Sponsored network games

• US 8,002,617 B1
• Filed: 09/27/1999
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Rautianen, Aapo, Leppanen, Eva-Maria, Nieminen, Mari K., Tudose, Lucia, Uskela, Sami
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca; Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US09/405,088
• Time in Patent Office: 4,348 Days
• Field of Search: 700/91, 700/90, 463/1, 463/25, 463/29, 463 40- 43, 725/30, 725/32, 725/109, 725/110, 725/111, 725/112, 725/114, 725/115, 725/118, 725/22, 725/23, 725 33- 36, 705/14, 709/200, 709201-203, 709/208, 709/212, 709/213, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/220, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/249, 709/250, 713/153, 713/154, 395/500.13, 395/500.15
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements

Abstract

A system and method for supplying selected advertising to gamers accessing games suppliers over communications networks including mobile networks. Data on the user'"'"'s geographic location and personal profile are used to select the advertising. The selected advertising is displayed in the game either on screen borders or at selected intervals in the game.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a game sponsoring gateway configured to receive game data for presentation of a game from a game server, and to receive advertising from a sponsor content server,

wherein the game sponsoring gateway is further configured to,

insert the advertising in the game data,

scan the game data to identify a placeholder,

insert an instruction in the game data to instruct a user terminal to cause presentation of the advertising during a break point in game play,

insert, at the game sponsoring gateway, the advertising at the placeholder, and

initiate transmission of the game data to the user terminal.

2. A system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises the game server and the sponsor content server.

3. A system of claim 1, further comprising:

a location server configured to communicate with the game sponsoring gateway and to determine location of the user terminal,

wherein the game sponsoring gateway is further configured to receive the location of the user terminal, and to control the presentation of the advertising using the location.

4. A system of claim 1, further comprising:

a user data server configured to communicate with the game sponsoring gateway and to provide user information from the user terminal,

wherein the game sponsoring gateway is further configured to receive the user information, and to control the presentation of the advertising using the user information.

5. A system of claim 1, wherein the game sponsoring gateway is further configured to receive a location of the user terminal for selecting geographic sensitive advertising for presentation in the game data.

6. A system of claim 1, wherein the game sponsoring gateway is further configured to receive user information from the user terminal for selecting the advertising for presentation in the game data.

7. A system of claim 1, wherein the game sponsoring gateway is further configured to receive a user profile comprising user preference, and the sponsoring gateway being further configured to select the advertising for presentation in the game data based on the user preference.

8. A system of claim 1, wherein the instruction comprises a tag to identify the break point.

9. A system of claim 1, wherein the instruction further instructs the user terminal to dynamically stop the game to present the advertising.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, at a game sponsoring gateway, game data for presentation of a game;

receiving, at the game sponsoring gateway, advertising;

inserting, at the game sponsoring gateway, the advertising in the game data;

scanning the game data to identify a placeholder;

inserting, at the game sponsoring gateway, an instruction in the game data to instruct a user terminal to cause presentation of advertising during a break point in game play;

inserting, at the game sponsoring gateway, the advertising at the placeholder; and

initiating, at the game sponsoring gateway, transmission of the game data to the user terminal.

11. A method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining location of the user terminal; and

controlling the presentation of the advertising using the location.

12. A method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining user information from the user terminal; and

controlling the presentation of the advertising using the user information.

13. A method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining location information of the user terminal; and

selecting the advertising for presentation in the game data based on the location information.

14. A method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a user profile comprising user preference; and

selecting the advertising for presentation in the game data based on the user preference.

15. A method of claim 10, wherein the instruction comprises a tag to identify the break point.

16. A method of claim 10, wherein the instruction further instructs the user terminal to dynamically stop the game to present the advertising.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, at a game sponsoring gateway, a user profile associated with a user terminal;

determining, at a game sponsoring gateway, that the user terminal accepts advertising based on the user profile;

retrieving, at the game sponsoring gateway, an advertisement based on the user profile or on a location of the user terminal;

inserting, at the game sponsoring gateway, the advertising in game data received from a game server;

scanning the game data to identify a placeholder;

inserting, at the game sponsoring gateway, an instruction in the game data to instruct a user terminal to cause presentation of advertising during a break point in game play of the game;

inserting, at the game sponsoring gateway, the advertising at the placeholder; and

initiating, at the game sponsoring gateway, transmission of the game data to the user terminal.

18. A method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining location of the user terminal; and

controlling the presentation of the advertising using the location.

19. A method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining user information from the user terminal; and

controlling the presentation of the advertising using the user information.

20. A method of claim 17, wherein the instruction further instructs the user terminal to dynamically stop the game to present the advertising.