This month's User Interface & Experience category includes 8 filed patent applications from 5 companies: Tencent (3), NetEase (2), Cygames (1), Dugan Health (1), and Ncsoft (1).
The patents cover interaction methods designed to simplify complex gameplay actions, including Tencent's voiceprint cooperation system for silent multiplayer coordination, NCSoft's automated skill execution timers, and Tencent's basketball passing interface for mobile touchscreens. NetEase filed applications for spectator tools like split-screen viewing for eliminated players and thermal detection mechanics that reveal hidden enemies. Other applications address viewing angles, with Tencent's dual perspective system for MOBAs, while Cygames and Dugan Health focus on alternative interfaces through lock screen notifications for idle games and fitness apps that convert physical activity into game inputs.
Tencent received 3 patents addressing different aspects of player control and awareness. The voiceprint system embeds biometric audio signatures into cooperative action requests, allowing players to send personalized coordination signals without live voice chat while the game identifies who is making the request. A dual field-of-view display dynamically shows multiple perspectives of a single character at once, pulling additional viewpoints from the character's pose data rather than requiring manual camera adjustments or map overlays. The basketball passing interface solves the problem of selecting the right teammate on a crowded mobile screen by generating thumb-accessible buttons near the pass control, each linked to a specific player through visual markers rather than requiring directional swipes that often miss their intended target.
NetEase filed 2 patents focused on visibility and observation during competitive play. The split-screen spectator system automatically shifts eliminated players into a multi-viewport mode that displays live gameplay from several teammates simultaneously alongside static result information, replacing the typical single-view spectate camera or blank waiting screen. The thermal detection mechanic introduces a camera-style interface where aiming a virtual viewfinder at opponents generates persistent positional markers on those characters, creating a detection ability that works differently from conventional radar or line-of-sight systems.
NCSoft patented an action bar system that lets players configure automatic skill and item execution on repeating timers. Users can visually set duration intervals that trigger abilities or consumables without manual input, with merge slots allowing multiple automated functions to be grouped and coordinated through a single interface element.
Cygames filed a patent for a server-driven notification system that delivers idle game rewards directly to smartphone lock screens. The server tracks time-based reward milestones and pushes them as notifications without requiring users to open the app, shifting progress reporting from a client-side polling model to a server-orchestrated broadcast.
Dugan Health patented a fitness application that converts physical exercise and GPS data into multiplayer game controls. One player's real-world activity affects other participants' game experiences through location-based challenges, creating a networked system where exercise output becomes the primary input mechanism across connected users.
All data sourced from USPTO patent filings. Google Patents may take several weeks to index recent publications. If a link is unavailable, search for the patent number at USPTO Patent Public Search.