Hosting massively multiplayer online gaming via mobile devices

• US 8,260,858 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2008
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Belz, Steven, Pratt, James, Sullivan, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Haresh N
• Application Number:
  US12/266,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20100113160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,398 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 709/203, 709217-228, 463/40, 463/42, 726/3, 482/8
• 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 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• 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 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/386 using messaging services or messaging apps using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS G06Q20/3255
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 : in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 : Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 : Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 : Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 : for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 : User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing

Abstract

Systems and methods of organizing a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) via mobile units are provided. Features of mobile units such as messaging and location based services are incorporated into the game to enhance the user experience. The MMOG provides social networking opportunities to players by associating players based on similarities such as shared interests and activities. These shared interests and activities can be determined based on associations of the players in other situations, such as disparate online games or websites. In addition, advertising content can be provided to players based on similar factors. In an example implementation, the MMOG comprises a game similar to the offline game of tag, wherein players can “tag” each other through in-game interactions via the mobile units. These interactions can be triggered based on players being a fixed predetermined distance from each other.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a massively multiplayer online game request from a mobile unit;

associating the mobile unit with a group of massively multiplayer online gamers included in a set of massively multiplayer online gamer groups;

assigning the set of massively multiplayer online gamer groups to a game session;

hosting the game session to facilitate gameplay among the set of massively multiplayer online gamer groups assigned to the game session through a set of mobile units associated with the set of massively multiplayer online gamer groups;

receiving a set of advertisements;

receiving a set of target demographic information related to the set of advertisements;

determining a set of user associations for a user of the mobile unit;

comparing the set of target demographic information to the set of user associations; and

providing an advertisement in the set of advertisements to the mobile unit, based at least in part on the comparing.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a set of social information associated with a user of the mobile unit, and associating the mobile unit with the group of massively multiplayer online gamers included in the set of massively multiplayer online gamer groups based at least in part on the set of social information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising coordinating location data associated with a subset of mobile units in the set of mobile units.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a set of billing options to the mobile unit.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing content based at least in part on the massively multiplayer online game to the mobile unit via a web portal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the advertisement to the mobile unit is based at least in part on a set of location data associated with the mobile unit.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the effectiveness of the advertisement.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computing system to perform operations, comprising:

receiving a massively multiplayer online game request from a mobile unit;

associating the mobile unit with a group of massively multiplayer online game players included in a set of massively multiplayer online game player groups;

assigning the set of massively multiplayer online game player groups to a game session;

hosting the game session through a set of mobile units associated with the set of massively multiplayer online game player groups including enabling a set of mobile users associated with the set of massively multiplayer online game player groups to interact in the game session;

receiving a set of advertisements;

receiving a set of target geographical information related to the set of advertisements;

determining a set of user associations for a user of the mobile unit;

correlating the set of target geographical information to the set of user associations; and

providing an advertisement in the set of advertisements to the mobile unit, based at least in part on the correlating.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising coordinating location data associated with a subset of mobile units in the set of mobile units.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising providing a set of billing options to the mobile unit.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising providing content based at least in part on the massively multiplayer online game to the mobile unit via a web portal.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising receiving a set of social information associated with the user.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the determining the set of user associations is based at least in part on the set of social information.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising monitoring an effectiveness of the advertisement.

15. A device, comprising:

a memory that retains a set of program modules; and

a processing unit that executes the set of program modules, and in response to the execution, causes the device to;

receive a massively multiplayer online game request from a mobile unit;

assign the mobile unit to a group of game players;

assign the group of game players to a game session; and

host the game session to facilitate game play among a set of game player groups assigned to the game session through a set of mobile units included in the game session;

receive a set of advertisements;

receive a set of target demographic information related to the set of advertisements;

determine a set of user associations for a user of the mobile unit based at least in part on a set of social data associated with the user of the mobile unit; and

provide an advertisement in the set of advertisements to the mobile unit based at least in part on a comparison of the set of target demographic information to the set of user associations.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the processing unit further causes the device to coordinate a set of location data associated with a subset of mobile units in the set of mobile units.