SERVER DEVICE, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20130150089A1
• Filed: 04/24/2012
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Masato Kuwahara
• Inventors: KUWAHARA, Masato, Murakami, Yutaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,849,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers

Abstract

A server device includes: a receiving unit configured to receive, from each of a plurality of information-processing devices, location information showing a respective location of each information-processing device; a setting unit configured to set a condition showing that one information-processing device is close to another information-processing device, based on a predetermined parameter; a determining unit configured to determine whether a first information-processing device and a second information-processing device from among the plurality of information-processing devices satisfy the condition based on the location information received by the receiving unit; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit information determined at the determining unit to the first information-processing device and the second information-processing device, in a case that the determining unit determines that the first information-processing device and the second information-processing device satisfy the condition.

Claims

1. A server device comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive, from each of a plurality of information-processing devices, location information showing a respective location of each information-processing device;

a setting unit configured to set a condition showing that one information-processing device is close to another information-processing device, based on a predetermined parameter;

a determining unit configured to determine whether a first information-processing device and a second information-processing device from among the plurality of information-processing devices satisfy the condition based on the location information received by the receiving unit; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit information determined at the determining unit to the first information-processing device and the second information-processing device, in a case that the determining unit determines that the first information-processing device and the second information-processing device satisfy the condition.

2. The server device according to claim 1, wherein

the determining unit is configured to determine the condition so that the condition changes in response to the predetermined parameter.

3. The server device according to claim 1, wherein

the parameter includes the location information of the one information-processing device.

4. The server device according to claim 1, wherein

the parameter includes a spatial density of the plurality of information-processing devices or users.

5. The server device according to claim 4, wherein

the parameter includes the spatial density of information-processing devices whose location is shown by the location information received by the receiving unit.

6. The server device according to claim 5, further comprising

a calculating unit configured to calculate the spatial density based on the location information received by the receiving unit,

the spatial density calculated by the calculating unit to be included in the parameter.

7. The server device according to claim 1, wherein

the condition restricts a spatial range in relation to the one information-processing device, and

the determining unit is configured to determine the condition so that the spatial range is reduced as the spatial density at a location shown by the location information received from the first information-processing device becomes higher.

8. The server device according to claim 1, wherein

the condition restricts a temporal range in relation to the one information-processing device, and

the determining unit is configured to determine the condition so that the temporal range is reduced as the spatial density at a location shown by the location information received from the first information-processing device becomes higher.

9. The server device according to claim 1, wherein

the receiving unit is configured to receive, from each of a plurality of information-processing devices, time information corresponding to the location information as well as the location information,

the determining unit is configured to determine whether the first information-processing device and the second information-processing device satisfy the condition based on the location information and the corresponding time information received by the receiving unit.

10. The server device according to claim 1, wherein

the parameter includes the location information of the other information-processing device.

11. The server device according to claim 1, wherein

the parameter includes a user attribute of at least one user of the plurality of information-processing devices.

12. The server device according to claim 1, wherein

the parameter includes a device attribute of at least one of the plurality of information-processing devices.

13. The server device according to claim 1, wherein

the parameter includes environmental information showing environmental factors of at least one of the plurality of information-processing devices.

14. The server device according to claim 1, wherein

the receiving unit is configured to receive data provided from each of the plurality of information-processing devices, the provided data being a data set for provision from the one information-processing device to the other information-processing device,

if the determining unit determines that the first information-processing device and the second information-processing device satisfy the condition, the transmitting unit is configured to transmit as the determined information the data provided from the second information-processing device to the first information-processing device, and transmit as the determined information the data provided from the first information-processing device to the second information-processing device.

15. A communication system comprising:

a first information-processing device;

a second information-processing device; and

a server device, wherein

the first information-processing device includes

a first obtaining unit configured to obtain first location information showing a location of the first information processing device,

a first transmitting unit configured to transmit to the server device the first location information obtained by the first obtaining unit,

the second information-processing device includes

a second obtaining unit configured to obtain second location information showing a location of the second information processing device,

a second transmitting unit configured to transmit to the server device the second location information obtained by the second obtaining unit, and

the server device includes

a receiving unit configured to receive the first location information from the first information-processing device, and the second location information from the second information-processing device,

a determining unit configured to determine a condition showing that one information-processing device is close to another information-processing device, based on the predetermined parameter,

a determining unit configured to determine whether the first information-processing device and the second information-processing device satisfy the condition based on the first location information and the second location information, and

a third transmitting unit configured to transmit information determined at the determining unit to the first information-processing device and the second information-processing device, in a case that the determining unit determines that the first information-processing device and the second information-processing device satisfy the condition

16. A method in a communication system including a first information-processing device, a second information-processing device, and a server device, the method comprising:

obtaining, by the first information-processing device, first location information showing a location of the first information-processing device;

transmitting, from the first information-processing device to the server device, the first location information;

obtaining, by the second information-processing device, second location information showing a location of the second information-processing device;

transmitting, from the second information-processing device to the server device the second location information;

receiving, by the server device, the first location information from the first information-processing device;

receiving, by the server device, the second location information from the second information-processing device;

setting, by the server device, a condition showing that one information-processing device is close to another information-processing device, based on the predetermined parameter;

determining, by the server device, whether the first information-processing device and the second information-processing device satisfy the condition; and

transmitting, from the server device, information determined at the determining unit to the first information-processing device and the second information-processing device, in a case that it is determined that the first information-processing device and the second information-processing device satisfy the condition.

17. A computer-readable storage device storing a program causing a computer device including a processor and a communication unit to execute a process, the process comprising:

receiving, by the processor, from a plurality of information-processing devices, location information each showing a location of an information-processing device;

setting, by the processor, a condition showing that one information-processing device is close to another information-processing device, based on the predetermined parameter;

determining, by the processor, whether a first information-processing device and a second information-processing device from among the plurality of information-processing devices satisfy the condition based on the received location information; and

transmitting, via the communication unit, information determined at the determining unit to the first information-processing device and the second information-processing device, in a case that it is determined that the first information-processing device and the second information-processing device satisfy the condition.