Participant search method in online game or online chat, participant searching device, participant network server, network terminal and computer program

• US 7,278,921 B1
• Filed: 10/06/2000
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Eighting
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Eighting
• Inventors: Satou, Shouji, Fujisawa, Tomonori
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzuto; Robert E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BANTA, TRAVIS R
• Application Number:
  US10/089,840
• Time in Patent Office: 2,559 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/36, 463/37, 463 39- 43, 700/90, 700/91, 709200-203, 709217-230, 709/245, 709/250, 703217-230, 703/245, 703/250
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• 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: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A participant search method in an online game and online chat, wherein, when starting an online game or online chat on a network connecting a plurality of subscribers to each other with a network server as a core, the network server that has received participant search information from one subscriber matches network subscriber-related attribute information stored in the server with the participant search information to select a matched subscriber currently connected to the network, distributes participant recruiting information to that subscriber, and sends back participant acceptance information for the subscriber who has accepted the recruiting information to the above-described one subscriber.

Claims

1. A method of searching a participant or participants in an online game or online chatting, comprising:

providing, to each of a group of subscribers, an ID retaining section for retaining an ID to be assigned from a network server, an IP recording section for temporally recording an IP address assigned, when connected to a network, from a provider in which each subscriber subscribes until connection to the network is disconnected, a transmission section to the server, and a control section connected to the ID retaining section, the IP recording section and the transmission section,

receiving participant search information from one of the subscribers in starting the online game or online chatting on the network to which a plurality of subscribers is connected with the network server as a core, said network server having a log-in monitoring section;

managing a channel and a relation between the ID and the IP address of all of the subscribers currently logging-in by the server;

collating attribute information concerning the subscribers stored in the server in response to the participant search information by the server;

selecting subscribers other than the one of the subscribers satisfying the participant search information in all the subscribers currently connected to the network by the server;

distributing participant recruiting information to the selected subscribers by the server;

upon acceptance to the participant recruiting information, transferring an IP address and an ID of an accepted subscriber through the transmission section to the server;

returning the participation acceptance information of the accepted subscriber to the one of the subscribers by the server; and

sending a start signal from the one of the subscribers to the log-in monitoring section, said log-in monitoring section monitoring until a termination signal is received from the one of the subscribers.

5. The method of searching according to claim 1, wherein said managing the channel and the relation includes managing a channel and a relation between servers.

7. The method of searching a participant or participants according to claim 1, wherein search for the participant or participants is automated when starting the online game or online chatting.

2. A participant search device used for an online game or online chatting performed on a network to which a network server and a plurality of network terminals are connected,

wherein each of the network terminals comprises an ID retaining section for retaining an ID to be assigned from the network server, an IP recording section for temporally recording an IP address assigned, when connected to the network, from a provider in which each subscriber subscribes until connection to the network is disconnected, a transmission section to the server, and a control section connected to the ID retaining section, the IP recording section and the transmission section, the IP address in the IP recording section and the ID in the ID retaining section in at least one of the subscribers being transferred to the server, upon receiving and acceptance to participant recruiting information, through the transmission section, and

wherein said network server comprises:

a subscriber attribute information storage section for storing attribute information for network subscribers;

an ID storage section for storing therein IDs of the subscribers;

a participant selection section for selecting subscribers satisfying conditions specified in a request from another of the subscribers with the attribute information stored in the subscriber attribute information storage section;

a transmission section for transmitting the participant recruiting information to the selected subscribers connected to the network;

a control section for receiving a start signal from the another of the subscribers after the another of the subscribers receives the acceptance of the participant recruiting information from at least one of the subscribers, and starting an operation, and

a log-in monitoring section for receiving the start signal through the transmission section of the server and managing a relation between the ID and the IP address of all of the subscribers currently logging-in and a channel until a termination signal is received from the one of the subscribers.

3. A network server having a communication server section for searching a participant or participants in an online game or online chatting, wherein the communication server section comprises:

a subscriber attribute information storage section for storing therein attribute information for network subscribers;

an ID storage section for storing therein subscribers'"'"' IDs;

a participant selection section for selecting the subscribers satisfying the attribute information having been stored in the subscriber attribute information storage section in response to a demand from another of the subscribers;

a transmission section for transmitting participant recruiting information to the selected subscribers connected to a network;

a control section for receiving a start signal from another of the subscribers after the another of the subscribers receives acceptance of the participant recruiting information from at least one of the subscribers, and starting an operation, and

a log-in monitoring section for managing a relation between an ID and an IP address of all of the subscribers currently logging-in and a channel until a termination signal is received from the one of the subscribers.

4. A computer program for a network server embedded in a computer readable medium for searching a participant or participants in an online game or online chatting comprising the steps of:

retaining an ID to be assigned from a network server in each of a group of subscribers;

temporally recording an IP address in each of the subscribers, said IP address being assigned, when connected to a network, from a provider in which each subscriber subscribes until connection to the network is disconnected;

managing a channel and a relation between the ID and the IP address of all of subscribers currently logging-in;

receiving participant search information from one of the subscribers connected to the network in starting the online game or online chatting on the network to which a plurality of the subscribers is connected with the network server as a core;

collating the participant search information to attribute information for the network subscribers stored in the server and selecting other subscribers currently connected to the network;

distributing participant recruiting information to the other subscribers connected to the network;

transferring the IP address and the ID in another of the subscribers to the server, upon acceptance to the participant recruiting information by the another of the subscribers;

returning the participation acceptance information for the another of the subscribers to the one of the subscribers; and

sending a start signal from the one of the subscribers to a log-in monitoring section of the server, said log-in monitoring section monitoring until a termination signal is received from the one of the subscribers.

6. The computer program according to claim 4, wherein said managing the channel and the relation includes managing a channel and a relation between servers.

8. The computer program according to claim 4, wherein search for the participant or participants is automated when starting the online game or online chatting.