System and method to deliver video games

• US 8,678,928 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2005
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: McCarthy, Mary, Haeuser, Tony, Lee, Chris, Cox, Ross, Pettit, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): GALKA, LAWRENCE STEFAN
• Application Number:
  US11/263,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20070099694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,067 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/24
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a system and method to deliver video games. The method includes receiving a request for a game from a set-top box device. The method also includes determining whether at least one user identity is associated with the set-top box device. The method also includes retrieving previous game information associated with the at least one user identity. The method can also include providing the previous game information to the set-top box device and allowing at least one user to continue a previously executed game in response to a user selection at least partially based on the previous game information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a game server via an internet protocol television network, a request from a first set-top box device coupled to the internet protocol television network;

in response to receiving the request, accessing, by the game server, user account data associated with an internet protocol address of the first set-top box device, wherein the user account data is associated with a user account at a service provider of the internet protocol television network; and

when the user account is associated with a user identity created at the first set-top box device, wherein the user identity is associated with a user;

retrieving, by the game server, previous game information associated with the user identity, wherein the previous game information includes a plurality of continuation points of a game, wherein each of the plurality of continuation points is associated with a particular previous execution of the game, and wherein each of the plurality of continuation points is associated with the user identity and with a plurality of additional players;

providing, by the game server, the previous game information to the first set-top box device via the internet protocol television network;

receiving, by the game server, information from the first set-top box device indicating selection by the user at the first set-top box device of a particular continuation point of the plurality of continuation points;

in response to receiving the information, sending, by the game server, a prompt to a plurality of second set-top box devices, each second set-top box device associated with a particular additional player of the plurality of additional players, wherein the prompt includes a selectable option to continue the game with the user based on the particular continuation point; and

in response to receiving data indicating selection of the selectable option in the prompt at at least one of the plurality of second set-top box devices, enabling, by the game server, a first execution of the game between the user and one or more of the plurality of additional players, wherein the first execution is a continuation of the game at least partially based on the particular continuation point.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user account data includes a plurality of user identities, the plurality of user identities including the user identity, and wherein the method further comprises:

providing, by the game server, the plurality of user identities to the first set-top box device in response to accessing the user account data; and

receiving, by the game server, a user selection indicating the user identity.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, when the user account is not associated with the user identity created at the first set-top box device:

sending, by the game server, a second request to the first set-top box device to create a new user identity for the user to be associated with the user account;

receiving, by the game server, the new user identity from the first set-top box device; and

starting, by the game server, a new execution of the game and associating the new execution with the new user identity.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

in response to the user selection, retrieving second game information associated with a second user identity of the plurality of user identities,

wherein the user selection further indicates the second user identity,

wherein the previous game information associated with the user identity is retrieved by the game server in response to the user selection,

wherein the second game information includes a second plurality of continuation points of the game; and

providing, by the game server, the second game information to the first set-top box device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the game server, whether the first execution is over.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising, after determining that the first execution is over, determining, by the game server, whether a score of the first execution of the game is a high score of a plurality of scores of previous executions of the game, each of the plurality of scores associated with the user.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising storing, by the game server, the score with the user identity when the score is the high score.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising storing, by the game server, a continuation point associated with the first execution of the game, the continuation point associated with the user identity.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending, by the game server, data regarding the continuation point and the previous game information to a display device.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising, after determining that the first execution is over, causing, by the game server, a display device to display a second selectable option to store the score associated with the user identity.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is received from the first set-top box device via a client-facing tier switch associated with a client-facing tier of the internet protocol television network, wherein the client-facing tier switch receives the request via a private access network, and wherein the game server accesses the user account data from an application tier of the internet protocol television network via the client-facing tier switch.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the game server provides the previous game information to the first set-top box device by sending the previous game information to a terminal server of the client-facing tier, and wherein the terminal server provides the previous game information to the first set-top box device across the private access network via the client-facing tier switch.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, by a game server of an internet protocol television network, a request for a game from a first set-top box device associated with a user, wherein the first set-top box device is coupled to the internet protocol television network;

in response to receiving the request, accessing, by the game server, user account data associated with an internet protocol address of the first set-top box device, wherein the user account data is associated with a user account at a service provider of the internet protocol television network;

identifying, by the game server, a first user identity associated with the user account, wherein the first identity corresponds to the user;

receiving, by the game server, a selection to play the game in an online room with a plurality of additional players;

retrieving, by the game server, previous game information of a previous execution of the game associated with the first user identity and with additional user identities associated with the plurality of additional players;

providing, by the game server, the previous game information to the first set-top box device via the internet protocol television network;

receiving, by the game server, information from the first set-top box device indicating a selection of the previous game information at the first set-top box device;

in response to receiving the information, sending, by the game server, a prompt to a plurality of second set-top box devices, each second set-top box device associated with a particular additional player of the plurality of additional players, wherein the prompt includes a selectable option to continue the game with the user based on the previous game information; and

after sending the prompt to the plurality of second set-top box devices, selectively enabling a first execution of the game between the user and the plurality of additional players, wherein the first execution of the game is enabled in response to receiving data indicating selection of the selectable option in the prompt at each of the plurality of second set-top box devices, and wherein the first execution is a continuation of the game executed at least partially based on the previous game information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the previous game information comprises a first game performance indicator associated with the first user identity and a second game performance indicator associated with each of the plurality of additional players.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the previous game information is displayed at a plurality of display devices, each of the plurality of display devices coupled to one of the second set-top box devices.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining, by the game server, whether each of the plurality of additional players previously played the game in the online room.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the additional user identities are created at the plurality of second set-top box devices, each of the second set-top box device is associated with a particular second user account at the service provider of the internet protocol television network.

18. A method comprising:

sending a request via an internet protocol television network from a first set-top box device to a game server, wherein the request includes an internet protocol address of the first set-top box device, wherein the internet protocol address is used by the game server to access user account data that is associated with the first set-top box device, and wherein the user account data is associated with a user account at a service provider of the internet protocol television network; and

when the user account is associated with at least one user identity created at the first set-top box device, wherein the at least one user identity is associated with a user;

receiving previous game information of a previous execution of a game, wherein the previous game information is received from the game server via the internet protocol television network,

wherein the previous game information is associated with the at least one user identity and with a plurality of additional user identities, wherein the plurality of additional user identities is associated with a plurality of additional players, and wherein the previous game information includes a date of the previous execution of the game;

displaying a first option and the date of the previous execution at a display device, wherein the first option is selectable to invite a plurality of second set-top box devices to play the game, wherein each second set-top box device is associated with a particular additional player of the plurality of additional players; and

sending information indicating a selection of the first option by the user at the first set-top box device,

wherein the information indicating the selection causes the game server to send a prompt to the plurality of second set-top box devices,

wherein the prompt includes a selectable option to continue the game with the user based on the previous game information,

wherein the prompt includes the date of the previous execution,

wherein selection of the selectable option in the prompt at a second set-top box device of the plurality of second set-top box devices causes the game server to enable a first execution of the game between the user and a corresponding additional player of the plurality of additional players, and

wherein the first execution is a continuation of the game at least partially based on the previous game information.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving a copy of the game, wherein the previous game information comprises a previous continuation point, wherein the copy of the game comprises data to provide a continuation of the game based on the previous continuation point.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the previous game information comprises a game performance indicator for each of the plurality of additional players.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface configured to couple to an internet protocol television network;

a processor; and

a memory device accessible to the processor, the memory device including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request for a game from a first set-top box device via the internet protocol television network;

in response to receiving the request, accessing user account data associated with an internet protocol address of the first set-top box device, wherein the user account data is associated with a user account at a service provider of the internet protocol television network; and

when the user account is associated with at least one user identity created at the first set-top box device, wherein the at least one user identity is associated with a user;

retrieving previous game information of a previous execution of the game, the previous game information associated with the at least one user identity and with a plurality of additional user identities, wherein the plurality of additional user identities is associated with a plurality of additional players, and wherein the previous game information includes a date of the previous execution of the game;

receiving information from a first set-top box device, the information indicating a selection of the previous game information by the user at the first set-top box device;

in response to receiving the information, sending a prompt to a plurality of second set-top box devices, each second set-top box device associated with a particular additional player of the plurality of additional players, wherein the prompt includes a selectable option to continue the game with the user based on the previous game information; and

in response to receiving data indicating selection of the selectable option in the prompt at at least one second set-top box device of the plurality of second set-top box devices, enabling a first execution of the game between the user and a corresponding additional player of the plurality of additional players, wherein the first execution is a continuation of the game at least partially based on the previous game information.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise providing the game to the first set-top box device.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the previous game information is displayed at a display device coupled to the first set-top box device.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise providing the previous game information to the first set-top box device via the internet protocol television network.