Online-composite servicing method, recording medium recorded with programs for realizing the method, and online-composite servicing system

• US 20010009868A1
• Filed: 01/19/2001
• Published: 07/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Original Assignee: Square Co Ltd (Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sakaguchi, Hironobu, Kokubo, Keizo, Narita, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 7,018,295 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

To make it possible to provide other services even at the time of executing an online game and to communicate with a player receiving the other services in an online game space.

Each game terminal receives comics distributions from a comics server and music distributions from a music server, even while executing the online game over its own browser. The game server administers the game participation of each game terminal and the utilization of various services (e.g., comics distributions, music distributions, mails or chats) by using a service utilization database. The game players can communicate with each other in the game space by the knock function in accordance with the service utilizations under the control of the game server.

Claims

1. An online-composite servicing method for controlling communications between a game server and a game terminal through a network, comprising:

under the control of said game server,

assigning identification information individually to said game terminal and administering game space positional information of a player of said game terminal, as participating in the game, individually with the identification information;

discriminating those of said game terminal participating in the game which are receiving other services concurrently through the network, with a notice from said game terminal;

adding, where there is said discriminated game terminal, information specifying said other services to the game space positional information of the player of said game terminal; and

feeding said game terminal participating in the game, with said administered game space positional information of the player and the information specifying said other services, and

under the control of said game terminal,

displaying a service utilization of another player on the basis of the game space positional information of the another player, as fed from said game server, and the information specifying other services;

accepting a demand for other services in response to the operation of the player participating in the game; and

receiving, when the demand for said other services is accepted, said other services through said network while executing the game in a background, and informing said game server of what other services are being received.

2. An online-composite servicing method according to

claim 1

, further comprising:

under the control of said game terminal,

accepting the identification information specifying another player in response to the operation of the player when a knock is made in the game space to the another player, and transmitting said accepted identification information and the identification information of its own game terminal as the identification information of the knocked game terminal and the identification information of the knocking game terminal to said game server, respectively, for demanding the knock, and

under the control of said game server,

making a knock to said knocked game terminal, when said knock demand is received, and informing the identification information of said knocking game terminal.

3. An online-composite servicing method according to

claim 2

, further comprising:

under the control of said game server,

controlling a message exchange between said knocked game terminal and said knocking game terminal where said knocked game terminal answers the knock.

4. An online-composite servicing method according to

claim 2

, further comprising:

under the control of said game server,

controlling a chat communications between said knocked game terminal and said knocking game terminal where said knocked game terminal answers the knock.

5. An online-composite servicing method according to

claim 1

or

2

, further comprising:

under the control of said game terminal,

receiving a feed of musical data as other services.

6. An online-composite servicing method according to

claim 5

, further comprising:

under the control of said game terminal,

changing said another player into a display mode listening to a music in the game space when it is confirmed from said information specifying the other services that said another player is receiving the music services.

7. An online-composite servicing method according to

claim 1

or

2

, further comprising:

under the control of said game terminal, receiving the feed of comics data as other services.

8. An online-composite servicing method according to

claim 7

, further comprising:

under the control of said game terminal,

changing said another player into a display mode reading comics in the game space when it is confirmed from said information specifying the other services that said another player is receiving the comics services.

9. A computer-readable recording medium stored with a program for realizing a method for controlling communications between a game server and a game terminal through a network,

wherein said computer is programmed:

under the control of said game server,

to assign identification information individually to said game terminal and to administer game space positional information of a player of said game terminal, as participating in the game, individually with the identification information;

to discriminate those of said game terminal participating in the game which are receiving other services concurrently through the network, with a notice from said game terminal;

to add, where there is said discriminated game terminal, information specifying said other services to the game space positional information of the player of said game terminal; and

to feed said game terminal participating in the game, with said administered game space positional information of the player and the information specifying said other services, and

under the control of said game terminal,

to display the service utilization of another player on the basis of the game space positional information of the another player, as fed from said game server, and the information specifying the other services;

to accept a demand for other services in response to the operation of the player participating in the game; and

to receive, when the demand for said other services is accepted, said other services through said network while executing the game on the background, and informing said game server of that said other services are being received.

10. A recording medium according to

claim 9

,

wherein said computer is further programmed:

under the control of said game terminal,

to accept the identification information specifying the another player in response to the operation of the player when a knock is made in the game space to the another player, and to transmit said accepted identification information and the identification information of its own game terminal as the identification information of the knocked game terminal and the identification information of the knocking game terminal to said game server, respectively, for demanding the knock; and

under the control of said game server,

to make a knock to said knocked game terminal, when said knock demand is received, and to inform the identification information of said knocking game terminal.

11. A recording medium according to

claim 10

, wherein said computer is further programmed:

under the control of said game server,

to control a message exchange between said knocked game terminal and said knocking game terminal where said knocked game terminal answers the knock.

12. A recording medium according to

claim 10

, wherein said computer is further programmed:

under the control of said game server,

to control a chat communication between said knocked game terminal and said knocking game terminal where said knocked game terminal answers the knock.

13. A recording medium according to

claim 9

or

10

, wherein said computer is further programmed:

under the control of said game terminal,

to receive a feed of musical data as other services.

14. A recording medium according to

claim 13

, wherein said computer is further programmed:

under the control of said game terminal,

to change said another player into a display mode listening to a music in the game space when it is confirmed from said information specifying the other services that said another player is receiving the music services.

15. A recording medium according to

claim 9

or

10

, wherein said computer is further programmed:

under the control of said game terminal,

to receive a feed of comics data as other services.

16. A recording medium according to

claim 15

, wherein said computer is further programmed:

under the control of said game terminal,

to change said another player into a display mode reading comics in the game space when it is confirmed from said information specifying the other services that said another player is receiving the comics services.

17. An online-composite servicing system for controlling communications between a game server and a game terminal through a network, wherein the game server comprises:

an administration device that assigns identification information individually to the game terminal and that administers game space positional information of a player of the game terminal, as participating in the game, individually with the identification information;

a discrimination device that discriminates those of the game terminal participating in the game which are receiving other services concurrently through the network, with a notice from the game terminal;

an adder that adds, where there is the discriminated game terminal, information specifying the other services to the game space positional information of the player of the game terminal in the administration device; and

a feed device that feeds the game terminal participating in the game, with the administered game space positional information of the player and the information specifying the other services, and

wherein the game terminal comprises;

a display that displays a service utilization of another player on the basis of the game space positional information of the another player, as fed by the feed device from the game server, and the information specifying the other services;

an acceptance device that accepts a demand for other services in response to the operation of the player participating in the game; and

a composite service device that receives, when the demand for other services is accepted by the acceptance device, the other services through the network while executing the game in a background, and for informing the game server that the other services are being received.

18. An online-composite servicing system according to

claim 17

, wherein the game terminal further comprises:

an acceptance device that accepts identification information specifying the another player in response to the operation of the player when a knock is made in the game space to the another player, and for transmitting the accepted identification information and the identification information of its own game terminal as the identification information of the knocked game terminal and the identification information of the knocking game terminal to the game server, respectively, for demanding the knock, and wherein the game server further comprises;

a knock device that makes a knock to the knocked game terminal, when the knock demand is received, and for informing the identification information of the knocking game terminal.

19. An online-composite servicing system according to

claim 18

, wherein the game server further comprises:

a controller that controls a message exchange between the knocked game terminal and the knocking game terminal when the knocked game terminal answers the knock.

20. An online-composite servicing system according to

claim 18

, wherein the game server further comprises:

a controller that controls a chat communications between the knocked game terminal and the knocking game terminal when the knocked game terminal answers the knock.

21. An online-composite servicing system according to

claim 17

or

18

, wherein the game terminal further comprises:

a receiver that receives musical data as other services.

22. An online-composite servicing system according to

claim 21

, wherein the game terminal further comprises:

a changing device that changes the another player to a display mode listening to music in the game space when it is confirmed, by the information specifying the other services, that the another player is receiving music services.

23. An online-composite servicing system according to

claim 17

or

18

, wherein the game terminal further comprises:

a receiver that receives comics data as other services.

24. An online-composite servicing system according to

claim 23

, wherein the game terminal further comprises:

a changing device that changes the another player into a display mode reading comics in the game space when it is confirmed, by the information specifying the other services, that the another player is receiving comics services.