Social network data analysis to generate incentives for online gaming

• US 9,573,065 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2014
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Rama Rao, Sudhir Kumar, Yessayan, Ara Nicholas Jr., Bettner, Paul David, Bettner, David, Malabuyo, Paolo, Gregorski, Benjamin F., Chow, Michael, Choo, Yie Lyn
• Primary Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US14/477,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20140378232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 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 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/69 by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions
• 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 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

Systems and methods for processing recommendations of online games to friends of social network are described. A method for processing recommendations includes identifying a gaming session of a user on an online game provider network, accessing a use profile of the user for the online games of the online game provider network, and accessing a social graph of the user to identify friends of the user and respective friend profiles from the social network. The method further includes producing a recommendation of an online game. The recommendation includes an identification of a target friend of the user and is being provided by examination of the use profile of the user and friend profiles in the social graph. The method includes providing the recommendation to the user. The recommendation also includes an offer incentive to the user to share the recommendation with the target friend.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining whether a first game is being accessed by a user;

accessing a user profile of the user when the user is accessing the first game;

accessing a social graph associated with the user profile of the user, the social graph providing user profiles of social network friends of the user, the social network friends and the user being members of a social network;

determining a use profile of a second game that is accessed by the social network friends of the user;

generating a notification regarding recommending the second game to the user based on the use profile of the second game, the notification including an offer incentive associated with recommending the second game to the user, the offer incentive indicating a reward for recommending the second game to the user;

sending via a computer network the notification to one or more of the social network friends;

receiving an indication that a recommendation of the second game is to be sent from one of the social network friends to the user;

sending via the computer network the recommendation of the second game with an identity of a network to the user in response to receiving the indication that the recommendation is to be sent from the one of the social network friends to the user, wherein said sending of the recommendation is performed to display the identity of the network as a portion of the recommendation, wherein the network is used by the one of the social network friends to access the second game and is different from the social network;

sending via the computer network the reward to the one of the social network friends after sending the recommendation,

wherein the method is executed by one or more processors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first game is being accessed by the user comprises determining whether the user is logged into a user account and is playing the first game.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile of the user identifies the user in the social network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile of the user includes a name of the user, or a gender of the user, or an age of the user, or a relationship status of the user, or interests of the user, or hobbies of the user, or likes of the user, or dislikes of the user, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the social graph indicates relationships between the user and the social network friends within the social network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the use profile of the second game includes a number of gaming sessions for which the second game is played by the social network friends during a time period, or an amount of time during each gaming session for which the second game is played by the social network friends, or a number of downloads of the second game by the social network friends during the time period after the social network friends log into corresponding user accounts, or a number of times a preview of the second game is viewed by the social network friends during the time period after the social network friends log into the corresponding user accounts, or a number of times the second game is indicated as being liked by the social network friends within the corresponding user accounts during the time period, or a number of times the second game is indicated as being disliked by the social network friends within the corresponding user accounts during the time period, or a number of times a mention of the second game is posted within the user accounts of the social network friends, or whether the social network friends paid to play the second game after the social network friends logged into the corresponding user accounts.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer incentive includes a message that the reward will be provided to the one of the social network friends when the one of the social network friends recommends the second game to the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward includes virtual items that are related to the second game.

9. A system comprising:

a memory device for storing a first game and a second game;

a processor coupled to the memory device, the processor for;

determining whether the first game is being accessed by a user;

accessing a user profile of the user when the user is accessing the first game;

accessing a social graph associated with the user profile of the user, the social graph providing user profiles of social network friends of the user, the social network friends and the user being members of a social network;

determining a use profile of the second game that is accessed by the social network friends of the user;

generating a notification regarding recommending the second game to the user based on the use profile of the second game, the notification including an offer incentive associated with recommending the second game to the user, the offer incentive indicating a reward for recommending the second game to the user;

sending via a computer network the notification to one or more of the social network friends;

receiving an indication that a recommendation of the second game is to be sent from one of the social network friends to the user;

sending via the computer network the recommendation of the second game with an identity of a network to the user in response to receiving the indication that the recommendation is to be sent from the one of the social network friends to the user, wherein said sending of the recommendation is performed to display the identity of the network as a portion of the recommendation, wherein the network is used by the one of the social network friends to access the second game and is different from the social network;

sending via the computer network the reward to the one of the social network friends after sending the recommendation.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to

determine whether the user is logged into a user account and is playing the first game to determine whether the first game is being accessed by the user.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the user profile of the user identifies the user in the social network.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the user profile of the user includes a name of the user, or a gender of the user, or an age of the user, or a relationship status of the user, or interests of the user, or hobbies of the user, or likes of the user, or dislikes of the user, or a combination thereof.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the social graph indicates relationships between the user and the social network friends within the social network.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the user profile of the user includes a name of the user and a gender of the user and an age of the user and a relationship status of the user and interests of the user and hobbies of the user and likes of the user and dislikes of the user.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the reward includes virtual items that are related to the second game.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute instructions, the instructions comprising:

determining whether a first game is being accessed by a user;

accessing a user profile of the user when the user is accessing the first game;

accessing a social graph associated with the user profile of the user, the social graph providing user profiles of social network friends of the user, the social network friends and the user being members of a social network;

determining a use profile of a second game that is accessed by the social network friends of the user;

generating a notification regarding recommending the second game to the user based on the use profile of the second game, the notification including an offer incentive associated with recommending the second game to the user, the offer incentive indicating a reward for recommending the second game to the user;

sending via a computer network the notification to one or more of the social network friends;

receiving an indication that a recommendation of the second game is to be sent from one of the social network friends to the user;

sending via the computer network the recommendation of the second game with an identity of a network to the user in response to receiving the indication that the recommendation is to be sent from the one of the social network friends to the user, wherein said sending of the recommendation is performed to display the identity of the network as a portion of the recommendation, wherein the network is used by the one of the social network friends to access the second game and is different from the social network;

sending the reward to the one of the social network friends after sending the recommendation.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein determining whether the first game is being accessed by the user comprises determining whether the user is logged into a user account and is playing the first game.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the user profile of the user identifies the user in the social network.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the user profile of the user includes a name of the user, or a gender of the user, or an age of the user, or a relationship status of the user, or interests of the user, or hobbies of the user, or likes of the user, or dislikes of the user, or a combination thereof.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the social graph indicates relationships between the user and the social network friends within the social network.