Terminal devices, information processing methods, and computer readable storage mediums

• US 10,841,752 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2020
• Issued: 11/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LY Corp. (A Holdings Corp.), Z Intermediate Global Corporation
• Original Assignee: LINE Corporation (A Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Tan H
• Application Number:
  US16/750,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20200162857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 299 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411, 455 412, 455457, 370329, 705 1425, 705319, 709223, 709204, 709206, 709218
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A terminal device includes at least one processor and a transceiver. The at least one processor is configured to execute computer readable instructions to generate a list of a plurality of other terminal devices located within a threshold range from the terminal device via short-range wireless communication. The transceiver is configured to transmit, in response to selection of a set of terminal devices from among the plurality of other terminal devices included in the list, a request to establish an association with users corresponding to terminal devices in the selected set of terminal devices.

Claims

1. A server configured to manage a group for transmitting or receiving messages, and communicate with a first terminal, the server comprising:

a communication device; and

one or more processors configured to execute computer readable instructions to

receive, via the communication device, from the first terminal, information for generating a first group including at least a user of a second terminal, a user of a third terminal, and a user of the first terminal, wherein the user of the second terminal and the user of the third terminal are selected by the user of the first terminal based on respective information items corresponding to users of a plurality of terminals, each of the plurality of terminals being different from the first terminal, the respective information items being displayed on a display device of the first terminal based on information received by the first terminal via short-range wireless communication of the first terminal,

transmit, via the communication device, first information on participation in the first group to the second terminal and the third terminal,

receive, via the communication device, second information on whether to participate in the first group transmitted from the second terminal based on the first information, and third information on whether to participate in the first group transmitted from the third terminal based on the first information; and

controlling participation in the first group based on the second information and the third information.

2. The server as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first information is displayed at least on a display device of the second terminal and on a display device of the third terminal,

wherein the second information is transmitted to the server based on an input corresponding to the first information displayed on the display device of the second terminal, and

wherein the third information is transmitted to the server based on an input corresponding to the first information displayed on the display device of the third terminal.

3. The server as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute computer-readable instructions to receive, via the communication device, from the first terminal, information for registering the user of the second terminal or the user of the third terminal as a friend of the user of the first terminal.

4. The server as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information received via the short-range wireless communication includes a user ID of each of the plurality of terminals,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute computer-readable instructions to identify the respective information items corresponding to the users of the plurality of terminals based on the user ID of each of the plurality of terminals.

5. The server as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second information and the third information include one of an acceptance of participation in the first group or a denial of participation in the first group.

6. The server as claimed in claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute computer-readable instructions to prevent the user of the second terminal from participating in the first group in response to receiving, via the communication device, the denial of participation in the first group as the second information.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, which when executed, cause a server to execute a process for managing a group for transmitting or receiving messages, and communicating with a first terminal, the server including a communication device, the process comprising:

receiving, via the communication device, from the first terminal, information for generating a first group including at least a user of a second terminal, a user of a third terminal, and a user of the first terminal, wherein the user of the second terminal and the user of the third terminal are selected by the user of the first terminal based on respective information items corresponding to users of a plurality of terminals, each of the plurality of terminals being different from the first terminal, the respective information items being displayed on a display device of the first terminal based on information received by the first terminal via short-range wireless communication of the first terminal;

transmitting, via the communication device, first information on participation in the first group to the second terminal and the third terminal;

receiving, via the communication device, second information on whether to participate in the first group transmitted from the second terminal based on the first information, and third information on whether to participate in the first group transmitted from the third terminal based on the first information; and

controlling participation in the first group based on the second information and the third information.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first information is displayed at least on a display device of the second terminal and on a display device of the third terminal,

wherein the second information is transmitted to the server based on an input corresponding to the first information displayed on the display device of the second terminal, and

wherein the third information is transmitted to the server based on an input to the first information displayed on the display device of the third terminal.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as claimed in claim 7, the process includes receiving, via the communication device, from the first terminal, information for registering the user of the second terminal or the user of the third terminal as a friend of the user of the first terminal.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as claimed in claim 7, wherein the information received via the short-range wireless communication includes a user ID of each of the plurality of terminals,

wherein the process includes identifying the respective information items corresponding to the users of the plurality of terminals based on the user ID of each of the plurality of terminals.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second information and the third information include one of an acceptance of participation in the first group or a denial of participation in the first group.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as claimed in claim 11, wherein the process includes preventing the user of the second terminal to participate in the first group in response to receiving, via the communication device, the denial of participation in the first group as the second information.

13. An information processing method, executed by a server including a communication device, for managing a group for transmitting or receiving messages, and communicating with a first terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, via the communication device, from the first terminal, information for generating a first group including at least a user of a second terminal, a user of a third terminal, and a user of the first terminal, wherein the user of the second terminal and the user of the third terminal are selected by the user of the first terminal based on respective information items corresponding to users of a plurality of terminals, each of the plurality of terminals being different from the first terminal, the respective information items being displayed on a display device of the first terminal based on information received by the first terminal via short-range wireless communication of the first terminal;

transmitting, via the communication device, first information on participation in the first group to the second terminal and the third terminal;

receiving, via the communication device, second information on whether to participate in the first group transmitted from the second terminal based on the first information, and third information on whether to participate in the first group transmitted from the third terminal based on the first; and

controlling participation in the first group based on the second information and the third information.