Storage medium having stored therein information processing program, information processing apparatus, information processing method and information processing system

• US 9,363,630 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2013
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Kuwahara, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gu, Andy
• Application Number:
  US13/945,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20130303201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• Field of Search: 455/457
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• 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 13/31 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 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Provided is an information processing system which facilitates data communication between an information processing apparatus and another apparatus. Position data indicative of a position, at which the information processing apparatus which makes up the information processing system automatically performs short-distance wireless communication, is transmitted to a server. The server accumulates and stores the position indicated by the position data transmitted from each information processing apparatus. The position data accumulated and stored at the server is transmitted to an information processing apparatus when the server receives the request therefrom.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising:

a plurality of first information processing apparatuses; and

a second information processing apparatus,

the plurality of first information processing apparatuses each comprising at least one wireless transceiver and a processing system that includes at least one hardware processor, the processing system of each corresponding one of the plurality of first information processing apparatuses configured to;

execute an automatic communication process that is configured to automatically transmit, via a corresponding wireless transceiver, repeated search communications that are used to search for other ones of the plurality of first information processing apparatus that are within a communication range, and data transmissions between another identified one of the plurality of first information processing apparatuses that is within the communication range;

store program identifier information indicating an identifier of an application program executable on the corresponding one of the plurality of first information processing apparatuses;

acquire position information indicating a position where the corresponding first information processing apparatus executed the automatic communication process;

execute, while the automatic communication process is executing, the application program stored on the corresponding one of the plurality of first information processing apparatuses;

in accordance with automatic transmissions transmitted via the automatic communication process, cause one of the at least one of the wireless transceivers to transmit the position information and the program identifier information to the second information processing apparatus, the position information and the program identifier information being associated with each other, and

the second information processing apparatus comprising a processing system and at least one processor, the processing system configured to;

receive the position information and the program identifier information transmitted from each of the plurality of first information processing apparatuses;

acquire a map image; and

generate an annotated map based on (1) the association between the position information and the program identifier information received from each one of the plurality of first information processing apparatuses and (2) the acquired map image, the generated annotated map having an image of the application program indicated by the program identifier superposed on the map image.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the processing system of the second information processing apparatus is further configured to;

receive program identifier information for a program designated by a user, and

generate a map based on the received program identifier information for the program designated by a user, where an image of the program indicated by the program identifier information is superposed on the map image.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the image of the application program is a program name.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the image of the application program is an icon.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the processing system of the second information processing apparatus is further configured to:

store, to a memory device, the position information and the program identifier information transmitted from each one of the plurality of first information processing apparatuses.

6. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the processing system of the second information processing apparatus is further configured to:

store, to a memory device, the map image.

7. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the application program is a game program.

8. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of first information processing apparatuses includes a global positioning system unit configured to acquire the position information.

9. The information processing system of claim 1, wherein the map image is a geographic map image.

10. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the processing system of the second information processing apparatus is further configured to:

receive program identifier information for a program, and

generate a map in which an image of the program indicated by the received program identifier information, from among received program identifier information, is superposed on the map image.

11. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein transmissions performed in accordance with the automatic communication process are short-distance wireless communication transmissions.

12. The information processing system according to claim 11, wherein the communication range of the short-distance wireless communication transmissions is designed to be up to about 20 meters.

13. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the automatic transmissions are transmitted using a wireless transmitter that is different than the wireless transmitter used to transmit the position information and program identifier information.

14. An information processing system comprising:

a first information processing apparatus comprising at least one wireless transceiver and a first processing system that includes at least one hardware processor, the first processing system configured to;

execute an automatic communication process that is configured to automatically transmit, via the at least one wireless transceiver, repeated search communications and/or data transmissions to another information processing apparatus that is within the communication range,

store program identifier information indicating an identifier of an application program executable on the first information processing apparatus,

acquire position information indicating a position where the first information processing apparatus executed the automatic communication process,

execute, while the automatic communication process is executing, the application program stored on the first information processing apparatus,

in accordance with transmissions transmitted via the automatic communication process, cause one of the at least one of the wireless transceivers to transmit the position information and the program identifier information to a computing system, the position information and the program identifier information being associated with each other; and

the computing system comprising;

a non-transitory storage system configured to store a map image;

a receiver configured to receive, from the first information processing apparatus the program identifier information and position information that is associated with the program identifier information, and

a second processing system including at least one processor, the second processing system configured to generate a map image based on the association between the program identifier information and the position information that have been received by the receiver, the generated map having an image of the application program indicated by the program identifier superposed on the map image.

15. An information processing method of using a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus, each of which includes at least one processor and electronic memory storage, the method comprising:

executing, via the at least one processor of the first information processing apparatus, an automatic communication process that is configured to automatically transmit, via at least one wireless transceiver, repeated search communications and/or data transmissions to another information processing apparatus that is within the communication range;

storing, to the electronic memory storage of the first information processing apparatus, program identifier information indicating an identifier of an application program executable on the first information processing apparatus;

acquire, via the at least one processor of the first information processing apparatus, position information indicating a position where the first information processing apparatus executed the automatic communication process;

executing, via the at least one processor of the first information processing apparatus and while the automatic communication process is executing, the application program stored on the first information processing apparatus;

in accordance with transmissions transmitted via the automatic communication process, causing, at the first information processing apparatus, one of the at least one of the wireless transceivers to transmit the position information and the program identifier information to the second information processing apparatus, the position information and the program identifier information being associated with each other;

receiving, at the second information processing apparatus and from each of a plurality of other information processing apparatuses and including the first information processing apparatus, program identifier information indicating an identifier of an application program executable on a corresponding other information processing apparatus;

receiving, at the second information processing apparatus and from each of a plurality of other information processing apparatuses and including the first information processing apparatus, position information indicating a position of the corresponding other information processing apparatus for which the program identifier information is received;

storing, to the electronic memory storage of the second information processing apparatus, the received program identifier information and the received position information in association with each other;

receiving, at the second information processing apparatus, an electronic data message that includes a program identifier; and

generating, at the second information processing apparatus and in response to reception of the electronic data message, a map based on position information of other information processing apparatuses that are stored in association with program identifier information that corresponds to the program identifier included in the electronic data message, wherein the generated map includes an image of the application program indicated by the program identifier superposed on the map image.