Method of exchanging data between communication terminals

• US 9,220,987 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2012
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Obana, Kazutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US13/461,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20130165172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 455/518
• 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 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A communication system which includes a plurality of communication terminals, each communication terminal includes: a memory that stores a group attribute representative of an attribute of a group, the group attribute assigned to a communication terminal or a user of the communication terminal; a communication unit that transmits the group attribute stored in a memory of a correspondent terminal located within a predetermined range from the communication terminal, and receives a group attribute stored in a memory of the correspondent terminal; and a controller that compares the group attribute received by the communication unit with the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal and initiates selectively one of a first information processing and a second information processing based on a result of the comparison.

Claims

1. A communication system which includes a plurality of communication terminals and a server communicable with the plurality of the communication terminals, each communication terminal comprising:

a memory that stores a group attribute representative of an attribute of a particular group, the group attribute being pre-assigned to one or more communication terminal or to one or more user of a communication terminal;

a first communication unit that transmits a group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal to a correspondent terminal located within a predetermined range from the communication terminal, and receives from the correspondent terminal a group attribute stored in a memory of the correspondent terminal;

a second communication unit capable of transmitting data to the server; and

a controller that compares a group attribute received from a correspondent terminal with the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal and performs selectively one of a first information processing procedure and a second information processing procedure based on a result of the comparison, wherein the controller performs the first information processing procedure when the group attribute received by the communication unit and the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal are different, and the controller performs the second information processing procedure when the group attribute received by the communication unit and the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal are the same, and wherein the second communication unit transmits to the server an output of the first information processing procedure if performed by the controller.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the memory further stores first data for comparison with data stored in the memory of the correspondent terminal,

the communication unit transmits the first data stored in the memory of the communication terminal to the correspondent terminal and receives from the correspondent terminal first data stored in the memory of the correspondent terminal; and

the controller compares the first data stored in the memory of the communication terminal with the first data received by the communication unit in accordance with the first information processing procedure.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the controller executes a game application using the data stored in the memory of the communication terminal and the data received by the communication unit.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the server includes a collecting unit that collects data transmitted from each communication terminal.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the collecting unit collects the results based on a group specified by the group attribute.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein each communication terminal includes an obtaining unit that receives a result output by the collecting unit from the server.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein:

the server updates the group attribute based on the result output by the collecting unit; and

an updated group attribute output by the collecting unit is stored in the memory.

8. The system according to claim 4, wherein the server includes:

a generation unit that generates second data representative of privileges offered to a communication terminal or to a user of a communication terminal based on data received from each communication terminal; and

a transmission unit that transmits the second data generated by the generation unit to the communication terminal.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the memory further stores third data to be output at the correspondent terminal;

the communication unit transmits third data stored in the memory of the communication terminal to the correspondent terminal and receives from the correspondent terminal third data stored in the memory of the correspondent terminal; and

the controller outputs third data received by the communication unit in accordance with the second information processing procedure.

10. A communication method implemented by one or more communication terminals having a transmitter, a receiver, a data storage memory and at least one CPU or other processor, the method comprising:

transmitting a group attribute stored in a memory of a communication terminal to a correspondent terminal located within a predetermined range from the communication terminal, the group attribute representative of an attribute of a particular group of communication terminals, the group attribute being pre-assigned to one or more communication terminal or to one or more user of a communication terminal;

receiving, from the correspondent terminal, a group attribute stored in a memory of the correspondent terminal located within the predetermined range from the communication terminal;

comparing a received group attribute with the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal and performing selectively one of a first information processing procedure and a second information processing procedure based on a result of the comparison, wherein the at least one CPU or other processor performs the first information processing procedure when the group attribute received by the communication unit and the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal are different, and wherein the at least one CPU or other processor performs the second information processing procedure when a group attribute received from the correspondent terminal and the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal are the same, and

if the first information processing procedure is performed, transmitting an output of the first information processing procedure to a server computer that is communicable with the group of communication terminals.

11. A non-transient computer readable storage medium storing a computer program which when executed by a CPU or other processor of a communications terminal having a transmitter, a receiver, a data storage memory and at least one CPU or other processor causes the communications terminal to perform operations comprising:

transmitting a group attribute stored in a memory of the communication terminal to a correspondent terminal located within a predetermined range from the communication terminal, the group attribute representative of an attribute of a particular group of communication terminals, the group attribute being pre-assigned to one or more communication terminal or to one or more user of a communication terminal;

receiving, from the correspondent terminal, a group attribute stored in a memory of the correspondent terminal located within the predetermined range from the communication terminal;

comparing a received group attribute with the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal and performing selectively one of a first information processing procedure and a second information processing procedure based on a result of the comparison, wherein the at least one CPU or other processor performs the first information processing procedure when the group attribute received by the communication unit and the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal are different, and wherein the at least one CPU or other processor performs the second information processing procedure when a group attribute received from the correspondent terminal and the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal are the same, and

if the first information processing procedure is performed, transmitting an output of the first information processing procedure to a server computer that is communicable with the group of communication terminals.

12. A communication terminal having a transmitter, a receiver, a data storage memory and at least one CPU or other processor, comprising:

a memory that stores a group attribute representative of an attribute of a particular group, the group attribute being pre-assigned to one or more communication terminal or to one or more user of a communication terminal;

a first communication unit that transmits a group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal to a correspondent terminal located within a predetermined range from the communication terminal, and receives from the correspondent terminal a group attribute stored in a memory of the correspondent terminal;

a second communication unit capable of transmitting data to a server computer; and

a controller that compares a group attribute received from a correspondent terminal with the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal and performs selectively one of a first information processing procedure and a second information processing procedure based on a result of the comparison, wherein the controller performs the first information processing procedure when the group attribute received by the communication unit and the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal are different, and the controller performs the second information processing procedure when the group attribute received by the communication unit and the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal are the same, and wherein the second communication unit transmits to the server computer an output of the first information processing procedure if performed by the controller.