Communication device, communication method, and computer usable medium

• US 20040064498A1
• Filed: 09/26/2003
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Imanishi, Motoki
• Granted Patent: US 7,546,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5372 for tagging characters, objects or locations in the game scene, e.g. displaying a circle under the character controlled by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation

Abstract

A letter string editing unit of a communication device receives an edit instruction for a letter string, and edits a letter string in accordance with the instruction. A decide input reception unit receives a decide instruction for the letter string together with operation strength. When the decide instruction is received, a sending unit sends a sender side message specifying the edited letter string and strength information associated with the operation strength to another communication device. A reception unit receives a receiver side message specifying a letter string to be displayed and strength information from another communication device. A font acquiring unit acquires information of a font having a size pre-associated with the specified strength information. A display image generation unit generates a display image by depicting the specified letter string in accordance with the acquired font information. A display unit displays the generated display image.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising a letter string editing unit, a decide input reception unit, a sending unit, a reception unit, a display image generation unit, and a display unit, wherein:

said letter string editing unit receives an edit instruction for editing a letter string from a user and edits a letter string in accordance with the received edit instruction;

said decide input reception unit receives a decide instruction from the user together with an operation strength of the user for inputting the decide instruction;

in a case where the decide input is received, said sending unit sends a sender side message specifying the edited letter string and strength information associated with the operation strength, to another communication device which is communicably connected to said communication device;

said reception unit receives a receiver side message specifying a letter string to be displayed and strength information, from another communication device communicably connected to said communication device;

said display image generation unit generates a display image by depicting the letter string specified in the receiver side message, in accordance with a format which is pre-associated with the strength information specified in the receiver side message; and

said display unit displays the generated display image.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a font acquiring unit, wherein:

said font acquiring unit acquires font information designating a font having a size which is pre-associated with the strength information specified in the receiver side message; and

said display image generation unit generates the display image by depicting the letter string specified in the receiver side message in accordance with the acquired font information.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a background image acquiring unit, wherein:

said background image acquiring unit acquires background image information which is pre-associated with the strength information specified in the receiver side message; and

said display image generation unit displays the display image by depicting the letter string specified in the receiver side message in accordance with the acquired font information, and by overlaying the letter string on the acquired background image information.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a display time acquiring unit, wherein:

said display time acquiring unit acquires a display time which is pre-associated with the strength information specified in the receiver side message; and

said display unit finishes display of the generated display image, when the acquired display time passes after display of the display image is started.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a display position candidate acquiring unit and a display position selection unit, wherein:

said sending unit sends the sender side message in which a user identifier assigned to the user is further specified;

a user identifier is further specified in the receiver side message received by said reception unit;

said display position candidate acquiring unit acquires a plurality of display position candidates which are associated with the user identifier specified in the received receiver side message;

said display position selection unit provisionally displays the display image corresponding to the user identifier specified in the receiver side message, at the respective acquired display position candidates, in order to calculate an overlap area which is occupied together by any already-displayed display image corresponding to a user identifier other than the specified user identifier and by the provisionally-displayed display image at the respective acquired display position candidates, and selects one display position candidate at which the overlap area becomes the smallest of all the overlap areas calculated for the respective acquired display position candidates; and

said display unit displays the display image corresponding to the specified user identifier at the selected display position candidate.

7. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a display position candidate acquiring unit and a display position selection unit, wherein:

said sending unit sends the sender side message in which a user identifier assigned to the user is further specified;

a user identifier is further specified in the receiver side message received by said reception unit;

said display position candidate acquiring unit acquires a plurality of display position candidates which are associated with the user identifier specified in the receiver side message and which are positions in a virtual three-dimensional space;

said display position selection unit calculates “

a smallest value of an angle formed by a vector extending from a predetermined viewpoint to each of the plurality of acquired display position candidates in the virtual three-dimensional space, and by a vector extending from the predetermined viewpoint to a position in the virtual three-dimensional space of any already-displayed display image corresponding to a user identifier other than the user identifier specified in the receiver side message”

, and selects one display position candidate whose calculated smallest value is the largest of all the calculated smallest values; and

said display unit displays a rendered image of the display image corresponding to the specified user identifier, which is arranged at the selected display position candidate in the virtual three-dimensional space, and which is seen from the predetermined viewpoint.

8. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein

in a case where a size when seen from the predetermined viewpoint, of the display image corresponding to the specified user identifier which is arranged at the selected display position candidate in the virtual three-dimensional space, is smaller than a predetermined smallest size, the display unit expands the display image to have a size equal to or larger than the predetermined smallest size.

9. The communication device according to any one of claims 6, further comprising a character image position acquiring unit, wherein:

said character image position acquiring unit acquires a character image and a character display position which are associated with the user identifier specified in the receiver side message;

said display position candidate acquiring unit refers to each of a plurality of pairs of directions and distances, and acquires as a display position candidate, a position which is apart from the acquired character display position in a direction in a pair, by a distance in the same pair; and

said display unit further displays the acquired character image at the acquired character display position.

10. A program for controlling a computer (including a game console which is communicably connected to another game console via a computer communication network) to function as the letter string editing unit, the decide input reception unit, the ending unit, the reception unit, the display image generation unit, and the display unit which are comprised in the communication device according to claim 1 or 2.

2. A communication device comprising a letter string editing unit, a decide input reception unit, a sending unit, a reception unit, a display image generation unit, and a display unit, wherein:

said letter string editing unit receives an edit instruction for editing a letter string from a user together with an operation strength of the user for inputting the edit instruction, and edits a letter string in accordance with the edit instruction;

said decide input reception unit receives a decide instruction from the user;

in a case where the decide instruction is received, said sending unit sends a sender side message specifying the edited letter string and strength information associated with the operation strength, to another communication device which is communicably connected to said communication device;

said reception unit receives a receiver side message specifying a letter string to be displayed and strength information from another communication device communicably connected to said communication device;

said display image generation unit displays a display image by depicting the letter string specified in the receiver side message, in accordance with a format which is pre-associated with the strength information specified in the receiver side message; and

said display unit displays the generated display image.

11. A communication method comprising a letter string editing step, a decide input receiving step, a sending step, a receiving step, a font acquiring step, a display mage generating step, and a displaying step, wherein:

said letter string editing step receives an edit instruction for editing a letter string from a user and edits a letter string in accordance with the edit instruction;

said decide input receiving step receives a decide instruction from the user together with an operation strength of the user for inputting the decide instruction;

in a case where the decide instruction is received, said sending step sends a sender side message specifying the edited letter string and strength information associated with the operation strength, to another communication device;

said receiving step receives a receiver side message specifying a letter string to be displayed and strength information from another communication device;

said font acquiring step acquires font information designating a font having a size which is pre-associated with the strength information specified in the receiver side message;

said display image generating step generates a display image by depicting the letter string specified in the receiver side message in accordance with the acquired font information; and

said displaying step displays the generated display image.

12. A communication method comprising a letter string editing step, a decide input receiving step, a sending step, a receiving step, a font acquiring step, a display image generating step, and a displaying step, wherein:

said letter string editing step receives an edit instruction for editing a letter string from a user together with an operation strength of the user for inputting the editing instruction, and edits a letter string in accordance with the edit instruction;

said decide input receiving step receives a decide instruction from the user;

in a case where the decide instruction is received, said sending step sends a sender side message specifying the edited letter string and strength information associated with the operation strength to another communication device;

said receiving step receives a receiver side message specifying a letter string to be displayed and strength information from another communication device;

said font acquiring step acquires font information designating a font having a size which is pre-associated with the strength information specified in the receiver side message;

said display image generating step generates a display image by depicting the letter string specified in the receiver side message in accordance with the acquired font information; and

said displaying image displays the generated display image.

13. A computer usable medium having a computer program for controlling a computer to function as a letter string editing unit, a decide input reception unit, a sending unit, a reception unit, a display image generation unit, and a display unit, wherein:

said letter string editing unit receives an edit instruction for editing a letter string from a user and edits a letter string in accordance with the received edit instruction;

said decide input reception unit receives a decide instruction from the user together with an operation strength of the user for inputting the decide instruction;

in a case where the decide input is received, said sending unit sends a sender side message specifying the edited letter string and strength information associated with the operation strength, to another communication device which is communicably connected to said communication device;

said reception unit receives a receiver side message specifying a letter string to be displayed and strength information, from another communication device communicably connected to said communication device;

said display image generation unit generates a display image by depicting the letter string specified in the receiver side message, in accordance with a format which is pre-associated with the strength information specified in the receiver side message; and

said display unit displays the generated display image.

14. A computer usable medium having a computer program for controlling a computer to function as a letter string editing unit, a decide input reception unit, a sending unit, a reception unit, a display image generation unit, and a display unit, wherein:

said letter string editing unit receives an edit instruction for editing a letter string from a user together with an operation strength of the user for inputting the edit instruction, and edits a letter string in accordance with the edit instruction;

said decide input reception unit receives a decide instruction from the user;

in a case where the decide instruction is received, said sending unit sends a sender side message specifying the edited letter string and strength information associated with the operation strength, to another communication device which is communicably connected to said communication device;

said reception unit receives a receiver side message specifying a letter string to be displayed and strength information from another communication device communicably connected to said communication device;

said display image generation unit displays a display image by depicting the letter string specified in the receiver side message, in accordance with a format which is pre-associated with the strength information specified in the receiver side message; and

said display unit displays the generated display image.