Overlaying interactive video game play with real-time chat sessions with game switching

• US 9,700,791 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2008
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valve Corporation
• Original Assignee: Valve Corporation
• Inventors: Cook, John, Otten, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Chong G
• Application Number:
  US12/191,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20100041457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,253 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709204, 709219, 709217, 709229, 709201, 709223, 709227, 463 16- 40
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

Embodiments are directed towards providing an interactive game experience whereby a game player may combine game play with a user interface overlaid onto the game that is useable to interact and communicate with other players inside and/or outside of the current game. Through the use of the user interface, a player may select different game sets to play, and rapidly switch between games with different players, while maintaining a real-time interactive chat session, or similar communication session, including, without limit, voice communication sessions. A game client component may launch a game, and then hooks into the game to intercept various input and video functions.

Claims

1. A client device that is configured for use in playing a computer game, comprising:

a processor; and

memory in communication with the processor useable in storing data and machine instructions that causes the processor to perform actions, including;

launching the computer game for execution;

pausing the launch of the computer game;

injecting hooks into a portion of a component used by the computer game on the client device while the launch is paused, wherein injecting the hooks includes modifying at least one input or output function of the computer game by inserting code that is configured to perform a jump to a game overlay component, wherein injecting the hooks further comprises modifying at least one input or output function with a jump to the game overlay component, wherein the game overlay component is configured to determine if the monitored input or output is to be directed to a messaging session;

resuming the launch such that the computer game executes on the client device;

executing the computer game including the hooked component;

employing the hooks to monitor for a user input or a display output;

determining if a monitored user input is associated with the messaging session, and if so;

directing the user input to the messaging session;

if the output is associated with a display output, employing the output to display, at least in part, a user interface window for the messaging session overlaid onto a game display managed through the computer game;

detecting a user selection within the messaging session indicating a request to join a second computer game that is different from the first computer game; and

enabling the second computer game to be launched on the client device, with an other messaging session, such that the client device plays both computer games with messaging sessions overlaid thereon.

2. The client device of claim 1, wherein the data and machine instructions that causes the processor to perform actions, further including:

receiving over a network from a remote network device presence information that includes at least one of a name of another game user, or an online status of another game user; and

providing the presence information to a game overlay component such that at least some of the presence information is accessible through the overlaid messaging session user interface window.

3. The client device of claim 1, wherein determining if the monitored input is associated with the messaging session further comprises:

detecting that the messaging session is active; and

if so, then;

if the input is a pre-defined keystroke combination associated with play of the computer game, then determining that input is associated with the messaging session;

if a mouse input cursor is detected as within a pre-defined user interface window associated with the messaging session, then determining that a keyboard input is associated with the messaging session; and

modifying a display output to enable display of the user interface window for the messaging session overlaid on the game display.

4. The client device of claim 1, wherein injecting hooks further comprises:

executing the game overlay component, such that the game overlay component establishes an inter-process communications (IPC) between a game client component and the computer game; and

employing the IPC to transfer messaging data between the client device, messaging session, and the game client component for use in communicating with another messaging session on another client device.

5. A system that is configured for use in managing a computer game, comprising:

a game client manager that is configured to perform actions, including;

receiving a request to play the computer game;

launching for play the requested computer game;

pausing the launch of the computer game;

injecting hooks into components employed by the computer game while the launch is paused, wherein injecting the hooks includes modifying at least one input or output function of the computer game by inserting code that is configured to perform a jump to a game overlay component, wherein injecting the hooks further comprises modifying at least one input or output function with a jump to the game overlay component, wherein the game overlay component is configured to determine if the monitored input or output is to be directed to a messaging session;

resuming the launch such that the computer game executes on the client device;

launching the game overlay component;

receiving messaging session data; and

providing the messaging session data to the game overlay component for use in the messaging session during play of the computer game; and

the game overlay component that is configured to perform actions, including;

employing the hooks to monitor for a user input or a display output;

if a user input is detected, determining if the user input is associated with the computer game or the messaging session, and routing the user input to the computer game or the messaging session based on the determination;

if the display output is detected, modifying the display output to enable display of a user interface window for the messaging session that is overlaid onto a game display associated with the computer game;

detecting a user selection within the messaging session indicating a request to join a second computer game, the first computer game and the second computer game not being the same computer game; and

enabling the second computer game to be launched on the client device, with an other messaging session, such that the client device plays both computer games with messaging sessions overlaid thereon.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the game overlay component that is configured to perform actions, including:

employing the hooks to monitor for another output;

if the other output is determined to be associated with the messaging session, sending the other output to the messaging session; and

if the other output is determined to be unassociated with the messaging sessions, sending the other output to the computer game.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein if the user input includes a pre-defined keyboard input associated with the computer game, then determining that the user input is to be routed to the game.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein detecting if a mouse curser is within the user interface window of the messaging session, then determining that a user input associated with a keyboard entry is to be routed to the messaging session.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the game overlay component that is configured to perform actions, including:

enabling the other second computer game to be launched, while maintaining the messaging session as active during the launching of the second computer game.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the game client manager is further configured to maintain and store messaging session state information.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the game overlay component is configured to communicate the messaging session data between the computer game and the game client manager.

12. A method of managing a computer game, comprising:

launching the computer game for execution;

pausing the launch of the computer game;

injecting hooks into a portion of a computer game component while the launch is paused, wherein injecting the hooks includes modifying at least one input or output function of the computer game by inserting code that is configured to perform a jump to a game overlay component, wherein injecting the hooks further comprises modifying at least one input or output function with a jump to the game overlay component, wherein the game overlay component is configured to determine if the monitored input or output is to be directed to a messaging session;

resuming the launch such that the computer game executes on the client device;

executing the computer game including the hooked computer game component;

executing the game overlay component configured to establish the messaging session user interface window overlaid onto a game display that is managed through the computer game;

employing the hooks to monitor user inputs and display outputs;

if a monitored input or output is associated with the messaging session, directing the input to the messaging session or employing the output to display, at least in part, the user interface for the messaging session overlaid onto the game display;

detecting a user selection within the messaging session indicating a request to join a second computer game that is not the same as the first computer game; and

enabling the second computer game to be launched on the client device, with an other messaging session, such that the client device plays both computer games with messaging sessions overlaid thereon.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein monitoring the input and outputs further comprises enabling at least one user input to be provided to the computer game, while another user input is provided to the messaging session based on a source of the user input.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the messaging session is preserved across computer games.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

executing a game client manager, wherein the game client manager performs actions, comprising;

receiving messaging data over a network from a different network device than the game client manager;

distributing the message data to the game overlay component for use in the messaging session; and

storing the messaging data such that the messaging data is accessible to the messaging session during transition between the computer game and another computer game.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the display output is employed in part to modify a rendering of a display such that the messaging session is displayed overlaid onto the game display.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the game overlay component is configured to communicate with the computer game through an inter-process communications.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein mousing over the user interface window for the messaging session represents an input indicating that a keyboard entry is associated with the messaging session.