Method for providing area chat rooms, method for processing area chats on terminal side, computer-readable medium for recording processing program to provide area chat rooms, apparatus for providing area chat rooms, and terminal-side apparatus for use in a system to provide area chat rooms
First Claim
1. A method for providing area chat rooms where unspecified users each carrying a portable terminal can exchange character information or the like in real time, the method comprising the steps of:
- managing access to area chat rooms each associated with a specific location;
accepting an entrance request, with the current location of the terminal or a user-specified location attached, from said terminal for permission to enter one of said area chat rooms, and allowing entrance into any appropriate area chat room whose area includes said current location or specified location;
accepting a remark request, with the current location of the terminal attached, from said terminal for permission to make a remark, and delivering the remark to the terminals of the other participants of said area chat room by attaching the location of said terminal; and
accepting location update information from said terminal and delivering said location update information to the terminals of the other participants of said area chat room.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a method or an apparatus to provide area chat rooms where unspecified users each carrying a portable terminal can exchange message or the like in real time as well as for creating or searching for chat rooms based on location information and displaying locations of participants during a chat. The apparatus includes chat rooms each associated with a specific location, accepts an entrance request with a current location and a remark attached from a portable terminal, and distributes a user of the portable terminal to a chat room whose area contains a current location. Then, each of the terminals displays the location and remark of participants on its screen.
245 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method for providing area chat rooms where unspecified users each carrying a portable terminal can exchange character information or the like in real time, the method comprising the steps of:
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managing access to area chat rooms each associated with a specific location;
accepting an entrance request, with the current location of the terminal or a user-specified location attached, from said terminal for permission to enter one of said area chat rooms, and allowing entrance into any appropriate area chat room whose area includes said current location or specified location;
accepting a remark request, with the current location of the terminal attached, from said terminal for permission to make a remark, and delivering the remark to the terminals of the other participants of said area chat room by attaching the location of said terminal; and
accepting location update information from said terminal and delivering said location update information to the terminals of the other participants of said area chat room. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A terminal-side area chat processing method for use in a system which provides chat rooms where unspecified users each carrying a portable terminal can exchange character information or the like in real time, the method comprising the steps of:
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sending a server of said system an entrance request with the current location of the terminal or a user-specified location attached, requesting for permission to enter an area chat room provided by said system and associated with a specific location;
sending the server of said system a remark request, with the current location of said terminal attached, when the user is in said area chat room;
receiving the current locations and remarks of all the participants as well as map data corresponding to the range of said area chat room from said system and displaying said map data, charted locations of the participants, and remarks of the participants on a display screen of said terminal when the user is in said area chat room; and
informing the server of said system about the current location of said terminal at designated intervals or on designated occasions. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A computer-readable medium for recording a processing program to provide area chat rooms where unspecified users each carrying a portable terminal can exchange character information or the like in real time, wherein the program causes a computer execute:
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managing access to area chat rooms each associated with a specific location;
accepting an entrance request, with the current location of the terminal or a user-specified location attached, from said terminal for permission to enter one of said area chat rooms, and allowing entrance into any appropriate area chat room whose area includes said current location or specified location;
accepting a remark request, with the current location of the terminal attached, from said terminal for permission to make a remark, and delivering the remark to the terminals of the other participants of said area chat room by attaching the location of said terminal; and
accepting location update information from said terminal and delivering said location update information to the terminals of the other participants of said area chat room.
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14. An apparatus for providing area chat rooms where unspecified users each carrying a portable terminal can exchange character information or the like in real time, the apparatus comprising:
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room log-in management means for managing access to area chat rooms each associated with a specific location;
entrance processing means for accepting an entrance request, with the current location of the terminal or a user-specified location attached, from said terminal for permission to enter one of said area chat rooms, and allowing entrance into any appropriate area chat room whose area includes said current location or specified location;
remark accepting means for accepting a remark request, with the current location of the terminal attached, from said terminal for permission to make a remark, and delivering the remark to the terminals of the other participants of said area chat room by attaching the location of said terminal; and
location-update information delivery means for accepting location update information from said terminal and delivering said location update information to the terminals of the other participants of said area chat room. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A terminal-side apparatus for use in a system to provide area chat rooms, the system provides chat rooms where unspecified users each carrying a portable terminal can exchange character information or the like in real time, the apparatus comprising:
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entrance processing means for sending a server of said system an entrance request with the current location of the terminal or a user-specified location attached, requesting for permission to enter an area chat room provided by said system and associated with a specific location;
remark processing means for sending the server of said system a remark request, with the current location of said terminal attached, when the user is in said area chat room;
display processing means for receiving the current locations and remarks of all the participants as well as map data corresponding to the range of said area chat room from said system and displaying said map data, charted locations of the participants, and remarks of the participants on a display screen of said terminal when the user is in said area chat room; and
location information update processing means for informing the server of said system about the current location of said terminal at designated intervals or on designated occasions. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification