This month's User Interface & Experience category includes 5 granted patents across 3 companies, with Tencent leading at 3 patents, followed by Sony and Beijing Zitiao Network Technology with 1 patent each.
Tencent's patents cover a range of in-game UI systems, including real-time team composition prompts during character selection in MOBA games, a dynamic compass-like HUD designed to surface nearby game asset information while reducing GPU load, and a virtual social app where avatars are automatically placed in contextually appropriate scenes based on posted statuses. Sony's patent addresses motion-aware controller input, where physical movement of the controller dynamically changes how button presses are interpreted. Beijing Zitiao Network Technology's patent describes a dedicated survival tool toolbar for RPG games, providing context-aware controls for survival activities while keeping the main inventory uncluttered.
Tencent received 3 patents in this category, each addressing a different layer of how players interact with game environments and interfaces. The first tackles a recurring frustration in MOBA games: players entering a match without a clear picture of how their chosen character fits with the rest of the team. Tencent's system cross-references the attributes of a candidate character against those already selected by teammates in real time, surfacing conflict or synergy alerts directly in the selection UI before anyone locks in a pick. The second patent takes a different approach to spatial awareness, replacing the conventional mini-map with a compass-style HUD element that activates on a per-asset basis once a nearby object crosses a set distance threshold, with the indicator's visual appearance shifting continuously as the player's relative position to that asset changes. The third moves outside traditional game environments entirely, describing a virtual social application where posting a status automatically relocates a user's avatar to a thematically matching zone within a shared world, so a status suggesting rest might place the avatar in a park while one implying focus moves it to a library.
Sony received 1 patent that rethinks how controller input is processed at a fundamental level. Rather than assigning fixed meanings to button presses, the system reads motion data from the controller at the moment a button is actuated and uses that context to determine which of several possible interpretations applies. A button pressed while the controller is held still might carry a different meaning than the same button pressed mid-movement, effectively combining physical gesture and manual input into a single, unified signal.
Beijing Zitiao Network Technology, a ByteDance subsidiary, received 1 patent centered on inventory management in RPG games. The system introduces a three-tier structure that separates a general item backpack, a weapons equipment bar, and a dedicated survival tool toolbar into distinct areas, with the toolbar itself divided into equipment and storage sub-sections. Beyond the organizational architecture, the system also detects the type of environment a character is currently in and automatically surfaces relevant tools within the toolbar, reducing the need for players to manually sort through inventory items to find what the current situation calls for.
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.