Embedded gamer card across multiple devices and networks

• US 9,159,036 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2005
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Fowler, J. Clinton Paul, Hawkins, Dax H., Gehlsen, John M., Bortnik, Michal, Lamb, Steven D., Rector, Walter Reed
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khakhar, Nirav K
• Application Number:
  US11/282,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20070130150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,616 Days
• Field of Search: 707/609, 707/610, 707/613, 707/624, 707/622, 463/42, 463/43
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/57 details of game services offered to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/577 for watching a game played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed

Abstract

A gamercard associated with an integrated gamer profile to identify a gamer is provided to the gamer and other PC/console users who also participate in other online gaming community activities such as game-related web sites. The gamercard is also provided to the user in a modular fashion formatted in a way suitable for the user to display it directly within other applications of the user (such as their personal web sites and mobile device applications for display on their cell phone) without the user having to update the information within the other applications when the information changes in the central database.

Claims

1. A method for providing user profile information comprising:

receiving user profile information through a user'"'"'s use of an online gaming service that allows users to interact with each other over a network through a computer game;

receiving user profile information through the user'"'"'s use of a second service that provides game-related information to users, wherein the second service is distinct from the online gaming service and wherein the user profile information received through use of the second service can be modified through use of the online gaming service;

synchronizing and storing the user profile information received in a central database that stores and synchronizes user profile information, including modified user profile information, received from both the online gaming service and from the second service; and

providing information selected for public viewing from the stored user profile information to another user, device or application, wherein modifications of the selected information in the central database are reflected in the selected information provided to other users, devices and applications without manually updating the selected information and wherein the selected information received through a user'"'"'s use of the online gaming service is viewable through the service for providing game-related information and vice versa.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing information selected for public viewing from the stored user profile information comprises:

obtaining by the service other than that through which the user profile information was originally obtained, from a server communicatively connected to the central database, said selected information for public viewing.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second service is a game-related web site.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected information is a subset of the user profile information.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing information selected for public viewing comprises:

providing the selected information to the other users mobile device such that it can be displayed on the user'"'"'s mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the selected information to the user and other users formatted in a way suitable for the user and other users to display on their web sites.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected information for public viewing comprises a gamer tag associated with the user, a picture associated with the user, statistical information reflecting the user'"'"'s performance in multiple different games, a reputation of the user that is gathered from feedback from other users, and a user selected zone that refers to the user'"'"'s style and preference of game play.

8. A non-transitory computer readable program storage device comprising executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising:

receiving user profile information through a user'"'"'s use of an online gaming service that allows users to interact with each other over a network through a computer game;

receiving user profile information through the user'"'"'s use of a second service that provides game-related information to users, wherein the second service is distinct from the online gaming service and wherein the user profile information received through use of the second service can be modified through use of the online gaming service;

synchronizing and storing the user profile information received in a central database that stores and synchronizes user profile information, including modified user profile information, received from both the online gaming service and from the second service; and

providing information selected for public viewing from the stored user profile information to another user, device or application, wherein modifications of the selected information in the central database are reflected in the selected information provided to other users, devices and applications without manually updating the selected information and wherein the selected information received through a user'"'"'s use of the online gaming service is viewable through the service for providing game-related information and vice versa.

9. The non-transitory computer readable program storage device of claim 8, wherein the providing information selected for public viewing from the stored user profile information comprises:

obtaining by the service other than that through which the user profile information was originally obtained, from a server communicatively connected to the central database, said selected information for public viewing.

10. The non-transitory computer readable program storage device of claim 8, wherein the second service is a game-related web site.

11. The non-transitory computer readable program storage device of claim 8, wherein the selected information is a subset of the user profile information.

12. The non-transitory computer readable program storage device of claim 8, wherein the providing information selected for public viewing comprises:

providing the selected information to the other users mobile device such that it can be displayed on the user'"'"'s mobile device.

13. The non-transitory computer readable program storage device of claim 8, the method further comprising:

providing the selected information to the user and other users formatted in a way suitable for the user and other users to display on their web sites.

14. The non-transitory computer readable program storage device of claim 8, wherein the selected information for public viewing comprises a gamer tag associated with the user, a picture associated with the user, statistical information reflecting the user'"'"'s performance in multiple different games, a reputation of the user that is gathered from feedback from other users, and a user selected zone that refers to the user'"'"'s style and preference of game play.

15. A system having one or more program storage devices storing computer executable instructions for providing user profile information, the computer executable instructions comprising:

means for receiving user profile information through a user'"'"'s use of an online gaming service that allows users to interact with each other over a network through a computer game;

means for receiving user profile information through the user'"'"'s use of a second service that provides game-related information to users, wherein the second service is distinct from the online gaming service and wherein the user profile information received through use of the second service can be modified through use of the online gaming service;

means for synchronizing and storing the user profile information received in a central database that stores and synchronizes user profile information, including modified user profile information, received from both the online gaming service and from the second service; and

means for providing information selected for public viewing from the stored user profile information to another user, device or application, wherein modifications of the selected information in the central database are reflected in the selected information provided to other users, devices and applications without manually updating the selected information and wherein the selected information received through a user'"'"'s use of the online gaming service is viewable through the service for providing game-related information and vice versa.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the means for providing information selected for public viewing from the stored user profile information comprises:

means for obtaining by the service other than that through which the user profile information was originally obtained, from a server communicatively connected to the central database, said selected information for public viewing.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the selected information is a subset of the user profile information.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the providing information selected for public viewing comprises:

means for providing the selected information to the at least another user'"'"'s mobile device such that it can be displayed on the user'"'"'s mobile device.

19. The system of claim 15, the computer executable instructions further comprising:

means for providing the selected information to the user and other users formatted in a way suitable for the user and other users to display on their web sites.

20. A method for providing user profile information comprising:

providing to a user a set of synchronized gamer profile information selected for public viewing from user profile information stored in a central database, said selected information provided to the user in a modular fashion formatted and linked in a way suitable for the user to display directly within other applications of the user without the user having to update the information within the other applications when the information changes in the central database, wherein the central database receives, stores and synchronizes the user profile information from a plurality of different services comprising an online gaming service and a separate web site distinct from the online gaming service, wherein the set of synchronized gamer profile information can also be provided to other users, devices and applications and wherein modifications of the selected information in the central database are reflected in the set of synchronized gamer profile information provided to other users, devices and applications without manually updating the selected information.