CN103390095A - Method and apparatus for providing content to user device - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for providing content to a user device are provided. The method includes accessing at least one game application for providing game content to the user device. A management application is used to communicate with the game application to control operation of the game application. Execution of the management application provides game content assets to selected user device based on parameters of the management application.

Description

Method and apparatus for providing content to user devices

technical field

The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for providing content to user devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to providing game content to users.

Background technique

Typically, gaming content, such as video games and gaming accessories, are used by devices to display gaming content. However, a system that provides an enhanced gaming experience is desired.

Contents of the invention

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an enhanced gaming experience using dedicated applications for interacting with game content assets and user devices.

One embodiment of the invention relates to a method for providing content to a user device. The method includes accessing at least one game application for providing one or more related game content assets to a user device. Access at least one management application. The management application communicates with the game application to control the operation of the game application. Based on execution of the management application, one or more game content assets are provided to selected user devices.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for providing content to a user device. The method includes accessing one or more game content assets via a user device using an Internet content system. Use the internet content system to manage access to one or more game content assets. Based on the Internet content system, one or more selected game content assets are provided to the user device.

Another embodiment relates to a method for providing content that includes accessing one or more game content assets using an Internet content system. An internet content system is used to manage access to one or more game content assets. Based on the Internet content system, selected game content assets are provided to one or more display devices. A first game control associated with the first user is identified, and a second game control associated with the second user is also identified. Then, based on the input received from the first game control device and the second game control device, one or more game content assets are displayed on the one or more display devices.

Another embodiment relates to a method for providing content to a user device, the method comprising: accessing at least one game application for providing one or more related game content assets to the user device, and accessing at least one management application. The management application communicates with the game application to control the execution of the game application. User device components associated with the user device are identified, and based on the user device component of the selected user device, a management application is executed for the selected user device. Based on the management application being executed, one or more game content assets are provided to selected user devices.

Another embodiment relates to a method for providing content to a display device. The method includes accessing at least one game application for providing one or more related game content assets to a display device. Access at least one management application. The management application communicates with the game application to control the execution of the game application. A management application for the selected display device is executed based on the control device associated with the selected user device. Based on the executing management application, one or more game content assets are provided to selected display devices.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for providing content to a display device. The method includes accessing at least one gaming web application for providing one or more related game content assets to a display device. Access at least one management application. The management application communicates with the gaming web application to control execution of the gaming web application. A management application for the selected display device is executed based on the control device associated with the selected user device. Based on the executed management application, one or more game content assets are provided to selected display devices and/or controller devices.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the one or more display devices include one or more display devices associated with the second user.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the one or more display devices include one or more display devices associated with the first user and one or more display devices associated with the second user.

In another embodiment of the invention, said one or more display devices are associated with both the first user and the second user.

In another embodiment of the present invention, said one or more display devices display specific information to relevant users.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes: displaying a user interface on the first game control device and the second game control device; An indication of user interaction.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the one or more display devices include one or more display devices associated with the first user; the one or more display devices include one or more display devices associated with the second user or more display devices; and the one or more display devices include display devices associated with both the first user and the second user.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the method includes: accessing at least one game application for providing one or more related game content assets to the user device; accessing at least one management application, the management application interacting with the game application communicating to control execution of the game application; identifying user device components associated with the user device; executing a management application for the selected user device based on the user device component of the selected user device; and communicating to the selected user device based on the executed management application. A user device provides one or more game content assets.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises: identifying a user interface function; and utilizing the user interface function in execution of the management application.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes receiving a user request for one or more game content assets from the user device to provide the one or more requested game content assets to the user device.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the step of executing the management application further includes providing an implementation of the requested game content asset based on the user device component.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the step of executing the management application further comprises: receiving a request for game content assets from a first user device operated by a user; providing the requested game content based on a user device component of the first user device A first implementation of the asset; determining that the user is operating a second user device; and providing a second implementation of the requested game content asset to the second user device.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises: identifying a device component of the second user device; wherein, based on the device component of the second user device, providing the second implementation of the requested game content asset to the second user device. user device.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a first implementation of the requested game content asset is provided to a first user device, and a second implementation of the requested game content asset is provided to a second user device at substantially the same time.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for providing content to a display device, the method comprising: accessing at least one game application for providing one or more related game content assets to a display device; accessing at least one a management application that communicates with the game application to control execution of the game application; based on the control device associated with the selected user device, executes the management application for the selected display device; and upon execution of the management application sends a One or more game content assets are provided to the selected display device.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises: identifying one or more functions of the management application accessed by the display device; and accessing the identified function of the management application on the control device.

Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for providing content to a display device, the method comprising: accessing at least one gaming web application for providing one or more related game content assets to a display device; accessing at least a management application that communicates with the gaming network application to control execution of the gaming application; executes the management application for the selected display device based on the control device associated with the selected user device; and executes the management application based on the execution , providing one or more game content assets to a selected display device and/or controller device.

In another embodiment of the invention, the method includes executing a gaming web application to control the display of a user interface for displaying game content assets.

Other embodiments of the invention include the methods described above, but implemented using devices or programmed as computer code executed by one or more processors operating in conjunction with one or more electronic storage media.

Description of drawings

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain exemplary embodiments of the invention are herein described in conjunction with the following description and accompanying drawings. These embodiments are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed and the invention is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages, embodiments and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following description, given by way of example and not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described, is best understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an example of a network supporting an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a display device that may be used according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows an example of a server module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a series of steps that may be used to provide game content to users according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a series of steps that may be used to provide device capability information according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a series of steps that may be used to provide advertising content according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a series of steps that may be used to identify additional processing devices according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows the flow of instructions and contents among various modules according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows the flow of instructions and contents among various modules according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

It should be noted that in this disclosure, particularly in the claims and/or paragraphs, terms such as "comprises," "comprises," "comprising," etc. may have the meanings assigned to them under U.S. Patent Law; that is, Said, they can mean "includes," "includes," "includes," "including but not limited to," etc., and elements not expressly recited are permissible. Terms such as "consisting essentially of" and "consisting essentially of" have the meaning ascribed to them in United States patent law; that is, they allow elements not expressly recited, however, to be excluded from existing An element in the art that discovers or affects the essential or novel characteristics of the invention. These and other embodiments are disclosed or are evident from and encompassed by the description below. As used in this application, the terms "component" and "system" shall refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way of example, an application running on a server and the server may be components. One or more components can reside within a process and/or thread of program execution and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers.

Furthermore, this detailed description describes various embodiments of the invention for purposes of illustration, and embodiments of the invention include the methods described and may be implemented using one or more devices, such as a processing device coupled to an electronic medium. Embodiments of the invention may be stored on electronic media (electronic memory, RAM, ROM, EEPROM) or programmed to operate by one or more processes in combination with each other and/or with one or more electronic storage media computer code (for example, source code, object code, or any suitable programming language) executed by a computer.

Embodiments of the invention may be implemented using one or more processing devices or processing modules. The processing devices or modules may be coupled such that portions of the processing and/or data manipulation may be performed at one or more processing devices and shared or transmitted between multiple processing devices or modules.

In particular, the present invention may be practiced in a distributed or "cloud" computing environment in which shared resources, software and information are provided to computers over a network, which may be, for example, the Internet and other devices. "Cloud computing" generally involves the delivery of hosted services over the Internet. Cloud services generally have three unique characteristics that differentiate them from traditional hosting. One feature is that it is sold on an as-needed basis, usually by the minute or the hour; second, it is elastic—users can have as much or as little service as they want at any given time; and, third, the service Usually fully managed by the provider (the consumer only needs a personal computer and internet access). Significant innovations in virtualization and distributed computing, as well as improved access to high-speed Internet have accelerated the focus on cloud computing. The cloud can be private or public. Public clouds typically sell services to anyone on the Internet. (Currently, Amazon Web Services ^™ is the largest public cloud provider.) A private cloud is a private network or data center that provides hosted services to a limited number of people. When service providers use public cloud resources to create their private clouds, the result is known as a virtual private cloud. Whether private or public, the purpose of cloud computing is to provide easy scalable access to computing (scalable access).

"Distributed computing" or "distributed system" refers to a system of multiple autonomous computer or processing devices or facilities that communicate over a network. Computers interact with each other to achieve specific purposes. Computer programs that run in a distributed system are often referred to as "distributed programs," and "distributed programming" is the process of writing such programs. Distributed computing also refers to the use of distributed systems to solve computing problems. Typically, in distributed computing, a problem is divided into tasks, each of which is solved by one or more computers. In general, distributed computing is any computing that involves multiple computers located remotely from each other, each of which has a role in a computational problem or information processing.

Although embodiments of the invention are generally described in terms of video games, embodiments of the invention also include application embodiments and other program embodiments, such as widgets or other scripting programs. Furthermore, the term "web app" includes various components including: HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), ECMAScript (where ECMAScript includes, for example, JavaScript, Jscript, and Action Script), and Media files, the media files include: image, video and audio files. A "web app" may also contain content used by browser plug-ins such as ADOBE FLASH ^™ . Additionally, various versions of each component may be used, with typically the latest version supported by all clients being used. Although the latest version of HTML is HTML5, it is contemplated that newer versions of HTML may also be used. Additionally, various sections or components may be contained within other components or modules, such as with CSS information embedded directly in the HTML. Furthermore, a "web-app" may execute without network communication, or it may communicate with one or more servers. The web-app can be written in other suitable languages, so that the management application and the game application can be web-apps.

Figure 1 illustrates a network environment 100 supporting an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the system includes: a communication network 102, a server 104, one or more content sources 106(a), 106(b)...106(n) (where "n" can be any suitable number ), a plurality of user devices 112(a), 112(b) . . The user device (typically 112) may also have associated devices 114(a), 114(b), ... 114(n) (where "n" may be any suitable number), which may be combined with the user device 112 use. The management application module 160 may be a server, referred to herein as a management application server. Game application module 162 may be a server, referred to herein as a game application server.

Network 102 is, for example, any combination of linked computers or processing devices suitable for communicating and processing data. Network 102 may be a private Internet Protocol (IP) network, as well as a public IP network such as the Internet that may utilize World Wide Web (www) browsing capabilities. An example of a wired network is a network that transmits and receives data between terminals using a communication bus and a MODEM, or a DSL line, or a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). An example of a wireless network is a wireless LAN. The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is another example of a wireless network. The GSM network is divided into three main systems, which are the switching system, the base station system, and the operation and support system (GSM). Also, IEEE802.11 (Wi-Fi) is a wireless network commonly used in computer systems, which enables connection to the Internet or other machines having a Wi-Fi function. Wi-Fi networks broadcast radio waves that can be picked up by Wi-Fi receivers attached to different computers.

The server module or facility or unit 104 is typically a server, computer or other processing device, such as a desktop computer, laptop computer or the like. Although one server 104 is shown, any number of server modules may be used to perform the functions of the server 104 . The server module 104 includes one or more memory modules 154 and one or more processors 156, and is bidirectionally coupled to the network 102 via a wired or wireless medium 122, which is a typical two-way communication medium, which may be For example, a serial bus such as IEEE1394, or other wired or wireless transmission mechanisms, to send audio data, video data, pixel data, streaming data, flat files, or any combination thereof between the network 102 and the server 104, or any suitable digital data. The memory module 154 of the server 104 may include a plurality of algorithm storage modules that store algorithms or applications, such as management applications and/or gaming applications described herein.

It should be noted that server 104 may be a single server, or may be implemented as one or more separate servers, which may be used in a cloud computing or distributed computing environment. A server module 104 with associated processing and storage capabilities is used to control the flow of content from a content source module (generally 106) to a user device (generally 112) and may include advertisement data from an advertisement server module 168 and/or Or an application from the management application module 160 and/or the game application module 162 .

Content source modules 106(a), 106(b), . . . 106(n) are typically electronic storage media that may be provided to user device 112 that store electronic content, such as game content assets. Game content assets may include video game data and associated graphics and sound data. For example, content source module 106 may be a repository of gaming content, such as electronic games, game add-ons, audio data, video data, IMDB (Internet Movie Database), storing video data, audio data, pixel data, or other The streaming video storage location or other suitable location of other electronic content accessed (viewed and/or listened to). Content source modules 106(a), 106(b) ... 106(n) are in bi-directional communication with network 102 via communication media 107(a), 107(b) ... 107(n). The communication medium (broadly, 107 ) is typically a two-way communication medium, which may be, for example, a serial bus such as IEEE1394 or other wired or wireless transmission mechanism to send game content assets and other data between the network 102 and the content source module 106 (for example, audio data, video data, pixel data, streaming data, flat files or any combination thereof, or any suitable electronic data).

User devices 112(a), 112(b), ... 112(n) (where "n" is any suitable number) are typically consumer electronic devices such as: televisions, IPTV televisions, HDTVs, computers (such as VAIO PC ^TM , VAIO ^TM laptop computer, Mylo ^TM , BLU-RAY ^TM , PS3 ^TM ), smart phone, or other device with sufficient processing and storage capabilities, or with a web browser to display and/or store electronic content (including game content assets). User devices 112(a), 112(b) ... 112(n) are typically connected to communication network 102 via an associated communication medium 113(a), 113(b) ... 113(n). The communication medium (broadly, 113) is typically a two-way communication medium, for example, it may be a serial bus such as IEEE1394 or other wired or wireless transmission mechanism to transmit audio data, video data, Pixel data, streaming data, flat files or any combination thereof, or any suitable electronic data. User device 112 may be any suitable consumer electronics (CE) unit or module or device. As shown in FIG. 2, user device 112 may be a computer product.

Second devices 114(a), 114(b), ... 114(n) (where "n" is any suitable number) (collectively referred to herein as 114) may be associated with user device 112 and may act as Virtualization and/or processing assistance to the user device 112, especially when the user device 112 is an IPTV device. The one or more second devices 114 typically include devices such as cellular phones, laptop computers, etc. that execute program code allowing the second devices 114 to act as virtual and/or processing aids to the user device 112 . A first of these devices (depicted as a second device 114 ) 114 ( a ) may be associated with a first user, and another of these devices 114 ( b ) may be associated with a second user. These devices 114(a) and 114(b) may be dedicated or stand-alone devices such as: smart phones, tablet computers, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), or other suitable devices with sufficient memory and processing capabilities. Two devices 114(a) and 114(b) may be used by respective users who may also see device 112(a), which may be a display module, LCD, plasma display device, or other suitable display device . Thus, the two users can play the game and display the game on the display device 112(a) by using the devices 114(a) and 114(b) as controller devices. Alternatively, a user using a second device (not shown) associated with another user device (ie, 112(b)) may also control the game displayed on the display device 112(a). As previously mentioned, in either embodiment, the control device (eg, 114 ) may be a dedicated device, such as a game controller that communicates via a wired connection or a wireless connection such as Bluetooth. Alternatively, the control device (eg, 114 ) may be a stand-alone device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer that communicates via a network connection. Regardless of the type of device (dedicated or standalone), a device (eg, 114) may have one or more displays disposed therein. Furthermore, where two users use separate control devices (114) to control a common game asset, each user has a "personal" screen on their device. The UI on the personal screen can display advertising content targeted at the specific user who is using the associated device. As will be discussed further herein, advertising content may be "actionable," ie, a user may activate the advertising content to receive additional information. This "controllable" feature may rely on device capabilities, such as allowing a user to "click" a displayed advertisement using a pointer or touch screen to trigger an action, such as requesting more information. This act of activating advertising data does not impair or affect the use of the device (114) to operate the game content asset. For example, a request for more information may send an email or message to the account of the user of the device for the user to view later. Advertising content can also be used to control the game, such as clicking on an ad for a particular brand will cause the user's in-game character to use an item of that particular brand (such as clothing with the brand's logo) or switch the vehicle to the advertised car. Model. Various branded content may have advantages over default game content, in which case advertisements may provide the user with an in-game advantage and may, rather than be viewed as an objectionable intrusion, serve as a game control for the user Part of it is popular with users. If the in-game branded item provides benefits, players may desire the in-game brand, which can lead to increased sales of the actual product. In this way, at any time that a particular set of in-game conditions are met, advertising content that can be used to trigger an in-game change that confers an advantage can be displayed.

The management application module 160 is a processing and storage module that stores/executes a management application. The management application is usually a computer program written in HTML5 (which is useful for implementing these features due to the functionality of HTML), JavaScript, or other suitable language, which is used to facilitate the distribution of game content assets by user devices ( 112, 114) to distribute and execute. The management application may control transactions, such as the purchase of content, accessories, and/or merchandise that a user using the user device may wish to purchase. Management application module 160 is operatively coupled to network 102 via bi-directional communication medium 161, which is similar to communication media 107, 113, and 122 described herein.

The game application module 162 is a processing and storage module such as a server, which stores/executes game applications. A gaming application is typically a computer program, such as a video game, and may include additional content written in a suitable language to facilitate the distribution of game content assets by the server module 104 and execution by the user devices (112, 114). Like management applications, gaming applications may also control transactions, such as the purchase of content, accessories, and/or merchandise that a user using a user device may wish to purchase. Game application module 162 is operatively coupled to network 102 via bi-directional communication medium 163, which is similar to communication media 107, 113, and 122 described herein.

Advertising module 168 is a processing and storage module that stores/executes advertising content. Advertising content is typically an advertisement for services and/or products, and may include video, pictures, audio or other forms of electronic data. Advertising content stored in advertising module 168 may be accessed by management application 160 and inserted into game content assets provided to user devices 112 , 114 . The advertising module has a CPU 180 operatively coupled to the memory module 182 to perform the processing and storage functions of the advertising module 168 . Advertising module 168 is operatively coupled to network 102 via bi-directional communication medium 169, which is similar to communication media 107, 113, and 122 described herein.

The architecture described above enables game content assets to be provided to user devices. Game content may be in the form of JavaScript ^™ , HTML such as HTML5 or current versions thereof, or other suitable languages. Internet video links can be used as an infrastructure for delivering media content such as video, music, audio files, and other electronic data. The framework, which may be an HTML framework, may be delivered in the form of an application package (game application and management application). This framework can be used to turn the IPTV device (112) into a gaming computing core.

One embodiment of the invention involves using the HDTV device (112), the user downloads code such as HTML5 or its latest version, which is usually implemented as a framework package containing a thin application web server and a compatible browser such as an HTML compatible browser. The framework configures itself to accept calls such as AJAX/IR calls and make requests such as HTTP/HTTPS requests to the gaming application. The configuration includes the CPU, software/hardware utilities, network capabilities (ports, requests, etc.), memory, graphics rendering engine, and other components or modules that allow the framework to access the IPTV device. A second display device (114), such as a smartphone, can identify the computing core through a network discovery protocol and download game content assets, such as HTML games. Game content assets are provided by a server (104) and rendered by an associated web browser. Thus, in order to play or interact with a game content asset, one or more users can typically send responses using AJAX/IR commands. As described herein, these AJAX/IR responses can be used by the management application and/or other components and/or processing modules.

For certain game content assets, typically less complex game content assets, existing remote control devices may be used as clients (112, 114). Using the remote control (114), game content assets are downloaded to the web browser of the associated computing core. The game content asset accepts IR commands from the client or user device (112), which are translated into a language such as XML that the game understands in the form of events/triggers/actions. Game content assets may be mapped to remote control (114) buttons such that a user pressing a remote control button sends game commands to the computing cores to interact with the game content assets.

Furthermore, in single-player or multiplayer games, the associated computing cores manage the individual players and calculate states, sessions and scores. This game data can be sent and stored at a remote memory location, such as a server (104) or other module that can store game data. Thus, the "intelligence" of the system 100 resides in downloaded application game bundles (frameworks), also referred to herein as management applications. The client modules (112, 114) may be "dumb" terminals. Another embodiment of the present invention includes a network game in which multiple players using different devices play the same game at the same time. The computing core manages the communication between the player and the web-app (multiple web-apps) to support the network battle.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of user equipment 112 that may be used in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. User device 112 generally includes: display unit 202 , central processing unit (CPU) 204 , and memory 206 . The user device 112 also has a user interface (UI) 210 , a speaker 212 , an auxiliary display unit 214 , peripherals 216 , and an I/O port 218 . The user device 112 also has a two-way communication channel 113 as described above. Also shown are second means 114(a), 114(b), . . . 114(n) (where "n" is any suitable number). These second devices 114 may be IPTV devices, cellular phones, remote controllers, or other devices used in conjunction with the user device 112 .

Display unit 202 is typically an LCD display, plasma, high-definition television screen, laser phosphor display, or other suitable display unit that displays electronic data, eg, in the form of pixels.

CPU 204 is an example of at least one processor, such as an Intel Core ^™ 2 microprocessor or a Freescale ^™ PowerPC ^™ microprocessor, for processing data in memory 206 .

Memory unit 206 is an electronic storage medium suitable for storing electronic data, including streaming files, flat files, audio and/or video data, or any combination thereof. As described herein, the memory 206 may also include a data storage device, or a unit for storing the management application 220 and the game application 230 and related algorithms. Electronic storage modules may include magnetic or optical disks, and drives (not shown) such as CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, capable of reading data on/write data to them.

As described herein, user device 112 also includes an input and output interface unit, or user interface (UI) 210, which may include a receiver for receiving voice commands and spoken utterances that may be used to obtain content assets. Other peripheral devices such as a keyboard or mouse, output devices or units (not shown) may be coupled to the input and output unit 210 . Also shown is a speaker 212 coupled to user device 112 and a secondary display 214 such as a CRT or LCD display. User device 112 may be equipped with a browser program suitable for communicating with the World Wide Web. Additionally, peripheral devices 216 are shown. This may include, for example, gaming accessories such as: joysticks, game consoles, game controllers, or other devices that enable a user to interact with game content assets accessed by user device 112 .

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that although these components are depicted as different units, these components may be part of the same unit or multiple units, and the functionality of one component may be shared in whole or in part by another component, For example, as a RAM disk, virtual storage, etc. It will also be appreciated that any particular computer may have multiple components of a given type, eg, processors, input devices, and so on.

The memory 206 may store an operating system such as Microsoft Windows Linux, Mac OS ^™ , Unix ^™ , iOS ^™ or ANDROID ^™ .

User device 112 may also include additional components and/or systems, such as: network connections, additional memory, additional processors, network interfaces, input/output ports or buses, or receivers for receiving spoken utterances. Additionally, programs and data may optionally be received by and stored in the system. For example, a computer-readable storage medium (CRSM) reader such as a magnetic disk drive, magneto-optical drive, optical disk drive, or flash drive can be read from a computer-readable storage medium (CRSM) such as a magnetic disk, magneto-optical disk, optical disk, or flash RAM. Pick. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the term "memory" herein shall include all types of suitable data storage media, whether permanent or temporary, such as transitory electronic memory, non-transitory computer readable media and/or or computer-writable media.

Figure 3 shows an example of a server module 104 that may be used in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Server module 104 generally includes a central processing unit (CPU) 156 and memory 154 . A bi-directional communication channel 122 is also shown.

CPU 156 is an example of at least one processor for processing data in memory 154 or other data retrieved or accessed via network 102 (shown in FIG. 1 ), such as an Intel Core ^™ 2 microprocessor or a Freescale ^™ PowerPC ^™ microprocessor.

Memory unit 154 is an electronic storage medium suitable for storing electronic data, including streaming files, flat files, audio and/or video data, or any combination thereof. As described herein, the memory 154 may also include a data storage device, or a unit for storing the management application 220 and the game application 230 and related algorithms. Electronic storage modules may include magnetic or optical disks, and drives (not shown) such as CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, capable of reading data on/write data to them.

FIG. 4 illustrates a series of steps 400 that may be used to provide game content to users according to another embodiment of the present invention. Step 400 may be stored on a suitable electronic storage medium such as a computer readable medium or RAM, which may be non-transitory. Step 400 may be object code, source code, or be stored on a dedicated storage medium either locally at the user device (FIG. 2, blocks 220, 230) or at a remote location (FIG. 3, blocks 220, 230). 230) and be accessed as needed. As such, regardless of the type of storage medium, step 400 may be considered as a module when stored and/or accessed and/or retrieved.

As shown in FIG. 4 , process 400 begins at start step 402 . As shown in step 404, the game application is accessed. Game applications may include game content assets, such as video games, game accessories, music for video games, and other suitable game content. As shown in step 406, the management application is accessed. The management application is computer code written in a suitable language such as HTML5, HTML4 or other HTML languages, JavaScript ^™ , which is used to control the execution of the game application. A user using a device such as a smartphone (114) can browse content, such as game content to be downloaded onto the IPTV device (112). Additionally, the game application accessed in step 404 may be stored locally, or may be loaded from the network when the game application is accessed.

As shown in step 408, execution of the management application includes identifying secure access connections to one or more user devices (FIG. 1, user device 112). In this way, the management application can generate a session token from the hardware. Since HTML or other markup languages generally have limited security, session tokens provide enhanced security by denying HTML access to the session token. As shown in step 428 , reached via line 410 , the management application may also control interactions between multiple user devices. Additionally, the management application can use static device identifiers when communicating securely with the server. Since a static device identifier does not change, it is sensitive or confidential information. Sensitive or confidential information should not be disclosed or provided to third-party code, and some game applications will be third-party code. The management application can receive a temporary session token from the server to identify further communications. Since session tokens are temporary, there is less risk of exposing sensitive information to gaming applications. Rather, all communications with one or more servers can go through the management application, which can then keep the session token from the game application private when the management application adds the session token to server communications.

One or more servers can provide separate unique session tokens that the management application can supply to the game application so that the game application on all user devices will have a unique identifier when different from the management server (FIG. 1, element 160), the unique identifier may be used when communicating with the game server (Figure 1, element 162). The game server (162) may also be operated by the party that wrote the game application, while the management server (160) may be a server operated by the other party.

Specifically, as shown in step 428, interaction between multiple user devices may be accomplished by having the multiple devices communicate via one or more servers, or may be by having the multiple devices communicate directly with each other. The use of HTML Web Sockets (Web Sockets) is one method that can be used to enable multiple user devices to communicate with each other.

In an embodiment of the invention, the gaming application may indicate that it does not require a token for communication, thereby avoiding step 408 . If games that do not communicate with the network are already stored on the device, this embodiment allows games to be played when there is no network connection available.

Alternatively, as shown in step 414, the management application may identify one or more server modules associated therewith. The particular server module identified may have a relationship with the management application such that the server identifies the management application and, as shown in step 416, the particular server module may provide the game content asset to the user device. As shown in step 424, reached via line 418, the authorization level of the management application is identified. As shown in step 426, the authorization level may authorize the management application to access additional content assets. For example, a management application with enhanced authorization can access and provide content assets that are not available to other management applications. Such content assets may include: unreleased music, trailers for unreleased movies, additional video clips, and other similar content that are not available except to manage the authorization level of the application.

As another optional solution, as shown in step 420, user profile data may be generated based on the game operation or usage pattern of the user collected by the user device (112) and provided to the management application. User profile data may include: user preferred game types, game play history, earnings, previous purchases, other user devices associated with the user, and other data about the user.

As shown in step 422, the management application may modify the game content provided to the user based on the user profile data. For example, based on the user's previous purchases/games, the management application may insert notifications into the purchases related to new publications that may be of interest to the user.

As previously described, the management application provides content assets, such as video games, to the user device based on the management application's authorization level (steps 424, 426). Alternatively, the management application may also identify and store game content and/or user account rating levels. In this way, the management application will prohibit the provision of content that exceeds the rating. For example, if the user account recognizes that the highest rating for game content is "PG-13," then the management application will not provide any game content assets that are rated higher than PG-13. In addition, the management application will also prohibit the provision of content and advertisements such as trailers with a rating beyond PG-13.

A management application manages interactions between user devices. Typically, a single user may have multiple user devices, such as an IPTV device, and a second device (cell phone, remote controller, etc.) that may not be an IPTV device. A management application is used to control the receipt of commands from a plurality of devices and the provision of content assets to an appropriate one of a plurality of user devices. The management application can make decisions based on the functional capabilities of each device as well as the type of content and the user's geographic location. As shown in step 430, game content is provided to a user at one or more user devices. The provision of game content is controlled by the management application.

As shown in step 434, a user may use one or more user devices to provide input that may be received as part of execution of the management application. User input can be stored and used for additional processing. For example, a user may request an accessory for a game, or music from a game, or other feedback.

In step 436, a determination is made as to whether the user desires any additional game content assets. If so, the game content is provided to the user device based on execution of the management application controlling selection and provision of game content assets (step 416 reached by line 438).

If no other content assets are desired, then processing ends, as indicated by line 440 leading to end step 450 .

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a game framework that allows communications related to communication with a user device to identify capabilities of the user device and provide content accordingly. The framework, which may be an HTML framework, may be delivered in the form of an application package (game application and management application). This framework can be used to turn the IPTV device (112) into a gaming computing core. A user may download the framework (220, 230) to the IPTV device (112). The package includes a thin application web server and a compatible browser. The framework configures itself as a computing core, and the configuration includes granting the framework access to the CPU, software/hardware, network capabilities (ports, requests, etc.), memory, graphics rendering engine, etc. of the IPTV device (112). The IPTV device ( 112 ) may also accept calls such as AJAX/IR calls, send requests such as HTTP/HTTPS requests to other modules including the advertisement server 168 . The IPTV device ( 112 ) can also manage chat/interaction between players and publish content/games to players' related social networking sites, such as FACEBOOK ^™ , MYSPACE ^™ , TWITTER ^™ , LINKIN ^™ , etc.

FIG. 5 illustrates a series of steps 500 that may be used to provide device capability information according to another embodiment of the present invention. Step 500 may be stored on a suitable electronic storage medium such as a computer readable medium or RAM, which may be non-transitory. Step 500 may be object code, source code, or be stored on a dedicated storage medium locally at the user device (FIG. 2, blocks 220, 230) or at a remote location (FIG. 3, blocks 220, 230). ) and are accessed as needed. As such, regardless of the type of storage medium, step 500 may be considered as a module when stored and/or accessed and/or retrieved.

As shown in FIG. 5 , process 500 begins at start step 502 . As shown in step 504, the game application is accessed. Game applications may include game content assets, such as video games, game accessories, music for video games, and other suitable game content. As shown in step 506, the management application is accessed. The management application is computer code written in a suitable language such as HTML5, HTML4 or other markup language, JavaScript ^™ , which is used to control the execution of the game application.

As shown in step 508, execution of the management application includes identifying user device components. These user device components may include hardware components (types such as joysticks, speakers, displays), and software components (such as software stored on the user device and applications available).

As shown in step 514, UI functions may be identified. This step includes the ability to recognize the UI and is used during execution of the management application when providing game content requested by the user.

During execution of the game application, execution of the management application may use user device components (hardware and/or software) (508), as well as user interface (UI) functions (514). Thus, based on device components and/or UI functions, game application execution will be modified by the management application as shown in step 520, which can also be reached without identifying UI functions, as shown in line 510.

As shown in step 522, a determination is made whether the user has other user devices associated with their account. If the user has additional user devices, the other user devices are authenticated by the management application as shown in step 526 reached via line 524 . As shown in step 528, the capabilities of other user devices are identified.

As shown in step 532, execution of the hypervisor provides game content assets to one or more user devices associated with the user. (Step 532 may be reached via line 530 when the user account has only one user device.)

As shown in step 534, a determination is made as to whether the user desires any additional game content assets. If so, then based on execution of the management application that controls selection and provision of game content assets, game content is provided to the user device (step 532 reached by line 536).

If no other content assets are desired, the user may use one or more user devices to provide input or feedback, which may be received as part of managing application execution. As shown in step 542 , reached via line 538 , user feedback may be stored and used for additional processing. For example, a user may request an accessory for a game, or music from a game, or other feedback. As indicated by end step 550, processing ends.

Another embodiment of the invention involves inserting advertising content into game content assets at appropriate locations within the game content assets. Advertising content may be stored in an advertising server (168) for access by the framework and provided to user devices (112, 114).

FIG. 6 illustrates a series of steps 600 that may be used to provide advertising content according to another embodiment of the present invention. Step 600 may be stored on a suitable electronic storage medium such as a computer readable medium or RAM, which may be non-transitory. Step 600 may be object code, source code, or be stored on a dedicated storage medium locally at the user device (FIG. 2, blocks 220, 230) or at a remote location (FIG. 3, blocks 220, 230). ) and are accessed as needed. As such, regardless of the type of storage medium, step 600 may be considered as a module when stored and/or accessed and/or retrieved.

As shown in FIG. 6 , process 600 begins at start step 602 . As shown in step 604, the game application is accessed. Game applications may include game content assets, such as video games, game accessories, music for video games, and other suitable game content. As shown in step 606, the management application is accessed. The management application is computer code written in a suitable language such as HTML5, HTML4 or other markup language, or JavaScript, which is used to control the execution of the game application.

As shown in step 608, execution of the management application includes accessing advertising content. Advertising content can be embedded directly within the game or as an adjunct to the game content. Advertisements may have specific keywords, context, location, socioeconomic status, user profile, etc. to reflect the ad's target audience. Advertising content may include commercials, sales announcements, promotions, or other information related to goods or services available to consumers. Ad content can be static (unchanged for the entire duration of the game session) or dynamic (changeable for the entire duration of the game session). For example, in dynamic ads, the content of the ad is controlled by the ad server (168), and it can be inserted into the game content as a "pop-up", drop-down, overlay, window, and directly into the scene of the game content asset. For example, a placeholder image on a form can be turned into an in-game advertisement. During a game session, a character can sit next to a Coca-Cola ^™ bottle, or drink from a Coca-Cola ^™ bottle. In the next game session, the Coca-Cola ^™ bottle can be replaced by another soda, such as a Pepsi ^™ bottle.

Additionally, clothing, cars, environments, venues, and other video game accessories can be modified to insert advertising content into game sessions. Furthermore, advertising content may take the form of text strings that are integrated into game tutorials or dialogues. This is the do-not-disturb method. When a scene with advertising content is displayed, a drop-down advertisement may appear and the user may act on the advertisement by "clicking" or initiating other responses to the advertisement. In this way, the ad is the least intrusive to the user. Alternatively, a user may activate additional advertising data related to the advertising content by "clicking" on the advertising content. Such activation may provide the user with additional information, such as: text, promotions, or changed aspects or features of game content assets. Interaction with advertising content can alter game content assets. For example, activating additional advertising data may change clothing or vehicles or other game components during the display of game content assets. Certain features may provide advantages to the user, such as providing faster cars, more valuable weapons, and other improved game features for the user. In this way, the user can access the advertisement content in the whole game. Rather, advertising content can be a desirable event for a user, since it can provide him/her with an in-game advantage.

As shown in step 610, the gaming application may identify available spaces or locations to insert advertising content. This may include identifying time slots between scenes, data locations available to store ad content, start times for ad data, and end times for ad data. Depending on the game application, this availability information is used during execution of the management application to associate appropriate game content for insertion into the game content asset at the appropriate space in the game content asset.

Additionally, as shown in step 614, identification of characteristics of game content assets may be used to determine appropriate game content. For example, during execution of a management application, scenes or portions of game content assets may be identified to select advertising content of interest to a viewer. For example, after a lunch scene, an ad for a pizza restaurant or a coupon for a local pizza restaurant may be inserted. As shown in step 618, based on the matching of the content asset scene with the advertisement, the management application can insert the most appropriate advertisement. Alternatively, as shown in step 618, reached via line 612, the advertising content may not reflect the characteristics of the content.

Thus, as shown in step 620, game content with advertising content is provided to one or more user devices. As shown in step 624, the user may provide a response to the advertisement content. This response is used by the management application as shown by line 626 to step 606 . For example, user responses may be user feedback obtained through user surveys after viewing an advertisement, or user purchase data after the advertisement was viewed, or other feedback received from users related to the content and/or advertisement. This information may also include binding media content and gaming content into the service.

If the game application requests additional game content, as shown in step 628 , then the game application is accessed, as shown by line 630 leading to step 604 . If no additional content is requested, as indicated at step 628, then, as indicated at step 640, processing ends.

Advertisement management and distribution can be controlled by the computing core or by the management application. This management may include managing user profiles (location, economic status indications, books, music and other data reflecting personal tastes, games played, friends, interests, digital content, purchase history, number of connected IPTVs, and other statistics data). This information may be used to specifically target users with advertisements for certain types of products or services. Feedback from users, such as purchases made or intent to buy or sell can also be tracked, stored and used to further target products and users. Users can also vote on the ad to reflect how much the user likes the ad. Voting results may be stored and processed at the ad server (168).

User devices such as IPTV devices or other processing devices may be used as computing core processors for game content assets. IPTV devices can be used to handle game scoring, interaction and tracking. The IPTV device acts as a proxy for the gaming application and can store data, make requests and ensure communications are secure. In this embodiment, a user device with an HTML compatible web browser and a thin web server can be used as the computing core. Once a suitable computing core or processing module of the user device is discovered by the IPTV device (the IPTV device containing the compatible web browser and the thin web server) via the network discovery protocol UDP (User Datagram Protocol) and uses e.g. UPnP (Universal Plug and If connected with), it can be used to manage user profile, track games played, player's friends list, interests, digital content owned, purchase history, number of connected IPTV devices, and other information.

FIG. 7 illustrates a series of steps 700 that may be used to identify additional processing devices according to another embodiment of the invention. Step 700 may be stored on a suitable electronic storage medium such as a computer readable medium or RAM, which may be non-transitory. Step 700 may be object code, source code, or be stored on a dedicated storage medium locally at the user device (FIG. 2, blocks 220, 230) or at a remote location (FIG. 3, blocks 220, 230). ) and are accessed as needed. As such, regardless of the type of storage medium, step 700 may be considered as a module when stored and/or accessed and/or retrieved.

As shown in FIG. 7 , process 700 begins at start step 702 . As shown in step 704, the game application is accessed. Game applications may include game content assets, such as video games, game accessories, music for video games, and other suitable game content. As shown in step 706, the management application is accessed. The management application is computer code written in a suitable language such as HTML5, HTML4 or other markup language, or JavaScript, which is used to control the execution of the game application.

As shown in step 708, managing execution of the application includes identifying one or more processing modules. These processing modules may be any device with a CPU, and may include: BLU-RAY ^™ players, laptops, IPTV devices, PSP ^™ , PS3 ^™ or other suitable devices. As shown in step 712, authorization levels for each processing module are established. As shown in step 714, the authorization level determines the processing capabilities of each processing module. The processing functions include what interactions are possible between the user devices (112, 114), the level of content the processing modules can access, the level of processing the modules are capable of, the speed of the processing modules, and other capabilities of the modules.

Additionally, as indicated in step 718, the processing functionality of the processing module is employed during execution of the management application. The processing functionality may be used during execution of the management application to facilitate processing controlled by the management application. In this way, if the processing task can be performed by another processing module, the management application provides instructions to distribute the processing task to those modules. This step can also be reached from step 708 via line 710 .

As shown in step 720, profile data for one or more processing modules is identified. Profile data includes status information for a processing module, such as available memory, interconnection information, purchase information, content accessed from the module, and other information about the user accessing the module.

As shown in step 724, game content recommendations may be generated by the management application based on the profile data. As shown in step 726, these recommendations are provided to the user device. In this way, users who frequently purchase content and accessories can be presented with new game releases available for purchase. Additionally, a user's earnings will be used to determine what products to offer to that user. When little is known about a particular user, such as a user of a new device without any history, more general recommendations can be made based on market decisions about what content to promote.

As shown in step 728, the management application may also be used to generate optimization data. This step ( 728 ) can also be reached from the identifying step ( 720 ) via line 722 . Optimizing data is based on processing capabilities and processing tasks to be performed. The management application determines what processing modules are available and matches available processors with processing tasks. As shown in step 732, the optimization data is used by the management application to facilitate efficient processing. Specifically, as indicated in step 734, the management application may modify the execution of the gaming application based on the optimization data. As shown in step 736, execution of the management application with the game application and optimization data is enabled to provide game content assets to the user device and also maximize the processing capabilities of the identified processing modules. The effects of optimizing data can include, for example, using lower resolutions to render motion graphics components on slower (less processing power) devices to maximize the speed of the game, and faster devices to use higher resolutions. Render the same motion graphics components at higher resolutions to maximize graphics quality.

Additionally, the graphics rendering speed portion of the optimization data may be measured by the gaming application or management application by timing the time it takes to perform one or more sets of graphics manipulations. As such, no communication with the user device or other knowledge of the device hardware is required to determine the graphics speed of the device hardware.

If the user requests additional game content, as shown in step 740 , then the game application is accessed as shown by line 742 leading to step 704 . If no additional content is requested, as indicated by step 740 , then, as indicated by step 750 via line 746 , the process ends.

FIG. 8 shows the flow of instructions and contents among various modules according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 shows a representation 800 of the general capabilities of a content provider in one embodiment of the invention. A server 805 operating as a provider has network connectivity capabilities to connect to one or more user devices, shown generally as device 810, such as an IPTV, a Blu-Ray ^™ player or PlayStation3 ^™ , a cell phone or Other handheld devices, tablets, notebooks, laptops, ultrabooks, etc. As indicated by action 815 , server 805 may access management application 820 loaded on user device 810 . If the management application is not loaded on the user device 810, the server may send the management application or provide a file to install the application, or provide a link to access to download the management application or installation file, or access a link to the installation file for installing the management application. any other way.

Then, as indicated by action 825 , server 805 may access information obtained by management application 820 about user device 810 . This information may include user device data such as data related to the CPU 832 (such as speed, make, and/or model), data related to the operating system, data related to video and/or audio related hardware or software, Data related to the hard drive, data related to the contents of the hard drive, data related to the number and type of input devices available and related software, data related to connected devices and related software. The information may also include user data, such as usage data related to any user device data. This information may also include user location data, such as GPS coordinates in satellite-accessible devices, or the nearest cellular tower in 3G, 4G, or other cellular-accessible devices. User location data can be network-related, such as devices on a home network, work network, open network, encrypted network, or public network (eg, Starbucks ^™ ), which can be tracked to a specific address. This information may also include permission data or settings related to certain accessible information or certain inaccessible information.

In act 830, the provider may use any combination of the information accessed in act 825 to provide a selection of game applications or any other media content. For example, a list of game applications capable of running on a user device having the hardware and software capabilities of user device 180 may be provided. The game application may be modified in such a way that the background music is related to the user device media content accessed in act 825 . The gaming application may also provide rewards related to nearby stores based on user location data. Server 805 may also access selections made by the user and provide content related to the selections to user device 810 . Server 805 may also provide user device 810 with any related content such as coupons, music, movie previews, advertisements.

Server 805 may store any information accessed in act 825 in user information database 835 . The availability of storable information may depend on permission data or settings retrieved in user device data. Server 805 may also store information related to game play by users in specific game applications in user/game database 845 . Server 805 may provide game applications from game database 840 .

As shown in act 850, server 805 may access user devices or network 862 to find available computing devices. The server 805 may also provide a list to the user of available computing devices to allow the user to make a selection. The server 805 may also select one or more available computing devices based on its own criteria, such as the maximum computing power available. In act 855, the server 805 may provide an updated list of available game applications for the media content. Alternatively, the server 805 may provide an updated version of the selected game application. For example, if user device 810 is running a low-resolution version of a gaming application, server 810 may provide an enhanced version. The updated version may optionally involve better graphics, higher quality music, faster 3D rendering and/or faster game play.

In act 860, the server 805 itself may scan the network 862 for available computing devices. Instead of accessing the user device 810 by scanning the network, the network application can free up the processing power of the user device 810 .

In act 870 , server 805 may provide the management application to available computing devices 865 . Available computing devices 865 may include: IPTV, Blu-Ray ^™ player or PlayStation3 ^™ , cell phone or other handheld device, tablet computer, notebook, laptop, ultrabook, and the like. The management application provided to computing device 865 may be the same version as user device 805 or a different version. For example, a management application loaded onto user device 810, which may be a cell phone, may contain more features than a management application loaded into a connected Blu-Ray ^™ player, since all selection data is provided to User device 805 and accessed from user device 805, and these features need not be on any available computing device.

In act 875 , server 805 accesses information about available computing devices 865 , such as information related to CPU 865 . Alternatively, CPU-related data may be collected and/or stored in action 850 or 860 . Action 875 may access all information of the same type as that accessed in action 825 . In act 885, the server 805 provides a list of available game applications or content. This provided list may differ from previously provided lists in that the list may be provided to a display of the available computing device 865 . The listing in step 885 may also include higher quality versions of previously available game applications or content, or may include entirely different game applications or content, provided based on the information accessed in act 875 .

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 8, previously accessed games may be stored on the user device (810 and/or 865) so that the game does not have to be loaded into the user device to be accessed again. Games stored locally will launch significantly faster when little or no data needs to be transferred before game play can begin. Furthermore, if the game is stored locally on the user device, and the game does not require network access for game play, the user can play the game even when the device is not connected to the network. When presenting game selections to the user, locally stored game options may be indicated to the user on a list and may be ordered to appear at the beginning of the list or in a separate area. While most games stored locally may not require any additional costs to play, some games will communicate with the server upon launch to ensure that the appropriate costs to play the game have been paid, such as having a current account.

FIG. 9 shows the flow of instructions and contents among various modules according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 shows a representation 900 of the general capabilities of a provider and a separate game server in one embodiment of the invention. Since the server 805 is discussed in FIG. 8, like elements are given like reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

In act 905 , server 805 may provide the information accessed in act 850 and/or act 875 to game server 910 including game database 915 . Game servers may include any media content, such as video or audio media or advertising data. As shown in action 920, in response to the provided information, game server 910 may provide a list of game applications to server 805. Alternatively, the game database may provide the list of game applications directly to user device 810 and/or available computing device 865 . The game server can access a selection of game applications or media content. In act 925 , the game server 910 provides the selected game application or media content to the user device 810 . In act 930 , the game server 910 provides the selected game application or media content to the available computing device 865 .

Game server 910 may not have direct access to user device 810 or available computing device 865 for security purposes or based on permission settings. In this case, the server 805 may optionally access the selection and provide the selection data to the game server 910. Game server 910 may then provide the selected game application or media content to server 805 , which may then provide the game application or media content to user device 905 and/or available computing device 865 .

As such, embodiments of the present invention may also use infrastructure that facilitates management of games through Internet content systems, such as Internet Video Link (IVL), eg, the BRAVIA INTERNET VIDEO LINK ^™ (BIVL) system.

The Internet content system can operate separately from or in conjunction with the management applications described herein. For example, utilizing the Internet content system in the same format can be used to transmit game selections to a device. For example, on BIVL ^™ there may be online entertainment services such as Sony Online ^™ (games) in the same set of services including Netflix ^™ (video) and Pandora ^™ (audio).

Users can also browse game selections using the same UI (User Interface) that they use to browse Internet media (video, audio) selections. Any navigation features, such as search, are also available in all media content and game content.

The same mechanism can also be used to onboard devices with game users and game content services that is used to onboard devices with media consumer users and media content services. No separate steps are required to onboard a device for a user to play games and serve content. For example, the BIVL system provides a main website for device onboarding.

In addition, as for the service of providing content, the same management system can be used for the service of providing games. The infrastructure described herein can be used to control what content is available to each device.

Additionally, users can control which services appear on their devices. For example, services that are not appropriate for all ages offer content (games, video, audio, and other types of content) that are not available as options on the device until the user enables the service to ).

In another embodiment of the invention, a service such as a user service may contain both game and media assets. This combination provides an enhanced user experience of the service. For example, the service may provide media content related to gaming content. Video content related to a game selection may include: a trailer for the game content, an example of game play, or a review of the game. Audio content related to the game may include songs from the game soundtrack or commentary about the game. Although the media content does not necessarily have to be related to the game, if the media content is not related to the game, usually the user is more interested in the media content.

As mentioned above, for the security of the transmission of game content, session tokens can also be used to prevent piracy and cheating. A security model may include, for example, making user devices only trust code from certain sources, using device identifiers that are only exposed to trusted code, limiting what untrusted code can be accessed on the device, and when game content or Media content is transferred to the device using only secure network communications. Other security measures can be implemented for device and service design as appropriate.

Similarly, the same mechanisms used to purchase and/or rent media content can also be used to provide purchase and/or rental of game content. In this way, existing Internet content structures can be used as application stores. For example, a user may have a credit card or PayPal ^™ account associated with their device or account. Alternatively, users can associate their device or user account with a PLAYSTATION ^™ web account that has a wallet with a funds balance that can be used to make purchases on the system. Purchases over the web may require going through a standard user interface (UI), which may require a PIN code or other authentication method.

User data from both media activity or gaming activity can be associated with the same device, which can be combined to provide more precisely targeted advertising during game play and during media consumption.

Additionally, one or more second display devices (FIG. 1, element 114) may be used as game controllers. For example, two second display devices may be used as controllers for the same game, allowing two players to interact with their user devices (i.e., smartphones) to control the game being played and displayed on a device such as their The game on another display unit of the TV. Both players have an equal quality controller for this game, which provides an enhanced gaming and viewing experience. The second display can also display a web page that provides a UI written by the game developer for the game controller. When the user interacts with the controller UI on their second display device, the interaction communicates with the gaming device (ie, IPTV device). It can be a direct communication, or, if the gaming device (IPTV device) cannot be addressed by the second display device, via a server.

Other embodiments will now be described in relation to the above-mentioned figures.

One embodiment relates to a method for providing content to a user device. The method includes accessing at least one game application for providing one or more related game content assets to a user device. A gaming asset may be, for example, a video game, or electronic chess, electronic checkers, or other game. Access at least one management application. The management application communicates with the game application to control the operation of the game application. Based on execution of the management application, one or more game content assets are provided to selected user devices.

One or more gaming applications may be accessed from a user device. It includes accessing a single game application to provide game content asset(s) to a user device. The management application(s) are used to control the operation of the game application.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to the above method, wherein managing the execution of the application further includes identifying available computing devices on the network. One or more game content assets are provided to available computing devices. API can be sent to determine other devices available. For example, a user may be associated with (have an account, register, or have access to) multiple devices such as an IPTV device, a game controller, a smartphone, or a device with processing and/or display and/or storage capabilities other devices. The management application can determine available devices that can be used to receive/display/store information.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to the above method, wherein the management application acts as an operating system for the associated gaming application. In this way, devices that have access to the management application can utilize the management application as an operating system.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to the above method, and further comprising associating user profile data with a management application.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to the above method, wherein the user profile data comprises user device information. User device information may include storage/processing/display features or capabilities. It enables efficient use of the user device since the appropriate type of data will be sent to a specific user device and appropriate requests will be issued by the user device.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to the above method, wherein the user profile data comprises personal user data. It may include purchasing habits, gaming preferences, gaming habits, income, geographic location, place of residence, and other data specific to that particular user.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to the above method, wherein the user profile data comprises geographical data of the user device.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to the above method, further comprising identifying a server module associated with the management application.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to the above method, and further comprising: identifying access criteria for accessing data stored on the server module; and allowing relevant management applications to enhance the data stored on the server module access. In this way, the management application may have a higher level of access to related or familiar servers than to servers with which the management application has no relationship.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to the above method, wherein the management application further includes storage allocation instructions for storing data related to the game application.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to the above method, wherein the storage allocation instructions provide for storing data related to the game application at the local storage location.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to the above method, wherein the storage allocation instructions provide for storing data related to the gaming application at the remote storage location.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to the above method, wherein managing applications further includes tracking game application execution.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to the above method, wherein managing the application further includes identifying two or more user devices; and controlling interaction between the user devices.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to the above method, wherein managing the application further comprises establishing a secure connection between the user device and the remote location.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to the above method, wherein the management application provides a function library for the game application. In this way, gaming applications can gain access to enhanced functionality and/or additional processing functionality.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for providing content to a user device. The method includes accessing one or more game content assets via a user device using an Internet content system. Use the internet content system to manage access to one or more game content assets. Based on the Internet content system, one or more selected game content assets are provided to the user device.

Another embodiment is directed to providing the method described above, and further comprising utilizing a single format for each game content asset when the game content assets are provided to selected user devices.

Another embodiment is directed to providing the method described above, and further comprising utilizing a single user interface (UI) to browse game content assets and Internet media selections. Internet media selections may include content retrieved from remote locations using the Internet. It may include: music, video, web pages, and other electronic content.

Another embodiment is directed to providing the method described above, and further comprising: identifying a joining user device associated with a selected user device based on user data and game content assets; and identifying a joining user device associated with the selected user device based on a media content service. user device. Media content services include services related to media content. For example, data retrieved from the Internet may include services such as the combination or binding of media content (electronic content retrieved from the Internet) with gaming content assets (electronic games). These services may facilitate the display/storage/processing of media content and game content assets.

Another embodiment relates to providing the method described above, and further comprising providing a service of game content assets and a service of media content assets in the step of managing.

Another embodiment is directed to providing the method described above, and further comprising controlling the display of the service displayed on the user device based on one or more user input commands. A user using a user device can control what services are accessed or utilized or displayed on a separate display device (IPTV) or on the user device itself.

Another embodiment relates to providing the method described above, and further comprising bundling the game content asset and the media content asset into a single service; and, providing the service comprising the game content asset and the media content asset to selected user devices.

Another embodiment is directed to providing the method described above, and further comprising utilizing a security model to provide game content assets and media content assets.

Another embodiment is directed to providing the method described above, and further comprising purchasing game content assets and Internet media selections with a single purchase process.

Another embodiment is directed to providing the method described above, and further comprising obtaining user data related to user activity related to the game content asset and the media content asset; associating the user data with a particular user device; and, based on the user data, associating Advertisements are served to specific user devices.

Another embodiment is directed to providing the method described above, and further comprising providing advertisements during game play and media consumption.

Another embodiment relates to a method for providing content that includes accessing one or more game content assets using an Internet content system. The one or more game content assets that are accessed are managed using the Internet content system. Based on the Internet content system, selected game content assets are provided to one or more display devices. A first game control associated with the first user is identified, and a second game control associated with the second user is also identified. Then, based on the input received from the first game control device and the second game control device, one or more game content assets are displayed on the one or more display devices.

Another embodiment relates to a method for providing content comprising accessing one or more game content assets using the Internet content system described above; wherein the one or more display devices include one or more display devices associated with a first user device.

Another embodiment relates to a method for providing content comprising accessing one or more game content assets using the Internet content system described above, wherein the one or more display devices include one or more display devices associated with a second user device.

Another embodiment relates to a method for providing content comprising accessing one or more game content assets using the Internet content system described above, wherein the one or more display devices include one or more display devices associated with a first user device and one or more display devices associated with the second user.

Another embodiment relates to a method for providing content comprising accessing one or more game content assets using the Internet content system described above, wherein one or more display devices are associated with both a first user and a second user.

Another embodiment relates to a method for providing content comprising accessing one or more game content assets using the Internet content system described above, wherein one or more display devices display specific information to relevant users.

Another embodiment relates to a method for providing content comprising accessing one or more game content assets using the Internet content system described above, and further comprising displaying a user interface on a first game control device and a second game control device, and An indication of user interaction with the first game control device or the second game control device is provided on the display device.

Another embodiment is directed to a method for providing content comprising accessing one or more game content assets using the Internet content system described above, and further comprising identifying an object for a game from a first game control device or a second game control device and a display device. one or more routings of user commands; and, selecting routings between the first game control device and/or the second game control device and the display device.

Another embodiment relates to a method for providing content comprising accessing one or more game content assets using the Internet content system described above, wherein the one or more display devices include one or more display devices associated with a first user device, and wherein the one or more display devices include one or more display devices associated with the second user, and wherein the one or more display devices include one or more display devices associated with both the first user and the second user One or more display devices for .

Another embodiment relates to a method for providing content comprising accessing one or more game content assets using the Internet content system described above, wherein either the first game control device or the second game control device comprises one of these display devices .

Another embodiment relates to a method for providing content to a user device, the method comprising: accessing at least one game application for providing one or more related game content assets to the user device, and accessing at least one management application. The management application communicates with the game application to control the execution of the game application. User device components associated with the user device are identified, and based on the user device component of the selected user device, a management application is executed for the selected user device. Based on the executed management application, one or more game content assets are provided to selected user devices.

Another embodiment relates to the above method for providing content to a user device, wherein the identifying step identifies a hardware component of the user device.

Another embodiment relates to the above method for providing content to a user device, wherein the identifying step identifies a software component of the user device.

Another embodiment relates to the above-described method for providing content to a user device, and further comprising identifying user interface functions; and utilizing the user interface functions when executing the management application.

Another embodiment relates to the above-described method for providing content to a user device, and further comprising receiving a user request from the user device for one or more game content assets to provide the one or more requested game content assets to the user device. user device.

Another embodiment relates to the above-described method for providing content to a user device, wherein the step of executing the management application further includes providing an implementation of the requested game content asset based on the user device component.

Another embodiment relates to the above method for providing content to a user device, wherein the step of executing the management application comprises requesting from the user device an identification of a user device component.

Another embodiment relates to the above method for providing content to a user device, wherein the step of executing the management application includes authenticating one or more user device components.

Another embodiment relates to the above method for providing content to a user device, wherein the step of executing the management application further comprises providing rating data associated with the game application; and providing the rating data to the management application.

Another embodiment relates to the aforementioned method for providing content to a user device, wherein the step of executing the management application further includes: receiving a request for game content assets from a first user device operated by the user, based on the first user device's The user device component provides the first implementation of the requested game content asset; determines that the user is operating a second user device; and provides the second implementation of the requested game content asset to the second user device.

Another embodiment relates to the above-described method for providing content to a user device and further comprising identifying a device component of a second user device. Based on the device component of the second user device, a second implementation of the requested game content asset is provided to the second user device.

Another embodiment relates to the above-described method for providing content to a user device, wherein a first implementation of the requested game content asset is provided to the first user device, and a second implementation of the requested game content asset is provided to the first user device at substantially the same time. provided to the second user device.

Another embodiment relates to the above-described method for providing content to a user device, wherein the first implementation of the requested game content asset and the second implementation of the requested game content asset utilize a common code. The method also includes modifying the common code based on the environment.

Another embodiment relates to the above method for providing content to user devices, and further comprising providing a transmission path between a first user device and a second user device.

Another embodiment relates to a method for providing content to a display device. The method includes accessing at least one game application for providing one or more related game content assets to a display device. Access at least one management application. The management application communicates with the game application to control the execution of the game application. A management application for the selected display device is executed based on the control device associated with the selected user device. Based on the executing management application, one or more game content assets are provided to selected display devices.

Another embodiment relates to the above-described method for providing content to a display device, and further comprising identifying one or more functions of a management application accessed by the display device; and accessing the identified function of the management application on the control device.

Another embodiment relates to the above method for providing content to a display device and further comprising identifying one or more first management applications accessed by the display device; and identifying one or more second management applications accessed by the control device application.

Another embodiment relates to the above-described method for providing content to a display device and further comprising restricting access to a management application accessed by the display device.

Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for providing content to a display device. The method includes accessing at least one gaming web application for providing one or more related game content assets to a display device. Access at least one management application. The management application communicates with the game application to control the execution of the game application. A management application for the selected display device is executed based on the control device associated with the selected user device. Based on the management application being executed, one or more game content assets are provided to selected display devices and/or controller devices.

Another embodiment relates to the above-described method for providing content to a display device, accessing a gaming web application, and further comprising executing the gaming web application to control the display of a user interface for displaying game content assets.

Another embodiment relates to the method described above for providing content to a display device, accessing a gaming web application, and further comprising identifying a game content asset to be displayed based on a user interface display function.

Another embodiment relates to the above-described method for providing content to a display device, accessing a gaming web application, and further comprising using a controller device to provide access to secure game code through the gaming web application; and, excluding certain game content assets information about the source.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the present invention may be implemented as computer software, which may be supplied on a storage medium, or via a transmission medium such as a local or wide area network such as the Internet. It should be further understood that since some of the constituent system components and method steps depicted in the figures may be implemented in software, the actual connections between system components (or process steps) may vary depending on how the invention is programmed . Given the teachings of the invention provided herein, one of ordinary skill in the art will be able to contemplate these and similar implementations or configurations of the invention.

It should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various forms of hardware, software, firmware, special purpose processing, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the invention can be implemented in software as an application program tangibly embodied on a computer readable program storage device. The application can be uploaded to and executed by a machine comprising any suitable architecture.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, since the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners would be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein . Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention. Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described herein in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise embodiments and does not depart from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Various changes and modifications can be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and spirit.

Claims (10)

1. method that is used for providing to user's set content comprises:

Access is used for one or more dependent game content assets are offered at least one game application of user's set;

Access at least one management application, this management application communicates with the game application, to control the operation of game application; And

, based on the execution of management application, one or more game content assets are offered the user's set of selection.

2. method according to claim 1 also comprises:

User profile data is associated with the management application.

3. method according to claim 1, wherein, the management application also comprises:

Be used for the storage allocation instruction of the storage data relevant with the game application.

4. method according to claim 1, wherein, described method also comprises:

Identify two or more user's sets; And

Control mutual between user's set.

5. method that is used for providing to user's set content comprises:

Use the internet content system to visit one or more game content assets via user's set;

Manage access to one or more game content assets with the internet content system; And

The Internet-based content system, offer user's set with the game content assets of one or more selections.

6. method as claimed in claim 5 also comprises:

Utilize single user interface UI to browse game content assets and internet media selection.

7. method as claimed in claim 5 also comprises:

Obtain the user data relevant with User Activity, this User Activity is relevant with game content assets and media content asset;

User data is associated with particular user device; And

Based on user data, advertisement is offered this particular user device.

8. method as claimed in claim 7 also comprises:

Providing advertisement between game play session He during media consumption.

9. method that is used for providing content comprises:

Use the internet content system to visit one or more game content assets;

Manage access to one or more game content assets with the internet content system;

The Internet-based content system, offer one or more display device with the game content assets of one or more selections;

The first game control device that identification is associated with first user;

The second game control device that identification is associated with the second user; And

Input based on from the first game control device and the reception of the second game control device, be presented at described one or more game content assets on described one or more display device.

10. method as claimed in claim 9, wherein, described one or more display device comprise the one or more display device that are associated with first user.

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