Optimization of gaming application execution using proxy connection

• US 8,762,491 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2014
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Razer (Asia-Pacific) Pte. Ltd. (Razer Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Nextbit Systems, Inc. (Razer Incorporated)
• Inventors: Chan, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): YI, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/167,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20140148255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 146 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/235
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers

Abstract

Technology is disclosed herein for executing multiple gaming applications on a computing device. According to at least one embodiment, a computing device receives requests for network connections with remote servers from multiple gaming applications running on the computing device. The computing device further establishes a network connection with a proxy server. The proxy server initiates and maintains proxy network connections with the remote servers. The proxy server batches network messages received from the remote servers, where the network messages includes gaming content. The proxy server aggregates network messages received in a time period into a single batch, where a time length of the time period is determined based on one or more game events of the games being played on the computing device. Further, the proxy server batches network messages such that the computing device stays at a high power consumption state for a shorter time period than an overall time period required without batching.

Claims

1. A method for executing multiple gaming applications on a computing device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the computing device, requests for network connections with remote servers from the multiple gaming applications running on the computing device, the network connections being requested for accessing gaming content available through the remote servers, wherein the gaming content is utilized by at least one of the multiple gaming applications to enable a user of the computing device to play a game on the computing device;

establishing, by the computing device, a network connection with a proxy server separate from the remote servers, wherein the proxy server is configured to maintain proxy network connections with the remote servers; and

receiving, at the computing device, network messages in a batch for the multiple gaming applications through the network connection with the proxy server, wherein the network messages are generated by the remote servers, wherein a given network message includes a given gaming content that is being utilized by a given gaming application to enable the user of the computing device to play a given game on the computing device,

wherein the proxy server aggregates network messages received in a time period into a single batch, a time length of the time period being determined based on one or more game events of each game being played using a corresponding gaming application from the multiple gaming applications, a given game event representing a point of play within the given game which requires the given gaming content included within the given network message, wherein the determined time interval is set to reduce any delay in the execution of the given gaming application that requires the given network message,

wherein the given game event includes a starting of the given game by the user, a entering of a new stage in the given game by the user, a entering of a new place in the given game by the user, a completing of a mission in the given game by the user, an obtaining of a game item in the given game by the user, a meeting of another character in the given game by the user, a talking with another character in the given game by the user, an occurrence of a scene change in the given game, any predefined game-related events, any predefined game-related milestones, or a suspension of the given game at a point of play intended to avoid disrupting an experience for the user,

wherein the proxy server batches the network messages such that the computing device stays at a high power consumption state for a second time period shorter than an overall time period for which the computing device would stay at the high power consumption if the network messages were sent individually without batching,

wherein the network messages are aggregated in the batch by delaying at least one network message of the network messages such that the computing device remains at the high power consumption state to receive the network messages for as little time as possible.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy server delays at least one network message of the network messages in the batch such that the proxy server sends the network messages to the computing device in the batch.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the requests for networking connections include requests for establishing network socket connections between the computing device and the remote servers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network connection with the proxy server is configured to receive messages for the multiple computer applications from the remote servers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy server serves as a proxy between the computer applications running on the computing device and remote servers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network connection with the proxy server is a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) socket connection between the computing device and the proxy server, and the proxy network connections are Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) socket connections between the proxy server and the remote servers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer applications receive the network messages from the proxy server as if the network messages are received directly from the remote servers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy server is a cloud-based proxy server.

9. A computing device comprising:

a networking component capable of switching between states including a high power consumption state and a low power conservation state;

a battery configured to provide power to the networking component;

a processor configured to run computer applications and an operating system of the computing device; and

a memory component storing instructions of the operating system which, when executed by the processor, cause the operating system to perform a process including;

receiving, from multiple gaming applications running on the computing device, requests for network connections with remote servers, the network connections being requested for accessing gaming content available through the remote servers, wherein the gaming content is utilized by at least one of the multiple gaming applications to enable a user of the computing device to play a game on the computing device;

establishing a network connection with a proxy server separate from the remote servers, wherein the proxy server is configured to maintain proxy network connections with the remote servers; and

receiving network messages in a batch for the multiple gaming applications through the network connection with the proxy server, wherein the network messages are generated by the remote servers, wherein a given network message includes a given gaming content that is being utilized by a given gaming application to enable the user of the computing device to play a given game on the computing device,

wherein the proxy server aggregates network messages received in a time period into a single batch, a time length of the time period being determined based on one or more game events of each game being played using a corresponding gaming application from the multiple gaming applications, a given game event representing a point of play within the given game which requires the given gaming content included within the given network message, wherein the determined time interval is set to reduce any delay in the execution of the given gaming application that requires the given network message,

wherein the given game event includes a starting of the given game by the user, a entering of a new stage in the given game by the user, a entering of a new place in the given game by the user, a completing of a mission in the given game by the user, an obtaining of a game item in the given game by the user, a meeting of another character in the given game by the user, a talking with another character in the given game by the user, an occurrence of a scene change in the given game, any predefined game-related events, any predefined game-related milestones, or a suspension of the given game at a point of play intended to avoid disrupting an experience for the user,

wherein the proxy server batches the network messages such that the computing device stays at a high power consumption state for a second time period shorter than an overall time period for which the computing device would stay at the high power consumption if the network messages were sent individually without batching,

wherein the network messages are aggregated in the batch by delaying at least one network message of the network messages such that the network component of the computing device remains at the high power consumption state to receive the network messages for as little time as possible.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the process further includes:

switching the network component to the high power consumption state when the computing device receives the network messages from the proxy server.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the network messages are aggregated in the batch such that the computing device consumes as little power as possible to receive the network messages.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the operating system of the computing device includes a socket redirection module configured to redirect the requests from the computer applications for network connections with the remote server to the proxy server.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the socket redirection module is responsible for network communications with the proxy server, and the computer applications running on the computing device are not aware of the existence of the proxy server.

14. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the computer applications are performing and receiving network messages as if the computing device were maintaining network connections directly with the remote servers.

15. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the network messages include push notifications generated by the remote servers.

16. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the operating system of the computing device includes a message modification module configured to modify the network messages received from the proxy server before the network messages are fed to the computer applications, to network messages as if they were directly sent from the remote servers.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the message modification module changes source socket addresses of the network messages from a socket address of the proxy server to socket addresses of the remote servers.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions for executing multiple gaming applications on a computing device, comprising:

instructions for receiving requests for network connections with remote servers from the multiple gaming applications executing on the computing device, the network connections being requested for accessing gaming content available through the remote servers, wherein the gaming content is utilized by at least one of the multiple gaming applications to enable a user of the computing device to play a game on the computing device;

instructions for establishing a network connection with a proxy server separate from the remote servers, wherein the proxy server is configured to maintain proxy network connections with the remote servers; and

instructions for receiving network messages in a batch for the multiple gaming applications through the network connection with the proxy server, wherein the network messages are generated by the remote servers, wherein a given network message includes a given gaming content that is being utilized by a given gaming application to enable the user of the computing device to play a given game on the computing device,

wherein the proxy server aggregates network messages received in a time period into a single batch, a time length of the time period being determined based on one or more game events of each game being played using a corresponding gaming application from the multiple gaming applications, a given game event representing a point of play within the given game which requires the given gaming content included within the given network message, wherein the determined time interval is set to reduce any delay in the execution of the given gaming application that requires the given network message,

wherein the given game event includes a starting of the given game by the user, a entering of a new stage in the given game by the user, a entering of a new place in the given game by the user, a completing of a mission in the given game by the user, an obtaining of a game item in the given game by the user, a meeting of another character in the given game by the user, a talking with another character in the given game by the user, an occurrence of a scene change in the given game, any predefined game-related events, any predefined game-related milestones, or a suspension of the given game at a point of play intended to avoid disrupting an experience for the user,

wherein the proxy server batches the network messages such that the computing device stays at a high power consumption state for a second time period shorter than an overall time period for which the computing device would stay at the high power consumption if the network messages were sent individually without batching,

wherein the network messages are aggregated in the batch by delaying at least one network message of the network messages such that the computing device remains at the high power consumption state to receive the network messages for as little time as possible.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the proxy server delays at least one network message of the network messages in the batch such that the proxy server sends the network messages to the computing device in the batch.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the requests for networking connections include requests for establishing network socket connections between the computing device and the remote servers.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the network connection with the proxy server is configured to receive messages for the multiple computer applications from the remote servers.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the proxy server serves as a proxy between the computer applications running on the computing device and remote servers.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the network connection with the proxy server is a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) socket connection between the computing device and the proxy server, and the proxy network connections are Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) socket connections between the proxy server and the remote servers.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the computer applications receive the network messages from the proxy server as if the network messages are received directly from the remote servers.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the proxy server is a cloud-based proxy server.