System for remote game access

• US 8,974,307 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ELBO, Inc. (Gamestop Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ELBO, Inc. (Gamestop Corporation)
• Inventors: Walker, Peter Anthony, Becca, Oswald Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): GARNER, WERNER G
• Application Number:
  US14/049,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20140038712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 463 40- 42, 463/47
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• 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 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• 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 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/323 between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/33 using wide area network [WAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2488 Remotely playable
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/52 with a remote control
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/403 Connection between platform and handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 : server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 : for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 : for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 : Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 : Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 : Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence

Abstract

A system for allowing a user to remotely access a game includes: a game console; a remote console client configured to receive a game control signal; and a remote console server. The remote console server includes an audio and video encoder configured to receive an audio output and a video output from the game console and to convert the audio output and the video output to a network packet. The remote console server also includes: a game controller emulation unit and a network interface configured to send and receive the network packet. The game controller emulation unit is configured to receive a game controller signal from the game console and to send the game controller signal to the remote console client and to receive a game controller input from the remote console client and send the game controller input to the game console.

Claims

1. A system for enabling a user to remotely access a game, the system comprising:

a first plurality of game consoles that include respective game controller interfaces, audio outputs, and video outputs, the first plurality of game consoles remote from the user; and

a remote console server configured to determine availability of game consoles in the first plurality of game consoles and to manage access for users to the first plurality of game consoles, the remote console server comprising;

a console virtualization engine configured to selectively provide clients of the users access, over a network, to the first plurality of game consoles, wherein the console virtualization engine is configured to;

provide access to a first game console from the first plurality of game consoles to the user, the user requesting a first game session, to enable the user to engage in game play on the first game console, wherein the first game console is remote from the user;

receive packetized control signals from a game controller associated with the user;

convert the packetized control signals received from the game controller associated with the user to a form compatible with the first game console;

receive audio and video data output from the first game console;

encode and packetize the audio and video data output from the first game console;

transmit the encoded and packetized audio and video data to a client associated with the user;

store a game configuration, corresponding to the first game session, the game configuration comprising game play of the user with the first game console;

enable another of the first plurality of game consoles access to the stored game configuration during a second game session of the user.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the stored game configuration is stored remote from the first game console.

3. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first plurality of game consoles comprises a plurality of different types of game consoles.

4. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the remote console server is further configured to communicate with a global server, wherein the global server is configured to store a second game configuration from the remote console server and to restore the stored second game configuration to the remote console server, and the remote console server is configured to restore the stored second game configuration to the first game console through a memory emulation unit, the memory emulation unit being configured to emulate a memory device for the first game console, and the global server is configured to provide the client associated with the user an advertisement for display, the advertisement targeted to the user based at least in part on a usage pattern of games played or viewed by the user, wherein the remote console server is configured to cache game controller configurations for future use and to automatically load game-specific controller help information.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the remote console server is further configured to communicate with a global server, wherein the global server is configured to enable an owner of a second game console to expose and manage remote access to the second game console through the remote console server.

6. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the remote console server is further configured to communicate with a global server, wherein the global server is configured to keep track of a usage of remote console servers by the clients.

7. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the client is configured to provide an advertisement for display, the advertisement targeted to the user based at least in part on a usage pattern of a set of games played or viewed by the user.

8. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a first group of remote console servers, wherein each remote console server in the first group is configured to send a network packet that announces a presence of the respective remote console server and the client is configured to locate the remote console server having a lowest latency with respect to the client.

9. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a portal that enables franchising of a set of remote console servers, wherein the portal enables management of the set of remote console servers as a common pool.

10. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the remote console server is configured to automatically adjust a quality and a latency of a transmitted video depending on an available bandwidth or a type of image being transmitted,

11. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the remote console server is configured to automatically load game help information corresponding to the game controller.

12. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the remote console server is configured to adjust to a plurality of game console controller types.

13. A method for enabling a user to remotely access a game, the method comprising:

providing, by a computer system managing a first plurality of game consoles and configured to determine availability of game consoles in the first plurality of game consoles and to manage access for users to the first plurality of game consoles, access to a first game console in the first plurality of game consoles to the user to enable the user to engage in game play on the first game console, the user requesting a first game session, wherein the first plurality of game consoles is remote from the user;

receiving at the computer system packetized control signals from a game controller associated with the user, the game controller remote from the first plurality of game consoles;

converting by the computer system the packetized control signals received from the game controller associated with the user to a form compatible with the first game console;

receiving by the computer system audio and video data output from the first game console;

encoding and packetizing, by the computer system, the audio and video data output from the first game console;

transmitting, by the computer system, the encoded and packetized audio and video data to a client associated with the user;

storing a game configuration, corresponding to the first game session, the game configuration comprising game play of the user with the first game console; and

enabling, by the computer system, another of the first plurality of game consoles access to the stored game configuration during a second game session of the user.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein the stored game configuration is stored remote from the first game console.

15. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein the first plurality of game consoles comprises a plurality of different types of game consoles.

16. The method as defined in claim 13, the method further comprising:

communicating by the computer system with a global server, wherein the global server is configured to store a second game configuration from the computer system and to restore the stored second game configuration to the computer system; and

restoring the stored second game configuration to the first game console through a memory emulation unit, the memory emulation unit being configured to emulate a memory device for the first game console, wherein the global server is configured to enable the client associated with the user to be provided with an advertisement for display, the advertisement targeted to the user based at least in part on a usage pattern of games played or viewed by the user, wherein the remote console server is configured to cache game controller configurations for future use and to automatically load game-specific controller help information.

17. The method as defined in claim 13, the method further comprising communicating by the computer system with a global server, wherein the global server is configured to enable an owner of second game console to expose and manage remote access to the second game console through the computer system.

18. The method as defined in claim 13, the method further comprising tracking client usage of remote game console servers.

19. The method as defined in claim 13, the method further comprising providing an advertisement for display, the advertisement targeted to a second user based at least in part on a usage pattern of a set of games played or viewed by the second user.

20. The method as defined in claim 13, the method further comprising providing a portal that enables franchising of a set of remote console servers, wherein the portal enables management of the set of remote console servers as a common pool.

21. The method as defined in claim 13, the method further comprising automatically adjusting a quality and .a latency of a transmitted video depending on an available bandwidth or a type of image being transmitted.

22. The method as defined in claim 13, automatically loading game help information corresponding to the game controller.

23. A non-transitory storage medium storing program code that when executed by a computing system is configured to cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

managing a first plurality of game consoles, wherein managing the first plurality of game consoles comprises determining availability of game consoles in the first plurality of game consoles, and enabling a plurality of users to remotely access the game consoles in the first plurality of game consoles;

providing access to a first game console in the first plurality of game consoles to a user requesting a first game session to enable the user to engage in game play on the first game console;

receiving, over a network, packetized control signals from a game controller associated with the user;

converting the packetized control signals received from the game controller associated with the user to a form compatible with the first game console;

receiving audio and video data output from the first game console; and

encoding and packetizing the audio and video data output from the first game console;

transmitting the encoded and packetized audio and video data to a client associated with the user;

storing a game configuration, corresponding to the first game session, the game configuration comprising game play of the user with the first game console;

enabling another of the first plurality of game consoles access to the stored game configuration during a second game session of the user.

24. The non-transitory storage medium as defined in claim 23, wherein the stored game configuration is stored remote from the first game console.

25. The non-transitory storage medium as defined in claim 23, wherein the first plurality of game consoles comprises a plurality of different types of game consoles.

26. The non-transitory storage medium as defined in claim 23, the operations further comprising:

communicating with a global server, wherein the global server is configured to store a second game configuration from the computer system and to restore the stored second game configuration to the computer system; and

restoring the stored second game configuration to the first game console through a memory emulation unit, the memory emulation unit being configured to emulate a memory device for the first game console,

wherein the global server is configured to enable the client associated with the user to be provided with an advertisement for display, the advertisement targeted to the user based at least in part on a usage pattern of games played or viewed by the user;

caching game controller configurations for future use;

automatically loading game-specific controller help information.

27. The non-transitory storage medium as defined in claim 23, the operations further comprising tracking client usage of remote game console servers.

28. The non-transitory storage medium as defined in claim 23, the operations further comprising providing an advertisement for display, the advertisement targeted to the user based at least in part on a usage pattern of a set of games played or viewed by the user.

29. A system for enabling a user to remotely access a game, the system comprising:

a first plurality of game consoles that include respective game controller interfaces, audio outputs, and video outputs, the first plurality of game consoles remote from the user; and

a remote console server configured to determine availability of game consoles in the first plurality of game consoles and to manage access for users to the first plurality of game consoles, the remote console server comprising;

a console virtualization engine configured to selectively provide clients of the users access, over a network, to the first plurality of game consoles managed via the remote console server, wherein the console virtualization engine is configured to;

provide access to a first game console from the first plurality of game consoles to the user, the user requesting a first game session, to enable the user to engage in game play on the first game console;

receive packetized control signals from a game controller associated with the user;

convert the packetized control signals received from the game controller associated with the user to a form compatible with the first game console;

receive audio and video data output from the first game console;

encode and packetize the audio and video data output from the first game console;

transmit the encoded and packetized audio and video data to a client associated with the user.

30. The system as defined in claim 29, wherein the remote console server is further configured to communicate with a global server, wherein the global server is configured to store a second game configuration from the remote console server and to restore the stored second game configuration to the remote console server, and the remote console server is configured to restore the stored second game configuration to the first game console through a memory emulation unit, the memory emulation unit being configured to emulate a memory device for the first game console, wherein the global server is configured to provide the client associated with the user an advertisement for display, the advertisement targeted to the user based at least in part on a usage pattern of games played or viewed by the user, wherein the remote console server is configured to cache game controller configurations for future use and to automatically load game-specific controller help information.