Method for implementing a computer game

• US 9,403,092 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: King.com, Ltd (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: King.com, Ltd (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Knutsson, Sebastian
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US14/029,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20140135104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/06 Indicating or scoring devices for games or players , or for other sports activities
• 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 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• 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 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/573 using trajectories of game objects, e.g. of a golf ball according to the point of impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/75 Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3274 : wherein the players cooperate, e.g. team-play

Abstract

A method, implemented as computer code being executed by one or more processors, in which computer game graphics for a casual, social game are shown on a display of a computing device and in which one or more of the processors are programmed such that game state information is preserved, enabling a remote server system to identify a player and aspects of the state of the game they are playing, so that the player can end game play on one device and resume, from the same and also from a different device at a later time, at the same state.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for enabling computer game graphics for a casual, social game displayed on a display of a first computing device to be synchronized across different platforms, comprising executing on one or more processors the steps of:

preserving game state information, said preserved game state information enabling a remote server system to identify a player and aspects of a state of the game they are playing, so that the player can end game play on the first computing device and resume, from the first computing device and also from a second computing device at a later time, at the same state, said first computing device and said second computing device being supported by different platforms, wherein said game state information is synchronized across said different platforms;

displaying game progress information of said player of the first computing device on the display, said game progress information of said player comprising a game level position shown on a virtual path or other virtual world on said display, said game state information comprising said game level position;

displaying game progress information of a social network contact of the player of the first computing device on the display of the first computing device, said game progress information of said social network contact comprising a game level position shown on the virtual path or other virtual world on the display of the first computing device; and

causing said game to be played and an item to be acquired by playing said game, said game state information comprising information relating to said acquired item.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the game state information defines all previously completed levels.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the game state information defines all previously completed levels, plus the current state of playing a level.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the game state information defines all boosters, charms or other in-game assistance acquired.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the game state information defines all boosters, charms or other in-game assistance acquired but not paid for using any form of currency.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the casual, social game is a clicker, switcher or shooter game.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the second device is a different type of device, so that the player can move seamlessly between playing the game on a smartphone as the first device and on a tablet as a second device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising fully synchronizing the game state information across different types of computing platform, wherein said player can seamlessly stop and re-start playing the game on any of those different platforms.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying via a remote server system said player because that player has accessed the game through a social network.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising fully synchronizing across different platforms via the social network said player'"'"'s score and game level position and the scores and game level positions of all the social network contacts of said player also playing the game.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising downloading said casual, social game as an app to said first computing device, said first computing device being at least one of:

a smartphone and tablet computer, wherein said first computing device can be accessed or played using a social network application or environment.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for every change in the game state, and every consequential change in every game piece on the game board, providing audio and visual feedback.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking at a single user database, all metrics for all players of the casual, social game, said metrics, including all game state information wherein said single user database is accessible by several different games.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein there are sections of the game that are unlockable only through either:

help from said contacts or a purchase.

15. A computing device adapted to play a computer game, the device including a processor, a memory, a display, a touch screen or a cursor based input device, and computer code stored in device memory or on a remote server and executable by the device processor or a remote processor, and in which the computer code generates computer game graphics for the display on the device,

and in which the processor(s) execute steps to:

preserve game state information, said preserved game state information enabling a remote server system to identify a player and aspects of a state of the game they are playing, so that the player can end game play on the first computing device and resume, from the first computing device and also from a second computing device at a later time, at the same state,

said first computing device and said second computing device being supported by different platforms, wherein said game state information is synchronized across said different platforms;

display game progress information of said player of the first computing device on the display, said game progress information of said player comprising a game level position shown on a virtual path or other virtual world on said display, said game state information comprising said game level position;

display game progress information of a social network contact of the player of the first computing device on the display of the first computing device, said game progress information of said social network contact comprising a game level position shown on the virtual path or other virtual world on the display of the first computing device;

cause said game to be played and an item to be acquired by playing said game, said game state information comprising information relating to said acquired item.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions which when executed on a processor perform a method for controlling a computer system to enable a display of a game on a display of a first computing device to be synchronized across different platforms, said method comprising executing on the processor the steps of:

preserving game state information, said preserved game state information enabling a remote server system to identify a player and aspects of a state of the game they are playing, so that the player can end game play on the first computing device and resume, from the first computing device and also from a second computing device at a later time, at the same state,

said first computing device and said second computing device being supported by different platforms, wherein said game state information is synchronized across said different platforms;

displaying game progress information of said player of the first computing device on the display, said game progress information of said player comprising a game level position shown on a virtual path or other virtual world on said display, said game state information comprising said game level position;

displaying game progress information of a social network contact of the player of the first computing device on the display of the first computing device, said game progress information of said social network contact comprising a game level position shown on the virtual path or other virtual world on the display of the first computing device; and

causing said game to be played and an item to be acquired by playing said game, said game state information comprising information relating to said acquired item.

17. A computer implemented method for enabling computer game graphics for a casual, social game displayed on a display of a first computing device to be synchronized across different platforms, comprising executing on one or more processors the steps of:

preserving game state information, said preserved game state information enabling a remote server system to identify a player and aspects of a state of a game they are playing, so that the player can end game play on the first computing device and resume, from the first computing device and also from a second computing device at a later time, at the same state, said first computing device and said second computing device being supporting by different platforms;

displaying game progress information of said player of the first computing device on the display, said game progress information of said player comprising a game level position shown on a virtual path or other virtual world on said display, said game state information comprising said game level position;

displaying game progress information of a social network contact of the player of the first computing device on the display of the first computing device, said game progress information of said social network contact comprising a game level position shown on the virtual path or other virtual world on the display of the first computing device;

causing the game to played when the computer device is not connected to the internet; and

when the computer device is connected to the internet, synchronizing the progress in the game and other game state information with a remote server.

18. A computing device adapted to play a computer game, the device including a processor, a memory, a display, a touch screen or a cursor based input device, and computer code stored in device memory or on a remote server and executable by the device processor or a remote processor, and in which the computer code generates computer game graphics for the display on the device, and in which the processor(s) execute steps to:

preserve game state information, said preserved game state information enabling a remote server system to identify a player and aspects of a state of a game they are playing, so that the player can end game play on the first computing device and resume, from the first computing device and also from a second computing device at a later time, at the same state, said first computing device and said second computing device being supported by different platforms, wherein said game state information is synchronized across said different platforms;

display game progress information of said player of the first computing device on the display, said game progress information of said player comprising a game level position shown on a virtual path or other virtual world on said display, said game state information comprising said game level position;

display game progress information of a social network contact of the player of the first computing device on the display of the first computing device, said game progress information of said social network contact comprising a game level position shown on the virtual path or other virtual world on the display of the first computing device;

cause the game to played when the computer device is not connected to the internet; and

when the computer device is connected to the internet, synchronizing the progress in the game and other game state information with a remote server.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions which when executed on a processor perform a method for controlling a computer system to enable a display of a game on a display of a first computing device to be synchronized across different platforms, said method comprising executing on the processor the steps of:

preserving game state information, said preserved game state information enabling a remote server system to identify a player and aspects of a state of a game they are playing, so that the player can end game play on the first computing device and resume, from the first computing device and also from a second computing device at a later time, at the same state, said first computing device and said second computing device being supported by different platforms, wherein said game state information is synchronized across said different platforms;

displaying game progress information of said player of the first computing device on the display, said game progress information of said player comprising a game level position shown on a virtual path or other virtual world on said display, said game state information comprising said game level position;

displaying game progress information of a social network contact of the player of the first computing device on the display of the first computing device, said game progress information of said social network contact comprising a game level position shown on the virtual path or other virtual world on the display of the first computing device;

causing the game to played when the computer device is not connected to the internet; and

when the computer device is connected to the internet, synchronize the progress in the game and other game state information with a remote server.