Systems and methods for providing social games for computing devices

• US 9,283,477 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tran, Luan Xi, Knobel, Jacob Ariel, Nagel, Ethan, Nagel, Stacy, Blundell, David Boyarin, Robinson, David Scott, Lipman, Steven, Ruef, Julie Vaughn
• Primary Examiner(s): Pandya, Sunit
• Application Number:
  US13/837,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20140087881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/497 Partially or entirely replaying previous game actions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/655 by importing photos, e.g. of the player

Abstract

Computer-implemented systems and methods are disclosed for providing social games. In accordance with one implementation, a computer-implemented method comprises receiving a selection from a user to activate the social game. The method also includes receiving, with at least one processor, the previously recorded content for the social game. In accordance with the present disclosure, the method also includes playing back, in response to the selection, the previously recorded content to the user and recording the user'"'"'s interaction with the previously recorded content while playing back the previously recorded content.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing a social game, the method comprising:

receiving a selection from a user to activate the social game using previously recorded content;

receiving, at a computing device of the user, the previously recorded content for the social game, the previously recorded content including clues for a word that are presented by another user;

playing back, in response to the selection, the previously recorded content to the user;

recording, with a camera located at the computing device, the user'"'"'s live interaction with the previously recorded content while playing back the previously recorded content, the user'"'"'s live interaction including one or more guesses for the word in response to the clues presented by the other user; and

analyzing, with at least one processor, the user'"'"'s live interaction with the previously recorded content to determine if the user correctly guessed the word according to winning criteria of the social game.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising playing back the previously recorded content combined with the recording of the user'"'"'s interactions with the previously recorded content.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the previously recorded content is synchronized with the recording of the user'"'"'s interactions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the synchronization comprises starting playback of the previously recorded content when the playback of the recording to the user'"'"'s interactions with the previously recorded content is started.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising sharing, with other users, the previously recorded content combined with the recording of the user'"'"'s interactions with the previously recorded content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the previously recorded content is synchronized with the recording of the user'"'"'s interactions.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein sharing comprises sharing on a social network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing the previously recorded content with the recording of the user'"'"'s interactions, wherein synchronizing includes ending the playback of the previously recorded content when it is determined that the user correctly guesses the word; and

displaying a message on the computing device of the user to indicate a status of the social game.

9. A computing device system for providing a social game, the system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory device storing a set of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to;

receive a selection from a user to activate the social game using previously recorded content;

receive the previously recorded content for the social game, the previously recorded content including clues for a word that are presented by another user;

play back, in response to the selection, the previously recorded content to the user;

record, with a camera located at a computing device of the user, the user'"'"'s live interaction with the previously recorded content while playing back the previously recorded content, the user'"'"'s live interaction including one or more guesses for the word in response to the clues presented by the other user; and

analyze the user'"'"'s live interaction with the previously recorded content to determine if the user correctly guessed the word according to winning criteria of the social game.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the set of instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

play back the previously recorded content combined with the recording of the user'"'"'s interactions with the previously recorded content.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the previously recorded content is synchronized with the recording of the user'"'"'s interactions.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein to synchronize the set of instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

start playback of the previously recorded content when the playback of the recording to the user'"'"'s interactions with the previously recorded content is started.

13. The system of claim 9, the set of instructions further causing the at least one processor to:

share, with other users, the previously recorded content combined with the recording of the user'"'"'s interactions with the previously recorded content.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the previously recorded content is synchronized with the recording of the user'"'"'s interactions.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the set of instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

share the combined content on a social network.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the set of instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

synchronize the previously recorded content with the recording of the user'"'"'s interactions, wherein synchronizing includes ending the playback of the previously recorded content when it is determined that the user correctly guesses the word; and

display a message on the computing device of the user to indicate a status of the social game.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method for providing a social game, the method comprising:

receive a selection from a user to activate the social game using previously recorded content;

receive the previously recorded content for the social game, the previously recorded content including clues for a word that are presented by another user;

play back, in response to the selection, the previously recorded content to the user;

record, with a camera located at a computing device of the user, the user'"'"'s live interaction with the previously recorded content while playing back the previously recorded content, the user'"'"'s live interaction including one or more guesses for the word in response to the clues presented by the other user; and

analyze the user'"'"'s live interaction with the previously recorded content to determine if the user correctly guessed the word according to winning criteria of the social game.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method enabled by the set of instructions and at least one processor further comprises:

playing back the previously recorded content combined with the recording of the user'"'"'s interactions with the previously recorded content.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method enabled by the set of instructions and at least one processor further comprises:

sharing the previously recorded content combined with the recording of the user'"'"'s interactions with the previously recorded content.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the previously recorded content is synchronized with the recording of the user'"'"'s interactions.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method enabled by the set of instructions and at least one processor further comprises:

synchronizing the previously recorded content with the recording of the user'"'"'s interactions, wherein synchronizing includes ending the playback of the previously recorded content when it is determined that the user correctly guesses the word; and

displaying a message on the computing device of the user to indicate a status of the social game.