INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAM STORED THEREIN, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20120011256A1
• Filed: 02/07/2011
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited, Pokemon
• Original Assignee: Game Freak, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: MASUDA, Junichi, Ohno, Katsumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,832,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• 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 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/98 Accessories, i.e. detachable arrangements optional for the use of the video game device, e.g. grip supports of game controllers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/403 Connection between platform and handheld device
• 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 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5593 involving scheduling aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1066 Session management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 : Allocation or use of connection identifiers

Abstract

An information processing apparatus acquires operation information of a user, and executes an application based on the operation information. While the application is being executed, the information processing apparatus repeatedly searches for other unspecified information processing apparatuses by using a wireless communication function, and establishes a connection with the one or more of the other information processing apparatuses having been searched for. The information processing apparatus executes a communication application to communicate with the connected one or more of the other information processing apparatuses, based on the operation information and on operation information relating to the one or more of the other information processing apparatuses.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising:

a plurality of information processing apparatuses each having a wireless communication function,

each information processing apparatus comprising;

operation information acquisition means for acquiring operation information of a user;

application process means for processing an application based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means;

search means for repeatedly searching, while the application process means is processing the application, for other unspecified information processing apparatuses by using the wireless communication function;

connection means for establishing a connection between the information processing apparatus and one or more of the other unspecified information processing apparatuses searched for by the search means; and

communication application execution means for executing a communication application to communicate with the one or more of the other information processing apparatuses connected by the connection means, based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means and on operation information relating to the one or more of the other information processing apparatuses.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

each information processing apparatus further comprises first condition determination means for determining whether the application processed by the application process means satisfies a first condition,

the search means starts searching when the first condition is determined to be satisfied.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of information processing apparatuses includes at least a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus,

the search means of the first information processing apparatus transmits connection information to the other information processing apparatuses including the second information processing apparatus,

the search means of the second information processing apparatus attempts to receive the connection information transmitted from the other unspecified information processing apparatus including the first information processing apparatus,

the connection means of the second information processing apparatus establishes, upon reception of the connection information, a connection with the first information processing apparatus without permission of a user of the second information processing apparatus.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the search means performs the searching irrespective of the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means,

the connection means automatically establishes a connection with one or more of the other unspecified information processing apparatuses searched for by the search means.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

each information processing apparatus further comprises disconnection means for disconnecting, at a predetermined time after the execution of the communication application by the communication application execution means, the connection with the one or more of the other information processing apparatuses irrespective of the intention of the user of the information processing apparatus.

6. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

each information processing apparatus further comprises:

second condition determination means for determining whether the communication application executed by the communication application execution means satisfies a second condition; and

disconnection means for disconnecting, when the second condition is determined to be satisfied, a connection with one or more of the other information processing apparatuses.

7. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein

each information processing apparatus further comprises transmission means for repeatedly transmitting data by using the wireless communication function, while the application process means is processing the application,

the transmission means transmits first data when the first condition is not satisfied, and transmits second data which is different from the first data when the first condition is satisfied,

the search means performs searching by transmitting the second data to or receiving the second data from the other unspecified information processing apparatuses.

8. The information processing system according to claim 3, wherein

each information processing apparatus further comprises transmission means for repeatedly transmitting data by using the wireless communication function, while the application process means is processing the application,

the transmission means transmits first data when a first condition is not satisfied, and transmits second data which is different from the first data when the first condition is satisfied,

the first data includes information indicating details of the application processed by the application process means,

the second data includes the connection information for establishing a connection with the other information processing apparatuses, the second information processing apparatus further comprises

output means for outputting information indicating the details of the application when the first data is received.

9. The information processing system according to claim 7, wherein the transmission means discontinues transmission of the data after the connection means establishes a connection with one or more of the other information processing apparatuses.

10. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the application process means changes the position of the first object in a virtual space, based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means,

the communication application execution means changes the position of the first object in the virtual space, based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means, and changes, based on the operation information relating to one or more of the other information processing apparatuses, the position of a second object of the one or more of the other information processing apparatuses.

11. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the information processing apparatus is a hand-held terminal,

the wireless communication function is a short-distance wireless communication.

12. The information processing system according to claim 3, wherein

a connection request transmitted by the first information processing apparatus includes purpose-specified information which specifies the purpose of communication to be established based the connection request,

the second information processing apparatus establishes the connection with the first information processing apparatus without permission by the user of the second information processing apparatus if the purpose-specified information included in the received connection request represents a specified value, and if a status of the second information processing apparatus satisfies a predetermined condition.

13. The information processing system according to claim 3, wherein

the first information processing apparatus continuously transmits the connection request to the other unspecified information processing apparatuses even when the connection with the second information processing apparatus is being established,

while the first information processing apparatus is being connected with at least one of the other information processing apparatuses, if another one of the other information processing apparatuses receives a connection request transmitted from the first information processing apparatus, the another one of the other information processing apparatuses establishes a connection with the first information processing apparatus without permission by the user of the another one of the other information processing apparatuses.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein an information processing program causing a computer of an information processing apparatus having a wireless communication function to function as:

operation information acquisition means for acquiring operation information of a user;

application process means for processing an application based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means;

search means for repeatedly searching, while the application process means is processing the application, for other unspecified information processing apparatuses by using the wireless communication function;

connection means for establishing a connection between the information processing apparatus and one or more of the other unspecified information processing apparatuses searched for by the search means; and

communication application execution means for executing a communication application to communicate with the one or more of the other information processing apparatuses connected by the connection means, based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means and on operation information relating to the one or more of the other information processing apparatuses.

15. A information processing apparatus having a wireless communication function, comprising:

operation information acquisition means for acquiring operation information of a user;

application process means for processing an application based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means;

search means for repeatedly searching, while the application process means is processing the application, for other unspecified information processing apparatuses by using the wireless communication function;

connection means for establishing a connection between the information processing apparatus and one or more of the other unspecified information processing apparatuses searched for by the search means; and

communication application execution means for executing a communication application to communicate with the one or more of the other information processing apparatuses connected by the connection means, based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition means and on operation information relating to the one or more of the other information processing apparatuses.

16. An information processing method for controlling an information processing apparatus having a wireless communication function, the method comprising the steps of:

operation information acquiring step of acquiring operation information of a user;

application processing step of processing an application based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquiring step;

searching step of repeatedly searching, while the application processing step is processing the application, for other unspecified information processing apparatuses by using the wireless communication function;

connecting step of establishing a connection between the information processing apparatus and one or more of the other unspecified information processing apparatuses searched for by the searching step; and

communication application executing step of executing a communication application to communicate with the one or more of the other information processing apparatuses connected by the connecting step, based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquiring step and on operation information relating to the one or more of the other information processing apparatuses.