# US 8,784,204 B2 · Feed surfacing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,784,204 B2 - Document ID: US8784204B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/782,015 - Filed: 2013-03-01 - Published: 2013-09-05 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2012-03-01 - Assignees: Zynga Inc. - Applicants: Zynga Inc. - Inventors: Dylan Sproule; Timothy J. O. Catlin; Jason Paul Allen; Clayton Rhodes Stark; Shane Hall; Ben Hall - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8784204B2 ## CPC - A63F 13/795: for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list - A63F 13/335: using Internet - A63F 13/5375: for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game - A63F 13/87: Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat - A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A system, computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method are provided for displaying feed-based information in an online game. Player feeds are received in a game networking system. A specification for displaying information from the player feeds in the game networking system is accessed. A first player profile is accessed for a first player in an online game, the first player profile identifying one or more characteristics of the first player. The first-player profile is used with the specification to determine a first display profile for displaying information from the player feeds to the first player. The feed-based information is generated for the first player by using the first display profile to access the player feeds, and the feed-based information is then displayed to the first player through a user interface of the online game. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of generating feed-based information in an online game, comprising: providing a game instance of the online game; receiving a plurality of player feeds in a game networking system that includes the online game; accessing a specification for displaying information from the player feeds in the game networking system, the specification including criteria for identifying portions of the player feeds corresponding to aspects of the game instance and correspondingly relating identities of players in the game instance; accessing a first player profile for a first player in the game instance, the first player profile identifying one or more characteristics of the first player; using the first player profile with the specification to determine a first display profile for displaying information from the player feeds to the first player, the first display profile identifying selected portions of the player feeds corresponding to the aspects of the game instance; and generating feed-based information for the first player by using the first display profile to access the player feeds. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying the feed-based information to the first player through a user interface of the online game. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the player feeds are real-time streams and the feed-based information is displayed to the first player as a real-time stream in a user-interface of the online game. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the player feeds includes accessing network addresses that locate communications from the players in the game networking system. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the specification criteria relate an identity of the first player to one or more identities of players corresponding to the player feeds, the specification criteria being used to include the selected portions of the player feeds in the feed-based information generated for the first player. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the feed-based information includes communications directed to a real-time proposal between the first player and another player in accordance with the first display profile, the specification criteria being used to identify communications directed to real-time proposals between the players. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the feed-based information includes a helper log that identifies help supplied between the first player and another player in accordance with the first display profile, the specification criteria being used to identify help supplied between the players. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the feed-based information includes chat communications between the first player and another player in accordance with the first display profile, the specification criteria being used to identify chat communications between the players. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a display request from the first player to provide additional feed-based information that corresponds to the display request; and generating the additional feed-based information for the first player by using the first display profile and the display request to access the player feeds. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a computer program for generating feed-based information in an online game, the computer program including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: providing a game instance of the online game; receiving a plurality of player feeds in a game networking system that includes the online game; accessing a specification for displaying information from the player feeds in the game networking system, the specification including criteria for identifying portions of the player feeds corresponding to aspects of the game instance and correspondingly relating identities of players in the game instance; accessing a first player profile for a first player in the game instance, the first player profile identifying one or more characteristics of the first player; using the first player profile with the specification to determine a first display profile for displaying information from the player feeds to the first player, the first display profile identifying selected portions of the player feeds corresponding to the aspects of the game instance; and generating feed-based information for the first player by using the first display profile to access the player feeds. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the computer program further includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: displaying the feed-based information to the first player through a user interface of the online game. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the player feeds are real-time streams and the feed-based information is displayed to the first player as a real-time stream in a user-interface of the online game. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein receiving the player feeds includes accessing network addresses that locate communications from the players in the game networking system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the specification criteria relate an identity of the first player to one or more identities of players corresponding to the player feeds, the specification criteria being used to include the selected portions of the player feeds in the feed-based information generated for the first player. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the feed-based information includes communications directed to a real-time proposal between the first player and another player in accordance with the first display profile, the specification criteria being used to identify communications directed to real-time proposals between the players. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the feed-based information includes a helper log that identifies help supplied between the first player and another player in accordance with the first display profile, the specification criteria being used to identify help supplied between the players. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the feed-based information includes chat communications between the first player and another player in accordance with the first display profile, the specification criteria being used to identify chat communications between the players. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the computer program further includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: receiving a display request from the first player to provide additional feed-based information that corresponds to the display request; and generating the additional feed-based information for the first player by using the first display profile and the display request to access the player feeds. ### Claim 19 A game networking system configured to generate feed-based information in an online game, the game-networking system comprising at least one computer configured to perform operations for computer-implemented modules including: a user-input interface module configured to receive from a first player, via a game user interface, a request to compete in the online game against a second player; a game-engine module configured to generate a game instance of the online game in response to the request from the first player; a player-feed module configured to perform operations including: receiving a plurality of player feeds in the game networking system of the online game; accessing a specification for displaying information from the player feeds in the game networking system, the specification including criteria for identifying portions of the player feeds corresponding to aspects of the game instance and correspondingly relating identities of players in the game instance; accessing a first player profile for the first player, the first player profile identifying one or more characteristics of the first player; and using the first player profile with the specification to determine a first display profile for displaying information from the player feeds to the first player, the first display profile identifying selected portions of the player feeds corresponding to the aspects of the game instance; and a graphical user-display output-interface module configured to provide first display data associated with displaying the game instance of the online game to the first player via the game user interface and further configured to provide second display data associated with displaying the feed-based information to the first player via the game user interface by using the first display profile to access the player feeds. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The game networking system of claim 19, wherein the player-feed module is further configured to receive a display request from the first player to provide additional feed-based information that corresponds to the display request; and the graphical user-display output-interface module is further configured to provide third display data associated with displaying the additional feed-based information to the first player via the game user interface by using the first display profile and the display request to access the player feeds. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first display profile is configured to exclude at least some feed-based information corresponding to a second player in accordance with a second player profile corresponding to the second player, the specification criteria being used with player profiles corresponding to the players to identify information that is not shared between the players. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the feed-based information includes a log that relates game activities of the players to an aspect of the game instance in accordance with the first display profile, the specification criteria being used to relate the game activities of the players to the aspects of the game instance.