Communication terminal

• US 20020099718A1
• Filed: 01/16/2002
• Published: 07/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shin, Hidehiko, Inami, Satoshi, Wada, Hiromi, Mizuyama, Masashige, Kato, Atsunobu, Hirose, Takako, Matsuda, Munehito
• Granted Patent: US 7,246,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A terminal-side communications control unit 41 makes a request to a server for retrieving an instruction file that describes an instruction for transmitting transmission data. The server transmits the instruction file in response to the request for retrieving the instruction file. On receiving the instruction file, the terminal-side communications control unit 41 causes an application executing unit 42 to execute an application, and also forwards the instruction file to a transmission data generating unit 44. On receiving the instruction file, the transmission data generating part 44 refers to the instruction file to generate, from generated data stored in a generated data storage unit 43, transmission data to be transmitted to the server.

Claims

1. A communications terminal capable of communicating with a server via a network, said communications terminal comprising:

an application executing unit for executing an application;

a retrieval requesting unit for making, before or after the application is activated, a retrieval request to the server for retrieving an instruction file that describes an instruction for transmitting to said server all or part of data generated as a result of executing said application; and

a transmission processing unit for carrying out transmission to said server after said application is executed, by following the instruction described in said instruction file transmitted from said server in response to said retrieval request.

2. The communications terminal according to claim 1, wherein

said application executing unit starts executing said application upon receipt of said instruction file transmitted from said server in response to said retrieval request.

3. The communications terminal according to claim 1, wherein

said retrieval requesting unit makes the retrieval request by specifying said instruction file stored in said server with a Web browser.

4. The communications terminal according to claim 1, wherein

said instruction file includes transmission information specifying data for specifying transmission data to be transmitted to said server, and

said transmission processing unit includes:

a transmission data determining unit for determining, based on said transmission information specifying data, said transmission data to be transmitted to said server from among said generated data; and

a transmitting unit for transmitting said transmission data to said server.

5. The communications terminal according to claim 1, wherein

said instruction file includes transmission format specifying data for specifying a format used for transmitting transmission data to be transmitted to said server, and

said transmission processing unit includes:

a transmission format determining unit for determining a transmission format of said transmission data based on said transmission format specifying data; and

a transmitting unit for transmitting said transmission data in said transmission format determined by said transmission format determining unit.

6. The communications terminal according to claim 1, wherein

said instruction file includes destination server specifying data for specifying a destination server in said transmission, and

said transmission processing unit carries out said transmission to the destination server specified by said destination server specifying data.

7. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, said computer program for use in a communications terminal capable of communicating with a server via a network, said computer program comprising the steps of:

executing an application;

making, before or after said application is activated, a retrieval request to the server for retrieving an instruction file that describes an instruction for transmitting to said server all or part of data generated as a result of executing said application; and

carrying out transmission processing to said server after said application is executed, by following the instruction described in said instruction file transmitted from said server in response to said retrieval request.

8. The data transmission program according to claim 7, wherein

in said application executing step, said application is started to be executed upon receipt of said instruction file transmitted from said server in response to said retrieval request.

9. The data transmission program according to claim 7, wherein

in said retrieval request making step, the retrieval request is made by specifying said instruction file stored in said server with a Web browser.

10. The data transmission program according to claim 7, wherein

said instruction file includes transmission information specifying data for specifying transmission data to be transmitted to said server, and

said transmission processing step includes:

a step of determining, based on said transmission information specifying data, said transmission data to be transmitted to said server from among said generated data; and

a step of transmitting said transmission data to said server.

11. The data transmission program according to claim 7, wherein

said instruction file includes transmission format specifying data for specifying a format used for transmitting transmission data to be transmitted to said server, and

said transmission processing step includes:

a step of determining a transmission format of said transmission data based on said transmission format specifying data; and

a step of transmitting said transmission data in said transmission format determined by said transmission format determining unit.

12. The data transmission program according to claim 7, wherein

said instruction file includes destination server specifying data for specifying a destination server in said transmission, and

said transmission processing unit carries out said transmission to the destination server specified by said destination server specifying data.

13. A communications system including a communications terminal capable of transmitting data generated as a result of executing an application and a server capable of communicating with the communications terminal via a network,

said server comprising:

an instruction file storage unit for storing an instruction file that describes an instruction for transmitting all or part of said generated data; and

an instruction file transmitting unit for transmitting the instruction file in response to a retrieval request from said communications terminal for retrieving said instruction file, and

said communications terminal comprising;

an application executing unit for executing said application;

a retrieval requesting unit for making, before or after the application is activated, a retrieval request to the server for retrieving an instruction file that describes an instruction for transmitting to said server all or part of data generated as a result of executing said application; and

a transmission processing unit for carrying out transmission to said server after said application is executed, by following the instruction described in said instruction file transmitted from said server in response to said retrieval request.

14. A data transmission method used in a network including a communications terminal capable of transmitting data generated as a result of executing an application and a server capable of communicating with the communications terminal via the network, wherein

an instruction file that describes an instruction for transmitting all or part of said generated data from said communications terminal is stored in advance, and

said method comprises:

a step of executing an application;

a step of making, before or after said application is activated, a retrieval request to the server for retrieving an instruction file that describes an instruction for transmitting to said server all or part of data generated as a result of executing said application;

a step of transmitting, in response to said retrieval request, an instruction file previously stored in said server to the communications terminal that made the retrieval request; and

a step of carrying out transmission to said server after said application is executed, by following the instruction described in said instruction file transmitted from said server in response to said retrieval request.