Service provision system, service provision method, server system, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein service provision program

• US 9,785,991 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Hamaguchi, Kenichi, Ozawa, Yuhei, Narita, Ryota
• Primary Examiner(s): Goyea, Olusegun
• Application Number:
  US13/975,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20140143084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 386261, 709200-223, 34087002, 705 1439
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization

Abstract

A plurality of information processing apparatuses are each assigned an apparatus identification code and a group identification code. In a database of a server apparatus, when or before each of the information processing apparatuses is sold to a customer, a correspondence relationship between the apparatus identification code and the group identification code assigned to the information processing apparatus is stored. When having communicated with any one of the information processing apparatuses sold to a customer, the server apparatus acquires from the database a group identification code corresponding to the apparatus identification code received from the information processing apparatus, and provides a service based on the acquired group identification code.

Claims

1. A service provision system comprising:

a server system,

a factory computer, and

a plurality of information processing apparatuses,

the plurality of information processing apparatuses having a common device ID, each of the information processing apparatuses being assigned, at a time of manufacturing at a factory, an apparatus identification code uniquely assigned to the information processing apparatus and a group identification code commonly assigned to at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses,

the factory computer comprising

a transmission unit configured to transmit to the server system, electronic data messages that include (a) the apparatus identification codes that are each uniquely assigned to different ones of at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses and (b) the group identification code commonly assigned to at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses at the time of manufacturing at the factory,

each of the information processing apparatuses comprising;

a storage unit configured to store the apparatus identification code assigned to the information processing apparatus;

a first communication unit configured to communicate with the server system; and

a transmission unit configured to, when the information processing apparatus accesses the server system in accordance with an instruction by a customer, read the apparatus identification code from the storage unit and transmit the read apparatus identification code to the server system,

the server system comprising;

a transceiver configured to receive, from the factory computer in the factory that manufactured the information processing apparatuses, the electronic data messages that include the apparatus identification codes that are each uniquely assigned to the at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses and the group identification code commonly assigned to at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses;

a storage control unit configured to store, in response to receiving the electronic data messages from the factory computer, a correspondence relationship, in a database, that links the apparatus identification code of the at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses to the group identification code assigned to each of the information processing apparatuses;

a second communication unit configured to communicate with each of the information processing apparatuses;

a determination unit configured to, when the second communication unit is accessed by any one of the information processing apparatuses (hereinafter referred to as a “

first information processing apparatus”

) sold to a customer, receive the apparatus identification code corresponding to the first information processing apparatus from the first information processing apparatus, and acquire a group identification code corresponding to the received apparatus identification code from the database, thereby determining a group identification code corresponding to the first information processing apparatus; and

an information processing unit configured to provide, in accordance with the group identification code determined by the determination unit, a service used by the first information processing apparatus via a network.

2. The service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of information processing apparatuses include information processing apparatuses in a plurality of versions different from each other in specifications, and

each of the information processing apparatuses is assigned the group identification code based on a corresponding one of the plurality of versions.

3. The service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the information processing apparatuses is sold as any one of a plurality of types of sets different from each other in bundled item, and

the information processing apparatus is assigned the group identification code based on the type of the set of the information processing apparatus.

4. The service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the information processing apparatuses is sold from among a plurality of information processing apparatus types that are different from each other in additional service,

the information processing apparatus is assigned the group identification code based on a corresponding one of the plurality of information processing apparatus types, and

the information processing unit provides the additional service in accordance with the group identification code determined by the determination unit.

5. The service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

when the group identification code determined by the determination unit is a particular group identification code, the information processing unit performs information processing for providing a user of the first information processing apparatus with a particular service corresponding to the particular group identification code.

6. The service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the information processing unit downloads to the first information processing apparatus an application program or data based on the group identification code determined by the determination unit.

7. The service provision system according to claim 1, wherein

the server system further comprises a service-related information storage unit configured to store service-related information related to a service to be provided to users of the information processing apparatuses, with respect to each information processing apparatus or each user, and

the information processing unit creates or updates the service-related information corresponding to the first information processing apparatus or the user of the first information processing apparatus in accordance with the group identification code determined by the determination unit.

8. The service provision system according to claim 7, wherein

the service-related information includes the number of points capable of being used as a substitute for currency, and

the information processing unit adds a point to the number of points included in the service-related information corresponding to the first information processing apparatus or the user of the first information processing apparatus in accordance with the group identification code determined by the determination unit.

9. A service provision method to be executed by a service provision system including a server system, a factory computer system, and a plurality of information processing apparatuses,

the plurality of information processing apparatuses having a common device ID, each of the information processing apparatuses being assigned, at a time of manufacturing at a factory, an apparatus identification code uniquely assigned to the information processing apparatus and a group identification code commonly assigned to at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses,

the factory computer system comprising a transmission unit configured to transmit to the server system, electronic data messages that include (a) the apparatus identification codes that are each uniquely assigned to different ones of at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses and (b) the group identification code commonly assigned to at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses at the time of manufacturing at the factory, the service provision method comprising:

at the factory computer system, transmitting, to the server system, electronic data messages that include the apparatus identification codes that are each uniquely assigned to the at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses and the group identification code commonly assigned to at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses at the time of manufacturing at the factory;

at the server system, receiving, from the factory computer system in the factory that manufactured the information processing apparatuses, electronic data messages that include the apparatus identification codes that are each uniquely assigned to the at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses and the group identification code commonly assigned to at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses;

in the server system, storing, in response to reception of the electronic data messages sent from the factory computer system, a correspondence relationship, in a database, that links the apparatus identification code of the at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses to the group identification code assigned to each of the information processing apparatuses;

in the information processing apparatus, when any one of the information processing apparatuses has communicated with the server system, reading the apparatus identification code assigned to the information processing apparatus from a storage unit of the information processing apparatus and transmitting the read apparatus identification code to the server system;

in the server system, acquiring from the database a group identification code corresponding to the apparatus identification code received from the information processing apparatus, thereby determining a group identification code corresponding to the information processing apparatus; and

in the server system, performing information processing for providing, in accordance with the group identification code determined by the determination unit, an electronic service used from the information processing apparatus via a network.

10. A server system for providing a plurality of information processing apparatuses with a service capable of being used from the information processing apparatuses via a network,

the plurality of information processing apparatuses having a common device ID, each of the information processing apparatuses being assigned, at a time of manufacturing at a factory, a) an apparatus identification code uniquely assigned to the information processing apparatus and stored in non-volatile memory of the information processing apparatus and 2) a group identification code commonly assigned to at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses,

the server system coupled to a factory computer that is at the factory, the factory computer configured to transmit to the server system, electronic data messages that include (a) apparatus identification codes that have been each uniquely assigned to different ones of at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses and (b) the group identification code commonly assigned to at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses at the time of manufacturing at the factory,

the server system comprising:

a transceiver configured to;

receive, from the factory computer in the factory that manufactured the information processing apparatuses, electronic data messages that include the apparatus identification codes that are each uniquely assigned to the at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses and the group identification code commonly assigned to at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses, and

communicate with each of the information processing apparatuses

a storage system that includes electronic memory, the storage system configured to store, based on to reception of the electronic data messages, a correspondence relationship in a database that links the apparatus identification code of the at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses to the group identification code assigned to each of the information processing apparatuses;

a processing system that includes at least one hardware processor, the processing system configured to;

when the communication unit has communicated with any one of the information processing apparatuses sold to a customer, receive, via the transceiver and from the information processing apparatus, the apparatus identification code stored in non-transitory storage of the information processing apparatus and assigned to the information processing apparatus,

acquire, from the database, a group identification code corresponding to the received apparatus identification code, thereby determining a group identification code corresponding to the information processing apparatus, and

execute information processing, in accordance with the group identification code determined by the determination unit, that includes service processing for the information processing apparatus that transmitted the identification code stored in non-transitory storage of the information processing apparatus.

12. The server system of claim 10, wherein the service processing includes transmitting, to the information processing apparatus that transmitted the identification code, an application program or content based on the determined group identification code.

13. The server system of claim 10, wherein the service processing includes determination of a number of points based on the determined group identification code.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a service provision program to be executed by a server system for providing a plurality of information processing apparatuses with a service capable of being used from the information processing apparatuses via a network,

the plurality of information processing apparatuses having a common device ID, each of the information processing apparatuses being assigned, at a time of manufacturing at a factory, an apparatus identification code uniquely assigned to the information processing apparatus and a group identification code commonly assigned to at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses,

the server system coupled to a factory computer that is at the factory, the factory computer configured to transmit, to the server system, electronic data messages that include the apparatus identification codes that are each uniquely assigned to the at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses and the group identification code commonly assigned to at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses at the time of manufacturing at the factory,

the service provision program causing a computer of the server system to execute:

accepting, from the factory computer in the factory that manufactured the information processing apparatuses, electronic data messages that include the apparatus identification codes that are each uniquely assigned to the at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses and the group identification code commonly assigned to at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses;

storing, in response to reception of the electronic data messages sent from the factory computer, a correspondence relationship in a database that links the apparatus identification code of the at least two or more of the information processing apparatuses to the group identification code assigned to each of the information processing apparatuses;

communicating with each of the information processing apparatuses;

when, in the communication, the server system has communicated with any one of the information processing apparatuses sold to a customer, accepting from the information processing apparatus the apparatus identification code stored in a storage unit of the information processing apparatus and assigned to the information processing apparatus, and acquiring a group identification code corresponding to the received apparatus identification code from the database, thereby determining a group identification code corresponding to the information processing apparatus; and

performing information processing for providing, in accordance with the group identification code determined in the determination, an electronic service that is used by the information processing apparatus via a network.