GAME SERVER, GAME CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF, GAME SYSTEM, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20140087864A1
• Filed: 09/25/2013
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: gloops, Inc. (Nexon Co Ltd)
• Original Assignee: gloops, Inc. (Nexon Co Ltd)
• Inventors: TOGASHI, Hidemasa
• Granted Patent: US 8,814,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/69 by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions

Abstract

A game server includes an acquisition right-granting section that grants an acquisition right for acquiring an item in a virtual space to a first virtual user, a proxy right-generating section that generates a proxy right to allow a second virtual user to exercise the acquisition right as a proxy, a proxy right-granting section that grants only the proxy right to the second virtual user, a positional information acquisition section that acquires a position of a second physical user'"'"'s terminal, a proxy right-exercising section that exercises the proxy right by the second virtual user, an area-limited item-storing section that stores an area-limited item in association with a position in the physical space, an item information reading/loading section that reads/loads an area-limited item from the area-limited item storing section, and an item-providing section that provides only the first virtual user with the area-limited item read/loaded by the item information reading/loading section.

Claims

1. A game server comprising:

an acquisition right granting section that grants a acquisition right for acquiring an item in a virtual space, wherein the acquisition right is granted to a first virtual user in the virtual space that is controllable via a terminal of a first physical user connected to an Internet;

a proxy right generating section that, in response to a request via the terminal of the first physical user, generates a proxy right for a second virtual user in the virtual space to exercise the acquisition right as a proxy, wherein the second virtual user is controllable via a terminal of a second physical user connected to the Internet;

a proxy right granting section that grants only the proxy right, which has been generated by the proxy right generating section, to the second virtual user, while the acquisition right is reserved by the first virtual user;

a positional information acquisition section that acquires a position of the terminal of the second physical user;

a proxy right exercising section that exercises the proxy right by the second virtual user upon recognition that the position acquired by the positional information acquisition section is in a specific area of a physical space;

an area-limited item storing section that stores an area-limited item in association with a position in the physical space, wherein the area-limited item is made acquirable by exercising the acquisition right;

an item information reading and loading section that reads and loads an area-limited item from the area-limited item storing section, wherein the area-limited item corresponds to the position acquired by the positional information acquisition section; and

an item providing section that, based on the acquisition right for which the proxy right has been exercised by the proxy right exercising section, provides only the first virtual user with the area-limited item read and loaded by the item information reading and loading section.

2. The game server according to claim 1, wherein:

the proxy right generating section generates the proxy right when the position of the terminal of the first physical user, through which exercise of the acquisition right on a proxy basis has been requested, is not in the specific area of the physical space.

3. The game server according to claim 1, wherein:

the proxy right generating section comprises;

a proxy user displaying and showing section that displays and shows at least one virtual user to the first virtual user, wherein the at least one virtual user may be the second virtual user;

a proxy user selecting section that allows the first virtual user to select one virtual user from among the at least one virtual user displayed and shown by the proxy user displaying and showing section; and

a proxy user designating section that designates, as the second virtual user, the one virtual user selected by the proxy user selecting section.

4. A game controlling method performed by a computer connected to an Internet, the method comprising:

an acquisition right granting step of granting an acquisition right for acquiring an item in a virtual space, wherein the acquisition right is granted to a first virtual user in the virtual space that is controllable via a terminal of a first physical user connected to the Internet;

a proxy right generating step of, in response to a request via the terminal of the first physical user, generating a proxy right for a second virtual user in the virtual space to exercise the acquisition right as a proxy, wherein the second virtual user is controllable via a terminal of a second physical user connected to the Internet;

a proxy right granting step of granting only the proxy right to the second virtual user, while the acquisition right is reserved by the first virtual user;

a positional information acquisition step of acquiring a position of the terminal of the second physical user;

a proxy right exercising step of exercising the acquisition right on a proxy basis by the second virtual user based on the proxy right upon recognition that the position of the terminal of the second physical user is in a specific area of a physical space;

an item information reading and loading step of reading and loading an area-limited item from an area-limited item storing section, wherein the area-limited item storing section stores the area-limited item, which has been made acquirable by exercise of the acquisition right, in association with a position in the physical space wherein the area-limited item corresponds to the position of the terminal of the second physical user; and

an item providing step of, based on the acquisition right for which the proxy right has been exercised, providing only the first virtual user with the read and loaded area-limited item.

5. A game system comprising a game server with a plurality of terminals, the game server and the plurality of terminals connected via an Internet,

the game server comprising:

an acquisition right granting section that grants an acquisition right for acquiring an item in a virtual space, wherein the acquisition right is granted to a first virtual user in the virtual space that is controllable via a terminal of a first physical user connected to the Internet;

a proxy right generating section that, in response to a request via the terminal of the first physical user, generates a proxy right for a second virtual user in the virtual space to exercise the acquisition right as a proxy, wherein the second virtual user is controllable via a terminal of a second physical user connected to the Internet;

a proxy right granting section that grants only the proxy right, which has been generated by the proxy right generating section, to the second virtual user, while the acquisition right is reserved by the first virtual user;

a positional information acquisition section that acquires a position of the terminal of the second physical user;

a proxy right exercising section that exercises the proxy right by the second virtual user upon recognition that the position acquired by the positional information acquisition section is in a specific area of a physical space;

an area-limited item storing section that stores an area-limited item in association with a position in the physical space, wherein the area-limited item is made acquirable by exercise of the acquisition right;

an item information reading and loading section that reads and loads an area-limited item from the area-limited item storing section, wherein the area-limited item corresponds to the position acquired by the positional information acquisition section; and

an item providing section that, based on the acquisition right for which the proxy right has been exercised by the proxy right exercising section, provides only the first virtual user with the area-limited item read and loaded by the item information reading and loading section,

the terminal comprising;

a display section that displays a screen containing a image received from the game server; and

an operation input section, wherein an operation request for a virtual user that is controllable via the terminal is input through the operation input section.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program executed by a computer connected to an Internet, the program comprising:

an acquisition right granting step of granting an acquisition right for acquiring an item in a virtual space, wherein the acquisition right is granted to a first virtual user in the virtual space that is controllable via a terminal of a first physical user connected to the Internet;

a proxy right generating step of, in response to a request via the terminal of the first physical user, generating a proxy right for a second virtual user in the virtual space to exercise the acquisition right on a proxy basis, wherein the second virtual user is controllable via a terminal of a second physical user connected to the Internet;

a proxy right granting step of granting only the proxy right to the second virtual user, while the acquisition right is reserved by the first virtual user;

a positional information acquisition step of acquiring a position of the terminal of the second physical user;

a proxy right exercising step of exercising the proxy right by the second virtual user based on the proxy right upon recognition that the position of the terminal of the second physical user is in a specific area of a physical space;

an item information reading and loading step of reading and loading an area-limited item from an area-limited item storing section, wherein the area-limited item storing section stores the area-limited item, which has been made acquired by exercise of the acquisition right, in association with a position in the physical space wherein the area-limited item corresponds to the position of the terminal of the second physical user; and

an item providing step of, based on the acquisition right for which the proxy right has been exercised, providing only the first virtual user with the read and loaded area-limited item.