (DPlay) registry keys to identify each specific gaming software program installed on the client computing device that supports participation by the client computing device in any of the interactive games of the online game service, (iii) receive, from the control program, a markup language text string which includes all multiplayer games installed on the client computing device and having DPlay registry keys, which multiplayer games installed on the client computing device include multiplayer games supported by the gaming web page and one or more multiplayer games not supported by the gaming web page; and

(iv) compare each specific gaming software program installed on the client computing device with the listing of the plurality of interactive games included on the unpersonalized gaming web page and downloaded from the online gaming service and determine a subset of interactive games that includes only interactive games included on the unpersonalized gaming web page which are also installed on the client computing device of the user, wherein comparing includes executing the instructions in the scripting language and, in turn, executing additional instructions that are XSL instructions and match entries in the markup language text string with interactive games supported by the gaming web sit as provided in the data listing the plurality of interactive games downloaded to the client computing device;

(c) at the client computing device of the user, executing the instructions of the scripting language and thereby modifying the unpersonalized gaming web page to create a personalized gaming web page that includes a listing of only the subset of interactive games which are included in the unpersonalized gaming web page and already installed on the client computing device of the user, and which are supported by the online gaming service; and

(d) displaying the personalized gaming web page for the online gaming service on the client computing device of the user, thereby enabling the user to only view the subset of interactive games which are already installed on the client computing device and to select an interactive game in which to participate using the client computing device, from among the subset of interactive games included on the personalized gaming web page.

8. The client of claim 7, wherein the instructions specifying how the data listing the plurality of interactive games will be used to modify the unpersonalized gaming web page to create a personalized gaming web page further enable other interactive games to be added to the personalized web page that are not included within the data received from the gaming web site.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a client computing system connectable to an online game service to:

(a) from the online game service, downloading to the client computing device of the user accessing the gaming web site;

(i) an unpersonalized gaming web page for the online game service;

(ii) data listing the plurality of interactive games supported by the gaming web site and included for listing on the unpersonalized gaming web page, wherein each of the plurality of interactive games requires a specific software program installed on the client computer device of the user; and

(iii) instructions specifying how the data listing the plurality of interactive games will be used to modify the unpersonalized gaming web page to create a personalized gaming web page, wherein the instructions are in a scripting language;

(b) at the client computing device, executing the instructions in the scripting language on the client computing device, wherein executing the instructions causes the client computing device of the user to;

(i) creating, at the client computing device, an instance of a control program stored by the online game service, the instance of the control program being an ActiveX control stored by the online game service;

(ii) execute the ActiveX control with the client computing device, which ActiveX control causes the client computing device to query a registry of an operating system running on the client computing device for direct play (DPlay) registry keys to identify each specific gaming software program installed on the client computing device that supports participation by the client computing device in any of the interactive games of the online game service, (iii) receive, from the control program, a markup language text string which includes all multiplayer games installed on the client computing device and having DPlay registry keys, which multiplayer games installed on the client computing device include multiplayer games supported by the gaming web page and one or more multiplayer games not supported by the gaming web page; and

(iv) compare each specific gaming software program installed on the client computing device with the listing of the plurality of interactive games included on the unpersonalized gaming web page and downloaded from the online gaming service and determine a subset of interactive games that includes only interactive games included on the unpersonalized gaming web page which are also installed on the client computing device of the user, wherein comparing includes executing the instructions in the scripting language and, in turn, executing additional instructions that are XSL instructions and match entries in the markup language text string with interactive games supported by the gaming web sit as provided in the data listing the plurality of interactive games downloaded to the client computing device;

(c) at the client computing device of the user, executing the instructions of the scripting language and thereby modifying the unpersonalized gaming web page to create a personalized gaming web page that includes a listing of only the subset of interactive games which are included in the unpersonalized gaming web page and already installed on the client computing device of the user, and which are supported by the online gaming service; and

(d) displaying the personalized gaming web page for the online gaming service on the client computing device of the user, thereby enabling the user to only view the subset of interactive games which are already installed on the client computing device and to select an interactive game in which to participate using the client computing device, from among the subset of interactive games included on the personalized gaming web page.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions specifying how the data listing the plurality of interactive games will be used to modify the unpersonalized gaming web page to create a personalized gaming web page further enable a user to manually add other interactive games to the personalized gaming web page that are not indicated by entries in the data.