TERMINAL DEVICE, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, TERMINAL METHOD AND INFORMATION MEMORY MEDIUM

• US 20100214987A1
• Filed: 02/23/2010
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Mori, Shoji
• Granted Patent: US 8,462,700 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• 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 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/71 using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/73 Authorising game programs or game devices, e.g. checking authenticity
• 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 2300/401 Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

There is provided a terminal device or the like which can prevent a user from fall in trouble with an unknown third person when the user executes a network game or the like over a computer communication network. As terminal devices establish a connection in an ad-hoc mode, individual unique identification information thereof are exchanged and a communication for a game is carried out, the terminal devices saves the unique identification information of the communication counterparty. When the terminal devices establish a connection in an infrastructure mode, introduction requests each specifying the saved unique identification information are transmitted to a server device, the server device transmits introduction responses each informing an address of the terminal device to the terminal devices which have transmitted an introduction request specifying the unique identification information of the communication counterparty, and the terminal devices carry out a communication for the game.

Claims

1. A terminal device comprising:

a communication unit that attempts a communication with a second terminal device through a connection in a first communication mode or in a second communication mode; and

an activity unit that communicates with the second terminal device to advance a communication game together with the second terminal device when the communication with the second terminal device through a connection in the first communication mode is established, and wherein

when a communication with the second terminal device through the connection in the second communication mode is established and the terminal device and the second terminal device have a history of game communication advancement, the activity unit advances the communication game together with the second terminal device.

2. A terminal device that communicates with a server device or a second terminal device, the terminal device comprising:

a communication unit that attempts a connection in an ad-hoc mode or in an infrastructure mode with the second terminal device, and

(a) identifies a communication counterparty between the terminal device and the second terminal device through unique identification information of the communication counterparty in the ad-hoc mode when the connection is established in the ad-hoc mode, and

(b) identifies a communication counterparty between the terminal device and second terminal device through unique identification information of the communication counterparty and an address assigned to the communication counterparty in a computer communication network in the infrastructure mode when the connection is established in the infrastructure mode;

an activity unit that exchanges activity information to and from the second terminal device that becomes available to advance a cooperative activity based on an instruction from a user when a connection is established in the ad-hoc mode or the infrastructure mode;

a memory unit that stores the unique identification information of the second terminal device that advances the cooperative activity together with the terminal device when a connection in the ad-hoc mode with the second terminal device is established;

a request transmitting unit that transmits an introduction request to the server device when a connection in the infrastructure mode is established with the second terminal device;

a response receiving unit that receives an introduction response which is transmitted from the server device and specifies a pair of unique identification information of the second terminal device having transmitted an introduction request to the server device and an address of the second terminal device in the computer communication network; and

an address acquiring unit that acquires an address included in a pair, having unique identification information of the second terminal device that matches unique identification information stored in the memory unit, among pairs specified in the introduction responses, and wherein the communication unit

(c) enables a communication with the second terminal device based on the unique identification information of the second terminal device acquired at connection establishment, when a connection is established in the ad-hoc mode, and

(d) enables a communication with the second terminal device based on the acquired address when a connection is established in the infrastructure mode.

3. The terminal device according to claim 2, wherein

unique identification information stored in the memory unit is further specified in the introduction request, and

the server device specifies a pair of unique identification information of a second terminal device, having unique identification information matching unique identification information specified in an introduction request transmitted from the terminal device, among other terminal devices each transmitted an introduction request to the server device, and an address of the second terminal device in the computer communication network in an introduction response.

4. The terminal device according to claim 2, wherein

unique identification information of the second terminal device among other terminal devices each having unique identification information stored in the memory unit is erased from the memory unit after a predetermined period elapses since the communication unit established a communication in the ad-hoc mode and became available for communication.

5. The terminal device according to claim 2, wherein

when a communication with the second terminal device through the communication unit is disabled, the activity unit saves a state of the cooperative activity in association with unique identification information of the second terminal device, and when a communication with the second terminal device is re-enabled, the activity unit restores the state of the cooperative activity saved in association with the unique identification information of the second terminal device which becomes available for communication, and continues the cooperative activity.

6. The terminal device according to claim 2, wherein

the unique identification information is a Media Access Control (“

MAC”

) address and the address is an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) address and a port number, and

the communication unit establishes a connection in the infrastructure mode as a temporal IP address is dynamically assigned thereto.

7. A communication system comprising a plurality of terminal devices according to claim 3, and a server device that communicates with the terminal devices, wherein

the server device comprises:

a request receiving unit which receives an introduction request transmitted from any of the plurality of terminal devices; and

a response transmitting unit, and wherein

when in any two introduction requests among all received introduction requests,

(p) unique identification information specified in one introduction request matches unique identification information of a second terminal device which has transmitted another introduction request, and

(q) unique identification information specified in another introduction request matches unique identification information of one of the plurality of terminal devices which has transmitted the one introduction request,

the response transmitting unit

(r) transmits an introduction response specifying a pair of unique identification information of the second terminal devices which has transmitted another introduction request and an address of a transmission originator of another introduction request to the one of the plurality of terminal devices, and

(s) transmits an introduction response specifying a pair of unique identification information of the one of the plurality of terminal devices which has transmitted the one introduction request and an address of a transmission originator of the one introduction request to the second terminal device.

8. A method for game communication and advancement executed by a terminal device comprising:

attempting a communication, via a communication unit, with a second terminal device through a connection in a first communication mode or in a second communication mode;

communicating with the second terminal device, via an activity unit, to advance a communication game together with the second terminal device when the communication with the second terminal device is established through a connection in the first communication mode; and

advancing the communication game together with the second terminal device when the communication with the second terminal device through a connection in the second communication mode is established and the terminal device and the second terminal device have a history of game communication advancement.

9. A method for game communication and advancement executed by a terminal device comprising:

attempting a connection, via a communication unit, in an ad-hoc mode or in an infrastructure mode with a second terminal device;

(a) identifying a communication counterparty, via the communication unit, between the terminal device and the second terminal device through unique identification information of the communication counterparty in the ad-hoc mode, when the connection is established in the ad-hoc mode;

(b) identifying a communication counterparty, via the communication unit, between the terminal device and the second terminal device through unique identification information of the communication counterparty and an address assigned to the communication counterparty in a computer communication network in the infrastructure mode, when the connection is established in the infrastructure mode;

exchanging activity information to and from the second terminal device that becomes available to advance a cooperative activity based on an instruction from a user when the connection is established in the ad-hoc mode or the infrastructure mode;

storing in a memory unit the unique identification information of the second terminal device that advances the cooperative activity together with the terminal device when a connection in the ad-hoc mode with the second terminal device is established;

transmitting an introduction request, via a request transmitting unit, to the server device when a connection in the infrastructure mode is established with the second terminal device;

receiving an introduction response, via a response receiving unit, which is transmitted from the server device and specifies a pair of unique identification information of the second terminal device having transmitted an introduction request to the server device and an address of the second terminal device in the computer communication network;

acquiring an address, via an address acquiring unit, included in a pair, having unique identification information of the second terminal device that matches unique identification information stored in the memory unit among pairs specified in the introduction responses;

(c) enabling a communication with the second terminal device based on the unique identification information of the second terminal device acquired at connection establishment, when the connection is established in the ad-hoc mode; and

(d) enabling a communication with the second terminal device based on the acquired address when the connection is established in the infrastructure mode.

10. A computer-readable medium having a program embodied therein that allows a computer to function as:

a communication unit that attempts a communication with a second terminal device through a connection in a first communication mode or in a second communication mode; and

an activity unit that communicates with the second terminal device to advance a communication game together with the second terminal device when the communication with the second terminal device through a connection in the first communication mode is established, and wherein

when a communication with the second terminal device through the connection in the second communication mode is established and the terminal device and the second terminal device have a history of game communication advancement, the activity unit advances the communication game together with the second terminal device.

11. A computer-readable medium having a program embodied therein that allows a computer to function as a terminal device which communicates with a server device or a second terminal device, the program further allowing the computer to function as:

a communication unit that attempts a connection in an ad-hoc mode or in an infrastructure mode with the second terminal device, and

(a) identifies a communication counterparty between the terminal device and the second terminal device through unique identification information of the communication counterparty in the ad-hoc mode when the connection is established in the ad-hoc mode, and

(b) identifies a communication counterparty between the terminal device and second terminal device through unique identification information of the communication counterparty and an address assigned to the communication counterparty in a computer communication network in the infrastructure mode when the connection is established in the infrastructure mode;

an activity unit that exchanges activity information to and from the second terminal device that becomes available to advance a cooperative activity based on an instruction from a user when a connection is established in the ad-hoc mode or the infrastructure mode;

a memory unit that stores the unique identification information of the second terminal device that advances the cooperative activity together with the terminal device when a connection in the ad-hoc mode with the second terminal device is established;

a request transmitting unit that transmits an introduction request to the server device when a connection in the infrastructure mode is established with the second terminal device;

a response receiving unit that receives an introduction response which is transmitted from the server device and specifies a pair of unique identification information of the second terminal device having transmitted an introduction request to the server device and an address of the second terminal device in the computer communication network; and

an address acquiring unit that acquires an address included in a pair, having unique identification information of the second terminal device that matches unique identification information stored in the memory unit, among pairs specified in the introduction responses, and wherein the communication unit

(c) enables a communication with the second terminal device based on the unique identification information of the second terminal device acquired at connection establishment, when a connection is established in the ad-hoc mode, and

(d) enables a communication with the second terminal device based on the acquired address when a connection is established in the infrastructure mode.