Information processing apparatus, information processing system, information processing method, and recording medium

• US 10,052,553 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2014
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ambarella Incorporated, Nintendo Company Limited, Pokeman Company, Pokemon
• Original Assignee: Ambarella Incorporated, Nintendo Company Limited, Pokemon
• Inventors: Momose, Hiroshi, Ando, Kaori, Araki, Hideaki, Ito, Takayuki, Taga, Nayuta, Hatta, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carter, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US14/261,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20150031461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,580 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/73 Authorising game programs or game devices, e.g. checking authenticity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/825 Fostering virtual characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges

Abstract

An example system includes: a contactless communication part that performs contactless communication with a data storage medium having a contactless communication function; a data writing part that writes data to the data storage medium by the contactless communication part; a storage part that stores the data written by the data writing part; and a corruption determination part that determines whether the data stored in the data storage medium is corrupted or not. When the corruption determination part determines that the data is corrupted, the data writing part writes the data stored in the storage part, to the data storage medium.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a contactless communication part that performs contactless communication with an IC tag having a contactless communication function;

a data writing part that writes, using the contactless communications part, data to the IC tag;

a storage part that stores data to be written by the data writing part, wherein the data is stored in association with identification information of the IC tag, and wherein the storage part has stored therein a plurality of other data each of which is stored in association with a respective other IC tag;

a data reading part that, using the contactless communication part, reads data stored in the IC tag;

an information processor that performs information processing for a game by using data read from the IC tag by the data reading part and updates the read data, wherein the data writing part writes the updated data to the data storage medium, wherein the read data and the updated data include data specifying one or more attributes of a character in the game; and

a corruption determination part that determines, based upon at least a first data read from the IC tag by the data reading part, whether the first data stored in the IC tag is corrupted,

wherein when the corruption determination part determines that the first data stored in the IC tag is corrupted, the data writing part writes a second data stored in the storage part in association with identification information of the IC tag to the IC tag, and wherein the first data and the second data include data specifying said one or more attributes of the character.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the contactless communication part is capable of performing contactless communication with a plurality of different IC tags,

the storage part stores data corresponding to each of the IC tags so that the data corresponding to each of the IC tags can be identified, and

when the corruption determination part determines that data stored in an IC tag is corrupted, the data writing part obtains the data corresponding to the IC tag from the storage part and writes the obtained data to the IC tag.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a storage determination part that determines, when the corruption determination part determines that the first data stored in the IC tag is corrupted, whether the second data corresponding to the IC tag is stored in the storage part,

wherein when the storage determination part determines that the second data corresponding to the IC tag is stored in the storage part, the data writing part writes the second data stored in the storage part to the IC tag.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, comprising an initialization part that initializes the IC tag when the storage determination part determines that the second data corresponding to the IC tag is not stored in the storage part.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, comprising:

a corruption notification part that provides notification of data corruption when the storage determination part determines that the second data is not stored in the storage part; and

a selection accepting part that accepts a selection of whether or not initialization to be performed by the initialization part.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, comprising:

a corruption notification part that provides notification of data corruption when the storage determination part determines that the second data is not stored in the storage part; and

a selection accepting part that accepts a selection of whether or not the second data stored in the storage part is to be written to the IC tag by the data writing part.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the corruption determination part makes the determination when the data reading part reads the first data.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the IC tag stores said updated data updated by the information processor and third data other than the updated data,

the corruption determination part performs determination of corruption of the updated data after performing determination of corruption of the third data and determining that the third data is not corrupted, and

when the corruption determination part determines that the updated data is corrupted, the data writing part writes the updated data and the third data stored in the storage part to the data storage medium.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage part writes the data in a table storing respective data elements for each of a plurality of IC tags, wherein the written data includes updates from processing of the game performed in the information processing apparatus, and wherein each respective data element in the table is associated with identification information of a respective IC tag.

9. An information processing system comprising:

a contactless communication part that performs contactless communication with an IC tag having a contactless communication function;

a data writing part that writes, using the contactless communications part, data to the IC tag;

a storage part that stores data to be written by the data writing part, wherein the data is stored in association with identification information of the IC tag, and wherein the storage part has stored therein a plurality of other data each of which is stored in association with a respective other IC tag;

a data reading part that, using the contactless communication part, reads data stored in the IC tag;

an information processor that performs information processing for a game by using data read by the data reading part and updates the read data, wherein the data writing part writes the updated data to the IC tag, wherein the read data and the updated data include data specifying one or more attributes of a character in the game; and

a corruption determination part that determines, based upon at least a first data read from the IC tag by the data reading part, whether the first data stored in the IC tag is corrupted,

wherein when the corruption determination part determines that the first data stored in the IC tag is corrupted, the data writing part writes second data stored in the storage part in association with identification information of the IC tag to the IC tag, wherein the first data and the second data include data specifying said one or more attributes of the character.

10. An information processing method comprising:

performing contactless communication with an IC tag having a contactless communication function and writing data to the IC tag by contactless communication;

storing, to a storage part, data to be written to the IC tag by contactless communication, wherein the data is stored in association with identification information of the IC tag, and wherein the storage part has stored therein a plurality of other data each of which is stored in association with a respective other IC tag;

reading, using contactless communication, data stored in the IC tag;

performing information processing for a game using data read from the IC tag and updating the read data, wherein the updated data is written by the information processor to the IC tag using contactless communication, wherein the read data and the updated data include data specifying one or more attributes of a character in the game;

determining, based upon at least a first data read using contactless communication from the IC tag, whether the first data stored in the IC tag is corrupted; and

writing second data stored in the storage part in association with identification information of the IC tag to the IC tag when it is determined that the first data stored in the IC tag is corrupted, wherein the first data and the second data include data specifying said one or more attributes of the character.

11. A non-transitory recording medium recording a computer program that causes a computer to operate as:

a data writing part that performs contactless communication with an IC tag having a contactless communication function and writes data to the IC tag;

a storage processing part that performs processing of storing data to be written by the data writing part, to a storage part, wherein the data is stored in association with identification information of the IC tag, and wherein the storage part has stored therein a plurality of other data each of which is stored in association with a respective other IC tag;

a data reading part that, using contactless communication, reads data stored in the IC tag;

an information processor that performs information processing for a game by using data read from the IC tag by the data reading part and updates the read data, wherein the data writing part writes the updated data to the IC tag, wherein the read data and the updated data include data specifying one or more attributes of a character in the game;

a corruption determination part that determines, based upon at least first data read from the IC tag by the data reading part, whether the first data stored in the IC tag is corrupted; and

a data rewriting part that writes second data stored in the storage part in association with identification information of the IC tag to the IC tag when the corruption determination part determines that the first data stored in the IC tag is corrupted, wherein the first data and the second data include data specifying said one or more attributes of said character.