Apparatus, method and computer readable storage medium for collecting doobers in an electronic game
Granted: June 9, 2015
Patent Number:
9050530
An apparatus, method and computer-readable storage medium for efficiently collecting doobers. A game window may be presented in a graphical user interface on a display device. The game window may include a game character associated with a first player, regions and objects within the regions. The character may move within the regions and interact with the objects. One or more doobers may be presented in the game window, and the doober(s) may be marked as collected by the first player in…
Low-friction synchronous interaction in multiplayer online game
Granted: June 2, 2015
Patent Number:
9044680
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for executing an online game. One method includes an operation for executing a first game board for a first user and a second game board for a second user. The first game board is created when the first user plays the game for the first time and the second game board is created when the second user plays the game for the first time. The method further includes operations for detecting a visit by the second user to the first game…
System and method to communicate information to a user
Granted: May 19, 2015
Patent Number:
9037968
A system, computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for communicating information in a virtual environment are presented. A graphical user interface is provided to a user, where the graphical user interface displays a virtual environment that includes one or more virtual objects. A virtual object may be linked to a section of a digital document. Selection of the virtual objects in the virtual environment by the user is monitored.…
Three dimensional operations in an isometric projection
Granted: May 19, 2015
Patent Number:
9033805
A system, computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for providing three-dimensional operations in an isometric projection are presented. A graphical user interface may be presented to a user that presents an isometric projection of a virtual environment. A placement event corresponding to a user initiating a placement of a game object within the virtual environment may then be detected. The game object may be modeled with a…
Changing a virtual world based on real-world locations of players
Granted: May 19, 2015
Patent Number:
9033803
A method of changing a virtual world of a computer-implemented game based on real-world locations of players of the computer-implemented game is disclosed. A presence of a player of the computer-implemented game is detected at a physical location. A presence of an additional player of the computer-implemented game is detected at the physical location based on a communication received from the player of the computer-implemented game. An aspect of the virtual world of the…
Sending and receiving configurable buckets of communications
Granted: May 12, 2015
Patent Number:
9032022
A method of sending and receiving configurable buckets of communication is disclosed. A request to send a communication from an application executing on a client to an application executing on a server is received. The communication has a first priority. A request to send an additional communication from the application executing on the client to the application executing on the server is received. The additional communication has a second priority. The communication is placed into a…
Image compression with alpha channel data
Granted: May 12, 2015
Patent Number:
9031337
Techniques for a compressed image with alpha channel data are described. Encoded alpha channel data from a compressed image representation may be extracted. A common type pixel run characteristic may be determined for at least one common type pixel run represented in the encoded alpha channel data. A common alpha channel value is applied, based on the common type pixel run characteristic, to pixels in a decompressed image representation correlated to the at least one common type pixel…
System and method using game condition reminders
Granted: May 12, 2015
Patent Number:
9028310
Systems and methods for operating multiuser online games with game condition reminders. In particular implementations, a method includes accessing a game condition file from a memory wherein the game condition file includes one or more game condition identifiers corresponding to one or more game conditions for a user of a game, determining the value of the one or more game condition identifiers, presenting a reminder for the one or more game conditions based on the determined value for…
Franchise mechanic for interactive social games
Granted: April 28, 2015
Patent Number:
9017169
A franchise game mechanic for use in an online social game that promotes interaction between users.
Methods and apparatus for optimized pausing of an embedded application to render pop-up window
Granted: April 28, 2015
Patent Number:
9021390
Methods and systems executing an embedded application within the context of a first client application are provided. One method includes executing application logic to adjust states of one or more display objects and rendering one or more of the one or more display objects that are associated with a stage definition in a display region of the first client application. In response to a trigger event, the method causes the first application to generate a interface component, such as a…
Cross platform social networking authentication system
Granted: April 7, 2015
Patent Number:
9003505
Disclosed in one example is a method of authenticating with multiple social network services. The method may include storing first authentication information associated with a user for a first social networking service using at least one computer processor, receiving second authentication information associated with the user for a second social networking service from a social networking application, and sending to the social networking application the first authentication information.…
Methods and systems for generating test information from a source code
Granted: April 7, 2015
Patent Number:
9003379
Systems and methods for generating test information from a source code are described. One of the methods includes accessing the source code. The method further includes receiving a modification of the source code to generate a modified source code. The modification includes one or more instructions that do not affect functions performed by executing the source code. The modification further includes one or more instructions for generating test information regarding each executable line…
Sequential selection of multiple objects
Granted: April 7, 2015
Patent Number:
9003333
A device may be configured to provide a user interface that supports sequential selection of objects displayed on a screen. As configured, the device may display a presentation of multiple objects, and the device may receive a user input that defines a path within the presentation of displayed objects. The device may then determine the sequential order of a selected subset of the displayed objects. Based on this sequential order, the device may select, initiate, and perform an action…
Gaming system for updating a presentation of a virtual game environment
Granted: April 7, 2015
Patent Number:
8998716
A system, a computer readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for updating a performance of a presentation of a virtual game environment. A presentation of a virtual game environment is generated based on a visual attribute. The visual attribute may identify a visual quality of the presentation of the virtual game environment. A visual performance metric associated with the presentation of the virtual game environment is then monitored. The…
Generation of intermediate images for texture compression
Granted: March 24, 2015
Patent Number:
8989486
A machine may be configured to process an uncompressed image to obtain a set of intermediate images, which may be alternatively known as working images or temporary images. Such a set of intermediate images may be used as input for an image compression algorithm that, when executed by the machine or other compression engine, outputs a compressed version of the uncompressed image. For example, a compression format called “PVRTC,” which may be used on certain portable devices, accepts…
2D animation from a 3D mesh
Granted: March 24, 2015
Patent Number:
8988446
Two-dimensional (2D) animation may be generated from a three-dimensional (3D) mesh by a machine or device that flattens, textures, and modifies the 3D mesh, which results in distorting the texture of the 3D mesh. The machine or device is configured to access and flatten a 3D mesh of 3D vertices. At least some of the 3D vertices of the flattened 3D mesh are texture mapped with a 2D image. The machine or device generates a first 2D frame of animation by rendering the 3D mesh (e.g., with…
Social network application programming interface
Granted: March 17, 2015
Patent Number:
8984541
Disclosed in one example is a method for interfacing with multiple social networks. The method includes receiving a call from a social networking service agnostic social networking application for one of a plurality of social networking functions in a first format, translating the call in the first format to a call in a second format, the second format being one of a plurality of heterogeneous social networking service application programming interface formats, and passing the call in…
Active social network
Granted: March 17, 2015
Patent Number:
8984064
A communication analysis system for an online game is described. A communication history among players of the online game is retrieved. Communication tracking metrics are generated based on the communication history of the players of the online game. A retention analysis is performed with the communication tracking metrics to determine retention of players of the online game. A retention recommendation is generated based on the retention analysis.
Generating reminders for game conditions
Granted: March 10, 2015
Patent Number:
8974276
Systems and methods to generate reminders for game conditions are described. In some embodiments, a method accesses a game condition identifier associated with a game condition for a user of an online game. The method further determines a value associated with the game condition identifier and generates a reminder associated with the game condition based on the value of the game condition identifier. The reminder is presented to the user along with a user response interface that allows…
Bad beat insurance
Granted: March 10, 2015
Patent Number:
8974279
In various embodiments, a system and a method of implementing bad beat insurance are disclosed. After a stage of a portion of a game is played, it is determined that a player is favored to win the portion of the game. After the portion of the game is completed, it is determined that the player has suffered a bad beat. The player is compensated at least partially for a loss that the player incurred as a consequence of suffering the bad beat.
