Granted Patent B2

US 8,657,686 · App. 12/399,903 · Granted Feb 25, 2014

Inventors: Robert Ernest Lee (Austin, TX); Jon Edward Van Caneghem (Menlo Park, CA); Bryan Joseph Farina (Foster City, CA); Erin E. Turner (San Francisco, CA); Peter Chi-Hao Huang (Menlo Park, CA)

Assignee: Trion Worlds, Inc.

Abstract

Claims (80)

1. A method, comprising:

associating a first user as a second user's friend;

associating the second user as the first user's friend, the second user being associated with a second computer;

retrieving data from a first computer associated with the first user;

determining a first login status associated with the first user relative to a synthetic environment and a second login status associated with the second user relative to the synthetic environment;

in the event that the first login status indicates that the first user is logged into the synthetic environment:

determining at least a location associated with the first user, the retrieving being performed in real-time or substantially real-time by accessing a file on a game server configured to store data associated with the first user and the second user;

determining an attribute associated with the first user, wherein the determining of the attribute occurs in real-time or substantially real-time, wherein the attribute includes a changing player status, a player mode, a stance, or any combination thereof, wherein the changing player status indicates active, inactive, live, or dead, wherein the player mode indicates movement, combat, planning, buying, or selling, and wherein the stance indicates sitting, standing, defensive or offensive; and

incorporating the first user's real-time or substantially real-time location and the attribute into a friends feed;

in the event that the first login status indicates that the first user is not logged into the synthetic environment:

determining at least a location associated with the first user in a real-world environment; and

incorporating the location of the first user into a friends feed;

formatting the friends feed according to a first format if the login status indicates that the second user is logged into the synthetic environment, and formatting the friends feed according to a second format if the login status indicates that the second user is not logged into the synthetic environment; and

generating a visual display including the friends feed on a physical display associated with the second computer.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the game server or a game sub-process server designated by the game server to retrieve the data and to determine at least the location, wherein the game server or the game sub-process server, the first computer, and the second computer are in data communication with each other using a client-server network topology.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user is identified on a friends list of the second user.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the first user is associated with the second user by referencing a friends list stored in the file.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the first user and the second user belong to a guild.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user is logged into the synthetic environment and the second user is logged out of the synthetic environment.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user is logged out of the synthetic environment and the second user is logged into the synthetic environment.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user and the second user are logged into the synthetic environment.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user and the second user are logged out of the synthetic environment.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first computer is a client and the second computer is a web client configured to handle data communication using HTTP.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a synthetic environment mapping application is configured to present a friend radar on the physical display associated with the second computer.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein a synthetic environment mapping application is configured to present the visual display, the visual display presenting at least the location and the login status of the first user, wherein the location is a real-time location of the first user regardless of whether the first user is logged into or logged out of the synthetic environment.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the attribute includes a page indicating changing views within a web client to view a web page or site.

14. A method, comprising:

retrieving data from a first computer configured to interact with a synthetic environment by a game server, the first computer being associated with a first user, and the first computer and the game server being in data communication with each other and configured using a client-server network topology;

determining a login status associated with a second user relative to the synthetic environment, the second user being associated with a second computer, and the second user being associated as a friend of the first user;

determining one or more attributes associated with the first computer relative to the synthetic environment in real-time or substantially real-time by accessing a file updated by the first computer, the file being stored on the game server, wherein the one or more attributes includes a changing player status, a player mode, a stance, or any combination thereof, wherein the changing player status indicates active, inactive, live, or dead, wherein the player mode indicates movement, combat, planning, buying, or selling, and wherein the stance indicates sitting, standing, defensive or offensive;

formatting the one or more attributes according to a first format if the login status indicates that the second user is logged into the synthetic environment, and formatting the one or more attributes according to a second format if the login status indicates that the second user is not logged into the synthetic environment; and

generating a visual display including the friends feed on a physical display associated with the second computer.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein a synthetic environment mapping application is configured to be installed and executed on the game server in order to generate the display, the display presenting at least the location.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein a synthetic environment mapping application is configured to be installed and executed from the game server in order to generate the display, the display presenting at least the location.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein a synthetic environment mapping application is configured to display a graphical map of the synthetic environment and to present at least the location of a character being controlled by the first computer.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein a synthetic environment mapping application is configured to display a graphical map of the synthetic environment or a real world map configured to display the location of the first computer.

19. A system, comprising:

a database configured to store data associated with a synthetic environment, the data being generated by at least one of a first computer, a second computer, or a game server; and

a computer processor configured to:

associate a first user as a second user's friend, the first user being associated with a first computer and, the second user being associated with a second computer;

associate the second user as the first user's friend;

retrieve data from the first computer associated with a first user, determine a first login status associated with the first user relative to the synthetic environment and a second login status associated with the second user relative to the synthetic environment;

in the event that the first login status indicates that the first user is logged into the synthetic environment:

determine at least a location associated with the first user, the retrieving being performed in real-time or substantially real-time by accessing a file on the game server configured to store data associated with the first user and the second user;

determine an attribute associated with the first user, wherein the determining of the attribute occurs in real-time or substantially real-time, wherein the attribute includes a changing player status, a player mode, a stance, or any combination thereof, wherein the changing player status indicates active, inactive, live, or dead, wherein the player mode indicates movement, combat, planning, buying, or selling, and wherein the stance indicates sitting, standing, defensive or offensive; and

incorporate the first user's real-time or substantially real-time location and the attribute into a friends feed;

in the event that the first login status indicates that the first user is not logged into the synthetic environment:

determine at least a location associated with the first user in a real-world environment; and

incorporate the location of the first user into a friends feed;

format the friends feed according to a first format if the login status indicates that the second user is logged into the synthetic environment, and format the friends feed according to a second format if the login status indicates that the second user is not logged into the synthetic environment; and

generate a visual display including the friends feed on a physical display associated with the second computer.

20. A system, comprising:

a memory configured to store data associated with a first computer, a second computer, and a synthetic environment; and

a game server implemented using a client-server data network having one or more game processes or sub-processes implemented on the game server and being in data communication with one or more clients, the one or more game processes or sub-processes being configured to:

retrieve data from the first computer configured to interact with the synthetic environment by the game server, the first computer and the game server being in data communication with each other and configured using the client-server data network;

determine a login status associated with the second computer relative to the synthetic environment;

determine one or more attributes associated with the first computer relative to the synthetic environment in real-time or substantially real-time by accessing a file updated by the first computer, the file being stored on the game server, wherein the one or more attributes includes a changing player status, a player mode, a stance, or any combination thereof, wherein the changing player status indicates active, inactive, live, or dead, wherein the player mode indicates movement, combat, planning, buying, or selling, and wherein the stance indicates sitting, standing, defensive or offensive;

format the one or more attributes according to a first format if the login status indicates that the second computer is logged into the synthetic environment, and format the one or more attributes according to a second format if the login status indicates that the second computer is not logged into the synthetic environment; and

generate a display including the one or more attributes on the second computer.

21. The system recited claim 20 , wherein the one or more clients includes at least the first computer and the second computer.

22. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

associating a first user as a second user's friend;

associating the second user as the first user's friend, the second user being associated with a second computer;

retrieving data from a first computer associated with a first user;

determining a first login status associated with the first user relative to a synthetic environment and a second login status associated with the second user relative to the synthetic environment;

in the event that the first login status indicates that the first user is logged into the synthetic environment:

determining at least a location associated with the first user, the retrieving being performed in real-time or substantially real-time by accessing a file on a game server configured to store data associated with the first user and the second user;

determining an attribute associated with the first user, wherein the determining of the attribute occurs in real-time or substantially real-time, wherein the attribute includes a changing player status, a player mode, a stance, or any combination thereof, wherein the changing player status indicates active, inactive, live, or dead, wherein the player mode indicates movement, combat, planning, buying, or selling, and wherein the stance indicates sitting, standing, defensive or offensive; and

incorporating the first user's real-time or substantially real-time location into a friends feed;

in the event that the first login status indicates that the first user is not logged into the synthetic environment:

determining at least a location associated with the first user in a real-world environment; and

incorporating the location of the first user into a friends feed;

formatting the friends feed according to a first format if the login status indicates that the second user is logged into the synthetic environment, and formatting the friends feed according to a second format if the login status indicates that the second user is not logged into the synthetic environment; and

generating a visual display including the friends feed on a physical display associated with a second computer.

23. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

retrieving data from a first computer configured to interact with a synthetic environment by a game server, the first computer and the game server being in data communication with each other and configured using a client-server network topology;

determining a login status associated with a second computer relative to the synthetic environment, the second computer and the game server being in data communication with each other and configured using the client-server network topology;

determining one or more attributes associated with the first computer relative to the synthetic environment in real-time or substantially real-time by accessing a file updated by the first computer, the file being stored on the game server, wherein the one or more attributes includes a changing player status, a player mode, a stance, or any combination thereof, wherein the changing player status indicates active, inactive, live, or dead, wherein the player mode indicates movement, combat, planning, buying, or selling, and wherein the stance indicates sitting, standing, defensive or offensive;

formatting the one or more attributes according to a first format if the login status indicates that the second user is logged into the synthetic environment, and formatting the one or more attributes according to a second format if the login status indicates that the second user is not logged into the synthetic environment; and

generating a display including the one or more attributes on the second computer.

Assignments (9)

Continuity (1)