Log collecting/analyzing system with separated functions of collecting log information and analyzing the same

• US 7,558,820 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2002
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kanee, Kazuhiro, Kimoto, Yousuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Dustin
• Application Number:
  US10/162,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20020184366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,590 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/201, 719/318, 379/32, 725/109, 702/184, 370/242, 717/131, 707/104.1, 463/40
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• 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 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• 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 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• 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 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A log collecting/analyzing system has a log collection terminal device as a client terminal device which collects logs and transmits the collected logs to a log server via a network. The log server receives the transmitted logs and stores the received logs for analysis. According to this configuration, it is possible to obtain useful information, such as information about what play modes are popular in the case of games and so forth, or information about what characters are popular in the case of selecting a character for a game. Therefore, it is possible to make use of the result of log analysis to develop the game.

Claims

1. A log collecting/analyzing system, comprising:

a client terminal device having a determining unit operable to determine whether log collecting processing is executable, an executing unit operable to execute a selected application program to permit a user of the client terminal device to play a game, the application program being selected from a plurality of application programs executable on the client terminal device, and the application program being the object of log collection analysis processing when the result of the determination is that the processing is executable, a generating unit operable to generate log information, a collecting unit operable to collect log information generated by the generating unit and a transmitter operable to transmit collected log information via a network, the client terminal device being operable to authenticate the user and permit user control over log collecting processing by an authenticated user;

a log server having a storing/analyzing unit operable to store and analyze the log information transmitted from the client terminal device which results from the log collecting processing under control of an authenticated user for each selected application program in a desired form including at least identification of the authenticated user of the client terminal device which transmitted the log information, a date of play, and information identifying a number of times each of a plurality of play modes are selected by the user; and

log utilizing terminal devices each having a requesting unit operable to request analyzed log information from the log server via the network and a receiving unit operable to receive the analyzed log information from the log server,

wherein the storing/analyzing unit of the log server analyzes the log information using procedures defined by the log utilizing terminal devices, each of the procedures is predetermined corresponding to each of the log utilizing devices and the log information is independently managed for each application program.

2. The log collecting/analyzing system according to claim 1, wherein the client terminal device further comprises a forming unit operable to form a basic structure of a log and a generating unit operable to generate desired log information from the basic structure of the log.

3. The log collecting/analyzing system according to claim 2, wherein the forming unit is operable to form a tree structure consisting of nodes and elements as the basic structure of the log, and the generating unit is operable to generate the desired log information hierarchically utilizing the tree structure.

4. The log collecting/analyzing system according to claim 1, wherein the client terminal device manages the collected log information independently for each application program.

5. The log collecting/analyzing system according to claim 1, wherein the client terminal device stores the collected log information under an off-line condition except for log information transmission processing for the log server.

6. The log collecting/analyzing system according to claim 1, wherein the client terminal device stores the collected log information in a desired form.

7. The log collecting/analyzing system according to claim 1, wherein the storing/analyzing unit is operable to pull out necessary information to analyze from the log information transmitted from the client terminal device.

12. The log collecting/analyzing system according to claim 1, wherein the log information in the client terminal device includes a transmission flag representing whether the log information has been transmitted to the log server.

13. The method of log analysis according to claim 7, wherein the log information in the client terminal device includes a transmission flag representing whether the log information has been transmitted to the log server.

8. A method of log analysis, comprising:

receiving log information transmitted from a log collection terminal device via a network, the log information resulting from log collecting processing performed during execution of a selected application program to permit a user to play a game, the application program being selected from a plurality of executable application programs, the log collecting processing being under control of an authenticated user, the log collection terminal device authenticating the user and determining whether log collecting processing is executable;

storing the received log information;

analyzing the stored log information utilizing a log analysis interface to produce an analyzed result, wherein the log information is analyzed using procedures defined by log utilizing terminal devices for each selected application program in a desired form including at least identification of the authenticated user of the client terminal device which transmitted the log information, a date of play, and information identifying a number of times each of a plurality of play modes are selected by the user, and wherein each of the procedures is predetermined corresponding to each of the log utilizing devices;

storing the analyzed result;

receiving a request for the analyzed result from the log utilizing terminal devices via the network; and

transmitting the analyzed result to the log utilizing terminal devices via the network.

9. The method of log analysis according to claim 8, further comprising:

analyzing the stored log information for each application program utilizing a database which is provided with a log management database for managing from which log application program the log user utilizes the log information, a log storage database for managing log information registered in a log application program and a log analyzed result management database for managing analyzed log information.

10. A recording medium recorded with a log analysis program to be executed on a computer, the program comprising:

receiving log information transmitted from a log collection terminal device, the log information resulting from log collecting processing performed during execution of a selected application program to permit a user to play a game, the application program being selected from a plurality of application programs executable on the computer, the log collecting processing being under control of an authenticated user, via a network, the log collection terminal device authenticating the user and determining whether log collecting processing is executable;

storing the received log information;

analyzing the stored log information utilizing a log analysis interface to produce an analyzed result;

wherein the log information is analyzed using procedures defined by log utilizing terminal devices for each selected application program in a desired form including at least identification of the authenticated user of the client terminal device which transmitted the log information, a date of play, and information identifying a number of times each of a plurality of play modes are selected by the user;

storing the analyzed result;

receiving a request for the analyzed result from the log utilizing terminal devices via the network; and

transmitting the analyzed result to the log utilizing terminal devices via the network.

11. A log collecting/analyzing system, comprising:

a client terminal device having a determining unit operable to determine whether log collecting processing is executable, an executing unit operable to execute a selected application program to permit a user of the client terminal device to play a game, the application program being selected from a plurality of application programs executable on the client terminal device, and the selected application program being the object of log collection analysis processing when the result of the determination is that the processing is executable, a generating unit operable to generate log information, a collecting unit operable to collect log information generated by the generating unit and a transmitter operable to transmit the collected log information to a log server via a network, the client terminal device being operable to authenticate a user and permit user control over log collecting processing by an authenticated user;

a log server having a storing/analyzing unit for storing and analyzing the log information transmitted from the client terminal device which results from the log collecting processing under control of an authenticated user for each selected application program in a desired form including at least identification of the authenticated user of the client terminal device which transmitted the log information, a date of play, and information identifying a number of times each of a plurality of play modes are selected by the user; and

log utilizing terminal devices each having a requesting unit operable to request analyzed log information from the log server via the network and a receiving unit operable to receive the analyzed log information from the log server,

wherein the storing/analyzing unit of the log server analyzes the log information using procedures defined by the log utilizing terminal devices, each of the procedures is predetermined corresponding to each of the log utilizing devices and the log information is independently managed for each application program.

14. The log collecting/analyzing system according to claim 11, wherein the log information in the client terminal device includes a transmission flag representing whether the log information has been transmitted to the log server.