Methods, systems, and media for enhancing multiplayer game sessions with asymmetric information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9873043-B2
Application number	US-201514674483-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2015
Priority date	Mar 31, 2014
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

Mechanisms for enhancing multiplayer games are provided. In some implementations, the method comprises: detecting presence of a display device on a communications network; causing joining instructions to connect to a multiplayer game session to be displayed on the display device, wherein the joining instructions include server information for handling communications relating to the multiplayer game session over the communications network; receiving, from user devices over other communications networks, a request to join the multiplayer game session in response to displaying the joining instructions on the display device, wherein each of the user devices has a user display device; connecting each of the user devices over one of the other communications network to the display device presenting the multiplayer game session; initiating the multiplayer game session; determining, for the multiplayer game session, a first portion of game information to be presented on the display device and a second portion of game information to be presented on the user display device; and causing the first portion of game information to be displayed on the display device and the second portion of game information to be displayed on the user displayed device based on the determination.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for enhancing multiplayer games, the method comprising:
detecting, using a server device, presence of a public display device on a communications network;
connecting, using the server device, to a gaming device executing a gaming application;
in response to connecting to the gaming device, transmitting, using the server device, parameters for conducting multiplayer game sessions of the gaming application on the gaming device;
causing, using the server device, joining instructions to connect to a multiplayer game session of the gaming application to be displayed on the public display device, wherein the joining instructions, upon being captured by a user device, include server information for handling communications relating to the multiplayer game session over the communications network from the user device to the server device that is connected to the gaming device executing the gaming application;
receiving, from a plurality of user devices over a plurality of other communications networks, a request to join the multiplayer game session in response to displaying the joining instructions on the public display device, wherein each of the plurality of user devices has a corresponding user display device;
determining, using the server device, whether a predetermined number of user devices have captured the joining instructions and joined the multiplayer game session of the gaming application;
in response to determining that the predetermined number of user devices have joined the multiplayer game session of the gaming application, connecting, using the server device, each of the plurality of user devices over one of the plurality of other communications networks to the public display device presenting the multiplayer game session;
causing, using the server device, game playing of the multiplayer game session to be initiated on the gaming device with the public display device and the plurality of user devices;
receiving game information from the gaming device associated with the multiplayer game session;
determining, using the server device, for the multiplayer game session, a first portion of game information to be presented on the public display device and a second portion of game information to be presented on the corresponding user display device of each of the plurality of user devices; and
causing, using the server device, the first portion of game information to be displayed on the public display device and the second portion of game information to be displayed on the corresponding user display device of each of the plurality of user devices based on the determination.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the joining instructions include machine-readable code that, in response to receiving an image of the machine-readable code from an imaging device associated with the user device, causes a web browsing application executing on the user device to access a uniform resource locator associated with the multiplayer game session and join the multiplayer game session having one or more game parameters.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the joining instructions initiate the gaming application associated with the multiplayer game session to be transmitted to the user device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the joining instructions cause one or more game parameters associated with the multiplayer game session to be transmitted to the user device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a uniform resource locator is generated for handling the communications relating to the multiplayer game session, wherein each of the plurality of user devices is connected to the public display device without creating a connection over the communications network with each of: (i) the gaming device and (ii) any remaining user devices from the plurality of user devices in the multiplayer game session.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, using the server device, server information and gaming information for initiating the multiplayer game session to the gaming device.

7. A system for enhancing multiplayer games, the system comprising:
a server device including a hardware processor, wherein the hardware processor is configured to:
detect presence of a public display device on a communications network;
connect to a gaming device executing a gaming application;
in response to connecting to the gaming device, transmit parameters for conducting multiplayer game sessions of the gaming application on the gaming device;
cause joining instructions to connect to a multiplayer game session of the gaming application to be displayed on the public display device, wherein the joining instructions, upon being captured by a user device, include server information for handling communications relating to the multiplayer game session over the communications network from the user device to the server device that is connected to the gaming device executing the gaming application;
receive, from a plurality of user devices over a plurality of other communications networks, a request to join the multiplayer game session in response to displaying the joining instructions on the public display device, wherein each of the plurality of user devices has a corresponding user display device;
determine whether a predetermined number of user devices have captured the joining instructions and joined the multiplayer game session of the gaming application;
in response to determining that the predetermined number of user devices have joined the multiplayer game session of the gaming application, connect each of the plurality of user devices over one of the plurality of other communications networks to the public display device presenting the multiplayer game session;
cause game playing of the multiplayer game session to be initiated on the gaming device with the public display device and the plurality of user devices;
receive game information from the gaming device associated with the multiplayer game session;
determine, for the multiplayer game session, a first portion of game information to be presented on the public display device and a second portion of game information to be presented on the corresponding user display device of each of the plurality of user devices; and
cause the first portion of game information to be displayed on the public display device and the second portion of game information to be displayed on the corresponding user display device of each of the plurality of user devices based on the determination.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the joining instructions include machine-readable code that, in response to receiving an image of the machine-readable code from an imaging device associated with the user device, causes a web browsing application executing on the user device to access a uniform resource locator associated with the multiplayer game session and join the multiplayer game session having one or more game parameters.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the joining instructions initiate the gaming application associated with the multiplayer game session to be transmitted to the user device.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the joining instructions cause one or more game parameters associated with the multiplayer game session to be transmitted to the user device.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein a uniform resource locator is generated for handling the communications relating to the multiplayer game session, wherein each of the plurality of user devices is connected to the public display device without creating a connection over the communications network with each of: (i) the gaming device and (ii) any remaining user devices from the plurality of user d

Assignees

• Google Inc
• Google Llc

Inventors

• Heppe Travis Jon
• Fry Jeff Foster

Classifications

• A63F13/323

  between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines · CPC title

• A63F13/31 Primary

  Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range · CPC title

• A63F13/27

  characterised by a large display in a public venue, e.g. in a movie theatre, stadium or game arena · CPC title

• A63F13/26

  having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth · CPC title