Information processing apparatus, information processing system, storage medium and information processing method

• US 9,687,731 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2013
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited, Pokemon
• Original Assignee: Game Freak, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Masuda, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US14/143,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20140187324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 Days
• 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 13/49 Saving the game status; Pausing or ending the game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/70 Game security or game management aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• 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 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8029 Fighting without shooting

Abstract

A non-limiting example information processing apparatus that functions as a game apparatus includes a first LCD and a second LCD, and usually, a game screen of a single-play game is displayed on the first LCD and a list screen is displayed on the second LCD. In the list screen, an icon of a player of another game apparatus that is searched as a passer-by is displayed as well as icons of a player of another game apparatus that is registered as a friend and a player of another game apparatus that is determined as an acquaintance. That is, during a time that game processing of the single-play is being performed, the game screen is displayed and a list of a player who is registered and a player who exists in the neighborhood is displayed. The player sends an offer of a battle-play to a desired player through an operation using the list screen at an arbitrary timing during a time that the game processing of the single-play is being performed.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a communicating unit configured to perform a communication with another information processing apparatus;

a searching unit configured to repeatedly search one or more other information processing apparatuses existing within a predetermined area by using the communicating unit; and

a display controlling unit configured to display on a display device information of a user of a first other information processing apparatus that is stored in advance in a storage in response to a non-automatic registration performed by at least one of a user of the information processing apparatus and the user of the first other information processing apparatus so that the information of the user of the first other information processing apparatus is stored in advance in the storage non-automatically and so that the user of the first other information processsing apparatus is a registered user and information of a user of a second other information processing apparatus that is searched by the searching unit, wherein

the user of the second other information processing apparatus is a non-registered user;

the display controlling unit is further configured to renew in a real-time at least information of the user of the second other information processing apparatus in accordance with a search result by the searching unit, and

wherein the display controlling unit is configured to simultaneously display the information of the registered user of the first other information processing apparatus and the information of the non-registered user of the second other information processing apparatus in a discriminable manner by locating the information of the registered user of the first other information processing apparatus and the information of the non-registered user of the second other information processing apparatus in different display regions.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communicating unit is configured to perform a communication with one or more other information processing apparatuses by a short-distance wireless communication, and

the predetermined area is an area that it is possible to perform a communication by the short-distance wireless communication.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an application performing unit configured to perform an application according to an operation by a user, wherein

the display controlling unit is configured to display the information of the user of the first other information processing apparatus and the information of the user of the second other information processing apparatus within a performance of the application by the application performing unit.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display controlling unit is configured to display the information of the user of the first other information processing apparatus and the information of the user of the second other information processing apparatus in parallel with a progress of the application that is performed by the application performing unit.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display controlling unit is configured to display the information of the user of the first other information processing apparatus and the information of the user of the second other information processing apparatus in a further discriminable manner on whether the information processing apparatus can perform a communication with another information processing apparatus.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selection receiving unit configured to receive a selecting operation by the user to the information of the user of the first other information processing apparatus or the information of the user of the second other information processing apparatus that is displayed on the display device;

and

a process performing unit configured to perform a process that at least a part thereof is common, with the first other information processing apparatus or the second other information processing apparatus corresponding to the information indicated by the selecting operation that is received by the selection receiving unit.

7. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display controlling unit is configured to display the information of the user of the first other information processing apparatus that is stored in advance in the storage whether or not the first other information processing apparatus can perform a communication by the communicating unit thereof.

8. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display controlling unit is configured to prevent duplicate display of the information of the user of the second other information processing apparatus and the information of the user of the first other information processing apparatus in a case where the information of the user of the second other information processing apparatus is the same as the information of the user of first other information processing apparatus.

9. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus has the storage built-in.

10. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an application performing unit configured to perform an application in accordance with an operation by the user, wherein

the information of the user of the first other information processing apparatus is available regardless of a kind of the application that is performed by the application performing unit.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the non-automatic registration is performed in a case when the first other information processing apparatus does not exist within the predetermined area of the information processing apparatus.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the non-automatic registration is performed in a case when the user of the one or more other information processing apparatuses does not exist within the predetermined area of the information processing apparatus.

13. An information processing system, comprising a computer processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for storing instructions which upon execution configure the information processing system at least to perform:

a communication with an information processing apparatus;

a search to repeatedly search one or more information processing apparatuses existing within a predetermined area by using the communication; and

a display control to display on a display device information of a user of a first information processing apparatus that is stored in advance in a storage in response to a non-automatic registration performed by at least one of a user of the information processing system and the user of the first other information processing apparatus so that the information of the user of the first other information processing apparatus is stored in advance in the storage non-automatically and so that the user of the first other information processing apparatus is a registered user and information of a user of a second other information processing apparatus that is searched by the search, wherein

the user of the second other information processing apparatus is a non-registered user;

the display control is configured to renew in a real-time at least information of the user of the second information processing apparatus in accordance with a search result by the search, and

wherein the display control is configured to simultaneously display the information of the registered user of the first other information processing apparatus and the information of the non-registered user of the second other information processing apparatus in a discriminable manner by locating the information of the registered user the first other information processsing apparatus and the information of the non-registered user of the second other information processing apparatus in different display regions.

14. The information processing system according to claim 13, wherein the non-automatic registration is performed in a case when the first other information processing apparatus does not exist within the predetermined area of the information processing system.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing an information processing program, wherein the information processing program causes a computer of an information processing apparatus to provide functionality comprising:

a communication to perform a communication with another information processing apparatus;

a search to repeatedly search one or more other information processing apparatuses existing within a predetermined area by using the communication; and

a display control to display information of a user of a first other information processing apparatus that is stored in advance in a storage in response to a non-automatic registration performed by at least one of a user of the information processing apparatus and the user of the first other information processing apparatus so that the information of the user of the first other information processing apparatus is stored in advance in the storage non-automatically and so that the user of the first other information processing apparatus is a registered user and information of a user of a second other information processing apparatus that is searched by search, wherein

the user of the second other information processing apparatus is a non-registered user,

the display control is configured to renew in a real-time at least information of the user of the second other information processing apparatus in accordance with a search result by the search, and

wherein the display control is configured to simultaneously display the information of the registered user of the first other information processing apparatus and the information of the non-registered user of the second other information processing apparatus in a discriminable manner by locating the information of the registered user of the first other information processing apparatus and the information of the non-registered user of the second other information processing apparatus in different display regions.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the non-automatic registration is performed in a case when the first other information processing apparatus does not exist within the predetermined area of the information processing apparatus.

17. An information processing method in an information processing apparatus that comprises a transmitter/receiver configured to perform a communication with another information processing apparatus, comprising steps of:

(a) searching one or more other information processing apparatuses existing within a predetermined area by using the transmitter/receiver;

(b) displaying on a display device information of a user of a first other information processing apparatus that is stored in advance in a storage in response to a non-automatic registration performed by at least one of a user of the information processing apparatus and the user of the first other information processing apparatus so that the information of the user of the first other information processing apparatus is stored in advance in the storage non-automatically and so that the user of the first other information processing apparatus is a registered user and information of a user of a second other information processing apparatus that is searched in the step (a); and

(c) performing the step (a) repeatedly and renewing in a real-time at least information of the user of the second other information processing apparatus in accordance with search results, and wherein;

the user of the second other information processing apparatus is a non-registered user; and

the display controlling unit is configured to simultaneously display the information of the registered user of the first other information processing apparatus and the information of the non-registered user of the second other information processing apparatus in a discriminable manner by locating the information of the registered user of the first other information processing apparatus and the information of the non-registered user of the second other information processing apparatus in different display regions.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the non-automatic registration is performed in a case when the first other information processing apparatus does not exist within the predetermined area of the information processing apparatus.