Patent Application
20090187834
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the distribution of information content. More particularly, the present invention relates to the distribution of computer based interactive content.
2. Background Art
Seemingly long ago, in a virtual space far removed from that occupied by modern computer applications, video games like Asteroids and Pac-Man introduced the general public to the pleasure and diversion available from computer based interactive content. In their wake, a plethora of diverse computer mediated information content, including entertainment content, and educational and training content, was developed and refined. Entertainment content, for example, included shooting games, arcade games such as pinball, racing games, trivia games, and even virtual chess matches, to satisfy the growing consumer appetite for computer games. Educational and training content included learning modules covering a wide variety of subject matter, frequently accompanied by computer based tests to confirm or reinforce learning. The early computer applications developed to distribute this information content were typically single user computer applications, and in the case of computer gaming applications in particular, many developed a loyal popular following.
Single user computer applications, however, can impose a significant constraint on the quality of the user experience. To use gaming as an illustrative example, in a single player game, one player at a time may compete against the game during a single player session, accumulating a personal game score. Although that game score can be manually compared to a score achieved by another player engaging in a separate single player session of the same game, in an ad hoc manner, that unstructured approach to simulating game competition between multiple players proves less than satisfying for several reasons. On reason for dissatisfaction is that scores are being compared from different gaming sessions played under different game conditions. For example, in a trivia game, comparing the number of correct answers provided by a player is less meaningful when the questions being posed are different, which is often the case in different sessions of the same game in which questions may be randomly selected from a trivia question database. In addition, the ad hoc approach includes the disadvantage of forcing one player to remain idle while another engages the game, thereby robbing the competitive experience of much of its zest.
A conventional solution to the challenge of allowing multiple players to experience the same game session concurrently has been to develop multi-player games. Due in part to their relatively recent introduction, and the advances in both computer processing capability and user sophistication having occurred since the advent of the early single player games, many multi-player games comprise new gaming content, rather than a repackaging of the original single player gaming content. These new gaming products permit players to engage in the same gaming session not only concurrently, but often interactively with one another as well, so that the actions of one player within the game can alter the score of another player, or the gaming environment for all players, for example. Although providing a rich and highly interactive competitive gaming environment, conventional multi-player games can be dauntingly complex and challenging to play, requiring considerable user mastery of the gaming software. In addition, conventional multi-player games may include complicated launch protocols for identifying and pooling players in a multi-player game session. Moreover, the computer resources required to run many new multi-player games can be quite high, restricting the pool of players to those with access to sufficiently powerful gaming platforms.
Thus, while perhaps providing a rich and satisfying gaming experience for those players having sufficient expertise and adequate computing resources to utilize multi-player products, the conventional approach largely ignores those prospective players lacking in computer sophistication, computing resources, or both. Consequently, the conventional approach fails to take into account the interests of fans and potential fans of classical single player games by failing to provide a solution making those popular, user friendly, classic single player games accessible in a multi-player format. An analogous deficiency in the development of educational and training computer applications has marginalized those users seeking access to straightforward, simple, learning modules in a multi-user format.
Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing a solution enabling implementation of popular or traditional single user computer applications as multiple user experiences, while retaining the simplicity and ease of use of the original products.
A method and system for implementing a single user computer application in a multi-user session, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.
The features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein:
The present application is directed to a method and system for implementing a single user computer application in a multi-user session. The following description contains specific information pertaining to the implementation of the present invention. One skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention may be implemented in a manner different from that specifically discussed in the present application. Moreover, some of the specific details of the invention are not discussed in order not to obscure the invention. The specific details not described in the present application are within the knowledge of a person of ordinary skill in the art. The drawings in the present application and their accompanying detailed description are directed to merely exemplary embodiments of the invention. To maintain brevity, other embodiments of the invention, which use the principles of the present invention, are not specifically described in the present application and are not specifically illustrated by the present drawings. It should be borne in mind that, unless noted otherwise, like or corresponding elements among the figures may be indicated by like or corresponding reference numerals.
According to the embodiment of
As shown in
Turning now to
In the embodiment of
In the present embodiment, single user computer applications 214a and 214b, and multi-user shell applications 216a and 216b, are located in respective client memories 236a and 236b, having been received from multi-user implementation server 210 via respective communication links 220a and 220b. In the embodiment of
It is noted that communication links 220a and 220b are shown as two-way communications, to correspond to ongoing communication between client computers 230a and 230b, and multi-user implementation server 210, in which multi-user shell applications 216a and 216b may provide an interface between respective single user computer applications 214a and 214b and multi-user control application 218, for example. Controllers 232a and 232b may be the respective central processing units for client computers 230a and 230b, in which they may run the client computer operating systems, launch web browsers 234a and 234b, and facilitate execution of single user computer applications 214a and 214b, and multi-user shell applications 216a and 216b. Web browsers 234a and 234b, under the control of respective controllers 232a and 232b, may run respective single user computer applications 214a and 214b, and respective multi-user shell applications 216a and 216b, to enable client computers 230a and 230b to interact with multi-user control application 218. Multi-user control application 218 is capable of coordinating concurrently running single user computer applications 214a and 214b by users of client computers 230a and 230b, thereby implementing single user computer applications 214a and 214b in a multi-user session.
Implementation of the embodiment of
The present invention will now be further described by
Referring to step 410 of flowchart 400, and system 200 in
The exemplary method of flowchart 400 continues with step 420, which comprises opening a first multi-user session. Opening a first multi-user session includes starting a pre-run phase of the first multi-user session during which other users desiring to experience the single user computer application, in this instance other players desiring to join the present session of the multi-player game session, may join. Step 420 is shown in
Flowchart 400 continues with step 430, comprising tolling a pre-run phase of the first multi-player session and determining a multi-player pool. The pre-run phase, which may last from ten to thirty seconds, for example, provides a time window during which additional players may be joined to the present multi-player game session. It is during the pre-run phase that a multi-player pool is determined, the multi-player pool including the first player and one or more players joined during the pre-run phase. Tolling of the pre-run phase in step 430 is shown in
Flowchart 400 includes optional step 440, which comprises hosting an online chat for the players joined in the multi-player pool during the pre-run phase. Optional step 440 is shown in
Moving now to step 450 of flowchart 400, and run phase screen 350 in
Continuing with step 460 of flowchart 400, step 460 comprises terminating the run phase. Step 460 corresponds to completion of the single user computer application, be it a game, entertainment or learning module, or test, for example. In the embodiment of
Step 470 of flowchart 400 comprises closing the first multi-player session and providing each player with the final score of every player in the multi-player session. As a result of step 470, each player is provided with a summary of the performance of every player during the run phase of the multi-player session, thereby further emphasizing the real-time presence of other members of the multi-player pool. More generally, step 470 comprises closing the first multi-user session and providing each user with final data corresponding to a total first multi-user session performance of every user in the multi-user pool. Where, for example, the single user computer application comprises a test, the final data may take the form of a total test score for each user.
Turning now to step 480 of flowchart 400, step 480 comprises repeating steps 410 through 470 for a subsequent multi-player session. In one embodiment, as described previously, players are dynamically pooled during a pre-run phase in response to requests to participate in a single player computer game during a multi-player session. In that embodiment, a subsequent multi-user session may be opened by receiving an initial request to access the single player computer game subsequent to tolling of the previous pre-run phase. In that embodiment, one, or more than one pre-run phases may toll during the run phase of a previously opened multi-user session. Moreover, because no restriction is imposed on the runtime of a particular run phase, more than one multi-user session may overlap in time. Alternatively, where no additional requests to access the single player computer game are received in the interval between the tolling of the pre-run phase and closing of the first multi-player session, an idle phase may be entered until a first initial request to access the single player game is received anew.
Thus, the present application discloses a method and system for implementing a single user computer application in a multi-user session. By utilizing a multi-user shell application to provide an interface between a single user computer application and a multi-user control application, various embodiments of the present invention enable implementation of the single user computer application in a multi-user session. By further providing real-time data corresponding to the performance of members of a multi-user pool, one embodiment of the present invention provides real-time scoring in a multi-player game session and evokes a real-time presence of the members of the multi-player pool. Moreover, by dynamically adding users to a multi-user pool during a pre-run phase, one embodiment of the present invention provides a streamlined and user friendly opportunity for an unsophisticated or inexperienced user to enjoy a single user computer application in a multi-user session.
From the above description of the invention it is manifest that various techniques can be used for implementing the concepts of the present invention without departing from its scope. Moreover, while the invention has been described with specific reference to certain embodiments, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. It should also be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is capable of many rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention.
