Summary:

The ‘300 patent provides for a system to assist in the Xbox Live experience. The invention describes a method for grouping information for all users together to allow for easier access whenever a player is online. Anyone who has played Xbox Live knows that a user can search recent players and scan their information to learn more about them. The player also has the ability to send a friend request to these players, which will allow the user to invite them to play a game with greater ease. The system described here notifies users whenever a friend is online, sends a message to the user, or invites the user to a game. Finally, the invention allows a player to invite a friend (player two), and then player two to invite another friend (player three).

Abstract:

In accordance with one aspect, a client device is sent an indication of one or more types of information available for the client device. In response to the indication, a request is received from the client device to retrieve the information available for the client device. The information is identified and sent to the client device. In accordance with another aspect, one or more friends of the user are identified from persistent data, and a check made as to whether each of them is logged in to the system. For each of them that is logged in to the system, the user is subscribed to the friend's information and the friend is subscribed to the user's information. In accordance with another aspect, a user is allowed to be a friend of another user only if the other user is also a friend of the user.

Illustrative Claim:

1. A method, comprising: loading, by a computing device, when a first user logs in to a system, persistent data for the user from a profile store; identifying, by the computing device, from the persistent data, one or more friends of the first user, the persistent data including a list of second users that the first user never wants to be friends with; identifying, by the computing device, based on an identifier associated with the first user, which of a plurality of notification servers to load the persistent data to; establishing, by the computing device, at least one notification queue for the first user; checking, by the computing device, whether any information in the profile store is to be added to the at least one notification queue; adding, by the computing device, based on the checking, information to the at least one notification queue; facilitating, by the computing device, the first user in adding a third user to the list; receiving, by the computing device, a friend invitation from the third user; sending, by the computing device, to the third user a response message to the friend invitation without notifying the first user of receipt of the friend invitation and without notifying the first user of the response message, the response message indicating that the first user has rejected the friend invitation; checking, by the computing device, whether each of the one or more friends is logged in to the system; for each of the one or more friends that is logged in to the system, subscribing, by the computing device, the first user to the friend's information and subscribing each friend to the first user's information; facilitating, by the computing device, the first user in sending a friend invitation to one of the second users or the third user; and in response to sending the friend invitation, removing, by the computing device, the invited second user or third user from the list of second users that the first user never wants to be friend with.