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US 7,828,661 B1Granted
Electronic invitations for an on-line game
AssigneeAOL Inc.
InventorsEdmund J. Fish, Allen J. Eichler, June R. Herold
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An instant messaging user may use a buddy list that includes a user-selected list of potential instant messaging recipients (“buddies”) to identify another instant messaging user with whom instant messages are to be exchanged. An instant messaging user also may use a buddy list for other purposes, such as to initiate playing of an on-line game or to invite participants to play an on-line game.
Claims16
A computer-implemented method for inviting a participant to play a session of an on-line game, the method comprising:
- receiving, from a user designated as a game organizer, an indication of a potential participant of an on-line game accessible over a network of computers;
- enabling transmission of an invitation to the potential participant to play the session of the on-line game, wherein:
- the invitation includes a game parameter to be applied to the session of the on-line game and a revise control operable to enable the potential participant to indicate a different game parameter for the on-line game, and
- the game parameter represents a configuration parameter indicating how the online game is to be played;
- receiving an indication of a different game parameter from the potential participant, the different game parameter representing a configuration parameter of the game indicating how the on-line game is to be played and a condition under which the potential participant is willing to play the on-line game;
- and
- communicating the different game parameter to the user designated as the game organizer.
4 more elements
A computer-implemented method for initiating an on-line game, the method comprising:
- receiving, from a first user, an indication of a second user of an on-line game accessible over a network of computers and an indication of at least one selection of a game condition to be applied to the session of the on-line game;
- enabling transmission of an invitation to the second user to play the session of the on-line game, wherein the invitation includes the indication of the at least one selection of a game condition to be applied to the session of the on-line game;
- enabling transmission of a reply invitation to the first user that invited to play the session of the online game, wherein the reply invitation includes an indication of at least one different selection of a game condition to be applied to the session of the on-line game;
- receiving an indication of acceptance of the at least one different selection of a game condition to be applied to the session of the on-line game;
- and
- initiating the session of the on-line game, wherein at least one different selected game condition is applied to the session of the on-line game.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.