Proxy advertisement server and method

• US 20060143675A1
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Willis, Daniel, Godse, Dhananjay, Freedman, Gordon
• Application Number:
  US11/303,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20060143675A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/114
• 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 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5593 involving scheduling aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system and method for supporting the storage of advertising data used for providing advertisements in video games relies upon a proxy server for storing the advertising data. Specifically, in a video game device that supports a network communications and does not support a large non-volatile memory suitable for storing advertising data a storage media external to the video game device is identified and a portion of the storage media is reserved for storing advertising data. During a video game session an opportunity to provide an advertisement is detected and suitable advertising data is identified on the storage medium and transferred to the computing device via the network.

Claims

1. A method of providing a proxy server comprising:

executing on a computing device video game software having an opportunity to provide dynamic content;

establishing a first data communications link between the computing device and a first server;

providing a proxy server accessible to and remote from the computing device;

establishing a second data communications link between a content server and the proxy server;

transferring electronic data from the content server to the proxy server;

establishing a third data communication link between the proxy server and the computing device;

transferring the electronic data from the proxy server to the computing device; and

,

providing dynamic content in the video game in dependence upon the electronic data.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the content server comprises the first server.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first server comprises a broker server and the content server comprises an advertising server for serving of dynamic advertising content and wherein the opportunity comprises at least an advertising spot.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein providing dynamic content comprises impressing advertising content upon a gamer of the video game.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the advertising content comprises streaming media advertising content.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the proxy server is independent of the computing device.

7. A method according to claim 1, comprising:

determining that a non-volatile memory of the computing device is insufficient for storing a copy of the dynamic content; and

requesting memory accessible to and independent of the computing device.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic data comprises advertising data.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the computing device communicates with the first server via a broadband public network and the proxy server is disposed on a non-volatile memory of a server of the broadband public network.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the computing device communicates with the first server via a broadband public network and the computing device communicates with the broadband public network via an Internet service provider and the proxy server is disposed on a non-volatile memory of the Internet service provider.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein the computing device communicates with the first server via a local area network and the computing device and the proxy server is disposed on a non-volatile memory of another computing device in data communication with the local area network.

12. A method according to claim 8, comprising:

providing an available bandwidth from and available storage capacity of a non-volatile memory of a server of a broadband public network in communication with the computing device and the first server;

providing an available bandwidth from and available storage capacity of a non-volatile memory of a server of an Internet service provider in data communication with the broadband public network;

providing an available bandwidth from and available storage capacity of a non-volatile memory of a second computing device in data communication with the computing device via a local area network; and

,

providing a proxy server in at least one of the memory of a server of a broadband public network, the memory of a server of an Internet service provider and, memory of the second computing device.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the proxy server stores advertising data having a relative level of detail, the relative level of detail of the advertising data chosen in dependence upon bandwidth and available storage capacity of the memory supporting the proxy server.

14. A method according to claim 8, comprising:

determining an available bandwidth from and available storage capacity of a non-volatile memory of a server of a broadband public network in communication with the computing device and the first server;

determining an available bandwidth from and available storage capacity of a non-volatile memory of a server of an Internet service provider in data communication with the broadband public network;

determining an available bandwidth from and available storage capacity of a non-volatile memory of a second computing device in data communication with the computing device via a local area network; and

,

providing a proxy server in at least one of the memory of a server of a broadband public network, the memory of a server of an Internet service provider and, memory of the second computing device.

15. A method according to claim 2, wherein the proxy server provides proxy server services to a plurality of video games in concurrent execution, each video game accessing dynamic content from a same memory store, some of the plurality of video games receiving identical content from an identical memory location within the same memory store.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the proxy server comprises a process for updating of the dynamic content proxied thereby automatically, the process requesting updated dynamic content.

17. A method according to claim 3, wherein the proxy server provides proxy server services to a plurality of video games in concurrent execution, each video game accessing dynamic content from a same memory store, some of the plurality of video games receiving identical content from an identical memory location within the same memory store.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the proxy server comprises a process for updating of the dynamic content proxied thereby automatically, the process requesting updated dynamic content.

19. A method according to claim 1, comprising:

providing a second other proxy server accessible to and remote from the computing device;

establishing a second data communications link between a content server and the second other proxy server; and

,

transferring electronic data from the content server to the second other proxy server;

20. A system comprising:

a first server for providing dynamic content;

a first computing device for executing a video game; and

,

a first proxy server for retrieving of content from the first server and for, at a later time,

providing the content to the first computing device for use within the video game.

21. A system according to claim 20 wherein the content comprises advertising content and wherein use within the video game comprises impressing the advertising content upon a gamer of the video game in execution.

22. A storage medium having data stored therein, the instruction data for when executed resulting in the steps of:

receiving a request for dynamic content from a video game in execution on a computing device at a remote location;

providing a proxy server accessible to and remote from the computing device;

establishing a second data communications link between a content server and the proxy server; and

,

transferring electronic data from the content server to the proxy server, the content provided to the proxy server fro use in responding to the request for dynamic content, requested dynamic content provided from the proxy server.