Video game application state synchronization across multiple devices

• US 8,764,555 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2014
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• 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: Quan, Justin, Chan, Michael A., Moss, Tom, Fleming, Michael K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US14/158,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20140135105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 165 Days
• Field of Search: 463/24, 463/42, 463/16, 463/20, 709/205, 705/205
• US Class Current: 463/24
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/49 Saving the game status; Pausing or ending the game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/493 Resuming a game, e.g. after pausing, malfunction or power failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Techniques for a method for automatically synchronizing application state of a video game across multiple devices are disclosed herein. The method includes running an instance of the video game application at a first electronic device, detecting a presence of a second electronic device based on a proximity of the second electronic device to the first electronic device, identifying an installation of another instance of the video game application on the second electronic device, saving a current state of play of the instance of the video game application running on the first electronic device and transmitting the application state data to the second electronic device. The application state data of the video game application enables another instance of the video game application to resume the current state of play of the video game application at the second electronic device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

running an instance of a video game application at a first electronic device, wherein the first electronic device belongs to a group of electronic devices associated with a user;

detecting a presence of a second electronic device based on a proximity of the second electronic device to the first electronic device, the second electronic device belonging to the group of electronic devices;

identifying an installation of another instance of the video game application or another video game application similar to the video game application on the second electronic device;

saving a current state of play of the instance of the video game application running on the first electronic device, the saving of the current state of play being performed utilizing an in-game save feature included within the video game application, wherein the in-game save feature saves an application state data representing the current state of play of the instance of the video game application running on the first electronic device; and

transmitting the application state data to the second electronic device, wherein the application state data of the video game application enables another instance of the video game application to resume the current state of play of the video game application at the second electronic device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein detecting the presence of the second electronic device based on the proximity of the second electronic device to the first electronic device further includes:

identifying a local area network the first electronic device and the second electronic device are both connected to, the local area network requiring a minimum proximity between an access point of the network and a given electronic device to be able to connect to the local area network, the proximity of the second electronic device to the first electronic device being determined as a function of the minimum required proximity.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the local area network includes a WiFi network.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the installation of another instance of the video game application or another video game application similar to the video game application on the second electronic device further includes:

receiving a list of computer applications installed on the second electronic device, the received list of computer applications being provided by the second electronic device, the received list of computer applications being stored in a storage server via a network, the received list of computer applications including identifiers associated with one or more computer applications listed at the second electronic device; and

comparing an identifier associated the video game application with the corresponding identifiers of the one or more computer applications provided in the received list of computer applications to identify the installation of another instance of the video game application or another video game application similar to the video game application on the second electronic device, wherein another video game application similar to the video game application includes a different version of the video game application installed at the first electronic device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the application state data to the second electronic device further includes:

periodically saving the current state of play of the video game utilizing the in-game save feature of the video game application;

periodically transmitting the saved application state data from the first electronic device to a storage server, the transmitted application state data being stored in the storage server, the stored application state data being periodically refreshed when a periodical transmission of the application state data is received from the first electronic device; and

transmitting the stored application state data to the second electronic device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first electronic device is capable of transmitting the application state data to the storage server via a network.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the network includes the Internet, a WiFi network, or a cellular phone network.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the storage server belongs to a cloud storage service cluster.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a request to provide a list of computer applications installed at a first electronic device, the request being received after detection of the first electronic device'"'"'s proximity to a second electronic device, the first electronic device and the second electronic device belonging to a group of electronic devices associated with a user;

providing the requested list of computer applications, the requested list of computer applications including identifiers associated with one or more computer applications listed at the first electronic device, wherein an identifier associated an instance of a video game application running at the second electronic device is compared with the corresponding identifiers of the one or more computer applications provided in the received list of computer applications, the comparison being performed to identify an installation of another instance of the video game application or another video game application on the second electronic device corresponding to the video game application on the first electronic device;

receiving an application state data from the second electronic device, the application state data being associated with the instance of the video game application running at the second electronic device, the application state data representing a current state of play of the instance of the video game application running at the second electronic device at the connection of the second electronic device to the local area network;

wherein the application state data of the video game application enables another instance of the video game application at the first electronic device to resume running the video game application from the current state of play.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein detection of the first electronic device'"'"'s proximity to the second electronic device further includes:

identifying a local area network the first electronic device and the second electronic device are both connected to, the local area network requiring a minimum proximity between an access point of the network and a given electronic device to be able to connect to the local area network, the proximity of the first electronic device to the second electronic device being determined as a function of the minimum required proximity.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the local area network includes a WiFi network.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the application state data received from the second electronic device is periodically transmitted from the second electronic device to a storage server, the periodical transmission further including saving periodically the current state of play of the video game utilizing the in-game save feature of the video game application, the saved application state data being periodically transmitted from the second electronic device to the storage server, the stored application state data being periodically refreshed when a periodical transmission of the application state data is received from the second electronic device, the stored application state data being transmitted to the first electronic device.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the periodical transmission of the application state data includes transmitting a difference between the application state data of the video game application and previously transmitted application state data to the storage server.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the second electronic device is capable of transmitting the application state data to the storage server via a network.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the network includes the Internet, a WiFi network, or a cellular phone network.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the storage server belongs to a cloud storage service cluster.

17. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to perform a process including;

running an instance of a video game application at a first electronic device, wherein the first electronic device belongs to a group of electronic devices associated with a user;

detecting a presence of a second electronic device based on a proximity of the second electronic device to the first electronic device, the second electronic device belonging to the group of electronic devices;

identifying an installation of another instance of the video game application or another video game application similar to the video game application on the second electronic device;

saving a current state of play of the instance of the video game application running on the first electronic device, the saving of the current state of play being performed utilizing an in-game save feature included within the video game application, wherein the in-game save feature saves an application state data representing the current state of play of the instance of the video game application running on the first electronic device; and

a network component configured to transmit the application state data to the second electronic device, wherein the application state data of the video game application enables another instance of the video game application to resume the current state of play of the video game application at the second electronic device.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein detecting the presence of the second electronic device based on the proximity of the second electronic device to the first electronic device further includes:

identifying a local area network the first electronic device and the second electronic device are both connected to, the local area network requiring a minimum proximity between an access point of the network and a given electronic device to be able to connect to the local area network, the proximity of the second electronic device to the first electronic device being determined as a function of the minimum required proximity.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the local area network includes a WiFi network.

20. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein identifying the installation of another instance of the video game application or another video game application similar to the video game application on the second electronic device further includes:

receiving a list of computer applications installed on the second electronic device, the received list of computer applications being provided by the second electronic device, the received list of computer applications being stored in a storage server via a network, the received list of computer applications including identifiers associated with one or more computer applications listed at the second electronic device; and

comparing an identifier associated the video game application with the corresponding identifiers of the one or more computer applications provided in the received list of computer applications to identify the installation of another instance of the video game application or another video game application similar to the video game application on the second electronic device, wherein another video game application similar to the video game application includes a different version of the video game application installed at the first electronic device.

21. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein transmitting the application state data to the second electronic device further includes:

periodically saving the current state of play of the video game utilizing the in-game save feature of the video game application;

periodically transmitting the saved application state data from the first electronic device to a storage server, the transmitted application state data being stored in the storage server, the stored application state data being periodically refreshed when a periodical transmission of the application state data is received from the first electronic device; and

transmitting the stored application state data to the second electronic device.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the periodical transmission of the application state data includes transmitting a difference between the application state data of the video game application and previously transmitted application state data to the storage server.

23. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the first electronic device is capable of transmitting the application state data to the storage server via a network.

24. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the network includes the Internet, a WiFi network, or a cellular phone network.

25. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the storage server belongs to a cloud storage service cluster.