Program providing medium and shared virtual space providing apparatus and method

• US 6,577,328 B2
• Filed: 05/26/1998
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LINE Corporation (A Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Koichi, Hanaya, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duong, Oanh
• Application Number:
  US09/084,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20020186244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,841 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 709/204, 709/205, 345/435, 345/449, 345/433, 345/329, 345/355, 345/753, 345/757, 345/419, 345/473, 345/848, 379/105, 379/53, 379/54
• US Class Current: 715/757
• 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 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/58 by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/825 Fostering virtual characters
• 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 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6009 for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8058 Virtual breeding, e.g. tamagotchi
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing

Abstract

To remotely control a virtual reality creature. A shared server provides a shared virtual reality space to client PCs. An AO server controls a growth parameter of the virtual life object existing in this shared virtual reality space to control autonomous behavior of the virtual life object. A communication server sends a message to a user of each of the client PCs who is the keeper of the virtual life object according to a status transition thereof through telephone or facsimile for example.

Claims

1. A program providing medium for providing a program for controlling a shared virtual space providing apparatus for providing a shared virtual space to a plurality of client apparatuses connected to said shared virtual space providing apparatus through a network and for controlling an autonomous behavior of a virtual life object existing in said shared virtual space, said program comprising the steps of:

controlling a communication control table in which a user of said client apparatus who is a keeper of said virtual life object, a notification method of sending a message to said keeper, and an address of contact of said keeper are registered;

controlling a growth parameter control table in which data is classified as virtual life data and keeper data; and

sending said message to said address of contact according to a status transition of said virtual life object by use of said notification method registered in said communication control table, wherein the virtual life object is configured to undergo continuous autonomous transformation based on modifiable growth parameters comprising physical parameters and mental parameters, and wherein the modifiable growth parameters are sequentially updated to values computed by a predetermined growth parameter computing equation based on a timer event caused when a predetermined time has passed after a birth date initialized by said keeper.

2. A program providing medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein an identification for identifying said keeper of said virtual life object and a history of access by said keeper to said virtual life object are registered in said communication control table and,

in the sending step, said message is sent to said keeper if the same has not accessed said virtual life object for over a certain period determined by the access history.

3. A program providing medium as claimed in claim 2, wherein, in the sending step, said message is suitably selected from among a plurality of message statements.

4. A program providing medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the sending step, said message is suitably selected from among a plurality of message statements based on an updated content of a status transition control table for controlling a status transition of said virtual life object and the selected message is sent to said keeper.

5. A program providing medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein an electronic mail address of said keeper of said virtual life object is registered in said communication control table and,

in the sending step, said message based on text is sent to said electronic mail address.

6. A program providing medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein a telephone number of said keeper of said virtual life object is registered in said communication control table as an address of contact of said keeper and,

in the sending step, said message based on voice is sent to said keeper by originating a call at said telephone number.

7. A program providing medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein a facsimile number of said keeper of said virtual life object is registered in said communication control table and,

in the sending step, said message based on facsimile is sent to said keeper by originating a call at said facsimile number.

8. A program providing medium as claimed in claim 1, said program further comprising the step of:

interpreting an operation command returned from said keeper along with an identification for identifying said keeper through a simple communication apparatus, recognizing said operation command as a message to said virtual life object, and reflecting content of said operation command onto a status transition of said virtual life object.

9. A program providing medium as claimed in claim 8, wherein said simple communication apparatus is a telephone and said operation command is a dual-tone multi-frequency signal to be generated by operating a push-button for example of said telephone.

12. A program providing medium according to claim 1, wherein the virtual life data includes at least one of a 3D object ID for uniquely identifying a 3D object in one shared virtual space, and 3D coordinate values representing the virtual life object in the shared virtual space.

13. A program providing medium according to claim 12, wherein the virtual life data further includes at least one of a type of the virtual life object, a gender of the virtual life object, an identification of the virtual life object, and a world name given to the shared virtual space in which the virtual life object was born.

14. A program providing medium according to claim 12, wherein the growth parameters include parameters for specifying external growth and mental parameters.

10. A shared virtual space providing apparatus connected to a plurality of client apparatuses through a network to provide a shared virtual space to said plurality of client apparatuses and control an autonomous behavior of a virtual life object existing in said shared virtual space, comprising:

a control means for controlling a communication control table in which a user of each of said plurality of client apparatuses who is a keeper of said virtual life object, a notification method of sending a message to said keeper, and an address of contact of said keeper are registered;

a growth parameter control table in which data is classified as virtual life data and keeper data; and

a sending means for sending said message to said keeper at said address of contact registered in said communication control table according to a status transition of said virtual life object by use of said notification method registered in said communication control table, wherein the virtual life object is configured to undergo continuous autonomous transformation based on modifiable growth parameters comprising physical parameters and mental parameters, and wherein the modifiable growth parameters are sequentially updated to values computed by a predetermined growth parameter computing equation based on a timer event caused when a predetermined time has passed after a birth date initialized by said keeper.

15. A shared virtual space providing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the virtual life data includes at least one of a 3D object ID for uniquely identifying a 3D object in one shared virtual space, and 3D coordinate values representing the virtual life object in the shared virtual space.

16. A shared virtual space providing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the virtual life data further includes at least one of a type of the virtual life object, a gender of the virtual life object, an identification of the virtual life object, and a world name given to the shared virtual space in which the virtual life object was born.

17. A shared virtual space providing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the growth parameters include parameters for specifying external growth and mental parameters.

11. A shared virtual space providing method for a shared virtual space providing apparatus connected to a plurality of client apparatuses through a network to provide a shared virtual space to said plurality of client apparatuses and control an autonomous behavior of a virtual life object existing in said shared virtual space, comprising the steps of:

controlling a communication control table in which a user of each of said plurality of client apparatuses who is a keeper of said virtual life object, a notification method of sending a message to said keeper, and an address of contact of said keeper are registered;

controlling a growth parameter control table in which data is classified as virtual life data and keeper data; and

sending said message to said keeper at said address of contact registered in said communication control table according to a status transition of said virtual life object by use of said notification method registered in said communication control table, wherein the virtual life object is configured to undergo continuous autonomous transformation based on modifiable growth parameters comprising physical parameters and mental parameters, and wherein the modifiable growth parameters are sequentially updated to values computed by a predetermined growth parameter computing equation based on a timer event caused when a predetermined time has passed after a birth date initialized by said keeper.

18. A shared virtual space providing method according to claim 11, wherein the virtual life data includes at least one of a 3D object ID for uniquely identifying a 3D object in one shared virtual space, and 3D coordinate values representing the virtual life object in the shared virtual space.

19. A shared virtual space providing method according to claim 18, wherein the virtual life data further includes at least one of a type of the virtual life object, a gender of the virtual life object, an identification of the virtual life object, and a world name given to the shared virtual space in which the virtual life object was born.

20. A shared virtual space providing method according to claim 18, wherein the growth parameters include parameters for specifying external growth and mental parameters.