Communications system

• US 20020186232A1
• Filed: 02/06/2002
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qript, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qript One Soft Incorporated
• Inventors: Watanabe, Kimihito, Maruyama, Takafumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,234,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A novel communications system is provided, including a plurality of user terminals capable of communication using a predetermined communication software program and accessible to Internet, and an administrator server on line with Internet, wherein each of the user terminals is capable of transmitting a character message comprising character information for designating a character, action information for designating an action of the character and a text message to another user terminal through Internet via the administrator server with use of the communication software program, while the latter user terminal having received the character message is capable of displaying an image of the character performing the action and the text message on a screen by selecting a motion picture file based on the character information and the action information received using the communication software program and executing the motion picture file.

Claims

1. A communications system, which is configured such that when a transmitting side transmits a character and its action designated by the transmitting side to a receiving side, the designated character performs the designated action on a screen on the receiving side.

3. The communication system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the receiving side receives character information for designating a character and action information for designating an action of the character, a file related to the action of the character is selected from information recorded on the receiving side and is executed.

4. The communications system according to claim 3, wherein the transmitting side effects a transmission to the receiving side through an administrator server and that when the receiving side does not have the file related to the action of the character, the file is transmitted from the administrator server to the receiving side.

27. The communications system according to any one of claims 1 to 26, wherein a start-up software program for starting up any desired software program is embedded in at least one of the character and a balloon.

2. A communications system, which is configured such that when a transmitting side transmits a character message comprising character information for designating a character, action information for designating an action of the character and a text message to a receiving side, a screen on the receiving side having received the character message displays a motion picture of the character together with the text message.

5. The communications system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein communications are performed via an administrator server and that when the receiving side is not ready to receive the character message that is transmitted from the transmitting side via the administrator server, the administrator server converts the text message into an electronic mail, attaches the character information and the action information to the electronic mail as attachments and transmits the electronic mail to the receiving side.

6. The communications system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the character displayed on the receiving side temporarily suspends its action while the text message is being displayed in a message box and then resumes its action after the message box is dismissed.

7. The communications system according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein a receipt confirmation message is automatically transmitted back to the transmitting side when the receiving side checks the contents of the transmission received by the receiving side.

8. The communications system according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein a receipt confirmation message is automatically transmitted back to the transmitting side after the text message displayed on the screen on the receiving side is dismissed.

9. A communications system, which is configured to allow a terminal of a user utilizing the system to display information on the status of other users previously registered.

10. The communications system according to claim 9, wherein the information on the status of other users is renewed at a predetermined time interval.

11. The communications system according to claim 9, wherein an administrator server is provided which is capable of recording information on the status of a user transmitted from the user as well as of transmitting the information thus recorded to another user in response to a request from the latter user.

14. The communications system according to claim 13, wherein the user terminal receiving the character message is configured to automatically transmit a receipt confirmation message back to the user terminal on the transmitting side via the administrator server after the text message displayed on the screen on the receiving side is dismissed.

16. The communications system according to claim 15, wherein the action information is capable of designating plural actions in a predetermined sequence.

17. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein:

communications are performed via an administrator server;

the terminal on a receiving side is capable of selecting a predetermined motion picture file from files recorded in the terminal on the receiving side based on the character information and the action information that are received by the receiving side terminal and executing the motion picture thus selected; and

when the motion picture file is not recorded in the receiving side terminal, the receiving side terminal is capable of downloading the motion picture file from the administrator server and executing the motion picture thus downloaded.

19. The communications system according to claim 18, wherein terminals of the users are each capable of transmitting a request for user status information to the administrator server at a predetermined time interval and displaying the user status of another user belonging to a group to which the user transmitting the request belongs on the screen of the terminal transmitting the request based on the user status information transmitted from the administrator server in response to the request.

20. The communications system according to claim 19, wherein the terminals of the users are each capable of transmitting a request for renewal of user status information for latest information to the administrator server at any desired occasion separately from the periodical request for the latest user status information.

12. A communications system, which is configured to allow a terminal on a receiving side to compare information transmitted from a transmitting side with information provided either randomly or in a predetermined sequence by the receiving side to decide victory or defeat based on a predetermined victory-or-defeat decision condition and then transmit the decision of victory or defeat to the transmitting side.

13. A communications system comprising a plurality of user terminals capable of communication using a predetermined communication software program and accessible to Internet, and an administrator server on line with Internet, wherein

each of the user terminals is capable of transmitting a character message comprising character information for designating a character, action information for designating an action of the character and a text message to another user terminal through Internet via the administrator server with use of the communication software program, while said another user terminal having received the character message is capable of displaying an image of the character performing the action and the text message on a screen by selecting a motion picture file based on the character information and the action information received using the communication software program and executing the motion picture file.

26. The communications system according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein any one of the terminals used by the users is a mobile terminal.

15. A communications system comprising terminals each of which is capable of using a communication software program for transmitting and receiving a character message comprising character information for designating a character, action information for designating an action of the character and a text message as well as of displaying an image of the character performing the action and the text message on a screen in response to a receipt of the character message.

18. A communications system comprising an administrator server acting as an intermediary in communication among users utilizing the communications system, the administrator server having a user information database in which user status information consisting of information on the current status of each of the users is recorded, and a group management database in which information on users belonging to a group of users is recorded on a group basis, wherein the administrator server is configured such that when the user status information is transmitted from a user to the administrator server, the administrator server accesses the user information database to renew the user status of the user recorded therein, and that when a user transmits a request for the user status information on another user to the administrator server, the administrator server accesses the group management database to extract said another user belonging to a group to which the user making the request belongs, then accesses the user information database to search for the user status of said another user and, thereafter, transmits information on the user status of said another user to the user making the request.

21. The communications system according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein:

the user status has two types of attributes including “

OnNet”

that is an attribute indicative of a state where a user terminal is on-line with Internet while a communication software program of the user terminal is active, and “

OffNet”

that is an attribute indicative of a state where the user terminal is not in the former state; and

when the attribute of the user status is “

OnNet”

, the user terminal is capable of using instead of “

OnNet”

a user status item selected from a plurality of previously provided user status items or a user status item arbitrarily created by the user while imparting the same attribute as “

OnNet”

thereto.

22. A communications system comprising an administrator server acting as an intermediary among users in communication of a character message comprising character information for designating a character, action information for designating an action of the character and a text message, the administrator server being configured to record user status consisting of information on the current status of each of the users.

23. The communications system according to claim 22, wherein:

the user status has two types of attributes including “

OnNet”

that is an attribute indicative of a state where a user terminal is on-line with Internet while a communication software program of the user terminal is active, and “

OffNet”

that is an attribute indicative of a state where the user terminal is not in the former state; and

when the attribute of the user status is “

OnNet”

, the character message from a transmitting side is transmitted as it is to a receiving side via the administrator server, while when the attribute of the user status is “

OffNet”

, the administrator server converts the information from the transmitting side into an electronic mail and then transmits the electronic mail to the receiving side.

24. The communications system according to claim 23, wherein the administrator server is configured to convert text information included in the information transmitted from the transmitting side into a body of the electronic mail while converting the character information and the action information into attachments attached to the electronic mail and then transmit the electronic mail with the attachments to the receiving side.

25. The communications system according to claim 24, wherein the user terminal on the receiving side is capable of reconverting the electronic mail with the attachments into the character message in a state before the conversion into the electronic mail.