Virtual space system, virtual space control device, virtual space control method, and recording medium

• US 7,076,525 B1
• Filed: 11/16/2000
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LINE Corporation (A Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Satoru, Hata, Katsushige
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARQADLE, YASIN M
• Application Number:
  US09/714,743
• Time in Patent Office: 2,063 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709204-206, 709/217, 709/227, 709/230, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

In a virtual space system, it is made possible to freely set a region where a chat is recorded, without reducing a chat feasible region and complicating the system. A server is provided with user objects for holding latest position information of a transmitter in a virtual space and transmission region definition information for defining a transmission region, and chat reception objects for holding latest position information of application objects and reception region definition information for defining a reception region, and only contents of a chat issued from the transmitter in the reception region or only contents of a chat issued from the transmitter when the reception object enters the transmission region are stored in a chat storage file.

Claims

1. A virtual space system having a chat function, comprising:

at least two communicatively connected servers;

a

virtual space control device coupled to the at least two communicatively connected servers, the virtual space control device including;

transmission holding means for holding latest position information of a transmitter in a virtual space and transmission region definition information for defining a transmission region as a closed region on one of the at least two communicatively connected servers that includes the transmitter,

reception object holding means for holding latest position information of a reception object and reception region definition information for defining a reception region as a closed region on another of the at least two communicatively connected servers that include the reception object; and

at least one chat storage file for storing only contents of a chat issued from the transmitter in the reception region or only contents of a chat issued from the transmitter when the reception object enters the transmission region, wherein a reception region use flag information is used to determine whether the reception region is used, and in a case where the reception region use flag information indicates that the reception region is not used, storage of the contents of the chat is made while relation to the reception object holding means which has entered the transmission region is established, and in a case where the reception region use flag information indicates that the reception region is used, the storage is made while relation to the reception object holding means relative to the reception region where the transmitter has entered is established.

2. A virtual space system according to claim 1, wherein the reception object holding means further holds reception region use information indicating whether the reception region is used,

in a case where the reception region use information indicates that the reception region is not used, the at least one chat storage file stores only the contents of the chat issued from the transmitter when the reception object enters the transmission region, and

in a case where the reception region use information indicates that the reception region is used, the at least one chat storage file stores only the contents of the chat issued from the transmitter in the reception region.

3. A virtual space system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission region and the reception region are closed regions defined by two-dimensional elements.

4. A virtual space system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission region and the reception region are inner regions of polygonal columns each having a section of a polygon drawn on a horizontal plane in the virtual space.

5. A virtual space system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission region and the reception region are inner regions of segmental columns each having a section of a segment drawn on a horizontal plane in the virtual space.

6. A virtual space system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission region is defined while relation to the latest position information of the transmitter is established, and the reception region is defined while relation to the latest position information of the reception object is established.

7. A virtual space system according to claim 1, further comprising a reception object control device for preparing and controlling the reception object,

wherein the latest position information of the reception object and the reception region definition information are set while relation to the reception object is established.

8. A virtual space control device for controlling a virtual space having a chat function, comprising:

transmission object holding means for holding latest position information of a transmitter in the virtual space and transmission region definition information for defining a transmission region as a closed region on a first server at a side of the transmitter; and

reception object holding means for holding latest position information of a reception object and reception region definition information for defining a reception region as a closed region on a second server at a side of the reception object,

wherein only contents of a chat issued from the transmitter in the reception region or only contents of a chat issued from the transmitter when the reception object enters the transmission region are stored in at least one chat storage file, and wherein a reception region use flag information is used to determine whether the reception region is used, and in a case where the reception region use flag information indicates that the reception region is not used, storage of the contents of the chat is made while relation to the reception object holding means which has entered the transmission region is established, and in a case where the reception region use flag information indicates that the reception region is used, the storage is made while relation to the reception object holding means relative to the reception region where the transmitter has entered is established.

9. A control method of a virtual space having a chat function, comprising the steps of:

holding latest position information of a transmitter in the virtual space and transmission region definition information for defining a transmission region as closed region defined within a first server;

holding latest position information of a reception object and reception region definition information for defining a reception region as a closed region defined within a second server; and

storing in at least one chat storage file only contents of a chat issued from the transmitter in the reception region or only contents of a chat issued from the transmitter when the reception object enters the transmission region, wherein a reception region use flag information is used to determine whether the reception region is used, and in a case where the reception region use flag information indicates that the reception region is not used, storage of the contents of the chat is made while relation to the reception object holding means which has entered the transmission region is established, and in a case where the reception region use flag information indicates that the reception region is used, the storage is made while relation to the reception object holding means relative to the reception region where the transmitter has entered is established.

10. An information providing medium for providing a program which causes a computer to execute functions of:

holding latest position information of a transmitter in a virtual space and transmission region definition information for defining a transmission region as a closed region defined within a first server;

holding latest position information of a reception object in the virtual space and reception region definition for defining a reception region as a closed region defined within a second server; and

storing in at least one chat storage file only contents of a chat issued from the transmitter in the reception region or only contents of a chat issued from the transmitter when the reception object enters the transmission region, wherein a reception region use flag information is used to determine whether the reception region is used, and in a case where the reception region use flag information indicates that the reception region is not used, storage of the contents of the chat is made while relation to the reception object holding means which has entered the transmission region is established, and in a case where the reception region use flag information indicates that the reception region is used, the storage is made while relation to the reception object holding means relative to the reception region where the transmitter has entered is established.