SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT LLC. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20150099580 | MODELING COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTS USING AN INTERCONNECTED SYSTEM OF SIMULATION LAYERS - A method is provided for creating or evolving a virtual environment with a computer system. Steps of the method include: forming a plurality of layers of data, including a first layer and a second layer, each layer including a plurality of cells containing data corresponding to a variable; operating on the data from the cells in the first layer with a function to yield target data; distributing the target data to corresponding cells in the second layer; and altering the data in at least one of the plurality of cells in each layer according to a rule. | 04-09-2015 |
20140200084 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USER CREATION OF DIGITAL OBJECTS - Implementations of systems and methods according to present principles enhance and improve current methods of object creation. In such systems and methods, in addition to keeping track of a seller of an object (as seen, e.g., by an auction house notation), the identities and contributions are maintained of creators of component or subcomponent parts, or those who provided or crafted materials, either for a component or for the finished item, or those whose skills or talents contributed to the creation or obtaining of an item, component, subcomponent, or material, allowing subsequent benefits to such creators, including compensation or recognition. | 07-17-2014 |
20140164227 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SHARING DIGITAL OBJECTS - Implementations of systems and methods according to present principles provide new ways to share digital objects in computing environments, improving the user experience and also enhancing communication and relationships among people. The “sharings” can occur as a transfer of an object from one user to another or the transfer of the object into an environment (or vice versa). In one example, a user in a game designs and builds a digital object for a tower and then sells the tower in the game. The tower becomes popular and is used by many other players of the game, including as a part of their own constructions, and also begins to appear in system-generated structures. The creator of the original tower, as well as creators of components constituting the tower, may be provided with compensation for their efforts from such sales of subsequent towers or constructions using such towers. | 06-12-2014 |
20140163930 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BUILDING DIGITAL OBJECTS WITH BLOCKS - Systems and methods are provided for building digital objects using component modular objects, such as block objects. The block objects have properties defining their appearance and interaction characteristics. When two or more block objects are placed together to form an object, their interaction characteristics define how they behave and so how the computer system will handle the representation of the block objects and the new object. | 06-12-2014 |
20130263090 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED TESTING - Provided is an automation suite designed to automate game and web testing. The system may be driven by a scripting engine that makes use of OCR and object recognition and rapid image analysis to perform its automation tasks. The system may perform its tasks individually or collectively, potentially spawning numerous clients capable of communication and coordinating with one another. | 10-03-2013 |
20130251347 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PORTRAYAL OF OBJECT OR CHARACTER TARGET FEATURES IN AN AT LEAST PARTIALLY COMPUTER-GENERATED VIDEO - Consumers may appear to be featured in videos by being appropriately photographed and their image mapped onto a character in a video. A pre-existing video file has a computer-generated (“CG”) actor rendered throughout, except in, e.g., a head region, where a consumer's image data will be mapped. The consumer's image data is mapped onto the CG actor, and the CG actor's animation track is mixed with the remainder of the video, completing the same. The consumer may choose from among several videos, depending on the genre they prefer. The system and method may also apply to marketing and advertising methods, especially with regard to targeted advertising and product placement. | 09-26-2013 |
20120007793 | SYSTEM FOR GENERATING AND SELECTING NAMES - Transitioning between a plurality of display applications, including: retrieving a device identifier when a first device is selected using a first display application running on a second device; enabling the first display application to launch a second display application using the device identifier of the first device, launching the second display application customized to automatically select the first device, wherein the automatic selection of the first device using the device identifier allows to bypass a device selection process. | 01-12-2012 |
20100210349 | CUSTOMIZED ENHANCEMENT SYSTEM - A computer-implemented method of creating enhancements in a computer game for a recipient experiencing a performance, the method including: selecting an enhancement to apply to a recipient; modifying the enhancement; and applying the modified enhancement to the recipient, wherein the modified enhancement is effective for a fixed duration of time proportional to the time spent by the recipient experiencing the performance. Keywords include MMO, buffs, packages and performance. | 08-19-2010 |
20100210333 | DYNAMIC REVERSE ENGINEERING - A computer-implemented method of reverse engineering items in a computer game, including: selecting a first loot item; selecting a reverse engineering tool; placing the first loot item in the reverse engineering tool; and implementing a reverse engineering function on the reverse engineering tool. Keywords include MMO, crafting, reverse engineer, and custom modifier. | 08-19-2010 |
20100174593 | ONLINE SIMULATIONS AND NETWORK APPLICATIONS - Systems and methods are provided that involve a player to a significant degree with an advertisement and its accompanying product or service. One setting of the system and method may be a network application that is adjunct to an online simulation such as an MMO game. The system and method may be implemented in either or both, or in video games that are embodied in just one of these. The system and method provide a convenient way to tie advertising to game content. By use of advertisements, the user (through the player character) can become aware of and can access in-game items, player character attribute modifications, and rewards. Such advertisements may be banner advertisements or any other type of advertising. By taking advantage of the offers presented in the advertisements, a user of the network application may obtain items for their own use or for that of a corresponding MMO character. | 07-08-2010 |
20100075761 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SELF-EVIDENT MULTIUSER CONTENT - Systems and methods are provided to implement a technique for generating interactive events in a simulation, such as creating encounters in an online computer game. In one implementation, encounters are created based on the players and the environment and allow for interaction that is different for different players. Players can select encounters for interaction and choose how to handle the encounter. Encounters may have one or more objectives for participating players to resolve. The objectives for the same encounter may be different for different characters depending on the characteristics of the player characters. If multiple player characters interact with the same encounter, they may each be presented with different objectives, some or all of which may be competing. In addition, the objectives for an encounter may change depending on how other objectives are resolved. | 03-25-2010 |
20100048272 | MEASURING AND CONVERTING ACTIVITIES TO BENEFITS - Measuring and converting physical activities to benefits, including: measuring a physical activity of a user using a measuring device; converting the measurement made by the measuring device to service benefits using predetermined formulas, wherein the service benefits are consistent and balanced to time needed to attain a similar reward from engaging only in a target activity; and providing the benefits. | 02-25-2010 |
20100041481 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTEGRATING ANCILLARY CONTENT INTO APPLICATIONS - Systems and methods are provided to integrate, within a first application, a second application. In this way, multiple client systems, each running a first application, can access other players and mutually consume a second application. A lobby facility is provided to which client systems may access. First and second client systems may then be associated so that the same are configured to mutually consume a second application. The systems and methods also provide for cross-platform consumption of a second application by a plurality of client systems, each running respective first applications. The system includes a lobby facility module situated on a network-accessible server, the lobby facility module configured to allow communications between the network-accessible server and each of a first client system and a second client system. The system also includes a second application module, including a database module for storing information about the second application, first and second content translator modules enabling the second application module to provide and to receive content relevant to second applications running on the first and second client systems, and a rules module to determine an effect of content received from the first client system on content received from the second client system, and vice-versa. | 02-18-2010 |
20100029384 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PHYSICS INTERACTIONS IN A SIMULATION - Systems and methods are provided to implement a technique for managing physics interactions in a computer simulation, such as the interactions of objects in an online computer game. Objects in the simulation are or can become physics objects that then behave according to the rules of the physics simulator in operation. Different implementations can use different rules for how items become physics objects and for what rules are used to manage physics objects. Since physics object interactions are determined on the basis of their physical properties rather than adherence to predefined interactions, the resulting interactions are emergent and not scripted. | 02-04-2010 |
20100029382 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING PERSISTENT CHARACTER PERSONALITIES IN A SIMULATION - Apparatus and methods are provided to implement a technique for managing the response of a digital entity in a simulation to reflect its interaction with one or more players over time, such as managing a non-player character's responses to player characters in an online computer game. In the system, a computer system tracks the interaction of the digital entity with other entities and the occurrence or status of internal and external events to control how the digital entity reacts to current events and interactions. | 02-04-2010 |
20100022301 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROGRESSING CHARACTER ABILITIES IN A SIMULATION - Systems and methods are provided to alter one or more characteristics of a digital object or profile, such as developing a character in an online computer game. Using the systems and methods, a user of a computer system, e.g., a player of a computer game, can control how digital objects develop over time both through the direct use of that object by the user as well as by the passage of units of time. | 01-28-2010 |
20090209335 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF AUTOMATIC ENTRY CREATION FOR BLOGS, WEB PAGES OR FILE-SHARING SITES BASED ON GAME EVENTS - Systems and methods are provided for at least partially automating content generation of blog entries chronicling an entity's interaction with a multiuser environment. The same may combine automatic data generation with user-generated and/or user-edited or created narrative. The systems and methods may be employed for automatically generating and publishing descriptions, such as posting blog articles. In one implementation, a system automatically posts blog articles with automatic screenshots and automatically-generated descriptive copy of events that occur within a video game, such as in a massive multiplayer online role-playing game. | 08-20-2009 |
20090131177 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CREATING, EDITING, AND SHARING VIDEO CONTENT RELATING TO VIDEO GAME EVENTS - Systems and methods are provided for at least partially automating generation of video clips chronicling a character's interaction with a video game. The same may combine automatic video clip generation with automatic or user-generated and/or user-edited or created narrative. Multiple video clips may be combined into a video reel prior to or subsequent to uploading the same to a file-sharing site. The video game may be a massive multiplayer online role-playing game. | 05-21-2009 |
20090075738 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING COMPATIBLE USERS - Systems and methods are provided for an automatic user or friend recommendation system that matches players that have compatible play styles, play schedules, or the like. Behavioral data is collected or entered from players, and a profile of each player is created and compared to calculate a compatibility score. If the compatibility score exceeds a predetermined threshold, then the players are marked as compatible, or a degree of compatibility may be calculated and displayed as well. Users can edit their profile, e.g., on a web application or in-game. Users may also interact with optional and incremental demographic survey questions as they log in. A notification of compatible players may be provided via the web application or via an in-game indication. For example, a glow may appear around a compatible player, or compatible players may be displayed in a list, such as an instant messaging client. | 03-19-2009 |
20080317432 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PORTRAYAL OF OBJECT OR CHARACTER TARGET FEATURES IN AN AT LEAST PARTIALLY COMPUTER-GENERATED VIDEO - Consumers may appear to be featured in videos by being appropriately photographed and their image mapped onto a character in a video. A pre-existing video file has a computer-generated (“CG”) actor rendered throughout, except in, e.g., a head region, where a consumer's image data will be mapped. The consumer's image data is mapped onto the CG actor, and the CG actor's animation track is mixed with the remainder of the video, completing the same. The consumer may choose from among several videos, depending on the genre they prefer. The system and method may also apply to marketing and advertising methods, especially with regard to targeted advertising and product placement. | 12-25-2008 |