SIP based VoIP multiplayer network games

• US 20050181872A1
• Filed: 02/17/2004
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Acharya, Arup, Singh, Aameek
• Granted Patent: US 7,985,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/35
• 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 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

This invention is directed to a system and method for the close coupling of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) with multiplayer network games. Game state dependent voice communications are used as another method of player interaction in the game environment. The system uses SIP enhanced game servers and conference servers with audio mixing capabilities, and the game server controls the creation, maintenance and changing of the voice conferences. Participation in a voice conference is determined by the game state features associated with each player including distance and direction to determine how the voices are mixed in a voice conference.

Claims

1. A system for providing simultaneous context based audio interaction among a plurality of participants in a network based gaming environment, the system comprising:

a game server in communication with a plurality of game participants, the game server capable of hosting the network based gaming environment and maintaining a game state profile for each game participant; and

an audio conference server in communication with the game server, the audio conference server capable of hosting a voice over internet protocol based audio conference between two or more game participants;

wherein the audio conference server establishes the audio conference in response to instructions from the game server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the participants in the audio conference are determined by the game server based upon the game state profiles of the game participants.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the participants in the audio conference comprise a shared context.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the game server comprises a session initiation protocol stack and the audio conference is a session initiation protocol based voice over internet protocol communication.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each participant comprises an audio communication device and the system comprises at least one audio mixer in communication with the audio server and each participant audio communication device to provide the audio mixing for the audio conference.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the audio communication device comprises an internet protocol phone, a software based phone or conventional telephone equipment.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the audio mixer is centrally located at the audio server.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising a plurality of distributed audio mixers, each audio mixing in communication with one of the audio conference participants.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the game server is capable of managing a plurality of simultaneous and independent audio conferences, each audio communication comprising two or more game participants.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each game participant can simultaneously participate in two or more independent audio conferences.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of distributed audio servers in communication with the game server, each audio server capable of hosting an audio conference between two or more game participants.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of distributed game servers.

13. A method for providing simultaneous context based audio interaction among a plurality of participants in a network based gaming environment, the method comprising:

establishing a network based game environment containing a plurality of game participants;

maintaining a game state profile for each one of the game participants; and

establishing one or more voice over internet protocol based audio conferences among the game participants based upon the game state profiles.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of maintaining a game state profile comprises maintaining a game state profile for each participant in a single centralized game server.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of maintaining a game state profile comprises maintaining a game state profile for each participant in each one of a plurality of distributed game servers associated with each participant.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of establishing an audio conference comprises establishing a session initiation protocol based voice over internet protocol based audio conference.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of establishing an audio conference comprises determining at least one group of game participants possessing a shared context that permits the transmission or receipt of audio communications among game participants in the group.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising modifying the group of participants based upon changes in the game state profiles of game participants in the group.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of modifying the group of participants comprises removing participants or adding participants.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining a plurality of groups of participants wherein each group of game participants possessing a shared context that permits the transmission or receipt of audio communications among game participants in that group.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising dynamically switching at least one participant between two distinct groups.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of establishing an audio conference comprises delivering an audio signal to each audio conference participant that comprises the sum of all received audio signals from all other audio conference participants.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of establishing an audio conference comprises determining an audio feature vector for each pair of audio conference participants based upon the game state profiles associated with the participants;

and

modifying audio signals transmitted between the pair of audio conference participants in accordance with the audio feature vector.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the audio feature vector comprises information about distance, direction, communication medium, transmission frequency or transmission amplitude.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising modifying the audio feature vector in response to changes in the game state profiles of the audio conference participants.

26. A computer readable medium containing a computer executable code that when read by a computer causes the computer to perform a method for providing simultaneous context based audio interaction among a plurality of participants in a network based gaming environment, the method comprising:

establishing a network based game environment containing a plurality of game participants;

maintaining a game state profile for each one of the game participants; and

establishing one or more voice over internet protocol based audio conferences among the game participants based upon the game state profiles.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the step of maintaining a game state profile comprises maintaining a game state profile for each participant in a single centralized game server.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the step of maintaining a game state profile comprises maintaining a game state profile for each participant in each one of a plurality of distributed game servers associated with each participant.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the step of establishing an audio conference comprises establishing a session initiation protocol based voice over internet protocol based audio conference.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the step of establishing an audio conference comprises determining at least one group of game participants possessing a shared context that permits the transmission or receipt of audio communications among game participants in the group.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 30, further comprising modifying the group of participants based upon changes in the game state profiles of game participants in the group.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the step of modifying the group of participants comprises removing participants or adding participants.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 30, further comprising determining a plurality of groups of participants wherein each group of game participants possessing a shared context that permits the transmission or receipt of audio communications among game participants in that group.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 33, further comprising dynamically switching at least one participant between two distinct groups.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the step of establishing an audio conference comprises delivering an audio signal to each audio conference participant that comprises the sum of all received audio signals from all other audio conference participants.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the step of establishing an audio conference comprises determining an audio feature vector for each pair of audio conference participants based upon the game state profiles associated with the participants;

and

modifying audio signals transmitted between the pair of audio conference participants in accordance with the audio feature vector.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 36, wherein the audio feature vector comprises information about distance, direction, communication medium, transmission frequency or transmission amplitude.

38. The computer readable medium of claim 36, further comprising modifying the audio feature vector in response to changes in the game state profiles of the audio conference participants.