Add-on management systems

• US 10,039,978 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2011
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gault, Andrew Buchanan, Pereira, Rui Filipe Andrade, Perry, David
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weatherford, Syvila
• Application Number:
  US13/231,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20120064975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,520 Days
• Field of Search: 709231
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/209 characterized by low level software layer, relating to hardware management, e.g. Operating System, Application Programming Interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/241 Operating system [OS] processes, e.g. server setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games

Abstract

A computing system is configured to execute a computer program on a server and to provide a video stream of the program output to a geographically remote client over a communication network. An add-on manager is provided to facilitate the use of add-ons to extend the functionality of the computer program. The add-on manager is responsive to commands received from the client and is configured to associate individual add-ons and add-on data with specific user accounts. The add-ons can be located on the server or some other location remote from the client.

Claims

1. A game server system for execution of online gaming, the game server system comprising:

a video source configured to generate video frames and to encode the video frames to a video stream for game logic of a video game, the video stream being based on a game environment of the video game, the game logic being augmented by an add-on, wherein the add-on includes computer instructions configured to augment functionality of the video game, the video game associated with a user account;

add-on storage configured to store the add-on in a location accessible to the video game, and to store add-on data of the add-on in a location accessible to the add-on;

an add-on manager configured to;

create an add-on environment configured for use of the add-on by the video game;

associate the add-on with the user account;

during execution of the video game associated with the user account, access the user account to identify the add-on for execution with the game logic; and

a processor configured to execute the game logic and the add-on manager for access and execution of the add-on identified from the user account; and

an I/O device configured to communicate the video stream via a computer communication network to a geographically remote client and to receive game commands from the client, wherein the video stream integrates content from the game logic and the add-on at the game server system for display of the integrated content at the client.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the video stream includes video data resulting from the add-on.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the video source includes a dynamic encoding pipeline allocated in response to a request to play the video game.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the add-on storage is local to the video source.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the add-on environment includes a directory, wherein the add-on manager is further configured to install the add-on in the directory.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the directory is on the same computing device as the game logic.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the add-on environment includes computer instructions configured to redirect through the Internet communications between the game logic and the add-on.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the add-on manager is configured to associate a plurality of add-ons with the user account.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the add-on manager is further configured to install add-ons in response to commands received from the client via the computer communication network.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the add-on manager is further configured to execute, activate or deactivate add-ons in response to commands received from the client via the computer communication network.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the add-on data includes locations of objects within a game environment.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the add-on manager is further configured to automatically update add-ons by retrieving add-on code from third party storage sites.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the add-on manager is further configured to store a list of allowed add-ons.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein at least part of the add-on environment is separated from the game logic by the computer communication network.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the add-on is installed on the geographically remote client.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the add-on manager is further configured to receive a selection of the add-on via the user account.

17. A system comprising:

a video source configured to generate video frames and to encode the video frames to a video stream for game logic of a video game, the video stream being based on a state of the game logic and game commands received from a geographically remote client, the game logic for execution to achieve functionality of the video game, the game logic associated with a user account;

an add-on manager configured to access the user account to identify an add-on for execution during execution of the game logic, wherein the add-on includes computer instructions to add one or more functions to the functionality of the video game;

a processor configured to access and execute the game logic and the add-on manager for execution of the add-on identified from the user account; and

an I/O device configured to communicate the video stream via a computer communication network to the geographically remote client and to receive the game commands from the client, wherein the video stream integrates content from the game logic and the add-on at the system for display of the integrated content at the client,

wherein the add-on manager is configured to update the add-on in response to receiving a new version of the game logic.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the add-on manager is further configured to:

create an add-on environment configured for use of the add-on by the video game;

associate the add-on with the user account; and

associate add-on data of the add-on with the user account.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the add-on is installed on the same computing device as the game logic.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising API filters configured to redirect communications between the game logic and the add-on via the Internet.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein the game logic is configured to use a game state to determine the game environment from which the video stream is generated.

21. A system comprising:

one or more computing devices for providing one or more virtual machines, the one or more virtual machines coupled via a network,

the one or more computing devices including one or more processors and one or more storage devices,

the one or more processors configured to;

receive a game command from a client device via a computer communication network;

apply one or more rules of a game logic to the game command to determine a game environment;

generate a video stream from the game environment, the video stream provided to play a video game, the video game associated with a user account;

receive a selection of an add-on from the client device via the network, wherein the add-on includes computer instructions configured to augment functionality of the game logic;

create a directory at a location expected by the game logic as having the add-on, wherein the directory is created based on the selection of the add-on;

receive the add-on;

provide the add-on for storage within the directory for access by the game logic;

associate the add-on with the user account;

during execution of the video game associated with the user account, access the user account to identify and access the add-on for execution with the game logic, wherein the video stream integrates content from the game logic and the add-on at the system for display of the integrated content at the client device,

the one or more storage devices for storing the directory and the add-on.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more processors are configured to create the directory at the location based on a name of the add-on, the name expected by the game logic.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more processors are configured to create a directory structure based on an identity of the game logic, the directory structure including the directory.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the game environment includes a virtual environment, the virtual environment including in-game objects, avatars, locations of the in-game objects, shapes of the in-game objects, textures of the in-game objects, and spatial relationships therebetween.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the video stream includes video frames for presentation at the client device.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include an identifier of the add-on in a list of add-ons assigned to the user account to associate the add-on with the user account.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more processors are configured to copy the add-on into a directory assigned to the user account to associate the add-on with the user account.