Patents by Inventor Thuc D. Vu

Thuc D. Vu has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9225676
    Abstract: Systems, methods and computer-readable media for accessing exploration configuration data usable to configure an exploration of at least a portion of a social network of a user, the social network representing relationships among entities associated with the user by social network services, the exploration configuration data including a profile parameter descriptive of at least some of the plurality of entities, and including a path parameter specifying the portion of the social network, performing the exploration of at least the portion of the social network, the exploration being configured by the path parameter and including retrieval of profile data that is descriptive of at least some of the plurality of entities, the retrieval being based on the profile parameter, and identifying one or more entities among the plurality of entities as being described by the profile parameter, the identifying being based on the exploration as configured by the exploration configuration data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Yoav Shoham, Thuc D. Vu, Chris Grier
  • Patent number: 9220984
    Abstract: A method to share challenges between users of a social game system is described. The method may include accessing relationship data reflecting a relationship between a first user and a second user, and accessing challenge data in a challenge database. Based on (1) the challenge data and (2) the relationship between the first user and the second user reflected by the relationship data, the challenge data is selectively communicated as part of a challenge about the first user to the second user, with the challenge forming part of a challenge game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Berger, Edmund Wright Helmer, Michael Munie, Shailendra Ramineni Rao, Yoav Shoham, Thuc D. Vu
  • Publication number: 20140155175
    Abstract: A method to share challenges between users of a social game system is described. The method may include accessing relationship data reflecting a relationship between a first user and a second user, and accessing challenge data in a challenge database. Based on (1) the challenge data and (2) the relationship between the first user and the second user reflected by the relationship data, the challenge data is selectively communicated as part of a challenge about the first user to the second user, with the challenge forming part of a challenge game.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2014
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Jonathan Berger, Edmund Wright Helmer, Michael Munie, Shailendra Ramineni Rao, Yoav Shoham, Thuc D. Vu
  • Patent number: 8727885
    Abstract: A method to share challenges between users of a social game system is described. The method may include accessing relationship data reflecting a relationship between a first user and a second user, and accessing challenge data in a challenge database. Based on (1) the challenge data and (2) the relationship between the first user and the second user reflected by the relationship data, the challenge data is selectively communicated as part of a challenge about the first user to the second user, with the challenge forming part of a challenge game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Berger, Edmund Wright Helmer, Michael Munie, Shailendra Ramineni Rao, Yoav Shoham, Thuc D. Vu
  • Publication number: 20120122588
    Abstract: A method to share challenges between users of a social game system is described. The method may include accessing relationship data reflecting a relationship between a first user and a second user, and accessing challenge data in a challenge database. Based on (1) the challenge data and (2) the relationship between the first user and the second user reflected by the relationship data, the challenge data is selectively communicated as part of a challenge about the first user to the second user, with the challenge forming part of a challenge game.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Applicant: Katango, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Berger, Edmund Wright Helmer, Michael Munie, Shailendra Ramineni Rao, Yoav Shoham, Thuc D. Vu
  • Publication number: 20120021829
    Abstract: A game machine may facilitate a photographic social game. The photographic social game may be played using, for example, camera-enabled devices (e.g., participating devices). The photographic social game may prompt users of camera-enabled devices to take and submit photographs at a particular time (e.g., 5:00 PM GMT or 5:00 PM local time), after occurrence of a particular event (e.g., 5 minutes after waking up), or any suitable combination thereof. These photos may be assembled by the game machine into a presentation that is shared among the users participating in the photographic social game, and one or more of various games may be played by the users based on the presentation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2011
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: KATANGO, INC.
    Inventors: Yoav Shoham, Shailendra Ramineni Rao, Michael Andrew Munie, Thuc D. Vu