Method for Providing Location Information of Game Character By Operating With Messenger Server and Systems Thereof

• US 20070226307A1
• Filed: 05/06/2005
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NHN Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Inventors: Bae, Soo Na, Kim, Hyo Joon
• Granted Patent: US 8,043,159 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and an online game system for providing position information of a game character in an online game, and more particularly, to a method and an online game system for providing position information of a game character in an online game by interworking with a predetermined messenger server.

Claims

1. A method of providing position information of a character in an online game, comprising:

receiving from a first user of a game server a request for character position information of a second user;

transmitting a query for the character position information request to the second user via an instant messaging system; and

receiving response corresponding to the query from the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the query for the position information request to the second user comprises:

determining whether the second user accesses the instant messaging server via a messenger client; and

transmitting the query for the character position information request to the messenger client of the second user in case that the second user is determined to access the game server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the instant messaging server and the game server are connected to a map database which stores predetermined static data required in the online game, and the instant messaging server fetches predetermined dynamic data required in the online game from the game server in order to synchronize data of the instant messaging server with data of the game server.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

searching whether a position information search permit flag of the second user is set up, with reference to a user information database of the instant messaging server; and

transmitting a search impossibility message with respect to the position information request signal to the messenger client of the first user in case that the position information search permit flag is not set up.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the step of receiving the response corresponding to the query from the second user,

a messenger client of the second user transmits the query to a game module of the second user;

and

the game module of the second user operates in order to search position information with reference to a terminal storage means of the second user and transmit the position information searched from the game module of the second user as the position information response corresponding to the query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a game module of the first user performs:

determining whether the response corresponding to the query is processed as a text form or a graphic user interface form;

searching whether a predetermined map data is stored in the terminal storage means of the first user in case that the position information response is processed as the graphic user interface form;

transmitting a request for the map data to a messenger client of the first user in case that the map data is not stored; and

indicating the position information on the map data transmitted from the messenger client of the first user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of determining whether the response corresponding to the query is processed as a text form or a graphic user interface form, which is performed by the game module of the first user, is performed according to selection input of the first user.

10. A computer readable recording medium in which a program for executing the method of claim 1 is recorded.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the messenger client of the second user receives the character position information of the second user from a game module of the second user.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a messenger client of the first user controls to process the character position information from the second user.

8. A method of receiving position information of a character in an online game, comprising:

maintaining a game module for executing the online game in a storage means;

accessing a predetermined messenger server and maintaining a messenger client for communicating with at least one first user in the storage means;

transmitting a signal requesting character position information of a second user accessing a game server of the online game;

receiving a character position information response corresponding to the character position information request signal from the messenger client of the second user; and

processing the received character position information response and displaying character position information of the second user on a terminal of the first user,

wherein the messenger client of the second user receives the character position information of the second user from a game module of the second user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the character position information is character position coordinate information (X) of the second user, the method further comprising:

searching base point coordinate information B with respect to at least one zone area, radius information R of the base point, or topographical information including name information of the zone area by referring to the storage means;

transmitting a request for the topography information to the messenger client in case that the topography information is not stored;

receiving the topography information from the messenger client;

a step of measuring a distance between the position coordinate information X and the at least one piece of the base point coordinate information B;

selecting a distance D shorter than the radius information R corresponding to the base point coordinate information B, of at least one of the measured distances D; and

displaying the name information of the zone area corresponding to the selected distance D on the terminal of the first user.

11. An online game system providing character position information, comprising:

a messenger server transmitting a second user character position information request signal received from a messenger client of a first user via communication between messenger clients of at least one user to a messenger client of the second user and transmitting a character position information response received from the messenger client of the second user to the messenger client of the first user;

a map database in which predetermined static data required in performing the online game; and

a game server controlling to perform the online game via communication between game modules of the at least one user and transmitting dynamic data required in performing the online game to the messenger server to perform data synchronization,

wherein;

the messenger client of the first user controlling to process the character position information response received from the messenger server and display the character position information of the second user on a terminal of the first user; and

the messenger client of the second user operating to receive the character position information of the second user from a game module of the second user and transmit to the messenger server.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the game server comprises a login server managing the access of the at least one user and at least one zone server maintaining information on a predetermined zone; and

the login server transmits an access fact to the messenger server in case that the user accesses, and the messenger server transmits access information with respect to the accessing user to the messenger client of the second user.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the messenger server comprises a user information database in which identifier information with respect to the at least one user and a search permit flag set up by the user are recorded; and

in case that the second user character position information request signal is received from the messenger client of the first user, the messenger server searches the search acceptance flag set up by the second user with reference to the user information database, and in case that the search acceptance flag is not set up or the second user does not access the game server, the messenger server transmits a search impossibility message to the messenger client of the first user.

16. A method of providing position information of a character in an online game, comprising:

receiving from a messenger client of a first user of a game server a request for character position information of a second user;

transmitting a query for the character position information request to a messenger client of the second user via an instant messaging system; and

receiving response corresponding to the query from the messenger client of the second user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the messenger client of the second user receives the character position information of the second user from a game module of the second user.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the messenger client of the first user controls to process the character position information from the messenger client of the second user.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of transmitting the query for the position information request to the messenger client of the second user comprises:

determining whether the messenger client of the second user accesses the instant messaging server via a messenger client; and

transmitting the query for the character position information request to the messenger client of the second user in case that the second user is determined to access the game server.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein, in the step of receiving the response corresponding to the query from the messenger client of the second user,

the messenger client of the second user transmits the query to a game module of the second user;

and

the game module of the second user operates in order to search position information with reference to a terminal storage means of the second user and transmit the position information searched from the game module of the second user as the position information response corresponding to the query.

21. An online game system providing character position information, comprising:

a game server for providing online game via communication network;

at least two nodes within the communication network that each include a messenger client and the messenger client is configured to allow users to send instant messages and send character position information; and

at least one server configured to route instant messages and the character position information between the at least two nodes.