Network game system, a network game server, a network game client, a player selection program, a medium storing a player selection program, and a medium storing a player information collection program

• US 6,203,433 B1
• Filed: 08/14/1998
• Issued: 03/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Kume, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRINH, MINH N
• Application Number:
  US09/134,355
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/41, 463/40, 463/43, 463/17, 463/18, 463/19, 364/410.1, 395/200.57, 395/200.58
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• 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 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to relieve users of efforts to select play partners by themselves. Upon receipt of a game request, a game request response unit returns player request issuance timing information specifying time to issue a player request. A player selection processing unit determines combinations of games at a predetermined timing. Upon receipt of a player request, a player request response unit extracts information about opposing players of a user issuing the player request from a user information storage unit and returns it to a client as a response to the player request. A game request unit of the client outputs a game request to a server and receives player request issuance timing information from the server. When the time specified in the player request issuance timing information is reached, a player request unit outputs a player request to the server and receives information about play partners from the server.

Claims

1. A network game system in which a game is played among a plurality of users on a communication network, comprising:

a server including a user information storage unit that stores information about said plurality of users,

a game request response unit that on receiving of a game request, places a user issuing said game request in a game queue and returns player request issuance timing information specifying a time to issue a player request.

2. The network game system according to claim 1,

wherein said server further includes a player request response unit that on receiving said player request, extracts information about opposing players of the user issuing said player request from said user information storage unit and returns extracted information to the user issuing said player request.

3. The network game system according to claim 2, wherein said server further includes a server synchronous control unit that outputs player request issuance wait time to said game request response unit at a predetermined timing and outputs a player selection start command to said player selection processing unit;

wherein said game request response unit within said server counts down said player request issuance time, uses as said player request issuance timing information said player request issuance wait time at the time when said game request was received, and said player selection processing unit determines combinations of games when said player selection start command is received;

wherein said client further includes a client synchronous control unit that counts down said player request issuance wait time indicated by said player request issuance timing information, said player request issuance timing information being received by said game request unit, and when said player request issuance wait time becomes 0, outputs a player request issuance command to said player request unit; and

wherein said player request unit within said client recognizes according to said player request issuance command that it has reached a time specified in said player request issuance timing information, and outputs said player request.

4. The network game system according to claim 2, wherein on receiving said player request, said player request response unit within said server outputs information about opposing players and game start timing information;

and

wherein said player request unit within said client displays said received game start timing information on a display device.

5. The network game system according to claim 2, wherein said server further includes a standby player storage unit in which standby player candidates are registered;

on receiving a player rerequest, said player selection processing unit selects opposing players of the user issuing said player rerequest from said standby player storage unit; and

said player request response unit extracts information about the selected opposing players from said standby player storage unit and returns the extracted information as a response to said player rerequest; and

wherein said player request unit of said client issues said player rerequest to said server in accordance with a request from the user and obtains information about new opposing players as a response thereto.

6. The network game system according to claim 2, wherein said server further includes a standby player storage unit in which standby player candidates are registered;

and said player selection processing unit selects opposing players among player candidates of said standby player storage unit for users whose opposing players could not be selected from said user information storage unit.

7. The network game system according to claim 2, wherein said server further includes a participant acceptance unit that on receiving an admission request, places a user issuing said admission request into an admission state and returns menu screen information necessary for use of a player selection service;

and an exit acceptance unit that, on receiving an exit request, places a user issuing said exit request into an exit state and returns information indicating an occurrence of an exit event; and

wherein said client further includes an admission unit that sends said admission request to said server in accordance with a request from a user and obtains said menu screen information from said server; and

an exit device that sends said exit request to said server in accordance with a request from a user, and on receiving information indicating the occurrence of an exit event from said server, informs the user requesting the exit request that processing has been normally terminated.

8. The network game system according to claim 7, wherein said player selection processing unit of said server changes a timing of player selection in accordance with a number of users placed into the admission state by said participant acceptance unit.

9. The network game system according to claim 2, wherein said server further includes a level evaluation unit that on receiving an end request, calculates a level of an opposing player based on results of a game by a user issuing said end request and updates contents of said user information storage unit;

and

wherein said client further includes an end request unit that on receiving a game end issuance command, sends said end request to said server.

10. The network game system according to claim 2, wherein said server further includes a display information output unit that on receiving a request to display specified information within said user information storage unit, sends back the specified information;

and said client further sends a display request corresponding to a display request issuance command from a user of the display request issuance command to said server and presents a response thereto to the user.

11. The network game system according to claim 2, on receiving said player request, said player request response unit within said server outputs said player information containing network address of an opposing player and game start timing information specifying a time to start a game;

wherein said client further includes;

a game unit that when a game start command is inputted, plays a game with an opposing player specified in a network address through a communication network, and on receiving a surrender command from a user, sends information indicating an occurrence of a surrender event to a play partner, and on receiving a player request issuance command from a user, sends information indicating rejection of a play to a play partner; and

a client synchronous control unit that when a time indicated by said game start timing information is reached, transfers said game start command to said game unit; and

wherein said player request unit transfers a network address contained in said player information received from said server to said game unit.

12. The network game system according to claim 2, wherein said client further includes an image incorporating unit that sends a still image of a player to a partner client in a game, in combination with a move sent to a play partner, and on receiving the still image along with the move from said partner client, fetches the still image and displays it on a screen.

13. The network game system according to claim 1, wherein said server further includes a player selection processing unit that determines combinations of games among users placed in said game queue;

and

clients including a game request unit that outputs said game request to said server.

14. The network game system according to claim 13, wherein said player selection processing unit determines combinations of games at an earlier time than the time to issue said player request.

15. The network game system according to claim 14, wherein said game request unit within said client receives said player request issuance timing information from said server;

and

wherein said client further includes a player request unit that, when the time specified in said player request issuance timing information is reached, outputs said player request to said server and receives information about opposing players from said server.