Multi-player game data via multicast transmission

• US 8,145,711 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2008
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chin, Jae-Sun, Raftelis, Michael, Henderson, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): WASEL, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US12/265,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20100113157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 463/38, 463/42
• US Class Current: 709/205
• 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 13/358 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 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A server to host a multi-player game is disclosed. The server includes a network interface coupled to an Internet Protocol (IP) network to send and receive data related to a multi-player game. The server includes a game play data module to receive multi-player game play data from a plurality of end user gaming devices via the network interface. The multi-player game play data is received via a plurality of unicast transmissions. The server includes an assembly module to assemble the multi-player game play data received from the plurality of end user gaming devices to generate aggregated game update data. The server also includes a transmission module to transmit the aggregated game update data as a single IP multicast transmission via the network interface.

Claims

1. A server to host a multi-player game, the server comprising:

a network interface coupled to an Internet Protocol network, the network interface to send and receive data related to a multi-player game;

a game play data module to receive multi-player game play data from a plurality of end user gaming devices via the network interface, wherein the multi-player game play data is received via a plurality of unicast transmissions;

an assembly module to assemble the multi-player game play data received from the plurality of end user gaming devices to generate aggregated game update data; and

a transmission module to transmit the aggregated game update data to each end user gaming device of a subset of the plurality of end user gaming devices in an internet protocol multicast transmission via the network interface, wherein each end user gaming device of the subset is multi-cast enabled, and to transmit the aggregated game update data to a particular end user gaming device of the plurality of end user gaming devices in an outgoing unicast transmission in response to an indication that the particular end user gaming device is not multicast-enabled.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the aggregated game update data is transmitted to a multicast address associated with one or more gateways.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein the aggregated game update data is transmitted to a multicast address associated with one or more end user gaming devices.

4. The server of claim 3, wherein the one or more end user gaming devices include one or more of a personal computer gaming system, a game console system, and a set-top box.

5. The server of claim 1, further comprising:

a registration module to receive registration information associated with each end user gaming device via the network interface and to determine, for each end user gaming device based on the corresponding received registration information, whether the end user gaming device is multicast-enabled.

6. The server of claim 5, wherein the aggregated game update data is transmitted to a first plurality of devices via corresponding unicast transmissions in response to the received registration information indicating that each of the first plurality of devices is not multicast-enabled.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the Internet Protocol network includes a fiber optic network.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising operational instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

assemble multi-player game play data received from a plurality of end user gaming devices to generate aggregated game update data;

determine a method of transmission of the aggregated game update data based on received registration information; and

in response to the received registration information indicating that a particular device is multicast-enabled, transmit the aggregated game update data as an Internet Protocol multicast transmission to a multicast address associated with the particular device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising operational instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to transmit the aggregated game update data to a subset of the plurality of end user gaming devices via corresponding unicast transmissions to each end user gaming device of the subset of the plurality of end user gaming devices in response to the received registration information indicating that each end user gaming device of the subset of the plurality of end user gaming devices is not multicast-enabled.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the aggregated game update data includes information associated with the multi-player game play data and one or more game events.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the one or more game events include at least one of actions resulting from end user input, outcomes resulting from end user input, and one or more game rules.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising operational instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine the one or more game events based on the multi-player game play data.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the multi-player game play data includes information related to game player control input.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the multi-player game play data includes multi-player video game data.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the multicast address associated with the particular device is associated with one or more gateways.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the multicast address associated with the particular device is associated with one or more end user gaming devices.

17. A system comprising:

a game controller interface to receive first multi-player game play data from a first device;

a network interface coupled to an Internet Protocol network, the network interface adapted to send and receive data; and

a game play module adapted to;

receive the first multi-player game play data from the game controller interface;

transmit the first multi-player game play data to a game server via the network interface; and

receive aggregated game update data from the game server via the network interface, wherein the aggregated game update data includes second multi-player game play data aggregated from one or more devices other than the first device;

wherein the aggregated game update data is addressed to a multicast address associated with the system in response to an indication that the system is multicast enabled and wherein the aggregated game updated data is addressed to a unicast address associated with the system in response to an indication that the system is not multicast-enabled.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first device includes an end user gaming device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the game play module transmits the aggregated game update data to the end user gaming device via the game controller interface, and wherein the aggregated game update data is transmitted from the game play module to the end user gaming device via a unicast transmission in response to an indication that the end user gaming device is not multicast-enabled.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the end user gaming device includes one of a personal computer gaming system, a game console system, and a set-top box.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the first device includes a game play control device.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more devices other than the first device include one or more of a personal computer gaming system, a game console system, and a set-top box.

23. A method comprising:

receiving multi-player game play data at an end user gaming device from a first device;

transmitting, by the end user gaming device, the multi-player game play data to a game server; and

receiving aggregated game update data at the end user gaming device from the game server, wherein the aggregated game update data includes multi-player game play data from one or more other devices, wherein the aggregated game update data is received via a multicast transmission in response to an indication that the end user gaming device is multicast-enabled, and wherein the aggregated game update data is received via a unicast transmission in response to an indication that the end user gaming device is not multicast-enabled.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising transmitting the multi-player game play data to the game server via a unicast transmission.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the first device includes a game play control device.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the game play control device includes one of a joystick, a wired game controller, a wireless game controller, a remote control, a keyboard, and a mouse.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising providing registration information to the game server, the registration information including the indication that the end user gaming device is multicast-enabled.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising providing registration information to the game server, the registration information including the indication that the end user gaming device is not multicast-enabled.