Invitation link for launching a multi-user application

Abstract

To provide a multi-user application activation method and a non-transitory computer-readable medium that do not require a user to own a copy of a multi-user application.SOLUTION: In a method, an inviter's portal creates a selectable link for a user to invite other users to immediately join the same session of a multi-user application, such as a game or party without requiring invited users to launch the multi-user application, thereby, both the inviting user and the invited users may share the link with other users using conventional electronic communication.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Background Art

[0001] Background Coordinating multiplayer games and multi-user parties on current consoles and computer systems generally requires several steps. Players typically negotiate the logistics of a game session with their friends using email, instant messages, SMS / text messages, chat, etc. Once the game to play and the time are decided, one player, as the host, launches the game and sends invitations to other players to join the same session of the game. Other players cannot join the game until the host player launches the game, searches for other players with the associated game ID, correctly identifies them, and creates a multiplayer session. Usually, all players, including the host, must own the same version of the game to play.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0002] Summary According to one embodiment of the subject matter of the present disclosure, the method includes receiving a first user identifier uniquely associated with an inviter, receiving a second user identifier uniquely associated with an invitee different from the first user identifier, receiving an application identifier associated with a selected application, generating an invitation identifier based on the application identifier and the first user identifier, and generating a link uniquely associated with the invitation identifier, where the link can include causing an application to be launched and providing the link in response to the link being selected by the inviter or the invitee. The method can further include receiving an indication indicating at least one user selected from the group consisting of the inviter and the invitee who selected the link, and causing the at least one user to participate in a unique session of the application uniquely associated with the invitation identifier. The inviter may not own the application. The invitee may not own the application.

[0003] The link may be provided before the application is launched and independently of the launch of the application. The link may be provided via the interface of the launched application. The link may be provided via a web browser interface before the application is launched. The link can cause the application to be launched based on selected parameters. In this case, the application is a video game and the selected parameters correspond to save points or level information.

[0004] The method can further include receiving, using a first device, a selection of a second device, receiving, using the first device, an indication indicating that an inviter or an invitee has selected a link, and launching an application on the second device. The first device may not be able to launch the application. The method can further include receiving, regardless of whether the inviter has selected the link, a first indication indicating that the invitee has selected the link in response to the invitee selecting the link. The method can include receiving, in response to the inviter selecting the link, a second indication indicating that the inviter has selected the link, and the first indication is received before the second indication.

[0005] Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the subject matter of this disclosure are described in, and will be apparent from, the following detailed description, the drawings, and the claims. Note that both the foregoing summary and the following detailed description are exemplary and are intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the claims. Both are exemplary and are intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the claims.

[0006] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the subject matter of this disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the subject matter of this disclosure and, together with the detailed description, explain the principles of the embodiments of the subject matter of this disclosure. Structural details are not described in more detail than is necessary to explain the basic understanding of the subject matter of this disclosure and various possible ways.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Detailed Description Coordinating multiplayer games or parties on current console and personal computer systems is inconvenient and cumbersome due to the number of steps involved. When the host player experiences difficulties in performing these tasks or otherwise quits, other players cannot start the game session or are unnecessarily kept waiting. If one or more players do not own the game, do not own the same version of the game, or do not own the required game expansion, these players cannot participate in the game.

[0009] The subject matter of the present disclosure provides systems and techniques for providing a link that enables a user to immediately invite other users to a multi-user application such as a game or a party. As described herein, this user (the "inviter") can obtain the link in various ways. For example, the inviter can create a link in a launched multi-user application, although this is not required. As another example, the inviter can simply create a link for inviting other users and does not need to launch the multi-user application to which the link applies. Once the link is created, the inviter can send the link to other users (the "invitees") using conventional electronic communication methods such as chat, email, instant message, social media, SMS messages, etc. Also, the link may be published on a website or in a printed medium. Any user who views the link can participate in the same unique session with other invitees and / or share the link with other users. This enables inviting a large number of users to participate in a game session or a party session in an easier way. In some embodiments, the user can receive a message containing the link on substantially any first device capable of receiving information, but instead of the first device, launch the multi-user application on a second device. Depending on the situation, the user does not need to pre-launch the multi-user application or own a copy of the multi-user application to participate in the session.

[0010] Most users can simultaneously run instances of multi-user applications on thousands of computing devices. Generally, each user can use their computing device to run an instance of a multi-user application, but cannot participate in more than one instance of a multi-user application. A session can contain one or more instances. Each user of an instance of this session can participate in one or more other user instances within the session. Since each user can only participate in one instance and similarly one session, each session is unique based on the set of specific users participating in that session. For example, Kevin and Ian can play a "game title" together on their respective computing devices. Each of Kevin and Ian's computing devices can run an instance of the "game title". Since each user of the instance participates in the instances of other users and Kevin and Ian are not playing in another session, both Kevin's instance and Ian's instance can form a unique session of the "game title". If user Amelia wishes to play with Kevin and Ian, Amelia will wish to participate in the same unique session occupied by Kevin and Ian. Thus, although the three users are each running three instances of the "game title", all three users are participating in one unique session. Alternatively, Amelia may wish to play alone. In this case, Amelia runs one instance of the "game title". This instance defines Amelia's unique session.

[0011] The following description and the related drawings explain exemplary embodiments related to multi-player games. It should be understood that the concepts of the present disclosure can be applied to various non-game environments. For example, aspects and features of the subject matter of the present disclosure may relate to any multi-user application, such as meetings, auctions and sales, social and entertainment activities, group collaboration, education, product promotion, presentations, and applications used to display various other forms of audio and / or visual media. Therefore, the scope and content of the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to multi-player game applications.

[0012] Figure 1 shows an overview of an exemplary multi-player flow 100 of the interaction between an inviter user and an invitee user via an inviter game 110, an invitee game 120, an inviter portal 105, an invitee portal 125, and a multi-player service 115. The inviter user can, at step S101, initiate a process to create a link related to the multi-player game from the inviter portal 105. The multi-player game may be stored and executed locally, for example, on the computing device used by the inviter, or may be stored and executed remotely on a cloud-based game server. Thus, the inviter game 110 and the invitee game 120 are representations of the multi-player game presented to the inviter and the invitee, and should be more broadly understood as not necessarily being the user-owned game copies stored and executed on the user's computing device. The portal 105 may be provided in various ways, such as via a software platform application, a website, a web browser, a web browser plugin or extension, or via the menu of the multi-player game, or any other suitable mechanism. In response to the inviter executing the portal function to create a link at step S101, the multi-player service 115 is at step S1 A new invitation can be created at 02, and an invitation string related to the invitation can be created at step S103. The invitation created at step S102 can be used internally by the multiplayer service 115 and may be created based on the player ID 205 and the invitation ID 210 as shown in FIG. 2A. Each row of the table 200 can represent an unapproved invitation. Each player ID 205 may be unique to each user interacting with the multiplayer service 115. Each invitation ID 210 may be unique to a specific multiplayer game session created by the inviting user when creating a link at S101. The multiplayer service 115 can record each unapproved invitation and its related state 220 in the table 200, and each row can correspond to an invitation for each user. For example, when an inviting user with a player ID of "matt" generates a call to create a link to a multiplayer game session at step S101, a new row including the player ID 205 of the inviting user, the invitation ID 210 to identify the session, the app ID 215 to identify the game, the state of the invitation 220, the player ID of the inviter 225, and the related link 235 is added to the table 200. Each row of the table 200 may include additional data fields not shown. At this point, the table 200 of the multiplayer service 115 includes a single row representing a single invitation to "matt" with the state 220 set to "pending sent".

[0013] Figure 2B shows a state diagram 235 that manages the status 220 of each invitation stored in table 200. The queued sent state 240 is the initial state of an invitation by the inviter, and the queued received state 255 is the initial state of an invitation by the invitee. Based on the interaction of the inviter user or the invitee user via each portal 105 or 125, the invitation stored in table 200 ends by acceptance of the invitation. In this case, when the user joins a multiplayer game session, the invitation is changed to the ended state 250. Also, the invitation stored in table 200 ends by cancellation of the invitation, for example, when the user indicates cancellation of the invitation, or when it is determined that the session associated with the invitation is no longer active. In this case, after the associated multiplayer game session has started and ended or after a timeout period has elapsed, the invitation is changed to the cancelled state 245.

[0014] Returning to FIG. 1, the invitation string created in step S103 may be returned to the inviter portal 105 and used to create a link that can be presented to the inviter user in step S104. The link created in step S104 may be presented as text such as the invitation string created in step S103 or any other string, a uniform resource locator (URL) or hyperlink, as an image such as an image, icon, photo, emoticon or video, or as a combination of an image and text. Thus, the text content of the link may be visible, hidden, or modified. When the inviter user receives the link created in step S104, the inviter user can send this link to the invitee user. The invitee user can select the link in S116 if the invitee user wants to play. In one example, when an invitee user having a player ID of "Trey" selects the link received from the inviter Matt in step S116, the invitee portal 125 can participate in the invitation in step S109 by decrypting this link as a multiplayer game link and calling the multiplayer service 115. The multiplayer service 115 records the selection of the link by the invitee user in table 200 by creating a new row including the player ID 205 "Trey" of the invitee user and sets the status 220 to pending received 255. The invitee portal 125 determines in step S110 whether Trey selected the link from a device capable of participating in the multiplayer game, whether Trey transferred the multiplayer game to another device, whether Trey owns the multiplayer game, whether Tre Perform various eligibility checks on the tray, including whether the game time allocated to B has been exceeded. When the eligibility check is completed in step S110, the invitee portal 125 can approve the invitation on behalf of the tray by calling the multiplayer service 115 in step S111. As a result, the invitation to the tray is changed to the pending accepted state 260. Thereafter, the invitee portal 125 can immediately start the invitee game 120 in step S112. "Immediately" starting means that no additional steps by the user are required. For example, when a multiplayer game is immediately started in response to the selection of a link, the user does not need to perform steps for setting, steps for ending the currently running application, steps for identifying the game session, steps for identifying other players, or steps for identifying game server information. In response to receiving the approved invitation in step S111, the multiplayer service 115 can notify the invitee game 120 in step S113 that there is an invitation in the pending accepted state 260. Thereafter, the invitee game 120 can find and join the correct game lobby based on the invitation ID 210 of the invitation sent from the mat by calling the multiplayer service 115. The game lobby may be, for example, a menu screen where participating players can view game settings and player profile information and communicate with other players via voice chat or text messages. Alternatively, if the inviter is not participating in the multiplayer game session, the invitee game 120 can create a multiplayer game lobby based on the invitation ID 210 of the invitation sent from the mat. Thereafter, the invitee game 120 can return an ACK of the invitation to the multiplayer service 115. As a result, the invitee's invitation status is changed from pending accepted 260 to ended 250.Instead, the user who selects the link does not need to access the multiplayer game lobby and can immediately join the multiplayer game session from their respective portal 105 or 125.

[0015] The inviter does not need to create a link or participate in the multiplayer game session. With this feature, regardless of whether the inviter user participates in the multiplayer game session or not, the invited user who selects the link can immediately join the multiplayer game session. Similarly, if the inviter participates in the multiplayer game and then exits, the multiplayer game session will continue to exist unless all players exit. The first player to join the multiplayer game session may be designated as the host player. The host player may have exclusive rights, such as the right to control various game parameters, the right to mute other players, and the right to expel other players from the multiplayer game session. Note that the first player may be designated as the host even if they are an invited player rather than the inviter. If the inviter participates later, they may be designated as the host player upon joining. If the inviter exits after being designated as the host, any of the remaining players may be designated as the new host by means of random selection, the order of precedence of the players, or various other mechanisms.

[0016] Returning to FIG. 1, when the inviter portal creates a multiplayer game link at S104, it can automatically launch the game immediately at S105, or can manually launch the game immediately by selecting the newly created link later. Note that the creation of the link in step S104 is performed regardless of whether the game is launched at step S105. In fact, the inviter user does not need to launch the game at S105. When the inviter game 110 is launched at S105, all pending invitations can be listed by calling the multiplayer service 115 at step S117. In response to receiving a call from the inviter game 110 at step S117, the multiplayer service 115 can notify the inviter game 110 at step S106 that there are invitations in the pending sent state 240. Thereafter, the inviter game 110 Based on the invitation ID 210 created in step S102, by calling the multiplayer service 115 at step S107, a correct multiplayer game lobby can be created and joined. Alternatively, if the invitee user selects a link to participate in the multiplayer game before the inviter user, since the multiplayer game lobby has already been created based on the invitation ID 210 at step S114, the inviter user can directly participate in the multiplayer game lobby. Thereafter, the inviter game 110 can return an invitation ACK at step S115. Thereby, the invitation state of the inviter is changed from pending sent 240 to completed 250.

[0017] The call for the host user to create a link using the host portal 105 in step S101 can be achieved in several ways. FIG. 3A shows an example of a game library interface 300 that displays multiplayer game titles 315-317 classified as host users. Each game title 315-317 may be selected and may further include a related "Play Game" button 305 and a "Play with Friends" button 310. For example, selecting button 305 can immediately launch the game. This game can be played alone or can play against players who will join later. Selecting button 310 can copy the related multiplayer game link to the system memory accessible by the operating system's clipboard application and can be pasted into the information sent to the desired invitee using the conventional method described above. Note that in this example, the operation of the host user to launch the game library interface 300 using the host portal 105 corresponds to executing step S101 of FIG. 1 to execute one call or a series of calls to create the multiplayer game link 310.

[0018] When the user selects the multiplayer game title 315, as shown in FIG. 3B, the interface is updated to reflect additional information related to the selected multiplayer game title 315. In addition to the aforementioned "Play Game" button 305, the game library interface 300 can present a list of ongoing sessions 306-308 of the game title 315. Selecting any of the ongoing sessions 306-308 corresponds to executing S115 in FIG. 1 to participate in the multiplayer game as an invitee. Also, the game library interface 300 can include a list of friends 311-313 who own the game title 315 or are eligible to play the game. Selecting any of the friends 311-313 can provide various functions, such as opening a chat box with the friend, generating and sending a link to play the game title 315, or displaying the player's statistics. Further, the game library interface 300 can include a list of user save points 320-322. The user save points represent placeholders indicating the user's progress, such as the game levels, all assets, unlocks, status, and accompanying statistical values related to the game title 315. Selecting any of the save points 320-322 immediately launches the game title 315 at the save point selected by the user. Selecting the "Share Save Point" button 330 copies the multiplayer game link starting from the selected save point 320 to the clipboard application and shares it with other invitees as described above. Alternatively, selecting the button 330 may present a selectable list of friends to whom the save point link can be sent, post the save point link to the user's social media account, or publish the save point link to a database index. This save point link is displayed as an available multiplayer game session 306-308 below the "Join Game" heading within the game library interface 300 of the game title 315 of other users.

[0019] The host user can also create a link from within the multiplayer game. FIG. 4 shows the features of an exemplary game interface 400 of a game title 415 that can be presented to the user. The game interface 400 can include a list of the user's friends 401-406. Using the "Send to Selected Friends with Link" button 425, individual friends 401-406 can be selected to send a link to participate in the multiplayer game session. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, Aaron 401 and Laura 406 can be selected. When the user selects the "Send to Selected Friends with Link" button 425, the selected Aaron 401 and Laura 406 can receive a selectable link to participate in the host session of the game title 415 as the invited users. Alternatively or additionally, the "Copy Party Link" button 420 can copy the associated multiplayer game link to the system memory accessible by the operating system's clipboard application and paste it into the information to be sent to the desired invited users using the conventional method described above. In this example, the operation of the host user to launch the game title or the game title of the game interface 400 using the host portal 105 corresponds to executing step S101 of FIG. 1 to perform one call or a series of calls to create the multiplayer game link to be copied using the button 420 or sent to friends using the button 425.

[0020] ​The host user can also create a link using a web browser. Figure 5 shows an exemplary web browser interface 500. The interface 500 may be provided, for example, via a website, via a web browser extension or plug-in, or integrated into the web browser. The interface 500 can include a party link 505 related to the user. The party link 505 operates in the same manner as a multiplayer game link, but does not necessarily have to be related to a multiplayer game. When the party link is selected, the invitee portal 125 can immediately participate in a multi-user chat or video conference with other invitees of the same party. When entering the multi-user chat or video conference, the user can create a multiplayer game link and decide to immediately participate in a multiplayer game from the party. The interface 500 can further include a display 510 of new messages and an invitation to a party and / or a multiplayer game. Figure 5 shows an example where the user Matt receives a message 510 containing a multiplayer game link to immediately launch Game 1 from the user tray using the web browser 500. Also, the multiplayer game link interface 500 can include a game library 515 that stores a number of games that can be launched. As an example, the user Matt selects "Game 2" 530. In response, the interface 500 may present an option 540 that includes an option 520 to play the game, an option 521 to copy the save point to the link, and an option 522 to copy the link to play the game with friends. Selecting the option to play the game 520 allows the user to play alone or play a match with players who will join later. Selecting the option 521 allows copying to a clipboard application that can share the multiplayer game link with other invitees at the default or selected save point, as described above.Alternatively, if option 521 is selected, a selectable list of friends who will send the save point link may be presented, or the save point link may be posted to the user's social media accounts. If option 522 is selected, the multiplayer game link to Game 2 can be copied to the system memory accessible by the operating system's clipboard application and pasted into the information to be sent to the desired invitee using the conventional method described above. In this example, the inviting user's interface... The act of selecting option 521, "Copy Save Point to Link", or option 522, "Copy Link to Play with Friends", via interface 500 corresponds to performing step S101 of FIG. 1 to execute one call or a series of calls to create the links copied to options 521 and 522. As an example, the act of selecting message 510, "Link to Play Game 1", received by Matt from Tray corresponds to performing step S116 of FIG. 1 to participate in the session of Game 1 on Tray as an invitee. Similarly, the act of the inviting user launching web browser interface 500 corresponds to performing step S101 of FIG. 1 to execute calls to generate party link 505 that can be copied and sent to friends and other users.

[0021] Links may be embedded in video content. FIG. 6 shows an exemplary web browser interface 600. The web browser interface 600 can load video 610 from a website and provide various user-selectable buttons 601-603 related to the content of video 610. For example, video 610 may be a preview of a game title. Button 601 can immediately launch a demo version of game title 600 in either single-player or multiplayer game mode. In the case of multiplayer game mode, button 601 may be implemented using a multiplayer game link as described above so that all or some of the viewing users can participate in a unique session of a similar demo game. As described above, the text content of the link may be visible or hidden. For example, the game publisher of the game shown in video 610 may wish to make the link unavailable unless the preview video 610 is viewed. By hiding the text underlying the game link selected using button 601, the user cannot copy and paste the link, thus preventing and / or reducing access to the game via another and / or undesirable forum. Selection of button 602 can provide additional information about the game, such as price, release date, available system and console requirements, links to other games, and other details. Button 603 can provide a multiplayer game link 604 to the game title. This multiplayer game link 604 may be the same as or different from the underlying game link launched by selecting button 601. In this way, a user who selects multiplayer game link 604 and shares multiplayer game link 604 with other users can start a multiplayer game title demo only for players who received multiplayer game link 604, not for general users.The button 605 can copy the multiplayer game link to the system memory accessible by the clipboard application of the operating system and paste it onto the information to be sent to the desired invitee using the conventional method described above.

[0022] The save point link may be embedded in the video content. FIG. 7 shows an exemplary web browser interface 700. The web browser interface 700 can load a video 710 from a website. The video 710 may be a gameplay video showing the progress of a player in a specific game title. A progress bar 715 may be provided in the interface 700 to indicate the portion of the video currently being displayed with respect to the whole. Save point markers 721-723 may be displayed together with the progress bar 715 as selectable game links. Selecting any one of the save point markers 721-723 allows the game title to be immediately launched at the save point indicated by each save point marker. Each of the save point markers 721-723 present on the progress bar 715 corresponds to the progress point of the player shown in the gameplay video 710. The user can select any one of the save point markers 721-723 regardless of the progress of the video 710 along the progress bar 715. As described above with reference to FIG. 3, the save point may correspond to a specific level in the progress of the game title and the associated player attributes, or may be arbitrarily selected by the player whose gameplay is shown in the video 710. The save point markers 721-723 within the video 710 may be manually placed by the user, or may be automatically placed by a video processor that can be implemented from hardware or a software algorithm executed by the hardware. Select. As described above with reference to FIG. 3, the save point may correspond to a specific level in the progress of the game title and the associated player attributes, or may be arbitrarily selected by the player whose gameplay is shown in the video 710. The save point markers 721-723 within the video 710 may be manually placed by the user, or may be automatically placed by a video processor that can be implemented from hardware or a software algorithm executed by the hardware.

[0023] As described above, the multiplayer game link and the party link can communicate using conventional communication methods between users. Although almost all modern electronic devices can perform electronic communication, not all devices are suitable for certain types of software because they cannot or do not desire to provide a multiplayer game experience, other types of entertainment, and / or software products. Similarly, a user may have several devices that can provide a multiplayer game experience, such as a personal gaming computer, a gaming console device, a set-top box with a controller, a remote host gaming system, and a tablet computer, but may prefer one device over another for various reasons. Thus, when two or more electronic devices are available, a user who receives a game link or a party link via one electronic device can choose to transfer the game link or the party link to a second electronic device to initiate it. FIG. 8 shows an exemplary embodiment in which a user can receive electronic communication via a first electronic device 800. The electronic communication is received via a communication application 805 operating on the first electronic device 800 and includes a multiplayer game link 810. When the multiplayer game link 810 is selected, the user is presented with an option 815 to transfer the link 810 to a second electronic device 820 to initiate it there. The option 815 may be presented in a pop-up menu, a web browser, or another application. Thus, the multiplayer game session 830 associated with the multiplayer game link 810 can be executed on the second electronic device 820. The second electronic device 820 need not be a dedicated gaming device or computing device and may have only the function of transmitting, receiving, and outputting information. Also, the second electronic device 820 need not have more complex or higher computing performance than the first electronic device 800. Note that a user may desire to initiate a particular game or party on a particular device based on various reasons, such as battery level, physical proximity to the user, network resource availability, and other factors.

[0024] Generally, a user who creates a link as an inviter or selects a link as an invitee needs to purchase the game or have at least an explicit or implicit license to play the game. On the other hand, a game publisher can create a link to enable game play for, for example, a user who has not purchased the game or has been given the right to play the game as part of a sales promotion. For the sake of discussion, such a user is referred to as a "guest" user. In this case, when a guest user selects a link to play the game, the invitee portal 125 does not reject the guest user from joining the game 120 in step S110 for the reason that the guest user does not have ownership of the game. Alternatively or additionally, the game publisher can allow limited play time for a guest user in the case of a sales promotion or a guest user invited by an inviting user who owns the game. Also, a guest user can play a game that they do not own, for example, by registering for a subscription game service. In this case, one or more games can be included as part of the subscription, and the guest user can participate in a multiplayer game as an invitee or start a game as a single player. As described above, the inviting user who creates the link does not need to start the game 110. Therefore, a single inviting user who owns the game can have one or more guest users play the game without limit without having to participate in the game themselves Links can be created to provide an opportunity to play game 120 for a period of time or a limited time. Typically, the game publisher can establish game play restrictions for guest users by creating policies that can be implemented by the multiplayer service 115. The game play restrictions may be set based on time, events, or duration and / or scope. For example, the multiplayer service 115 can kick out a player after a certain amount of time has elapsed, after the player has advanced to a certain level, or after the player has died a certain number of times. Optionally, a warning message related to the game play restriction may be displayed to the user to indicate the remaining levels, time, or remaining lives.

[0025] The link may have a certain expiration date. The expiration of the link may be set according to a predetermined expiration date or based on the time elapsed since the occurrence of an event. If the game publisher provides a game link as part of a sales promotion or to demo the game, this link may be valid during the period of the sales promotion. If the link is created by a regular user, it may expire 24 hours after creation. If at least one user participates in a game session via the link and then exits, the link may expire earlier than 24 hours. Note that the length of the link expiration date may be configured to meet user demand, balance server workload, and / or reduce data congestion.

[0026] FIG. 9 shows an exemplary network configuration according to an embodiment of the subject matter of the present disclosure. One or more devices 10 and 11, for example, local computers, smartphones, tablet computing devices, and set-top boxes can be connected to other devices via one or more networks 7. Each device may be the computing device described above. The network may be a local network, a wide area network, the Internet, or any other suitable communication network, and may be implemented on any suitable platform including a wired network and / or a wireless network. These devices can communicate with one or more remote devices, such as server 13 and / or database 15. The remote device may be directly accessed by devices 10 and 11, or one or more other devices may provide intermediate access. For example, server 13 provides access to resources stored in database 15. Also, devices 10 and 11 can access remote platform 17 or services provided by remote platform 17, such as cloud computing devices and services. Remote platform 17 may include one or more servers 13 and / or databases 15.

[0027] Embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure may be implemented in and used with various components and network architectures. FIG. 10 shows an exemplary computing device 20 suitable for implementing one embodiment of the subject matter of the present disclosure. The device 20 may be, for example, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a gaming console, a game server, a set-top box, or a mobile computing device such as a smartphone or a tablet. The device 20 includes a bus 21 that interconnects the main components of the computing device 20, such as a central processor 24, a memory 27 including random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and flash RAM, a user display 22 such as a display screen, a user input interface 26 that may include one or more controllers and associated user input devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch screen, a fixed storage 23 such as a hard drive and flash storage, a removable media component 25 operable to control and receive optical disks, flash drives, etc., and a network interface 29 operable to communicate with one or more remote devices via a suitable network connection.

[0028] As described above, the bus 21 enables data communication between the central processor 24 and one or more memory components that may include RAM, ROM, and other memory. The RAM is typically the main memory that loads the operating system and application programs. The ROM or flash memory component may include, in particular, a basic input / output system (BIOS) for controlling basic hardware operations, such as interactions with peripheral components. Applications resident on the computer 20 are generally stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a hard disk drive (e.g., fixed storage device 23), an optical drive, a floppy disk, or other storage media, and are accessed via these computer-readable media.

[0029] The fixed storage 23 may be provided integrally with the computer 20 or provided separately and accessed via other interfaces. The network interface 29 may provide a direct connection to a remote server via a wired or wireless connection. The network interface 29 can provide the above-described connection using any suitable technologies and protocols readily understood by those skilled in the art, such as digital cellular telephones, WiFi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and near-field. For example, as will be described in more detail below, the network interface 29 enables the computer to communicate with other computers via one or more local area networks, wide area networks, or other communication networks.

[0030] Many other devices or components (not shown), such as document scanners, digital cameras, etc., may be connected in a similar manner. On the other hand, not all of the components shown in FIG. 10 need to be used to implement the present disclosure. These components may be interconnected in a manner different from that shown. Since the operation of the computer as shown in FIG. 10 is known in the art, it will not be described in detail in this application. The code for implementing the present disclosure may be stored in one or more computer-readable storage media or remote storage, such as the memory 27, the fixed storage 23, and the removable medium 25.

[0031] When the system described in this specification collects or uses personal information about a user, the program or function can provide the user with an opportunity to control whether it collects user information (e.g., information about the user's social network, social behavior or activities, occupation, user preferences, or the user's current location), or an opportunity to control whether and / or how to receive relevant content from a content server by the user. Further, certain data may be processed in one or more ways to remove or limit personally identifiable information before it is stored or used. For example, the identity of the user may be processed so that the user's personal identifying information cannot be identified, or the geographical location of the user from which location information (e.g., at the city, zip code, or state level) can be obtained may be generalized so that the user's location cannot be identified. On the other hand, when the user is interacting with friends or acquaintances within a game or party, some or all of the personal information may be selectively accessed by other users. Thus, as described in this specification, the user can control how the system collects and uses the user's information.

[0032] More generally, various embodiments of the subject matter of this disclosure may include a computer-implemented process and an apparatus for executing the process, or may be embodied as a computer-implemented process and an apparatus for executing the process. Also, the implementation The embodiment may be embodied as a computer program product having computer program code stored in a non-transitory and / or tangible medium such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a CD-ROM, a hard drive, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) drive, or other machine-readable storage medium. Thereby, when the computer program code is loaded into a computer and executed by the computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for implementing embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure. Further, the embodiment may be embodied as computer program code stored in a storage medium and loaded and / or executed by a computer, or computer program code transmitted via some transmission medium such as electrical wiring or an electrical cable, an optical fiber, or an electromagnetic wave. Thereby, when the computer program code is loaded into a computer and executed by the computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for implementing embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure. When implemented on a general-purpose microprocessor, the computer program code segment configures the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits.

[0033] In some configurations, the computer-readable instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium may be executed by a general-purpose processor. Thereby, the general-purpose processor or an apparatus including the general-purpose processor is converted into a dedicated apparatus configured to execute or implement the instructions. The embodiment may be implemented using hardware including a general-purpose microprocessor and / or a processor such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that may implement all or part of the technology related to the embodiment of the subject matter of the present disclosure in hardware and / or firmware. The processor may be connected to a memory including, for example, RAM, ROM, flash memory, a hard disk, or other apparatus capable of storing electronic information. The memory may store instructions configured to be executed by the processor for executing the technology related to the embodiment of the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0034] Examples will be described below. [Example 1] The method is receiving a first user identifier uniquely associated with an inviter, receiving a second user identifier uniquely associated with an invitee, different from the first user identifier, receiving an application identifier associated with a selected application, generating an invitation identifier based on the application identifier and the first user identifier, generating a link uniquely associated with the invitation identifier, the link starting an application in response to the link being selected by the inviter or the invitee, and the method further including providing the link. [Example 2] The method of Example 1 further includes receiving an instruction indicating at least one user selected from the group consisting of the inviter and the invitee who selected the link, and including causing the at least one user to participate in a unique session of the application uniquely associated with the invitation identifier. [Example 3] In the method according to Example 1 or 2, the link is provided before the application is started and independently of the start of the application. [Example 4] In the method according to at least one of the foregoing examples, the link is provided via the interface of the started application. [Example 5] In the method according to at least one of the foregoing examples, the link is provided via a web browser interface before the application is started. [Example 6] In the method according to at least one of the foregoing examples, the link starts the application based on selected parameters. [Example 7] In the method according to Example 6, the application is a video game, and the selected parameter corresponds to a save point or level information. [Example 8] The method according to at least one of the foregoing examples, receiving a selection of a second device using a first device, receiving an instruction indicating that an inviter or an invitee has selected a link using the first device, and further including launching an application on the second device. [Example 9] In the method according to Example 8, the first device is unable to launch the application. [Example 10] In the method according to at least one of the foregoing examples, the inviter does not own the application. [Example 11] In the method according to at least one of the foregoing examples, the invitee does not own the application. [Example 12] The method according to at least one of the foregoing examples further includes receiving a first instruction indicating that the invitee has selected a link in response to the invitee selecting the link, regardless of whether the inviter has selected the link. [Example 13] The method according to Example 12 further includes receiving a second instruction indicating that the inviter has selected a link in response to the inviter selecting the link, and the first instruction is received before the second instruction. [Example 14] In the method according to at least one of the foregoing examples, the link is a string, a uniform resource locator, a hyperlink, an image, an icon, a photograph, an emoticon, or a video, or a combination of an image and text. [Example 15] A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions executable by one or more computing systems to perform the following operations, where the following operations are Receiving a first user identifier uniquely associated with the inviter; Receiving a second user identifier uniquely associated with the invitee; Receiving an application identifier associated with the selected application; Generating an invitation identifier based on the application identifier and the first user identifier; Generating a link uniquely associated with the invitation identifier, the link causing the application to be launched in response to the link being selected by the inviter or the invitee; Including providing the link. [Example 16] The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Example 15 further includes instructions for causing one or more computing systems to perform the following operations, The following operations are, Receiving an indication indicating at least one user selected from the group consisting of the inviter and the invitee who selected the link; Including causing at least one user to participate in a unique session of the application uniquely associated with the invitation identifier. [Example 17] In the non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Example 15 or 16, the link is provided before the application is launched and independently of the launch of the application. [Example 18] In the non-transitory computer-readable medium according to at least one of Examples 15 to 17, the link is provided via the interface of the launched application. [Example 19] In the non-transitory computer-readable medium according to at least one of Examples 15 to 18, the link is provided via a web browser interface before the application is launched. [Example 20] In the non-transitory computer-readable medium according to at least one of Examples 15 to 19, the link causes the application to be launched based on the selected parameters. [Example 21] In the non - transitory computer - readable medium according to Example 20, the application is a video game, and the selected parameter corresponds to a save point or level information. [Example 22] The non - transitory computer - readable medium according to at least one of Examples 15 to 21 further includes instructions for causing one or more computing systems to perform the following operations: The following operations are: Receiving a selection of a second device using a first device; Receiving an instruction indicating that an inviter or an invitee has selected a link using the first device; And starting an application on the second device. [Example 23] In the non - transitory computer - readable medium according to Example 22, the first device cannot start the application. [Example 24] In the non - transitory computer - readable medium according to at least one of Examples 15 to 23, the inviter does not own the application. [Example 25] In the non - transitory computer - readable medium according to at least one of Examples 15 to 24, the invitee does not own the application. [Example 26] The non - transitory computer - readable medium according to at least one of Examples 15 to 25 further includes receiving a first instruction indicating that the invitee has selected a link in response to the invitee selecting the link, regardless of whether the inviter has selected the link. [Example 27] The non - transitory computer - readable medium according to Example 26 further includes receiving a second instruction indicating that the inviter has selected a link in response to the inviter selecting the link, and the first instruction is received before the second instruction. [Example 28] In the non - transitory computer - readable medium according to at least one of Examples 15 to 27 Here, the link is a string, a uniform resource locator, a hyperlink, an image, an icon, a photograph, an emoticon, or a video, or a combination of an image and text.

[0035] For purposes of illustration, the foregoing description has been made with reference to specific embodiments. However, the above exemplary description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments of the subject matter of this disclosure to the precise forms described above. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments have been chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the embodiments of the subject matter of this disclosure and its practical application. Thereby, those skilled in the art can utilize various embodiments including various modifications suitable for these embodiments and specific applications.

Claims

A method executed by at least one processor, the method comprising: generating an invitation identifier associated with a unique multi-user session of an application; generating a link uniquely associated with the invitation identifier before the first instance of the application is launched, the link being at least separate from the invitation identifier, and causing other instances of the application to be launched in response to one or more users selecting the link, the method further comprising: associating at least the invitation identifier with each user identifier of the one or more users in response to the one or more users selecting the link. **Claim 2** The method of claim 1, wherein generating the invitation identifier comprises generating the invitation identifier based on a user identifier uniquely associated with an inviter and an application identifier associated with the application. **Claim 3** receiving an indication that at least one user of the one or more users has selected the link; The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising causing the at least one user to participate in a unique session of the application uniquely associated with the invitation identifier. **Claim 4** The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the link is provided independently of the launch of the first instance before the first instance is launched. **Claim 5** The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the link is provided via an interface of the application. **Claim 6** The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the link is provided via a web browser interface before the first instance is launched. A method executed by at least one processor, the method comprising: generating an invitation identifier associated with a unique multi-user session of an application; generating a link uniquely associated with the invitation identifier, the link being at least separate from the invitation identifier, and causing the application to be launched in response to one or more users selecting the link, the method further comprising: responding to the selection of the link by the one or more users by associating at least the invitation identifier with each user identifier of the one or more users, The link is a method for starting the application in a mode based on selected parameters. **Claim 8** The application is a video game, The method according to claim 7, wherein the selected parameter corresponds to a save point or level information. **Claim 9** A method executed by at least one processor, the method comprising: generating an invitation identifier associated with a unique multi-user session of the application; generating a link uniquely associated with the invitation identifier, the link being at least different from the invitation identifier and causing the application to be launched in response to selection of the link by one or more users, the method further comprising: responding to the selection of the link by the one or more users by associating at least the invitation identifier with each user identifier of the one or more users, receiving a selection of a second device using a first device; receiving an indication indicating that an inviter associated with the invitation identifier or at least one invitee associated with the link has selected the link using the first device; further comprising launching the application on the second device in response to the inviter or the at least one invitee selecting the link using the first device. **Claim 10** The method according to claim 9, wherein the first device is unable to launch the application. **Claim 11** The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the inviter does not own the application. **Claim 12** The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the at least one invitee does not own the application. **Claim 13** further comprising receiving a first indication indicating that at least one user of the one or more users has selected the link in response to the at least one user of the one or more users selecting the link, regardless of whether an inviter associated with the invitation identifier has selected the link, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12. A method executed by at least one processor, the method comprising: generating an invitation identifier associated with a unique multi-user session of an application; generating a link uniquely associated with the invitation identifier, the link being at least separate from the invitation identifier, and causing the application to be launched in response to one or more users selecting the link, the method further comprising: associating at least the invitation identifier with each user identifier of the one or more users in response to the one or more users selecting the link; receiving a first indication that at least one of the one or more users selected the link in response to at least one of the one or more users selecting the link, regardless of whether an inviter associated with the invitation identifier selected the link; receiving a second indication that the inviter selected the link in response to the inviter selecting the link; wherein the first indication is received before the second indication. **Claim 15** receiving an indication that an invitee user selected the link; enabling the invitee user to participate in the unique multi-user session of the application in a state where a host user is not currently participating in the unique multi-user session of the application, in response to receiving the indication, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14. **Claim 16** A computer program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15. **Claim 17** a processor; an electronic device comprising at least one memory storing the computer program according to claim 16.

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