Communication management apparatus

• US 6,401,122 B1
• Filed: 12/09/1996
• Issued: 06/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Matsui, Kazuki, Ohno, Takashi, Iwakawa, Akinori, Kawaguchi, Naohisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C.
• Application Number:
  US08/761,363
• Time in Patent Office: 2,003 Days
• Field of Search: 380/25, 369/58, 364/748.02, 370/260, 370/412, 370/429, 370/266, 370/267, 370/270, 345/330, 345/331, 345/349, 345/332, 345/751, 345/755, 345/753, 345/758, 345/467, 345/760, 345/752, 345/754, 345/762, 345/741, 345/329, 709/203, 709/204, 709/205, 709/227, 709/228, 709/229, 709/208, 709/223, 709/224, 710/52, 710/53, 576/692, 395/200.34, 395/200.35, 395/200.57, 395/200.58, 395/200.59
• US Class Current: 709/227
• 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 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/71 using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/157 defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827

Abstract

There is provided a communication management apparatus for managing a joining of symbols in a virtual world in a message communication system in which a plurality of user terminals are interconnected, the plurality of user terminals sharing the virtual world comprising a plurality of virtual spaces, and the symbols each defined for the associated one of the user terminals which will join the virtual world, and messages are exchanged among a plurality of user terminals corresponding to a plurality of symbols which have entered the same virtual space. In accordance with the communication management apparatus, the upper limit of number of symbols (users) capable of joining in the communication area is defined for each communication area. According to the communication management apparatus, it is possible to provide a user management system abounding in flexibility.

Claims

1. A communication management apparatus for managing a joining of symbols in a virtual world in a message communication system in which a plurality of user terminals are interconnected, the plurality of user terminals sharing the virtual world comprising a plurality of virtual spaces, and the symbols each defined for the associated one of the user terminals which will join the virtual world, and messages are exchanged among a plurality of user terminals corresponding to a plurality of symbols which have entered the same virtual space,

wherein said message communication system is a system in which a number of symbols, who are permitted in their simultaneous entrance in each of said plurality of virtual spaces, is set up in upper limit, and

wherein said communication management apparatus comprises:

queue generating means for arranging, in a case where the upper limit of number of symbols have entered any of said plurality of virtual spaces, symbol ID information specifying a symbol requesting entrance in a queue corresponding to the virtual space of interest, when a further request for entrance into the virtual space of interest occurs; and

entrance management means for providing such a control that when any of the upper limit of number of symbols entered any of said plurality of virtual spaces is removed from the virtual space and when pieces of symbol ID information are set on the queue corresponding to the virtual space of interest, a symbol specified by symbol ID information set on the top of the queue is entered in the virtual space of interest, and the symbol ID information set on the top of the queue is deleted from the queue.

2. A communication management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said message communication system permits presence of receiving only user terminals for performing receiving only of messages to be exchanged between the user terminals joined in exchange of messages, in addition to the user terminals joining in exchange of messages corresponding to the symbols entered the virtual space;

and

wherein said communication management apparatus further comprises a receiving only user terminal management unit for causing the user terminals specified by the pieces of symbol ID information set on the queue to join in the virtual space associated with the queue in form of the receiving only user terminals.

3. A communication management apparatus for managing a joining of symbols in a virtual world in a message communication system in which a plurality of user terminals are interconnected, the plurality of user terminals sharing the virtual world comprising a plurality of virtual spaces, and the symbols each defined for the associated one of the user terminals which will join the virtual world, and messages are exchanged among a plurality of user terminals corresponding to a plurality of symbols which have entered the same virtual space, said communication management apparatus comprising:

a virtual space area management unit for holding pieces of area-inherent-information each to control an upper limit of number of simultaneous entrance of the symbols into the virtual space, each corresponding to an associated one of said plurality of virtual spaces; and

a user management unit for managing entrance of the symbols for each virtual space in accordance with the area-inherent-information,

wherein said user management unit comprises;

queue generating means for arranging, in a case where the upper limit of number of symbols have entered any of said plurality of virtual spaces, symbol ID information specifying a symbol requesting entrance in a queue corresponding to the virtual space of interest, when a further request for entrance into the virtual space of interest occurs; and

entrance management means for providing such a control that when any of the upper limit of number of symbols entered any of said plurality of virtual spaces is removed from the virtual space and when pieces of symbol ID information are set on the queue corresponding to the virtual space of interest, a symbol specified by symbol ID information set on the top of the queue is entered in the virtual space of interest, and the symbol ID information set on the top of the queue is deleted from the queue.

4. A communication management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said message communication system permits presence of receiving only user terminals for performing receiving only of messages to be exchanged between the user terminals joined in exchange of messages, in addition to the user terminals joining in exchange of messages corresponding to the symbols entered the virtual space;

and

wherein said user management unit comprises a receiving only user terminal management unit for causing the user terminals specified by the pieces of symbol ID information set on the queue to join in the virtual space associated with the queue in form of the receiving only user terminals.

5. A communication management apparatus for enabling communications to occur among a plurality of users, each the plurality of users identified by a symbol identification, in one of a plurality of virtual spaces selected by each of the plurality of users;

comprising;

a virtual space area management unit to manage the plurality of virtual spaces by maintaining an area-inherent-information table that designates a number users that are permitted communications in a virtual space as avatars, the number of users permitted access to a virtual space as ghosts, a maximum time period that a user may remain as an avatar, wherein an avatar may receive information transmitted by other avatars in the virtual space and transmit information to other avatars in the virtual space, and a ghost may receive information transmitted by avatars but not transmit information to avatars or other ghosts in the virtual space; and

a user management unit to manage the entry of users into each of the plurality of virtual spaces as either avatars or ghosts comprising;

queue generating means for generating and maintaining a queue containing the symbol identification of users denied entry to the virtual space and designated as ghosts awaiting entry to the virtual space as avatars when the maximum number of avatars permitted in the area-inherent-information table is met by the existing avatars in the virtual space, wherein the symbol identification of a user is added to the queue when the maximum number of ghosts designated by the area-inherent-information table is not exceeded and users in the queue designated as ghosts may receive information transmitted by avatars but not transmit information to ghosts or avatars; and

entrance management means for managing entry of users as avatars into the virtual space from the queue containing the symbol identification of users designated as ghosts when the maximum number of avatars drops below the maximum number permitted in the area-inherent-information table due to users leaving the virtual space when their maximum time as avatars expires as designated by the area-inherent-information table and when users leave the virtual space of their own accord, whereby the users that have changed their designation from ghosts to avatars have received all prior transmissions of avatars in the virtual space and can meaningfully engage in the transmission of information to avatars in the virtual space.