Apparatus and method for matching groups to users for online communities and computer simulations

• US 10,130,872 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2012
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Buhr, Brian Douglas, Santhosh, Sreelata
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Application Number:
  US13/426,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20130254680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,435 Days
• Field of Search: 715751, 715753, 715758, 709204
• 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 13/61 using advertising information
• 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 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A method includes detecting a first group seeking members, detecting one or more users seeking to join a group, retrieving group parameters corresponding to the first group, and retrieving user parameters corresponding to each of the one or more users. The group parameters may include group characteristic data and group requirements. For each user of the one or more users, the group parameters corresponding to the first group are compared against the user parameters corresponding to the user. A score is determined for each of the one or more users based on the comparing. One or more selected users of the one or more users is recommended to the first group at least in part based on the score. One or more computer programs may be adapted to execute the above steps, and a processor may be configured to perform the above steps.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more computer readable programs adapted to cause a processor based system to execute steps comprising:

detecting a first group seeking members, wherein the first group comprises a team of players that competes together against one or more other teams of players in a computer simulation;

receiving, from the first group, a score threshold for automatically inviting one or more potential members and a designation for the processor based system to automatically send invitations to the one or more potential members when the score threshold is met;

detecting one or more users seeking to join a group;

retrieving group parameters corresponding to the first group from a group profile associated with the first group, wherein the group parameters comprise group characteristic data and group requirements separate from user parameters of individual members of the first group;

retrieving user parameters corresponding to each of the one or more users;

for each user of the one or more users, comparing, with the processor, the group parameters corresponding to the first group against the user parameters corresponding to the user to determine a score;

recommending one or more selected users of the one or more users as recommended members for the first group at least in part based on the score; and

in an event that the first group has designated the processor based system to automatically invite potential members;

selecting, by the processor based system and from the recommended members, select users with a score meeting the score threshold for automatically inviting the one or more potential members set by the first group; and

automatically sending, with the processor, an invitation to the select user to join the first group.

2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer readable programs are further adapted to cause the processor based system to execute steps comprising:

receiving a selection of at least one of the one or more selected users from the first group and adding the at least one of the one or more selected users to the group.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the group parameters comprise one or more parameters determined by the system.

4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the group parameters comprise one or more parameters entered by the group.

5. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer readable programs are further adapted to cause the processor based system to execute steps comprising:

receiving a selection of at least one of the one or more selected users; and

sending an invitation to join the first group to the at least one of the one or more selected users.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the one or more computer readable programs are further adapted to cause the processor based system to execute steps comprising:

detecting that the at least one of the one or more selected users has accepted the invitation to join the first group; and

adding the at least one of the one or more selected users to the first group.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer readable programs are further adapted to cause the processor based system to execute steps comprising:

detecting that the at least one of the one or more selected users has accepted the invitation to participate in the tryout session;

initiating the tryout session; and

joining the at least one of the one or more selected users to the tryout session.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the one or more computer readable programs are further adapted to cause the processor based system to execute steps comprising:

allowing members of the group to view the tryout session and vote for the at least one of the one or more selected users.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer readable programs are further adapted to cause the processor based system to execute steps comprising:

receiving a request to initiate the tryout session for at least a first one of the one or more selected users;

initiating a computer simulated session having at least the one of the one or selected users;

enabling members of the group to view the computer simulated session while in progress; and

allowing the members to place a vote for the at least one of the one or more selected users while the computer simulated session is in progress.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer readable programs are further adapted to cause the processor based system to execute steps comprising:

posting information related to the first group or at least one of the one or more selected users to a web site.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer readable programs are further adapted to cause the processor based system to execute steps comprising:

causing information related to the first group or at least one of the one or more selected users to be transmitted to a plurality of mobile devices.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer readable programs are further adapted to cause the processor based system to execute steps comprising:

receiving, from the existing member of the first group, a selection of the least one of the one or more selected users recommend to the first group to send the invitation to the tryout session.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer readable programs are further adapted to cause the processor based system to execute step comprising:

sending an invitation to participate in the tryout session to a potential member comprising the at least one of the one or more selected users, wherein the tryout session joins the potential member to a group session to enable existing members of the first group to view the potential member in action before sending an invitation to the potential member to join the first group.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer readable programs are further adapted to cause the processor based system to execute steps comprising:

in an event that the score is above a second level lower than the first level, automatically sending, with the processor, an invitation to the user to join a tryout session with the first group;

wherein the second level comprises group preferences for automatically inviting users to a tryout session with the first group.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to perform the steps comprising;

detecting a first group seeking members, wherein the first group comprises a team of players that competes together against one or more other teams of players in a computer simulation;

receiving, from the first group, a score threshold for automatically inviting one or more potential members and a designation for the processor based system to automatically send invitations to the one or more potential members when the score threshold is met;

detecting one or more users seeking to join a group;

retrieving group parameters corresponding to the first group from a group profile associated with the first group, wherein the group parameters comprise group characteristic data and group requirements separate from user parameters of individual members of the first group;

retrieving user parameters corresponding to each of the one or more users;

for each user of the one or more users, comparing, with the processor, the group parameters corresponding to the first group against the user parameters corresponding to the user to determine a score;

recommending one or more selected users of the one or more users as recommended members for the first group at least in part based on the score; and

in an event that the first group has designated the processor based system to automatically invite potential members;

selecting, by the processor based system and from the recommended members, select users with a score meeting the score threshold for automatically inviting the one or more potential members set by the first group; and

automatically sending, with the processor, an invitation to the select users to join the first group.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the steps further comprise:

displaying the one or more selected users to the first group.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a display for displaying the one or more selected users to the first group.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the displaying the one or more selected users comprises displaying the one or more selected users in a report.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the displaying the one or more selected users comprises displaying the one or more selected users in one or more clouds.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the step of:

sending an invitation to participate in the tryout session to a potential member comprising the at least one of the one or more selected users, wherein the tryout session joins the potential member to a group session to enable existing members of the first group to view the potential member in action before sending an invitation to the potential member to join the first group.

21. A method comprising:

detecting, with a processor, a first group seeking members, wherein the first group comprises a team of players that competes together against one or more other teams of players in a computer simulation;

receiving, from the first group, a score threshold for automatically inviting one or more potential members and a designation for the processor based system to automatically send invitations to the one or more potential members when the score threshold is met;

detecting, with the processor, one or more users seeking to join a group;

retrieving group parameters corresponding to the first group from a group profile associated with the first group, wherein the group parameters comprise group characteristic data and group requirements separate from user parameters of individual members of the first group;

retrieving user parameters corresponding to each of the one or more users;

for each user of the one or more users, comparing, with the processor, the group parameters corresponding to the first group against the user parameters corresponding to the user to determine a score;

recommending one or more selected users of the one or more users as recommended members for the first group at least in part based on the score; and

in an event that the first group has designated the processor based system to automatically invite potential members;

selecting, by the processor based system and from the recommended members, select users with a score meeting the score threshold for automatically inviting the one or more potential members set by the first group; and

automatically sending, with the processor, an invitation to the select users to join the first group.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

sending an invitation to participate in the tryout session to a potential member comprising the at least one of the one or more selected users, wherein the tryout session joins the potential member to a group session to enable existing members of the first group to view the potential member in action before sending an invitation to the potential member to join the first group.

23. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more computer readable programs adapted to cause a processor based system to execute steps comprising:

detecting a first group seeking members, wherein the first group comprises a team of players that competes together against one or more other teams of players in a computer simulation;

receiving, from the first group, a score threshold for automatically inviting one or more potential members and a designation for the processor based system to automatically send invitations to the one or more potential members when the score threshold is met;

detecting one or more users seeking to join a group;

recommending one or more selected users of the one or more users as recommended members for the first group at least in part based on a score determined by comparing group parameters corresponding to the first group and user parameters corresponding to each of the one or more users, the group parameters corresponding to the first group being retrieved a group profile associated with the first group and comprise group characteristic data and group requirements separate from user parameters of individual members of the first group; and

in an event that the first group has designated the processor based system to automatically invite potential members;

selecting, by the processor based system and from the recommended members, select users with a score meeting the score threshold for automatically inviting the one or more potential members set by the first group; and

automatically sending, with the processor, an invitation to the user to join the first group.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the wherein the one or more computer readable programs are further adapted to cause the processor based system to execute step comprising:

sending an invitation to participate in the tryout session to a potential member comprising the at least one of the one or more selected users, wherein the tryout session joints the potential member to a group session to enable existing members of the first group to view the potential member in action before sending an invitation to the potential member to join the first group.