Methods and systems for providing a game center having player specific options and statistics

• US 8,734,255 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2010
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: van Os, Marcel, Lampell, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liddle, Jay Trent
• Application Number:
  US12/886,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20110250968A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/43
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• 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 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/57 details of game services offered to the player

Abstract

Described herein are methods and systems for providing a game center having player specific options and statistics. For example, in at least certain embodiments, a game center module can provide a friends option such that a user can view and select from a list of friends. The game center module can provide friend details of a selected friend including a list of games played together between the user and the selected friend and a list of other games in common between the user and the selected friend. In an embodiment, the list of games in common and the list of other games in common each include a list of options with each option indicating a respective game name and a comparison of the user'"'"'s ranking and the selected friend'"'"'s ranking for the respective game.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a selection of a friends option of a game center module;

sending data to be presented on a graphical user interface of a system in response to the selection of the friends option, the data indicative of a list of friends;

receiving a selection of a friend from the list of friends; and

sending data to be presented on the graphical user interface, the data indicative of details of the selected friend, the details including a first list of games played together for games in common between a user and the selected friend and a second list of other games in common that have not been played together between the user and the selected friend, wherein each friend has an account that is associated with an account of the user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first list of games comprises a separate selectable option for each game and each game of the first list of games displays a respective game name and a comparison of the user'"'"'s ranking and the selected friend'"'"'s ranking for the respective game.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the second list of games comprises a selectable option for each game with each selectable option indicating a respective game name and a comparison of the user'"'"'s ranking and the selected friend'"'"'s ranking for the respective game.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the gaming details of the selected friend further comprises a third list of games owned by the friend and not owned by the user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of an option from the first list of games;

sending data to be presented to the graphical user interface, the data indicating game details for the selected game;

receiving a selection of a leaderboard option provided by the game details;

sending data to be presented to the graphical user interface, the data indicative of a leaderboard that includes a first ranked list of top players and the user among the user'"'"'s friends for the game associated with the selected option.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the leaderboard includes a second ranked list of top players and the user among all players for the game associated with the selected option.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the first ranked list further comprises a ranking for the selected friend for the game associated with the selected option, wherein the rankings of the first ranked list and the second ranked list are also generated based on one of the following time periods:

today, this week, and all time, wherein the leaderboard further comprises a number of games played by the user, a number of players in the leaderboard, and a show more option to show an additional number of players.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a computing system cause said system to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a friends option of a game center module;

sending data to be presented on a graphical user interface of a system in response to the selection of the friends option, the data indicative of a list of friends;

receiving a selection of a friend from the list of friends; and

sending data to be presented on the graphical user interface, the data indicative of details of the selected friend, the details including a first list of games played together for games in common between a user and the selected friend and a second list of other games in common that have not been played together between the user and the selected friend, wherein each friend has an account that is associated with an account of the user.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first list of games comprises a separate selectable option for each game and each game of the first list of games displays a respective game name and a comparison of the user'"'"'s ranking and the selected friend'"'"'s ranking for the respective game.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium-of claim 8, wherein the second list of games comprises a selectable option for each game with each selectable option indicating a respective game name and a comparison of the user'"'"'s ranking and the selected friend'"'"'s ranking for the respective game.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the gaming details of the selected friend further comprises a third list of games owned by the friend and not owned by the user.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, the method further comprising:

receiving a selection of an option from the first list of games;

sending data to be presented to the graphical user interface, the data indicating game details for the selected game;

receiving a selection of a leaderboard option provided by the game details;

sending data to be presented to the graphical user interface, the data indicative of a leaderboard that includes a first ranked list of top players and the user among the user'"'"'s friends for the game associated with the selected option.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the leaderboard includes a second ranked list of top players and the user among all players for the game associated with the selected option.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first ranked list further comprises a ranking for the selected friend for the game associated with the selected option, wherein the rankings of the first ranked list and the second ranked list are also generated based on one of the following time periods:

today, this week, and all time, wherein the leaderboard further comprises a number of games played by the user, a number of players in the leaderboard, and a show more option to show an additional number of players.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a selection of a friend from a list of friends provided by a game center module; and

sending data to be presented on a graphical user interface of a system, the data indicative of details of the selected friend, the details including a first list of games played together for games in common between a user and the friend and a second list of other games in common that have not been played together between the user and the friend, wherein each friend has an account that is associated with an account of the user, and wherein the data for each game on the first list of games includes a game name and a comparison of the user'"'"'s ranking and the selected friend'"'"'s ranking for the respective game.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the data for each game on the second list of games includes a game name and a comparison of the user'"'"'s ranking and the selected friend'"'"'s ranking for the respective game.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a selection of an option associated with one of the games from the first or second list of games;

sending data to be presented on the graphical user interface, the data indicative of game details of the selected game;

receiving a selection of a leaderboard option provided by the game details;

sending data to be presented on the graphical user interface, the data indicative of a leaderboard that includes a first ranked list of a number of top players including the user if the user is ranked within the number of top players or a number of top players and an additional ranking for the user for the game associated with the selected option if the user is not ranked within the number of top players.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the leaderboard further includes a second ranked list of top players and the user among all players for the game associated with the selected option.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the rankings of the leaderboard are generated based on a plurality of games recently played by the user.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the first ranked list further comprises a ranking for the selected friend for the game associated with the selected option, wherein the rankings of the first ranked list and the second ranked list are also generated based on one of the following time periods:

today, this week, and all time, wherein the leaderboard further comprises a number of games played by the user, a number of players in the leaderboard, and a show more option to show an additional number of players.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a computing system cause said system to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a friend from a list of friends provided by a game center module; and

sending data to be presented on a graphical user interface of a system, the data indicative of details of the selected friend, the details including a first list of games played together for games in common between a user and the friend and a second list of other games in common that have not been played together between the user and the friend, wherein each friend has an account that is associated with an account of the user, and wherein the data for each game on the first list of games includes a game name and a comparison of the user'"'"'s ranking and the selected friend'"'"'s ranking for the respective game.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the data for each game on the second list of games includes a game name and a comparison of the user'"'"'s ranking and the selected friend'"'"'s ranking for the respective game.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, the method further comprising:

receiving a selection of an option associated with one of the games from the first or second list of games;

sending data to be presented on the graphical user interface, the data indicative of game details of the selected game;

receiving a selection of a leaderboard option provided by the game details;

sending data to be presented on the graphical user interface, the data indicative of a leaderboard that includes a first ranked list of a number of top players including the user if the user is ranked within the number of top players or a number of top players and an additional ranking for the user for the game associated with the selected option if the user is not ranked within the number of top players.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the leaderboard further includes a second ranked list of top players and the user among all players for the game associated with the selected option.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the rankings of the leaderboard are generated based on a plurality of games recently played by the user.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the first ranked list further comprises a ranking for the selected friend for the game associated with the selected option, wherein the rankings of the first ranked list and the second ranked list are also generated based on one of the following time periods:

today, this week, and all time, wherein the leaderboard further comprises a number of games played by the user, a number of players in the leaderboard, and a show more option to show an additional number of players.

27. A system, comprising:

a computer-readable medium to store a game center module;

one or more processing units coupled to the computer-readable medium,

an input/output device coupled to the one or more processing units, wherein the one or more processing units are configured to receive a selection of a friends option of the game center module, to send data to be presented to the input/output device, the data indicative of a list of friends, to receive a selection of a friend from the list of friends, and to send data to be presented to the input/output device, the data indicative of friend details of the selected friend including a first list of games played together for games in common between a user and the selected friend and a second list of other games in common that have not been played together between the user and the selected friend, wherein each friend has an account that is associated with an account of the user.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the first and second list of games comprises a list of options with each option indicating a respective game name and a set of achievements for the friend while playing the respective game.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein each option also indicates a comparison of a user'"'"'s ranking and the selected friend'"'"'s ranking for the respective game.