METHOD, STORAGE MEDIUM, AND USER TERMINAL

• US 20120011453A1
• Filed: 07/06/2011
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bandai Namco Games Inc (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Namco Bandai Games Inc. (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: SHIMONO, Masataka, ISHIDA, Tatsushi
• Application Number:
  US13/177,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20120011453A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A user terminal displays a field screen on which an avatar corresponding to each following user is disposed. A balloon that indicates that a message has been posted by the corresponding following user is displayed together with the avatar. The message posted by the corresponding following user is displayed when the user has touched the balloon. The user can edit the avatar by touching the avatar.

Claims

1. A method that is implemented by a user terminal that can communicate with a given posting site, the method comprising:

setting a character corresponding to a following user;

displaying the character in a given virtual space; and

distinguishably displaying the character corresponding to the following user when message data about the following user is present in the posting site.

2. The method as defined in claim 1,

the setting of the character including setting the character corresponding to the following user by designing each part of the character based on an operation input performed by a user.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

posting the message data about the user including design data about the character to the posting site.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

generating the character based on design data about the character when the message data about the following user includes the design data.

5. The method as defined in claim 1,

the distinguishably displaying of the character including displaying a given accompanying display object to follow the character corresponding to the following user.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a document destination character from characters displayed in the virtual space; and

transmitting document data to a following user corresponding to the document destination character.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

changing a position of the character in the virtual space based on at least one of a content of the message data, a date of post, and a post frequency of the following user.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

arranging characters disposed in the virtual space based on at least one of a date of post and a post frequency of the following user.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

grouping characters disposed in the virtual space based on whether or not the message data about the following user includes a given keyword.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether or not an item generation condition has been satisfied based on at least one of a content of the message data and a post count of the following user; and

updating a character corresponding to a following user who has satisfied the item generation condition with the character to which a given item is attached.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

changing a display state of the character corresponding to the following user when the message data about the following user includes image data or identification information that indicates a location of the image data.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing a content of the message data about the following user; and

controlling a motion of the corresponding character based on a result of the analysis.

13. The method as defined in claim 12,

the analyzing of the content of the message data including analyzing a use frequency and/or a use count of a term by each following user based on the term included in the message data.

14. The method as defined in claim 12,

the analyzing of the content of the message data including determining whether or not a movement instruction command and/or a motion instruction command is included in the message data,

the method further comprising:

causing the corresponding character to make a movement and/or a motion in the virtual space based on the movement instruction command and/or the motion instruction command when it has been determined that the movement instruction command and/or the motion instruction command is included in the message data.

15. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether or not related message data is included in the message data about the following user, the related message data indicating that a message relates to a message posted by another user;

setting a degree of intimacy between each following user using a result of determination as to whether or not the related message data is included in the message data; and

causing a character corresponding to a following user for whom the degree of intimacy has satisfied a given condition to make a predetermined motion.

16. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute the method as defined in claim 1.

17. A user terminal that can communicate with a given posting site, the user terminal comprising:

a character setting section that sets a character corresponding to a following user;

a character display control section that displays the character set by the character setting section in a given virtual space; and

a distinguishable display section that distinguishably displays the character corresponding to the following user when message data about the following user is present in the posting site.