Communications system for retrieving instruction files from a server

• US 7,246,126 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2002
• Issued: 07/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shin, Hidehiko, Wada, Hiromi, Mizuyama, Masashige, Kato, Atsunobu, Hirose, Takako, Inami, Satoshi, Matsuda, Munehito
• Primary Examiner(s): RIMELL, SAMUEL G
• Application Number:
  US10/046,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20020099718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,008 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/201, 707/1, 707/3, 709/219, 709/221, 709/220, 709/242
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A terminal-side communications control unit makes a request to a server for retrieving an instruction file that describes an instruction for transmitting transmission data. The server transmits the instruction file in response to the request for retrieving the instruction file. On receiving the instruction file, the terminal-side communications control unit causes an application executing unit to execute an application, and also forwards the instruction file to a transmission data generating unit. On receiving the instruction file, the transmission data generating part refers to the instruction file to generate, from generated data stored in a generated data storage unit, transmission data to be transmitted to the server.

Claims

1. A communications terminal for communicating with a server via a network, said communications terminal comprising:

a storage unit for storing an application;

an application executing unit for executing the application so as to generate data;

a generated data storage unit for storing the data generated due to execution of the application by the application executing unit;

a retrieval requesting unit for making a retrieval request to the server to retrieve an instruction file, said instruction file including transmission information specifying data for specifying transmission data to be transmitted to the server;

a transmission data generating unit for determining, from among the generated data stored in said generated data storage unit, the transmission data to be transmitted to the server based on destination server specifying data in said instruction file which specifies a destination server of the transmission data; and

a transmitting unit for transmitting the transmission data to the server.

2. The communications terminal of claim 1, wherein said retrieval requesting unit is operable to make the retrieval request before or after the application is activated.

3. The communications terminal of claim 1, wherein said application executing unit is operable to begin execution of the application upon receipt of said instruction file transmitted from the server in response to the retrieval request.

4. The communications terminal of claim 1, wherein said retrieval requesting unit is operable to make the retrieval request by using a web browser to specify said instruction file stored in the server.

5. The communications terminal of claim 1, wherein said instruction file further includes transmission format specifying data for specifying a format to be used for transmitting the transmission data to the server, and said transmitting unit includes a transmission format determining unit for determining a transmission format of the transmission data based on said transmission format specifying data, said transmitting unit being operable to transmit the transmission data in the transmission format determined by said transmission format determining unit.

6. The communications terminal of claim 1, wherein said instruction file further includes destination server specifying data for specifying a destination server to which the transmission data is to be transmitted, said transmitting unit being operable to transmit the transmission data to the destination server specified by said destination server specifying data.

7. A data transmission program on a computer readable medium, said data transmission program to be used in a communications terminal operable to communicate with a server via a network, said data transmission program comprising:

storing an application;

executing the application so as to generate data;

storing the data generated due to execution of the application;

making a retrieval request to the server to retrieve an instruction file, said instruction file including transmission information specifying data for specifying transmission data to be transmitted to the server;

determining, from among the stored data generated by the application, the transmission data to be transmitted to the server based on destination server specifying data in said instruction file which specifies a destination server of the transmission data; and

transmitting the transmission data to the server.

8. The data transmission program of claim 7, wherein said making the retrieval request comprises making the retrieval request before or after the application is activated.

9. The data transmission program of claim 7, wherein said executing the application comprises beginning the execution of the application upon receipt of said instruction file transmitted from the server in response to the retrieval request.

10. The data transmission program of claim 7, wherein said making the retrieval request comprises using a web browser to specify said instruction file stored in the server.

11. The data transmission program of claim 7, wherein said instruction file further includes transmission format specifying data for specifying a format to be used for transmitting the transmission data to the server, and said transmitting further includes determining a transmission format of the transmission data based on said transmission format specifying data, and transmitting the transmission data in the transmission format.

12. The data transmission program of claim 7, wherein said instruction file further includes destination server specifying data for specifying a destination server to which the transmission data is to be transmitted, said transmitting further including transmitting the transmission data to the destination server specified by said destination server specifying data.

13. A communications system comprising:

a server including;

an instruction file storage unit for storing an instruction file; and

an instruction file transmitting unit for transmitting the instruction file in response to a retrieval request; and

a communications terminal including;

a storage unit for storing an application;

an application executing unit for executing the application so as to generate data;

a generated data storage unit for storing the data generated due to execution of the application by the application executing unit;

a retrieval requesting unit for making the retrieval request to said server to retrieve said instruction file, said instruction file including transmission information specifying data for specifying transmission data to be transmitted to said server;

a transmission data generating unit for determining, from among the generated data stored in said generated data storage unit, the transmission data to be transmitted to said server based on destination server specifying data in said instruction file which specifies a destination server of the transmission data; and

a transmitting unit for transmitting the transmission data to said server.

14. The communications system of claim 13, wherein said retrieval requesting unit is operable to make the retrieval request before or after the application is activated.

15. The communications system of claim 13, wherein said application executing unit is operable to begin execution of the application upon receipt of said instruction file transmitted from said server in response to the retrieval request.

16. The communications system of claim 13, wherein said retrieval requesting unit is operable to make the retrieval request by using a web browser to specify said instruction file stored in said server.

17. A data transmission method to be used in a network including a communications terminal operable to transmit data generated by executing an application and a server operable to communicate with the communications terminal via the network, said method comprising:

storing an instruction file in the server;

storing an application;

executing the application so as to generate data;

storing the data generated due to execution of that application;

making a retrieval request to the server to retrieve the stored instruction file, the instruction file including transmission information specifying data for specifying transmission data to be transmitted to the server;

transmitting the previously-stored instruction file from the server to the communications terminal that made the retrieval request in response to the retrieval request;

determining, from among the stored data generated by the application, the transmission data to be transmitted to the server based on destination server specifying data in said instruction file which specifies a destination server of the transmission data; and

transmitting the transmission data to the server.

18. The data transmission method of claim 17, wherein said making the retrieval request comprises making the retrieval request before or after the application is activated.

19. The data transmission method of claim 17, wherein said executing the application comprises beginning the execution of the application upon receipt of the instruction file transmitted from the server in response to the retrieval request.

20. The data transmission method of claim 17, wherein said making the retrieval request comprises using a web browser to specify the instruction file stored in the server.