Zynga Patent Grants

System and method for connecting gaming devices to a network for remote play

Granted: February 17, 2015
Patent Number: 8959154
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.

Injecting features into an application

Granted: February 3, 2015
Patent Number: 8949781
A method of injecting a feature into an application is disclosed. A definition of the feature of the application is received. It is determined that the feature is an injection feature of a view of the application. It is detected that an instance of the view of the application is being instantiated. The feature is injected into the view of the application based on the determining that the feature is the injection feature of the view of the application and the detecting that the instance…

Push messaging architecture for online games

Granted: February 3, 2015
Patent Number: 8944920
A system has a first web node, a first server node, a second server node, a push messaging server, and a second web node. The first web node receives a message from a first player at a first client node for a second player at a second client node within an online game. The first server node maintains a first persistent connection with the first client node. The second server node maintains a second persistent connection with the second client node. The push messaging server stores a game…

Friend recommendation system for a computer-implemented game

Granted: January 27, 2015
Patent Number: 8943133
Social network information of a player of a computer-implemented game is accessed to analyze a social interaction of the player with other players from the social network information to recommend other players of the social network of the player to further communicate with. A recommendation of other players is generated to the player based on a frequency of the social interaction. A selection of players from the recommendation is received from the player. A communication message is…

Friend recommendation system based on an active social network

Granted: January 20, 2015
Patent Number: 8938499
Social network information of a player of a computer-implemented game is accessed to identify active players from the social network information. The active players each have a minimum number of reciprocated communications with the player within a time range. A recommendation of players is generated to the player based on the identified active players.

System and method for placing players of a multiplayer game in a virtual world

Granted: January 20, 2015
Patent Number: 8936513
A system, computer-readable storage medium including instructions, and a computer-implemented method for placing players of a multiplayer game in a virtual world are described. Territory for a player of the multiplayer game is placed in the virtual world for the multiplayer game. Territory for at least one other player is placed adjacent to the territory of the player in the virtual world. The player is determined to have entered the territory for the at least one other player. At least…

System and method for placing players of a multiplayer game in a virtual world

Granted: January 13, 2015
Patent Number: 8932138
A system, computer-readable storage medium including instructions, and a computer-implemented method for placing players of a multiplayer game in a virtual world are described. Territory for a player of the multiplayer game is placed in the virtual world for the multiplayer game. Territory for at least one other player is placed adjacent to the territory of the player in the virtual world. The player is determined to have entered the territory for the at least one other player. At least…

Updating virtual trading cards

Granted: December 9, 2014
Patent Number: 8905849
According to particular embodiments, virtual trading cards including virtual statistics or characteristics of a virtual, game-based representation of a real-world sports player or other character, are updated periodically to reflect changes in a player's real-world performance. Adjusting the virtual characteristics using real-world performance causes the characteristics of the sports player's virtual trading card to change in a virtual environment as does a corresponding player's video…

Selective generation of user reminders for game conditions

Granted: November 25, 2014
Patent Number: 8894483
Systems and methods to selectively generate user 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 determines that the user has not performed a particular action required with respect to the game condition based on the value of the game condition identifier. Additionally, the…

Friend recommendation system based on a non-active social network

Granted: November 25, 2014
Patent Number: 8898252
Social network information of a player of a computer-implemented game is accessed to identify non-active players from the social network information. The non-active players each have a minimum number of unreciprocated communications with the player within a time duration. A recommendation of the recommended players is generated to the player based on the non-active players.

Embedding of games into third party websites

Granted: November 25, 2014
Patent Number: 8894482
Systems and methods for embedding and tracking revenue from fully operational games into third party websites are disclosed.

Dynamically sizing incentive rewards for location-based actions by groups

Granted: October 28, 2014
Patent Number: 8874466
A method of dynamically sizing incentive rewards for location-based actions by groups is disclosed. A first incentive reward that is to be provided based on a first number of times members of a group of users complete a location-based action is determined. A second incentive reward that is to be provided based on a second number of times members of the group of users complete the location-based action is determined. A magnitude of the second incentive reward is greater than a magnitude…

Scaling intro music

Granted: October 21, 2014
Patent Number: 8869031
A system, a computer readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for playing intro music while an online game loads on a client system. One or more intro songs are identified, and the stages of loading are monitored. Once the loading reaches a stage where interactivity between the user and the online game is possible, the currently playing intro song finishes playing while interactivity is permitted, but after the currently playing intro song…

Integrating client devices into a game networking system

Granted: October 14, 2014
Patent Number: 8858338
A method of integrating client devices into a game networking system is disclosed. A location of a client device of a user of a group of users is enabled to be detected by a game networking system. A notification is received from the game networking system of an incentive reward to be provided to the user based on the group of users performing a set of tasks at the location within a time period. The notification is displayed in a user interface of the client device.

Methods for processing online gaming using electronic devices

Granted: October 14, 2014
Patent Number: 8858317
Methods for processing online gaming operations. One method includes determining that a player has completed a game of chance. The game is accessible from a plurality of devices having online access. Completing the game includes a requirement that a player of the game must play from more than one of the devices. The requirement that the player must play from more than one of the devices includes a requirement that the player must present an identifier at each of the more than one of the…

Accessing a virtual media object within viewable location on gameboard

Granted: September 30, 2014
Patent Number: 8845423
A system, computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for entering a viewable location on a gameboard having a virtual media object capable of presenting a media item within a media are presented. A game instance of a computer-implemented game is generated, where the game instance is associated with a game state of a player using a virtual gameboard. A graphical user interface displaying an exterior of one or more virtual buildings…

Rules-based engine for cross-promotion platform

Granted: September 16, 2014
Patent Number: 8834276
A system and computer-implemented method for cross-promoting electronic games is provided. First and second electronic game databases are configured to store first and second game user attributes relating to first and second electronic game, respectively. An aggregator database is coupled to the first and second electronic game databases and is configured to store a first game user attribute, associated with the user and relating to a first electronic game, and user data of a user of the…

Apparatuses, methods and systems for a social networking application updater

Granted: September 9, 2014
Patent Number: 8832676
The APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR A SOCIAL NETWORKING APPLICATION UPDATER provide live reconciliation of code updates to multi-user social networking applications in highly dynamic build environments (“SNAM”). In one embodiment, an application updating processor-implemented method is disclosed. In this embodiment, the SNAM obtains a module dependency graph for a current version of an application. It identifies current module version numbers for one or more modules in the module…

Social network data analysis to generate incentives for online gaming

Granted: September 9, 2014
Patent Number: 8832195
Systems and methods for processing recommendations of online games to friends of social network are described. A method for processing recommendations includes identifying a gaming session of a user on an online game provider network, accessing a use profile of the user for the online games of the online game provider network, and accessing a social graph of the user to identify friends of the user and respective friend profiles from the social network. The method further includes…

Leveraging optional game features to remove in-game assets from a virtual economy

Granted: September 2, 2014
Patent Number: 8821263
A method of removing virtual currency from a virtual economy associated with a game is disclosed. A notification is received. The notification indicates that a player of the game has accepted an offer to enable an optional feature of the game in exchange for having a rake performed on winnings of the player. The feature of the game is enabled. It is detected that the player has received the winnings. The rake is deducted from the winnings. The rake is removed from the virtual economy.…