Image cropping using supervised learning
Granted: November 3, 2015
Patent Number:
9177207
Software for supervised learning extracts a set of pixel-level features from each source image in collection of source images. Each of the source images is associated with a thumbnail created by an editor. The software also generates a collection of unique bounding boxes for each source image. And the software calculates a set of region-level features for each bounding box. Each region-level feature results from the aggregation of pixel values for one of the pixel-level features. The…
Methods and systems for automated network scanning in dynamic virtualized environments
Granted: November 3, 2015
Patent Number:
9177113
Systems and methods for managing jobs to be scanned based on existence of processing nodes are described. One of the methods includes obtaining identification information regarding operation of a first set of the processing nodes from an inventory and creating a job for scanning the processing nodes of the first set for security vulnerability. The job includes the identification information. The method further includes verifying the inventory to determine the first identifying…
Dynamic quests in game
Granted: November 3, 2015
Patent Number:
9174128
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for executing a game and for creating computer-generated game quests, which are referred to as dynamic quests. One method includes an operation for identifying a template for creating a dynamic quest. The dynamic quest includes quest tasks and quest rewards, which are provided to a player upon completion of the quest tasks in the game. The template includes template tasks and template rewards. Further, the method includes an operation…
Slots game with improving bonus-winning odds
Granted: October 27, 2015
Patent Number:
9171429
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for adjusting bonus winning odds while playing an online slots game. One method includes an operation for receiving user input during a session of an online slots game, where the user input is defined to spin wheels of the online slots game. In addition, the method includes an operation for defining an initial tier and one or more additional tiers for play of the online slots game during the session, each tier being assigned an odds…
Adaptive task assignment for online games
Granted: October 27, 2015
Patent Number:
9168458
Software at an online game website assigns to a player of an MMO game a first game task in a conditional series of game tasks. Each game task includes a specified duration. At least one of the game tasks in the conditional series of game tasks is a social game task. The software determines whether the player completed the first game task within the specified duration. If the player did not complete the first game task within the specified duration, the software assigns the player a…
Poker communities
Granted: October 13, 2015
Patent Number:
9155965
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for providing play areas to communities of players in an online game. One method includes an operation for identifying attributes of players in the online game. A characteristic that is common to a subset of players is determined in the online game, where the characteristic is based on the attributes of players in the online game. The method further includes an operation for creating a playing area in the online game, such that the…
Personal ad targeting
Granted: October 6, 2015
Patent Number:
9152984
A system and method for selecting and customizing advertisements to be provided to a user includes monitoring user interactions within a virtual gaming environment and indirectly determining user characteristics based on the monitored user interactions. A user profile is generated from the user characteristics. An advertisement is selected and customized for the user based on the user profile. The advertisement is provided for display to the user in the virtual gaming environment.
Apparatuses, methods and systems for a virtual security camera
Granted: September 8, 2015
Patent Number:
9126120
The APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR AN ONLINE BEHAVIOR MONITOR (“OBM”) transform user social-gaming behavioral pattern data via various OBM components into online social-gaming experience customizations. In one embodiment, to process a virtual security clearance request, the OBM may obtain user online gaming pattern data including gaming actions and their associated timestamps, user online social activities and their associated timestamps; and virtual security clearance…
Expanding the gaming social network with unrelated players
Granted: September 8, 2015
Patent Number:
9126105
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for expanding gaming social networks with players having no existing social relationships with other players. One method includes an operation for identifying first filters selected by a first user, the first filters identifying a first criteria for desired new friends. Another operation identifies second filters selected by a plurality of users in the network, where the second filters are entered by each user to identify second…
Dynamic update of applications as code is checked-in
Granted: September 1, 2015
Patent Number:
9122556
Software accesses a code database and determines that a specified percentage of the code in the code database for an application has been updated. The software then accesses an application database and obtains the application as currently deployed. The software obtains one or more application specifications from the application database, based at least in part on a scan of the application. And the software obtains one or more code-module specifications from the code database, based at…
Rendering based on multiple projections
Granted: August 18, 2015
Patent Number:
9111394
A workflow for 3D content authoring, delivery, and rendering is facilitated based on pre-authored image projections to obtain improvements in authoring efficiency. Additionally, a content delivery platform centered on such pre-authored image projections provides a mechanism for significantly improving streaming efficiency for 3D worlds. Multiple images encode primary surface detail of 3D worlds in real-time applications. Examples of such projections include images that can be as rich as…
Methods and systems for enabling, tracking, and correlating anonymous user activity
Granted: August 11, 2015
Patent Number:
9104851
Methods are disclosed for identity key management in networked application execution. In one embodiment, an identifier request is transmitted from a client system to a server system, in which an identity key value in the identifier request is blank. Upon detecting the blank identity key value at the server system, the server system operates to generate a new identity key value and an identifier for the new identity key value. The new identity key value and the identifier for the new…
Network application security utilizing network-provided identities
Granted: August 11, 2015
Patent Number:
9104849
A network security system that correlates security-related events to individual users, as identified by a user identifier and an identity provider. The user identifier may be associated in one or more implicit or explicit social networks.
Apparatuses, methods and systems for a virtual security camera
Granted: August 11, 2015
Patent Number:
9101843
A method for detecting suspicious behavior in an online gaming application is provided. The method initiates with providing an online gaming application to a user. Gaming activity and social network activity of the user is analyzed. In response to detecting a suspicious activity based on the analyzed gaming activity and social network activity, a constraint of service order is generated which defines an action to be taken in response to the detected suspicious activity.
Methods and systems for generating tailored game challenges
Granted: August 11, 2015
Patent Number:
9101834
A system, computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for generating game features are presented. For example, a first user may be segmented to a user segment based on a property of a game profile of the first user. The property of the game profile may match a threshold of the user segment. The user segment may then be assigned a difficulty level. The difficulty level may be usable to set a configuration value for the feature of the…
Apparatus, method and computer readable storage medium for guiding game play via a show me button
Granted: August 11, 2015
Patent Number:
9101833
An apparatus, method and computer-readable storage medium for guiding a player to the completion of a task during game play. The player selects a control device in a graphical user interface device generated by a processor. In response to the selection, a hint is provided to the user in the graphical user interface that presents a game board to a player. The player may use the hint to accomplish the task.
Game asset linked to operations performed outside the game
Granted: August 4, 2015
Patent Number:
9098864
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for executing game operations. One method includes an operation for receiving a request from a player to acquire a first game asset to be utilized in the game, the first game asset being associated with a token usable in the real world outside the game. After assigning the first game asset to the player in the game, the player is rewarded in the game with a second asset in response to the request. Further, the method includes an…
System and method for connecting gaming devices to a network for remote play
Granted: July 28, 2015
Patent Number:
9092932
A system and method for connecting remote player devices to regulated host gaming devices in a network to provide remote game play. A host gaming device is configured to provide game information to a plurality of remote player devices to allow remote play of the host game device. Whether each remote player device is permitted to receive gaming data is based upon, at least in part, the geographic location of the remote player device.
Updating virtual trading card characteristics
Granted: July 7, 2015
Patent Number:
9072976
Systems and methods to update virtual trading card characteristics are described. In some embodiments, a method initiates a game played with multiple virtual trading cards, each of which represents a real-world character. Initial characteristics of each virtual trading card are determined based on historical performance data associated with the real-world character. Current performance data is accessed for each real-world character. The characteristics of each virtual trading card are…
Notifying users of actions in cross-platform environments
Granted: June 23, 2015
Patent Number:
9061211
A gameplay notification system receives gameplay indications and notification configuration information from a gameplay system. The gameplay indications and configuration information are stored in a platform queue corresponding to a client device platform type. Further configuration information may be received from various gameplay devices of a user. The notification configuration information is analyzed by the gameplay notification system to schedule transmission of gameplay…
