Game achievements system

• US 9,355,097 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2013
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Bortnik, Michal, Curley, Vincent H., Jen, James Hsi-Kai, Macauley, James David, Chen, Ling Tony, Lamb, Steven D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US13/875,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20130244793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• 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 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/40 Data acquisition and logging for input to computer G06F3/00

Abstract

Systems and method for providing a game achievements system where players are rewarded with game achievements based on mastering certain in-game facets of the games they play. Each game achievement may be conveyed in a profile as a badge or trophy, title, description, date, etc. Players may also accumulate points based on game achievements. A display interface may be made available such that a player may see his achievements and total points, as well as those of others.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first computing device; and

an intermediary computing device;

wherein the first computing device is configured to;

receive configuration preferences from a first user having a first user profile; and

send the configuration preferences to the intermediary computing device;

wherein the intermediary computing device is configured to;

maintain the first user profile in a database remotely from the first computing device; and

receive the configuration preferences from the first computing device and update the first user profile to reflect the configuration preferences received from the first computing device;

wherein the first computing device is further configured to;

execute first game code of one or more first games; and

send a user identifier of the first user to the intermediary computing device;

wherein the intermediary computing device is further configured to;

receive the user identifier of the first user from the first computing device; and

send the configuration preferences to the first computing device responsive to receiving the user identifier; and

wherein the first computing device is further configured to adapt an individual first game to execute on the first computing device according to the configuration preferences received from the intermediary computing device,

wherein the configuration preferences relate to controller inversion or vibration settings.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second computing device configured to execute second game code of one or more second games, wherein the one or more second games are played on the second computing device by a second user having a second profile.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the intermediary computing device is further configured to:

receive, from the first gaming system, an indication that the first user achieved a system achievement by playing the individual first game on the first computing device;

receive, from the first computing device, indications that the first user achieved occurrences of first in-game achievements while playing the individual first game on the first computing device;

receive, from the second computing device, an indication that the second user also achieved the system achievement by playing, on the second computing device, an individual second game that is different than the individual first game;

receive, from the second computing device, indications that the second user achieved occurrences of second in-game achievements while playing the individual second game on the second computing device;

update the first profile to include first system achievement points for the system achievement by the first user and first in-game achievement points for the first occurrences of the first in-game achievements; and

update the second profile to include second system achievement points for the system achievement by the second user and second in-game achievement points for the second occurrences of the second in-game achievements,

wherein the first system achievement points and the second system achievement points are identical and the first in-game achievement points are different than the second in-game achievement points.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration preferences relate to controller inversion.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration preferences relate to vibration settings.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is embodied as a gaming console.

7. A computing system comprising:

a processing unit; and

a memory device storing computer executable instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, cause the computing system to;

receive configuration preferences from a user having a user profile, the configuration preferences identifying user-preferred inversion settings or user-preferred vibration settings for game play by the user;

send the user-preferred inversion settings or the user-preferred vibration settings to a remote service that maintains a user profile of the user in a database remotely from the computing system and updates the user profile to reflect the user-preferred inversion settings or the user-preferred vibration settings received from the computing system;

send a user identifier of the user to the remote service, wherein the remote service sends the user-preferred inversion settings or the user-preferred vibration settings to the computing system responsive to receiving the user identifier; and

configure a game to execute on the computing system according to the user-preferred inversion settings or the user-preferred vibration settings received from the remote service.

8. The computing system of claim 7, wherein the user-preferred inversion settings are identified by the configuration preferences and specify that the user prefers to use an inverted game controller.

9. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processing unit, cause the computing system to:

adapt the game to use the inverted game controller.

10. The computing system of claim 7, wherein the user-preferred vibration settings are identified by the configuration preferences and relate to vibration of a game controller.

11. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processing unit, cause the computing system to:

adapt the game to control vibration of the game controller according to the user-preferred vibration settings.

12. The computing system of claim 7, embodied as a gaming console.

13. The computing system of claim 7, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processing unit, cause the computing system to:

as new games are played on the computing system, configure the new games to execute on the computing system according to the user-preferred inversion settings or the user-preferred vibration settings.

14. A method performed by a processing unit of a computing system, the method comprising:

receiving configuration preferences from a user having a user profile, the configuration preferences identifying user-preferred inversion settings or user-preferred vibration settings for game play by the user;

sending the user-preferred inversion settings or the user-preferred vibration settings to a remote service that maintains a user profile of the user in a database remotely from the computing system and updates the user profile to reflect user-preferred inversion settings or the user-preferred vibration settings received from the computing system;

sending a request to the remote service, wherein the remote service sends the user-preferred inversion settings or the user-preferred vibration settings to the computing system responsive to receiving the request; and

configuring a game to execute on the computing system according to the user-preferred inversion settings or the user-preferred vibration settings received from the remote service.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein sending the request comprises calling an application programming interface provided by the remote service.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein calling the application programming interface comprises sending a unique identifier of the user to the remote service.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the user-preferred inversion settings specify that the user prefers to use an inverted game controller.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

configuring the game and one or more other games to use the inverted game controller when the user plays the game and the one or more other games on the computing system.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the user-preferred vibration settings relate to vibration of a game controller.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

configuring the game and one or more other games to control vibration of the game controller according to the user-preferred vibration settings when the user plays the game and the one or more other games on the computing system.