INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, PROGRAM, AND INFORMATION STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20130303187A1
• Filed: 01/25/2012
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishina, Eiichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,744,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/307 for displaying an additional window with a view from the top of the game field, e.g. radar screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

Provided is an information processing system capable of, while avoiding running out of storage capacity, increasing the possibility that a program executed in the information processing system can use data according to a calculated position, even when the information processing system cannot receive data from a device. An item communication section (72) receives, from a server that stores data used in the program in association with a position, data associated with a position in a first-size area containing a position calculated by a positioning section (60). An item notification section (74) notifies to outside when a position associated with data received by the item communication section (72) is present in a second-size area, which contains a position calculated by the positioning section (60) and is smaller than the first-size area. An application executing section (66) executes a program using data received by the item communication section (72).

Claims

1. An information processing system, comprising:

a positioning unit that repeatedly calculates a position;

a data receiving unit that receives, from a device that stores data used in a program in association with a position, data associated with a position in a predetermined first-size area containing a position calculated by the positioning unit;

a notification unit that notifies to outside in a case where the position associated with the data received by the data receiving unit is present in a predetermined second-size area, which is smaller than the first-size area containing the position calculated by the positioning unit; and

a program executing unit that executes the program using the data received by the data receiving unit.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determination unit that determines, at predetermined time intervals, whether or not a distance between a position calculated by the positioning unit and used when the data was received previously and a position calculated most recently by the positioning unit exceeds a predetermined distance,

wherein, in a case where the determination unit determines that the distance between the position calculated by the positioning unit and used when the positioning unit received data previously and the position calculated most recently by the positioning unit exceeds the predetermined distance, the data receiving unit receives, from the device, data associated with the position in the first-size area containing the position calculated most recently by the positioning unit.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1,

wherein the data receiving unit receives, from the device, the data associated with the position in the first-size area containing the position calculated most recently by the positioning unit, at a timing at which the distance between the position calculated by the positioning unit and used when the positioning unit received data previously and the position calculated most recently by the positioning unit exceeds the predetermined distance.

4. The information processing system according to claim 3,

wherein a circular area that has a radius corresponding to the predetermined distance is included in the first-size area.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1,

wherein, in a case where a predetermined period of time has passed since the data was received previously and the distance between the position calculated by the positioning unit and used when the positioning unit received data previously and the position calculated most recently by the positioning unit exceeds the predetermined distance, the data receiving unit receives, from the device, the data associated with the position in the first-size area containing the position calculated most recently by the positioning unit,

wherein, in a case where the distance between the position calculated by the positioning unit and used when the positioning unit received data previously and the position calculated most recently by the positioning unit exceeds a predetermined second reference distance, which is longer than the first reference distance, the data receiving unit receives, from the device, the data associated with the position in the first-size area containing the position calculated most recently by the positioning unit, even if the predetermined period of time has not passed since the data was received previously.

6. The information processing system according to claim 5, wherein a circular area that has a radius corresponding to the predetermined second reference distance is included in the first-size area.

7. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where, after the data receiving unit receives data, a program using the data is installed into the information processing system, the program executing unit executes, at a time the installed program is executed, the program using the data received by the data receiving unit.

8. A method for controlling an information processing system comprising:

repeatedly calculating a position;

receiving, from a device that stores data used in a program in association with a position, data associated with a position in a predetermined first-size area containing a calculated position;

notifying to outside in a case where the position associated with the received data is present in a predetermined second-size area, which is smaller than the first-size area containing the calculated position; and

executing the program using the received data.

9. A program stored in a non-transitory computer readable information storage medium, which is to be executed by a computer, the program including instructions to:

repeatedly calculate a position;

receive, from a device that stores data used in a program in association with a position, data associated with a position in a predetermined first-size area containing a calculated position;

notify to outside in a case where the position associated with the received data is present in a predetermined second-size area, which is smaller than the first-size area containing the calculated position; and

execute the program using the received data.

10. A non-transitory computer readable information storage medium storing a program which is to be executed by a computer, the program including instructions to:

repeatedly calculate a position;

receive, from a device that stores data used in a program in association with a position, data associated with a position in a predetermined first-size area containing a calculated position;

notify to outside in a case where the position associated with the received data is present in a predetermined second-size area, which is smaller than the first-size area containing the calculated position; and

execute the program using the received data.