Online game server, online game program product and game apparatus

• US 8,480,496 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2008
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Inventors: Tomita, Yosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ROSS A
• Application Number:
  US12/116,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20080300060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,889 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463 1- 6, 463/41, 463/43, 705/14.4
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• 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: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers

Abstract

An online game server delivers an online game to a player terminal via a communication network. The online game is played in the player terminal operated by a player. The online game server receives object selection information indicating that an object selectably displayed on a game display screen of the online game is selected at the player terminal. The online game server then transmits related site specification information to the player terminal on the basis of the received object selection information. The related site specification information is used for the player terminal to access a related site related to the object. Game progress information necessary for progress of the online game is included in the related site. The related site specification information is a URL indicating an address of the related site or a search formula for searching for the related site using a search engine.

Claims

1. A game-use-type advertisement distribution system comprising:

an online game server that delivers an online game to a player terminal via a communication network, the online game being played in the player terminal operated by a player and including a quiz to be solved and at least one object; and

an advertisement site server that delivers an advertisement site to the player terminal, the advertisement site being related to the at least one object in the online game,

wherein the online game server comprises;

a quiz provider that provides the quiz to the player terminal, solving the quiz being indispensable to completion of a story of the online game;

a story object provider that provides a story object, which is one of the at least one object in the online game and is related to an answer to the quiz, to a game display screen of the online game;

a selection information receiver that receives object selection information, the object selection information indicating that the story object is selected at the player terminal; and

a specification information transmitter that transmits advertisement site specification information to the player terminal based on the object selection information received by the selection information receiver, the advertisement site specification information being used by the player terminal to access the advertisement site, the advertisement site including an advertisement for the story object posted in the advertisement site and, game progress information comprising the answer to the quiz,

wherein the advertisement site server comprises;

an advertisement site display information transmitter that transmits advertisement site display information to the player terminal when the advertisement site is accessed from the player terminal based on the advertisement site specification information received from the online game server, the advertisement site display information being used to display an advertisement site screen on the game display screen, the advertisement site screen displaying the advertisement site specified by the advertisement site specification information,

wherein the advertisement site screen comprises a balloon-shaped window originating from the selected story object, the balloon-shaped window including a product image display region and a product data display region, the product image display region displaying a product image of the selected story object, and the product data display region displaying product data related to a product displayed in the product image display region, the product data including the game progress information, the product image display region and the product data display region being displayed in the balloon-shaped window, and

wherein the answer to the quiz is displayed.

2. The game-use-type advertisement distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the advertisement site specification information is a URL indicating an address of the advertisement site.

3. The game-use-type advertisement distribution system according to claim 2, further comprising:

an access counter that counts a number of access times when the specification information transmitter transmits the advertisement site specification information to the player terminal, the transmission of the advertisement site specification information indicating that access to the advertisement site is carried out by the player terminal; and

an accounting information accumulator that accumulates accounting information for an administrator of the advertisement site in accordance with the number of access times counted by the access counter, the accounting information being accumulated in a game information storage included in the online game server.

4. The game-use-type advertisement distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the advertisement site specification information is a search formula for searching for the advertisement site using a search engine.

5. The game-use-type advertisement distribution system according to claim 4,

wherein the search formula includes at least one condition specifying the story object, the at least one condition being selected from among a product name, a manufacturing company name, and a domain name.

6. The game-use-type advertisement distribution system according to claim 5, further comprising:

an access counter that counts a number of access times when the specification information transmitter transmits the advertisement site specification information to the player terminal, the transmission of the advertisement site specification information indicating that access to the advertisement site is carried out by the player terminal; and

an accounting information accumulator that accumulates accounting information for an administrator of the advertisement site in accordance with the number of access times counted by the access counter, the accounting information being accumulated in a game information storage included in the online game server.

7. The game-use-type advertisement distribution system according to claim 4, further comprising:

an access counter that counts a number of access times when the specification information transmitter transmits the advertisement site specification information to the player terminal, the transmission of the advertisement site specification information indicating that access to the advertisement site is carried out by the player terminal; and

an accounting information accumulator that accumulates accounting information for an administrator of the advertisement site in accordance with the number of access times counted by the access counter, the accounting information being accumulated in a game information storage included in the online game server.

8. The game-use-type advertisement distribution system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an access counter that counts a number of access times when the specification information transmitter transmits the advertisement site specification information to the player terminal, the transmission of the advertisement site specification information indicating that access to the advertisement site is carried out by the player terminal; and

an accounting information accumulator that accumulates accounting information for an administrator of the advertisement site in accordance with the number of access times counted by the access counter, the accounting information being accumulated in a game information storage included in the online game server.

9. The game-use-type advertisement distribution system according to claim 1,

wherein when the story object is selected at the player terminal, the object selection information is sent from the player terminal to the online game server, and the advertisement specification information is sent from the online game server to the player terminal, in response to the object selection information, and

upon receiving the advertisement specification information, the advertisement site in the advertisement site server is accessed by the player terminal based on the advertisement specification information received from the online game server.

10. The a game-use-type advertisement distribution system according to claim 1, wherein, the quiz comprises making recipe, the story object comprises an ingredient to make the recipe, and the answer to the quiz comprises an amount of the ingredient necessary to make the recipe.