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Online game advertising system

  • US 7,729,946 B2
  • Filed: 01/24/2003
  • Issued: 06/01/2010
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2003
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method at a remote server, for managing at least one dynamically managed area within a game program executing on a user computer, the game program providing a multi-level game, each level having a genre or theme, wherein the remote server and the user computer are connected via a network connection, the method comprising:

  • identifying a dynamically managed area within the game program to be dynamically updated from the remote server;

    receiving from the game program, an indication of the genre or theme associated with a current game level of the multi-level game, wherein the game level is associated with at least one identified dynamically managed area in which an advertisement can be presented;

    applying one or more display rules to select an advertisement to be presented, during execution of the game program, within the at least one dynamically managed area, wherein the selection is based, at least in part, on the received indication of the genre or theme associated with the current game level within the multi-level game, the selected advertisement advertising an add-on component for the game program that can be purchased by a game character, the add-on component providing game equipment for use by a character of the game program;

    sending a message to the game program via the network connection, wherein the message includes information allowing the game program to dynamically implement the presentation of the selected advertisement within the at least one dynamically managed area, and wherein different advertisements are selected depending on the genre or theme associated with the current level of the multi-level game so that a presented advertisement is specific to the genre or theme associated with the current level of the multi-level game;

    receiving from the game program an indication that the game character has indicated to purchase the add-on component advertised in the selected advertisement;

    upon receiving the indication of the purchase, crediting a supplier of the add-on component and debiting a registered user of the game program for the purchase price of the add-on component;

    uploading the add-on component to the game program, wherein the game program is configured to accept and install the add-on component and the character of the game uses the game equipment provided by the add-on component during the game;

    uploading programming to an application programming interface (API) of the game program, wherein the API is configured to add the uploaded programming into the program, and the uploaded programming is configured to update the managed area;

    defining a virtual marketplace from which an advertisement may link to at least one of trade, collect, buy, and sell items through any of online advertisements and virtual marketplaces that have been dynamically updated into the game program;

    facilitating the fulfillment of purchase transactions incurred by a game player from selection of an advertisement of the managed area, and bill the game player'"'"'s purchases via interaction with a third party billing system to charge the game player and credit a selling party;

    further comprising at least one of defining, selling, distributing, and managing advertisement campaigns comprising any of advertisement sponsorships, certificates, placements, promotions, audio, text, graphics, video, and objects that are compatible with the game program;

    facilitating the dynamic resizing, sampling, and/or editing of an image file, an audio file, a video file, and/or a text file that represents an add-on component to be displayed within the dynamically managed area through interaction with a media server;

    supporting a synchronous model for on demand downloading of advertisements by the program; and

    supporting an asynchronous broadcast model for uploading advertisements to multiple subscribing programs including the game program.

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