Gaming server providing on demand quality of service

• US 20040063497A1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Inc. (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gould, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 7,918,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/73 Authorising game programs or game devices, e.g. checking authenticity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions

Abstract

The present invention teaches methods and systems for providing a gaming server system (Gaming System) for enabling a quality-of-service on-demand (QoS) broadcast system to provide a gaming computer or game console with premium levels of quality-of-service. The gaming server provides premium network connection service levels based upon customer profile, current activity, account status or other criteria.

Claims

1. A method for providing enhanced quality-of-service to online gaming users, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting a game console to a gaming network;

selecting a game session available for the game console;

transmitting the game session selection to a gaming agent;

selecting enhanced quality-of-service-game parameters from available quality-of-service parameters determined from game selection;

polling the available network quality-of-service;

transmitting requests for enhanced quality-of-service-game network provisioning; and

releasing enhanced quality-of-service-game network provisioning at the completion of the game session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the game console comprises a personal computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the game console transmits user authentication to the gaming web server.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the gaming web server restricts online gaming to authenticated users.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the gaming web server transmits authentication to the gaming agent.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the gaming agent restricts enhanced quality-of-service-game to authenticated users.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the time duration of enhanced quality-of-service game provisioning is recorded and wherein the user is charged a time-duration based fee for enhanced quality-of-service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the time-duration based fee is charged for time enhanced quality-of-service is active.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the time-duration based fee is charged for the time that enhanced quality-of-service is reserved.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the available quality-of-service parameters are selected from a database of desired gaming quality-of-service parameters indexed to a game identifier.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the available quality-of-service parameters are selected from a database of desired gaming quality-of-service parameters indexed to a class-of-game identifier.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming agent receives data from the gaming web server and transmits data to the gaming web server over a secure communications network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the secure communications network is a data encrypted communications network.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming agent is integrated with the gaming web server.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming agent further comprises parental controls.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the enhanced quality-of-service request further comprises an upstream enhanced quality-of-service request and a downstream enhanced quality-of-service request.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the gaming agent selects the upstream enhanced quality-of-service request and the downstream enhanced quality-of-service request from a database comprising fields for game identification, upstream quality-of-service fields and downstream quality-of-service fields.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the upstream quality-of-service fields comprise poll-interval, poll-jitter, minimum-rate, maximum-rate, maximum-burst, maximum-concatenation-burst, request-transmission-policy, activity-timeout, admission-timeout, schedule-type and tos-overwrite.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the downstream quality-of-service fields comprise priority, minimum-rate, maximum-rate, maximum-burst, activity-timeout and admission-timeout.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming network comprises a cable network.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming network comprises the Internet.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming network comprises a cable network and the Internet.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming network comprises a wireless network.

24. A method for providing enhanced quality-of-service to online gaming users comprising the steps of:

connecting a game console to a cable network

connecting the cable network to a cable management termination system (CMTS), the CMTS further connected to a gaming network;

selecting a game session available for the game console;

transmitting the game session selection to a gaming agent;

selecting enhanced quality-of-service-game parameters from available quality-of-service parameters determined from game selection;

instructing the CMTS to poll the available network quality-of-service;

transmitting requests for enhanced quality-of-service-game network provisioning; and

releasing enhanced quality-of-service-game network provisioning at the completion of the game session.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the CMTS transmits the requests for enhanced quality-of-service-game network provisioning.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein each request for enhanced quality-of-service-game network provisioning comprises an enhanced quality-of-service requests to a cable network carrier and an enhanced quality-of-service request to an Integrated Service network carrier.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein each request for enhanced quality-of-service-game network provisioning comprises an enhanced quality-of-service requests to a cable network carrier and an enhanced quality-of-service request to a Differential Service network carrier.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the game console comprises a personal computer.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the game console transmits user authentication to the gaming web server.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the gaming web server restricts online gaming to authenticated users.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the gaming web server transmits authentication to the gaming agent.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the gaming agent restricts enhanced quality-of-service-game to authenticated users.

33. The method of claim 24 wherein the time duration of enhanced quality-of-service game provisioning is recorded and wherein the user is charged a time-duration based fee for enhanced quality-of-service.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the time-duration based fee is charged for the time that enhanced quality-of-service is active.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein the time-duration based fee is charged for the time that enhanced quality-of-service is reserved.

36. The method of claim 24, wherein the available quality-of-service parameters are selected from a database of desired gaming quality-of-service parameters indexed to a game identifier.

37. The method of claim 24, wherein the available quality-of-service parameters are selected from a database of desired gaming quality-of-service parameters indexed to a class-of-game identifier.

38. The method of claim 24 wherein the gaming agent receives data from the gaming web server and transmits data to the gaming web server over a secure communications network.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the secure communications network is a data encrypted communications network.

40. The method of claim 24 wherein the gaming agent is integrated with the gaming web server.

41. The method of claim 24 wherein the gaming agent further comprises parental controls.

42. The method of claim 24 wherein the enhanced quality-of-service request further comprises an upstream enhanced quality-of-service request and a downstream enhanced quality-of-service request.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein the gaming agent selects the upstream enhanced quality-of-service request and the downstream enhanced quality-of-service request from a database comprising fields for game identification, upstream quality-of-service fields and downstream quality-of-service fields.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein the upstream quality-of-service fields comprise poll-interval, poll-jitter, minimum-rate, maximum-rate, maximum-burst, maximum-concatenation-burst, request-transmission-policy, activity-timeout, admission-timeout, schedule-type and tos-overwrite.

45. The method of claim 43 wherein the downstream quality-of-service fields comprise priority, minimum-rate, maximum-rate, maximum-burst, activitytimeout and admission-timeout.

46. A system for providing enhanced quality-of-service to online gaming users, the system comprising:

a game console connected to a gaming network;

a gaming web server connected to the gaming network so as to receive a user selection for a game session available for the game console; and

a gaming agent server adapted to receive the selected game session selection transmitted from the gaming web server;

wherein the gaming agent server selects enhanced quality-of-service-game parameters from available quality-of-service parameters determined from game selection;

wherein the gaming agent server polls to determine available network quality-of-service;

wherein the gaming agent server transmits requests for enhanced quality-of-service-game network provisioning; and

wherein the gaming agent server releases enhanced quality-of-service-game network provisioning at the completion of the game session.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the game console transmits user authentication to the gaming web server.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the gaming web server restricts online gaming to authenticated users.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein the gaming web server transmits authentication to the gaming agent.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the gaming agent restricts enhanced quality-of-service-game to authenticated users.

51. The system of claim 46, wherein the time duration of enhanced quality-of-service game provisioning is recorded and wherein the user is charged a time-duration based fee for enhanced quality-of-service.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein the time-duration based fee is charged for time enhanced quality-of-service is active.

53. The system of claim 51, wherein the time-duration based fee is charged for the time that enhanced quality-of-service is reserved.

54. The system of claim 46, wherein the available quality-of-service parameters are selected from a database of desired gaming quality-of-service parameters indexed to a game identifier.

55. The system of claim 46, wherein the available quality-of-service parameters are selected from a database of desired gaming quality-of-service parameters indexed to a class-of-game identifier.

57. A gaming agent server for providing enhanced quality-of-service for online gaming users, the gaming agent server comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory in addressable communication with the one or more processors, the memory bearing software instructions adapted to enable the gaming agent server to perform the steps of;

receiving a game session selection transmitting from a gaming web server;

selecting enhanced quality-of-service-game parameters from a database of quality-of-service parameters determined from the game session selection;

polling network quality-of-service available between the gaming web server and a game console from which a game selection originated to effect the game session selection;

transmitting requests for enhanced quality-of-service-game network provisioning;

recording the time-duration of enhanced quality-of-service-game network provisioning; and

releasing enhanced quality-of-service-game network provisioning upon completion of the game session.