Information processing system, information processing apparatus, storage medium having stored therein information processing program, and information processing method

• US 10,362,436 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2016
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Kaminosono, Takuya, Shimohata, Yasuyuki, Mae, Kenichi, Suzuki, Kazuhiro, Aoki, Takafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Titcomb, William D
• Application Number:
  US15/078,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20160283056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 715744
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

An example of an information processing system includes a plurality of user terminals and a server capable of communicating with each user terminal. The server transmits a content to the user terminal. The user terminal executes a first program for displaying a content, thereby displaying on a display apparatus the content received from the server. The user terminal stores related image information indicating a related image related to the content. When executing a second program, which is a program that is different from the first program and can be executed in the user terminal, the user terminal displays on the display apparatus an image by changing an image based on the second program, using the related image information.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising a plurality of user terminals and a server configured for communicating with each user terminal,

the server comprising one or more processors configured to control the server to transmit content to a user terminal,

each user terminal comprising one or more processors configured to control the user terminal to at least:

execute a first program for displaying content, thereby displaying on a display apparatus the content received from the server;

store, in a storage, related image information indicating a related image related to the content; and

determine (i) a number of times that the content displayed on the display apparatus is viewed, and/or (ii) an amount of reproduction time of the content;

determine whether (i) the number of times that the content displayed on the display apparatus is viewed reaches a predetermined number of times, and/or (ii) the amount of reproduction time of the content reaches a predetermined amount of time;

when executing a second program, which is a program different from the first program and is executable by the user terminal, display on the display apparatus an image by changing an image based on execution of the second program, using the related image information, wherein the changing of the image based on execution of the second program using the related image information is performed based on a determination that (i) the number of times that the content displayed on the display apparatus is viewed has reached the predetermined number of times, and/or (ii) the amount of reproduction time of the content has reached the predetermined amount of time.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the second program is a game program, and

the one or more processors of the user terminal is configured to control the user terminal to display on the display apparatus a related image of an item related to the content.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the second program is a program for displaying a map image representing a real world or a virtual world,

the content is associated with a position in the real world or the virtual world, and

the one or more processors of the user terminal is configured to control the user terminal to display the related image at the position associated with the content.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the second program is a program for displaying a menu image for accepting an instruction to execute an application program, and

the one or more processors of the user terminal is configured to control the user terminal to change at least part of a user interface image and/or a background image that are included in the menu image.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the one or more processors of the user terminal is configured, in accordance with receiving the content from the server, to control the user terminal to permit the second program to display the related image.

6. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

in accordance reproducing the content, the one or more processors of the user terminal is configured to control the user terminal to permit the second program to display the related image.

7. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the one or more processors of the user terminal is configured, based on position information regarding a position of the user terminal, to control the user terminal to determine whether or not a user visits a place relating to the content, and to permit the second program to display a related image related to the content related to the place visited by the user according to the determination.

8. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the one or more processors of the user terminal is configured, based on position information regarding a position of the user terminal, to control the user terminal to determine whether a user visits a place related to the content, and to change a display form of a related image related to the content relating to the place visited by the user according to the determination.

9. An information processing apparatus configured for communicating with a server for transmitting content to a user terminal,

the information processing apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to control the information processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

executing a first program for displaying a content, thereby displaying on a display apparatus content received from the server;

storing, in a storage, related image information indicating a related image related to the content;

determining (i) a number of times that the content displayed on the display apparatus is viewed, and/or (ii) an amount of reproduction time of the content;

determining whether (i) the number of times that the content displayed on the display apparatus is viewed reaches a predetermined number of times, and/or (ii) the amount of reproduction time of the content reaches a predetermined amount of time; and

when executing a second program, which is a program different from the first program and executable by the user terminal, displaying on the display apparatus an image by changing an image based on execution of the second program, using the related image information, wherein the changing of the image based on execution of the second program using the related image information is performed based on a determination that (i) the number of times that the content displayed on the display apparatus is viewed has reached the predetermined number of times, and/or (ii) the amount of reproduction time of the content has reached the predetermined amount of time.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein an information processing program for execution by a computer of an information processing apparatus configured for communicating with a server for transmitting content to a user terminal,

the information processing program, when executed, causing the computer to perform operations comprising:

executing a first program for displaying content, thereby displaying on a display apparatus content received from the server;

storing, in a storage, related image information indicating a related image related to the content;

determining (i) a number of times that the content displayed on the display apparatus is viewed, and/or (ii) an amount of reproduction time of the content;

determining whether (i) the number of times that the content displayed on the display apparatus is viewed reaches a predetermined number of times, and/or (ii) the amount of reproduction time of the content reaches a predetermined amount of time; and

when executing a second program, which is a program different from the first program and executable by the user terminal, displaying on the display apparatus an image by changing an image based on execution of the second program, using the related image information, wherein the changing of the image based on execution of the second program using the related image information is performed based on a determination that (i) the number of times that the content displayed on the display apparatus is viewed has reached the predetermined number of times, and/or (ii) the amount of reproduction time of the content has reached the predetermined amount of time.

11. An information processing method for execution by an information processing system including a plurality of user terminals and a server configured for communicating with each user terminal, the server storing related image information indicating a related image related to content, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the server, content to the user terminal,

executing, by the user terminal, a first program for displaying content, thereby displaying on a display apparatus content received from the server;

determining (i) a number of times that the content displayed on the display apparatus is viewed, and/or (ii) an amount of reproduction time of the content;

determining whether (i) the number of times that the content displayed on the display apparatus is viewed reaches a predetermined number of times, and/or (ii) the amount of reproduction time of the content reaches a predetermined amount of time; and

when executing a second program, by the user terminal, which is a program different from the first program and is executable by the user terminal, displaying on the display apparatus an image by changing an image based on execution of the second program, using the related image information, wherein the changing of the image based on execution of the second program using the related image information is performed based on a determination that (i) the number of times that the content displayed on the display apparatus is viewed has reached the predetermined number of times, and/or (ii) the amount of reproduction time of the content has reached the predetermined amount of time.