Network server and computer system for providing user status data

• US 9,729,478 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Pelkey, Casey J., Smith, Darren C.
• Primary Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US14/936,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20160234138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• 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 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

An example network server computer includes communication circuitry configured for internet communication with electronic devices; memory configured to store friend lists for respective users and user data comprising status data for respective users; and a processor configured to control the network server computer to perform operations including: receiving, via the communication circuitry, status data including activity information indicative of current activities of users of two or more electronic devices; updating the user data based on the received status data; and providing, to a user, status data indicative of respective current activities of one or more friends on the friend list of the user even if the current activities of the user and the one or more friends are different.

Claims

1. A network server computer comprising:

communication circuitry configured for internet communication with electronic devices;

memory configured to store friend lists for respective users and user data for respective users; and

a processor configured to control the network server computer to perform operations comprising;

periodically receiving, via the communication circuitry, application program data from electronic devices of multiple users, the application program data from each respective electronic device being indicative of an application program currently executed by the respective electronic device;

updating the user data based on the received application program data; and

providing, to an electronic device of a user, application program data indicative of an application program currently executed by the electronic device of each of one or more friends on the friend list of the user, even when the electronic device of the user and the electronic devices of the one or more friends are currently executing different application programs.

2. The network server computer according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to control the network server computer to transmit, via the communication circuitry, alert data to the user when a friend on the friend list of the user logs into the network server computer.

3. The network server computer according to claim 2, wherein the alert data comprises data for generating a visual alert.

5. The network server computer according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to control the network server computer to transmit, via the communication circuitry, alert data to the user when a friend on the friend list of the user logs out of the network server computer.

6. The network server computer according to claim 5, wherein the alert data comprises data for generating a visual alert.

7. The network server computer according to claim 5, wherein the alert data comprises data for generating an aural alert.

8. The network server computer according to claim 1, wherein the status data is provided as a list including all friends on the friend list of the user.

4. A network server computer comprising:

communication circuitry configured for internet communication with electronic devices;

memory configured to store friend lists for respective users and user data comprising status data for respective users; and

a processor configured to control the network server computer to perform operations comprising;

receiving, via the communication circuitry, status data including activity information indicative of current activities of users of two or more electronic devices;

updating the user data based on the received status data; and

providing, to an electronic device of a user, status data indicative of respective current activities of one or more friends on the friend list of the user even if the current activities of the user and the one or more friends are different, wherein

the processor is further configured to control the network server computer to transmit, via the communication circuitry, alert data to the user when a friend on the friend list of the user logs into or out of the network server computer, and

the alert data comprises data for generating an aural alert.

9. A computer system comprising:

multiple processing systems, each processing system comprising a processor, the multiple processing systems being configured and arranged to at least;

enable each one of multiple users to create a friend list;

generate user data for respective users;

receive application program data for the multiple users, the application program data for each respective user being indicative of an application program currently used by the respective user;

update the user data based on the received application program data; and

provide, to a user, application program data indicative of an application program currently used by each of one or more friends on the friend list of the user, even when the user and the one or more friends are currently using different application programs.

10. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein the multiple processing systems comprise electronic devices associated with each user, and a server computer in communication with the electronic devices.

11. A network server computer comprising:

communication circuitry configured for internet communication with electronic devices;

memory configured to store friend lists for respective users and user data for respective users; and

a processor configured to control the network server computer to perform operations comprising;

periodically receiving, via the communication circuitry, application program data from electronic devices of multiple users, the application program data from each respective electronic device being indicative of an application program currently executed by the respective electronic device;

updating the user data based on the received application program data; and

providing, to an electronic device of a user, message data for generating a message when an application program executed by an electronic device of a friend on the friend list of the user changes from one application program to another different application program.

12. The network server computer according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to control the network server computer to transmit, via the communication circuitry, alert data to the user when a friend on the friend list of the user logs into the network server computer.

13. The network server computer according to claim 12, wherein the alert data comprises data for generating a visual alert.

14. The network server computer according to claim 12, wherein the alert data comprises data for generating an aural alert.

15. The network server computer according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to control the network server computer to transmit, via the communication circuitry, alert data to the user when a friend on the friend list of the user logs out of the network server computer.

16. The network server computer according to claim 15, wherein the alert data comprises data for generating a visual alert.

17. The network server computer according to claim 15, wherein the alert data comprises data for generating an aural alert.

18. A computer system comprising:

multiple processing systems, each processing system comprising a processor, the multiple processing systems being configured and arranged to at least;

enable each one of multiple users to create a friend list;

generate user data for respective users;

receive application program data for the multiple users, the application program data for each respective user being indicative of an application program currently used by the respective user;

update the user data based on the received application program data; and

provide, to a user, message data for generating a message when an application program executed by an electronic device of a friend on the friend list of the user changes from one application program to another different application program.

19. The computer system according to claim 18, wherein the multiple processing systems comprise electronic devices associated with each user, and a server computer in communication with the electronic devices.

20. A network server computer comprising:

communication circuitry configured for internet communication with electronic devices;

memory configured to store friend lists for respective users and user data for respective users; and

a processor configured to control the network server computer to perform operations comprising;

periodically receiving, via the communication circuitry, activity data from electronic devices of multiple users, the activity data from each respective electronic device being indicative of a current activity of the user of the respective electronic device;

updating the user data based on the received activity data; and

providing, to an electronic device of a user, a message when an activity of a friend on the friend list corresponds to a particular user-designated activity.

21. The network server computer according to claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to control the network server computer to transmit, via the communication circuitry, alert data to the user when a friend on the friend list of the user logs into the network server computer.

22. The network server computer according to claim 21, wherein the alert data comprises data for generating a visual alert.

23. The network server computer according to claim 21, wherein the alert data comprises data for generating an aural alert.

24. The network server computer according to claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to control the network server computer to transmit, via the communication circuitry, alert data to the user when a friend on the friend list of the user logs out of the network server computer.

25. The network server computer according to claim 24, wherein the alert data comprises data for generating a visual alert.

26. The network server computer according to claim 24, wherein the alert data comprises data for generating an aural alert.

27. A computer system comprising:

multiple processing systems, each processing system comprising a processor, the multiple processing systems being configured and arranged to at least;

enable each one of multiple users to create a friend list;

generate user data for respective users;

receive activity data for the multiple users, the activity data for each respective user being indicative of a current activity of the respective user;

update the user data based on the received activity data; and

provide, to a user, a message when an activity of a friend on the friend list corresponds to a particular user-designated activity.

28. The computer system according to claim 27, wherein the multiple processing systems comprise electronic devices associated with each user, and a server computer in communication with the electronic devices.

29. A network server computer comprising:

communication circuitry configured for internet communication with electronic devices;

memory configured to store friend lists for respective users; and

a processor configured to control the network server computer to perform operations comprising;

periodically receiving, via the communication circuitry, game program data from electronic devices of multiple users, the game program data from each respective electronic device being indicative of a video game program for a video game currently executed by the respective electronic device; and

providing, to an electronic device of a user, game program data indicative of a video game program currently executed by the electronic device of each of one or more friends on the friend list of the user, even when the electronic device of the user is executing a program different from the video game programs currently executed by the electronic devices of the one or more friends.

30. A computer system comprising:

communication circuitry configured for internet communication with a network server computer; and

processing circuitry configured to control the computer system to perform operations comprising;

periodically communicating, to the network server computer, using the communication circuitry, application program data indicative of an application program currently executed by the computer system;

receiving, from the network server computer, using the communication circuitry, application program data indicative of an application program currently executed by respective computer systems of each of one or more friends on a friend list of a user using the computer system; and

generating display data for a display including an identification of an application program currently executed by the computer system of at least one of the one or more friends, regardless of whether the application programs currently executed by the computer systems of the least one friend include a video game program currently being executed by the computer device of the user.