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Join in-progress on-line game sessionRelated Patent Categories: Amusement Devices: Games, Including Means For Processing Electronic Data (e.g., Computer/video Game, Etc.), With Communication Link (e.g., Television Broadcast, Etc.), Network Type (e.g., Computer Network, Etc.)Join in-progress on-line game session description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070173325, Join in-progress on-line game session. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
COPYRIGHT NOTICE/PERMISSION [0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material, which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The following notice applies to the software and data as described below and in the drawings hereto: Copyright .COPYRGT. 2004, Microsoft Corporation, All Rights Reserved. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The technical field relates generally to gaming and more specifically relates to joining on-line, computer-based games in progress. BACKGROUND [0003] Computer-based, on-line gaming provides the ability for a large numbers of players to play a large variety of games. Thus, at any point in time, numerous game sessions could be ongoing. Joining a game session, in progress, however, can be cumbersome and time consuming. In current systems, for example, a player wishing to join a game in progress must be invited to the game session. This typically requires the player to contact, either directly or indirectly, the host of the game session and request an invite. Contacting the host may be difficult. Further, if contacting the host takes too long, the invite could occur after the session is complete, or close to completion. SUMMARY [0004] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description Of The Illustrative Embodiments. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. [0005] A game player can join a computer-based, on-line game while the game is in progress. The player does not have to contact the host to request an invite. The player can join the game session without requiring an invitation from the host of the game session. The player is not required to contact the host, or any other player in the game session, prior to joining the game session. The player can join a game session in progress if slots are available in the game session, the game allows joining while in progress, and no settings preclude join in progress. The player can join the session by interacting with a User Interface (UI) provided by the game system. It is not necessary for the player to insert a game disc or to launch the game to determine whether the host is joinable. Thus, initiating the joining of a game session can be accomplished without requiring a game disc to be inserted into a game console and without requiring the joining party to have previously launched the game. Thus, a player can quickly scan all hosts that player may be interested in joining. If the game allows joining while in progress, but no slots are available, the player can wait in a lobby until a slot becomes available. Joining a game session in progress can be prevented if the host of the game session declares the game session private, if a player trying to join a game session is currently in the game session, and/or if parental controls prevent joining the game session. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0006] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating joining in-progress on-line game sessions, there is shown in the drawings exemplary constructions thereof; however, joining in-progress on-line game sessions is not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed. In the drawings: [0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer network environment in which aspects of joining an in-progress on-line game session can be implemented; [0008] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary console that can be incorporated into a network computing environment such as the network computing environment of FIG. 1; [0009] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the interaction of a console with the remote service; [0010] FIG. 4 illustrates the information gathered to build a user profile; [0011] FIG. 5 through FIG. 14 are example illustrations of a user interfaces displaying user profile information; [0012] FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for joining an in-progress on-line game session; and [0013] FIG. 16 through FIG. 18 are example illustrations of user interfaces for joining an in-progress game session. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS [0014] FIG. 1 is diagram of an exemplary computer network that serves to illustrate aspects of joining an in-progress on-line game session. Here computers 100a-100e can host various ones of the computing objects such as games and other applications. Although the physical environment shows the connected devices as computers, such illustration is merely exemplary and can comprise various digital devices such as PDAs, game consoles, etc. Moreover, communications network 160 can itself comprise a number of computers, servers and network devices such as routers and the like. [0015] There is a variety of systems, components, and network configurations that support distributed computing environments. For example, computing systems can be connected together by wireline or wireless systems, by local networks or widely distributed networks. Currently, many of the networks are coupled to the Internet, which provides the infrastructure for widely distributed computing and encompasses many different networks. Aspects of joining an in-progress, on-line game session can be usable to distribute computer-readable instructions, code fragments, applications and the like to various distributed computing devices. [0016] The network infrastructure enables a host of network topologies such as client/server, peer-to-peer, or hybrid architectures. The "client" is a member of a class or group that uses the services of another class or group to which it is not related. Thus, in computing, a client is a process (i.e., roughly a set of instructions or tasks) that requests a service provided by another program. The client process utilizes the requested service without having to "know" any working details about the other program or the service itself. In a client/server architecture, particularly a networked system, a client is usually a computer that accesses shared network resources provided by another computer (i.e., a server). A server is typically a remote computer system accessible over a remote network such as the Internet. The client process can be active in a first computer system, and the server process can be active in a second computer system, communicating with one another over a communications medium, thus providing distributed functionality and allowing multiple clients to take advantage of the information-gathering capabilities of the server. [0017] Clients and servers communicate with one another utilizing the functionality provided by a protocol layer. For example, Hypertext-Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a common protocol that is used in conjunction with the World Wide Web (WWW) or, simply, the "Web." Typically, a computer network address such as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or an Internet Protocol (IP) address is used to identify the server or client computers to each other. Communication among computing devices is provided over a communications medium. In particular, the client and server can be coupled to one another via TCP/IP connections for high-capacity communication. [0018] In general, the computer network can comprise both server devices and client devices deployed in a network environment (in a peer-to-peer environment devices can be both clients and servers). Communications network 160 can be a LAN, WAN, intranet or the Internet, or a combination of any of these that facilitates communication among a number of computing devices 100a-100e. Moreover, communication network 160 can comprise wireless, wireline, or combination wireless and wireline connections. Additionally, the computer network can comprise a distributed computing environment. In such an environment a computing task can be spread over a number of computing devices that are addressable elements in a computer network. Continue reading about Join in-progress on-line game session... Full patent description for Join in-progress on-line game session Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Join in-progress on-line game session patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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