# US 2019/0168124 A1 · System and Method for Validating Video Gaming Data > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0168124 A1 - Document ID: US20190168124A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/833,055 - Filed: 2017-12-06 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2017-12-06 - Assignees: Activision Publishing, Inc. - Applicants: Activision Publishing, Inc. - Inventors: Paul R. Haile; Paul Kerby; Calvin A. Lin; John Hamill; Christopher T. Reynolds; Seok Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190168124A1 ## CPC - A63F 13/73: Authorising game programs or game devices, e.g. checking authenticity - A63F 13/75: Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players - A63F 13/30: Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers - A63F 13/35: Details of game servers - A63F 13/71: using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players - A63F 13/798: for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame - A63F 13/803: Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks - A63F 13/837: Shooting of targets - A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract The present specification describes systems and methods for filtering a video game user's match performance data or loadout data through validation mechanisms. For the performance data, the validated, signed performance data are written to a leaderboard service of the video gaming system. For the loadout data, the validated, signed performance loadout data are transmitted back to the client device and used when playing a game. Free computing and/or networking resources of the client game device are used as an intermediate between the client devices, validation services, and/or leaderboard services. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for validating leaderboard data in a video game system, the video game system comprising a gaming program, configured to execute in a client device, and which, when executed, generates a video game to be played by a user, said client device having a processor and a random access memory, wherein said processor is in data communication with a display and with a storage unit, and at least one server device having a server processor and a plurality of programmatic instructions stored in a non-transient memory, wherein said plurality of programmatic instructions are executed by the server processor to run a validation service and a leaderboard service, the method comprising: transmitting results of a game after the game is completed, by the gaming program to the at least one server device running the validation service; determining if the results are valid using a validation mechanism executed by said validation service; discarding invalid results; generating a signed payload of valid results and transmitting the signed payload from at least one server device executing validation service to the gaming program executing in the client device; uploading the signed payload from the gaming program executing in client device to the at least one server device running the leaderboard service; processing the signed payload by the leaderboard service to obtain validated results; discarding the payload if the processing fails to obtain validated results; and adding the validated results to leaderboard data, if the processing successfully obtains validated results. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the signed payload received from the validation service is stored in the client device until it is uploaded to the leaderboard service. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein data in said signed payload is encrypted by the validation service using an encryption algorithm prior to transmitting it to the client device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein processing the encrypted data in the signed payload by the leaderboard service decrypts the signed payload. ### Claim 5 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the leaderboard service decrypts the data in the signed payload using said encryption algorithm that is used to by the validation service to encrypt the data. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the results comprise statistical data associated with a game played. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said validation service and said leaderboard service are executed on different servers. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein said servers are implemented by a cloud of computing platforms operating to provide the validation service and the leaderboard service. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the video game system further comprises at least one database. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the results that are discarded as invalid by the validation service are stored in said at least one database for further analysis. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the results that are discarded as invalid by the leaderboard service if the decryption of signed payload fails, are stored in said at least one database for further analysis. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the validation mechanisms executed by said validation service check the results for tampered data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the validation mechanisms to check the results include checking for data time stamps, negative values, impossible values, and corrupt match data. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the validation mechanisms executed by said validation service check the results to determine if scores, points or achievements of the user does not exceed a predefined threshold. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the validation mechanisms executed by said validation service check the results to determine if an increase in a level of the user does not exceed a predefined threshold. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the validation mechanisms executed by said validation service check the results to determine if rewards earned by the user does not exceed a predefined threshold. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the validation mechanisms executed by said validation service check the results to determine if a race was completed under a minimum threshold time. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the validation mechanisms executed by said validation service check the results to determine if the user shot an enemy from beyond a predetermined distance. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the validation mechanisms executed by said validation service check the results to determine if the user moves around a virtual map in impermissible ways. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the validation mechanisms executed by said validation service check the results to determine if the user has an unlimited amount of ammunition, health, or armor.