Status setting system and method

• US 20020161837A1
• Filed: 11/29/2000
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Matsukura, Ryuichi, Sasaki, Kazuo, Manabe, Ai
• Granted Patent: US 7,177,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A status setting method that includes, setting and notifying a status that is suitable to a channel, preparing a status table for storing a settable status for each channel, and obtaining the status table of the channel. The user status in each channel is selected from among statuses registered in the status table of the channel and then set. Users can set a suitable status for each channel because the status table is set according to properties of each channel and user statuses can be separately set for each channel. It is preferable that a particular user such as an administrator set a status table. A settable status in a channel can be changed according to a user attribute in the channel.

Claims

1. A status setting method in which a user terminal can send, receive, and display a user status and a character message by sharing one or more virtual spaces set up on a network comprising:

preparing a status table in which configurable user statuses are registered for each virtual space;

obtaining the status table of a virtual space in which a user terminal participates every time the user terminal participates in the virtual space;

setting a user status on each virtual space for the virtual space based on an obtained status table; and

sending to, receiving from, and displaying for each virtual space the user status set for each virtual space.

2. A status setting method according to claim 1, wherein the user status and a user attribute defining a configurable user statuses are correlatively registered in the status table.

3. A status setting method according to claim 1, wherein a common table in which prescribed user statuses are registered is previously prepared, and said common table is obtained if no status table is prepared for a virtual space in which user terminals participate, and a user status on said virtual space is set for the virtual space based on an obtained common table.

4. A status setting method according to claim 1, wherein setting of a user status by a user is accepted.

5. A status setting method according to claim 1, wherein said user terminal can display a user status with a symbol, the user status and the symbol are correlatively registered in a status table, and a status of another user sharing a virtual space is displayed with a symbol relating to the user status.

6. A status setting method according to claim 1, wherein a list of user statuses registered in an obtained status table is displayed independently for each virtual space in which user terminals participate, selection of any user statuses on the list is accepted for each virtual space, and a user status is set for each virtual space.

7. A computer-readable recording medium having a status setting module for executing the method set forth in any of claims 1 to 6.

8. A transmission medium transmitting a status setting module for executing the method set forth in any of claims 1 to claim 6.

9. A status setting system comprising:

user terminals enabled for sending and receiving user statuses and character messages by sharing one or more virtual space set on a network,

a storing means for storing a status table on which configurable user statuses are registered for each virtual space,

an obtaining means for obtaining the status table of a virtual space in which a user terminal participates every time a user terminal participates in the virtual space,

a setting means for setting a user status on each virtual space for each virtual space based on an obtained status table, and

a displaying means for receiving from, sending to, and displaying for each virtual space the user status set for each virtual space.