Information processing apparatus, method and medium using a virtual reality space

• US 7,685,518 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2002
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LINE Corporation (A Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Koichi, Naito, Taketo, Ueno, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitaro; Ryan F
• Application Number:
  US10/305,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20030080989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,674 Days
• Field of Search: 715/706
• US Class Current: 715/706
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• 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 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/825 Fostering virtual characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8058 Virtual breeding, e.g. tamagotchi
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/16 involving adaptation to the client's capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

An object in a virtual reality space is made perform complicated movements. A user (or a keeper) who controls an object (or a pet) in a virtual reality space enters a command at the client terminal of the user by means of chat operation. The entered command is sent to a server. The server has a table listing the relationship between commands and movements to be performed by the object in the virtual reality space. For example, the relation is between command “Jump” and movement of jumping. The server interprets the received command by referencing this table. The interpretation result is sent to the client terminal. On the client terminal, the object (the pet) in the virtual reality space performs complicated movements such as dancing according to the received interpretation result.

Claims

1. An information processing method for receiving the provision of a virtual reality space from a server through a network, comprising steps of:

inputting at a client system a command within a chat message for making an object under control in said virtual reality space perform a predetermined movement;

sending from said client system said command to said server;

receiving at said client system a control instruction for controlling a behavior of said object under control from said server, wherein the control instruction is interpreted from the command inputted within the chat message;

receiving at said client system a growth instruction for controlling the growth of said object based on a growth table, remaining life time and a birth date associated with said object; and

controlling at said client system, based on said control instruction, the displaying of said object under control, wherein said object under control is an object representing a virtual reality life object, and wherein said virtual reality space is a shared virtual reality space that is simultaneously accessed by a plurality of information processing apparatuses connected to said network,

wherein said command is inputted within the chat message, and said control instruction is received, each time a movement of the object is requested.

2. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the command is extracted from a natural language conversation of a user in the chat message.

3. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein said control instruction includes a plurality of operable control instructions and wherein a user who inputs said command at said client system previously associated said command with said control instructions by entering a second command which included said command and said plurality of operable control instructions and wherein in response to said user previously entering said second command, said command was previously received at said client system.

4. The information processing method according to claim 1, including sending from said server the control instruction based on a growth parameter associated with said object.

5. The information processing method according to claim 4, wherein the growth parameter is not associated with the command from the client system.

6. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the control instruction is an ignore command instruction.

7. An information processing apparatus connected to a server through a network for receiving the provision of a virtual reality space, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, performs the steps of;

inputting at a client system a command within a chat message for making an object under control in said virtual reality space perform a predetermined movement;

sending from said client system said command to said server;

receiving at said client system a control instruction for controlling a behavior of said object under control from said server, wherein the control instruction is interpreted from the command inputted within the chat message, and receiving at said client system a growth instruction for controlling the growth of said object based on a growth table, remaining life time and a birth date associated with said object; and

controlling at said client system, based on said control instruction, the displaying of said object under control, wherein said object under control is an object representing a virtual reality life object, and wherein said virtual reality space is a shared virtual reality space that is simultaneously accessed by a plurality of information processing apparatuses connected to said network, wherein said command is inputted within the chat message and said control instruction is received each time a movement of the object is requested.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to perform the step of sending from said server the control instruction based on a growth parameter associated with said object.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the growth parameter is not associated with the command from the client system.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the script for controlling a behavior is an ignore command script.

11. An information processing method comprising:

inputting at a client system a command within a chat message for making an object under control in said virtual reality perform a predetermined movement;

sending from said client system said command to said server;

receiving at said client system a script for controlling a behavior of said object under control in response to said command from said server, wherein the script is interpreted from the command inputted within the chat message;

receiving at said client system a growth instruction for controlling the growth of said object based on a growth table, remaining life time and a birth date associated with said object; and

controlling at said client system, based on said script, the displaying of said object under control, wherein said object under control is an object representing a virtual reality life object, and wherein said virtual reality space is a shared virtual reality space that is simultaneously accessed by a plurality of information processing apparatuses connected to said network.

12. The information processing method according to claim 11, including sending from said server the script based on a growth parameter associated with said object.

13. The information processing method according to claim 12, wherein the growth parameter is not associated with the command from the client system.

14. The information processing method according to claim 11, wherein the script for controlling a behavior is an ignore command script.

15. An information processing method for providing a virtual reality space to a client terminal connected through a network, comprising steps of:

receiving from said client terminal a command within a chat message associated with a predetermined movement to be performed by an object under control in said virtual reality space from said client terminal;

interpreting said command within the chat message received by said receiving step by referencing a table listing a relationship between said command and said predetermined movement to be performed by said object under control;

transmitting to said client terminal a growth instruction for controlling the growth of said object based on a growth table, remaining life time and a birth date associated with said object; and

transmitting to said client terminal a control instruction for controlling the displaying of said object under control based on a result of the interpretation by the interpreting step, wherein said object under control is an object representing a virtual reality life object, and wherein said virtual reality space is a shared virtual reality space that is simultaneously accessed by a plurality of information processing apparatuses connected to said network,

wherein said command is inputted within the chat message and said control instruction is received each time a movement of the object is requested.

16. The information processing method according to claim 15, wherein the command is extracted from a natural language conversation of a user in the chat message.

17. The information processing method according to claim 15, wherein interpreting said command includes referencing a growth parameter associated with said object.

18. The information processing method according to claim 17, wherein the growth parameter is not associated with the command from the client terminal.

19. The information processing method according to claim 15, wherein the control instruction is an ignore command instruction.

20. An information processing apparatus for providing a virtual reality space to a client terminal connected to said information processing apparatus through a network, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, performs the steps of;

receiving from said client terminal a command within a chat message associated with a predetermined movement to be performed by an object under control in said virtual reality space from said client terminal;

storing a table listing a relationship between said command within the chat message and said predetermined movement to be performed by said object under control;

interpreting said command within the chat message received by said receiving means by referencing said table;

transmitting to said client terminal a growth instruction for controlling the growth of said object based on a growth table, remaining life time and a birth date associated with said object; and

transmitting to said client terminal a control instruction interpreted from the command within the chat message for controlling the displaying of said object under control based on a result of the interpretation by the interpreting means, wherein said object under control is an object representing a virtual reality life object, and wherein said virtual reality space is a shared virtual reality space that is simultaneously accessed by a plurality of information processing apparatuses connected to said network, wherein said command within the chat message is inputted and said control instruction is received each time a movement of the object is requested.

21. The information processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein interpreting said command includes referencing a growth parameter associated with said object.

22. The information processing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the growth parameter is not associated with the command from the client terminal.

23. The information processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the control instruction is an ignore command instruction.

24. An information processing method for receiving the provision of a virtual reality space from a server through a network, comprising steps of:

inputting at a client system a command within a chat message for making an object under control in said virtual reality space perform a predetermined movement;

sending from said client system said command within the chat message to said server;

receiving at said client system a control instruction interpreted from the command within the text message for controlling a behavior of said object under control in response to said command from said server and receiving at said client system a growth instruction for controlling the growth of said object based on a growth table, remaining life time and a birth date associated with said object; and

controlling at said client system, based on said control instruction, the displaying of said object under control, wherein said object under control is an object representing a virtual object behaving by an autonomous movement based on a parameter representing a status of the object,

wherein said command within the chat message is inputted and said control instruction is received each time a movement of the object is requested.

25. The information processing method according to claim 24, wherein said command is a combination of a word and a symbol inputted into the chat message.

26. The information processing method according to claim 24, wherein said object under control is an object representing a virtual reality life object.

27. The information processing method according to claim 24, wherein said object under control is an object to which a controlling user is set.

28. The information processing method according to claim 24, wherein said virtual reality space is a shared virtual reality space that is simultaneously accessed by a plurality of information processing apparatuses connected to said network.

29. The information processing method according to claim 28, wherein said command is inputted through an input interface of one of said plurality of information processing apparatuses for transmitting a message to any other of said plurality of information processing apparatuses.

30. The information processing method according to claim 29, wherein said command comprises an identifier for making distinction from said message and information about a movement to be performed by said object under control.

31. The information processing method according to claim 24, wherein the command is extracted from a natural language conversation of a user in the chat message.

32. The information processing method according to claim 24, including sending from said server the control instruction based on a growth parameter associated with said object.

33. The information processing method according to claim 32, wherein the growth parameter is not associated with the command from the client system.

34. The information processing method according to claim 24, wherein the control instruction is an ignore command instruction.

35. An information processing apparatus connected to a server through a network for receiving the provision of a virtual reality space, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, performs the steps of;

inputting at a client system a command within a chat message for making an object under control in said virtual reality space perform a predetermined movement;

sending from said client system said command within the chat message to said server;

receiving at said client system a control instruction interpreted from the command within the chat message for controlling a behavior of said object under control in response to said command from said server and receiving at said client system a growth instruction for controlling the growth of said object based on a growth table, remaining life time and a birth date associated with said object; and

controlling at said client system, based on said control instruction, the displaying of said object under control, wherein said object under control is an object representing a virtual object behaving by an autonomous movement based on a parameter representing a status of the object, wherein said command is inputted and said control instruction is received each time a movement of the object is requested.

36. The information processing apparatus according to claim 35, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to perform the step of sending from said server the control instruction based on a growth parameter associated with said object.

37. The information processing apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the growth parameter is not associated with the command from the client system.

38. The information processing apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the control instruction is an ignore command instruction.

39. An information processing method comprising:

inputting a command within a chat message at a client system for making an object under control in said virtual reality space perform a predetermined movement;

sending from said client system said command and chat message to said server;

receiving at said client system a first script interpreted from the command within the chat message for controlling a behavior of said object under control in response to said command from said server and receiving at said client system a second script for controlling the growth of said object based on a growth table, remaining life time and a birth date associated with said object; and

controlling at said client system, based on said first script, the displaying of said object under control, wherein said object under control is an object representing a virtual object behaving by an autonomous movement based on a parameter representing a status of the object,

wherein said command within the chat message is inputted and said control instruction is received each time a movement of the object is requested.

40. The information processing method according to claim 39, including sending from said server the first script based on a growth parameter associated with said object.

41. The information processing method according to claim 40, wherein the growth parameter is not associated with the command from the client system.

42. The information processing method according to claim 39, wherein the first script for controlling a behavior is an ignore command script.

43. An information processing method for providing a virtual reality space to a client terminal connected through a network comprising steps of:

receiving from said client terminal a command within a chat message associated with a predetermined movement to be performed by an object under control in said virtual reality space from said client terminal;

interpreting said command within the chat message received by said receiving step by referencing a table listing a relationship between said command and said predetermined movement to be performed by said object under control;

transmitting to said client terminal a growth instruction for controlling the growth of said object based on a growth table, remaining life time and a birth date associated with said object; and

transmitting to said client terminal a control instruction for controlling the displaying of said object under control based on a result of the interpretation by the interpreting step, wherein said object under control is an object representing a virtual object behaving by an autonomous movement based on a parameter representing a status of the object,

wherein said command within the chat message is inputted and said control instruction is received each time a movement of the object is requested.

44. The information processing method according to claim 43, wherein said command within the chat message is a combination of a word and a symbol.

45. The information processing method according to claim 43, wherein said object under control is an object representing a virtual reality life object.

46. The information processing method according to claim 43, wherein said object under control is an object to which a controlling user is set.

47. The information processing method according to claim 43, wherein said virtual reality space is a shared virtual reality space that is simultaneously accessed by a plurality of information processing apparatuses connected to said network.

48. The information processing method according to claim 47, wherein said command is inputted through an input interface of one of said plurality of information processing apparatuses for transmitting a message to any other of said plurality of information processing apparatuses.

49. The information processing method according to claim 48, wherein said command comprises an identifier for making distinction from said message and information about a movement to be performed by said object under control.

50. The information processing method according to claim 43, wherein the command is extracted from a natural language conversation of a user in the chat message.

51. The information processing method according to claim 43, wherein interpreting said command includes referencing a growth parameter associated with said object.

52. The information processing method according to claim 51, wherein the growth parameter is not associated with the command from the client terminal.

53. The information processing method according to claim 43, wherein the control instruction is an ignore command instruction.

54. An information processing apparatus for providing a virtual reality space to a client terminal connected to said information processing apparatus through a network, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, performs the steps of;

receiving from said client terminal a command within a chat message associated with a predetermined movement to be performed by an object under control in said virtual reality space from said client terminal;

storing a table listing a relationship between said command and said predetermined movement to be performed by said object under control;

interpreting said command within the chat message received by said receiving means by referencing said table;

transmitting to said client terminal a growth instruction for controlling the growth of said object based on a growth table, remaining life time and a birth date associated with said object; and

transmitting to said client terminal a control instruction for controlling the displaying of said object under control based on a result of the interpretation by the interpreting means, wherein said object under control is an object representing a virtual object behaving by an autonomous movement based on a parameter representing a status of the object, wherein said command within the chat message is inputted and said control instruction is received each time a movement of the object is requested.

55. The information processing apparatus according to claim 54, wherein interpreting said command includes referencing a growth parameter associated with said object.

56. The information processing apparatus according to claim 55, wherein the growth parameter is not associated with the command from the client terminal.

57. The information processing apparatus according to claim 54, wherein the control instruction is an ignore command instruction.