Network game system, and game terminal device and storage medium used therefor

• US 20050026696A1
• Filed: 05/25/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega
• Inventors: Yoshida, Chie, Shida, Toru, Hayashi, Masami, Ohara, Toru, Uryu, Takashi, Hashimoto, Haruyuki, Hashimoto, Hirotada
• Granted Patent: US 7,618,320 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/71 using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/75 Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/208 for storing personal settings or data of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/401 Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• 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 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5586 : for enforcing rights or rules, e.g. to prevent foul play
• 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

Abstract

In this game system, a plurality of game devices 1 are connected to a game parent station 7 over a communication network 3, and an online game application may be executed on the game devices 1 by means of the game parent station 7. In this game system, the game devices 1 are provided with a personal information processing means 10 that can exchange personal information with other players while the online game application is executed among the game devices 1. Therefore, personal information in the form of a business card may be exchanged with an opponent by means of the personal information processing means 10 either after a game has ended or when a game begins.

Claims

1. A network game system constructed such that a plurality of game terminal devices are mutually connected and the game terminal devices can each execute a prescribed game application program, comprising:

a plurality of game servers for managing information pertaining to the individual game application programs; and

an authentication server that is provided independently of the game servers, acts as a common server for the plurality of game servers, and has a function to determine whether or not the game terminal device should be permitted to access each game server.

2. The network game system according to claim 1, wherein the common authentication server carries out initial registration to allow the game terminal device to access each game server, as well as makes a determination of whether or not the game terminal device should be allowed to access each game server after registration is performed.

3. The network game system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein information regarding the game terminal devices is input to and registered in the common authentication server from the plurality of game servers.

4. The network game system according to claim 3, wherein the information comprises information specifying game terminal devices on which bad acts giving rise to denial of access to the game servers have been committed.

5. The network game system according to claim 4, wherein the denial of access to the game servers is determined based on the seriousness of the bad acts, and this determination includes the phased imposition of conditions involving the period for which their access is denied or the types of games from which they are barred.

6. A network game system constructed such that a plurality of game terminal devices are mutually connected and the game terminal devices can each execute a prescribed game application program, wherein each game terminal device has a control means with which player personal introduction information can be exchanged with other game terminal devices.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the control means is constructed such that players can exchange personal introduction information with each other between terminal devices that belong to a group of such devices that run a prescribed game application.

9. The game system according to claims 6 and 7, wherein the personal introduction information includes groups of data items that are displayed in the form of a virtual business card on each terminal device.

10. The game system according to any of claims 6 through 9, wherein the control means is constructed such that it carries out the exchange of the personal introduction information while the game of the game application program is being executed or after the game has ended.

11. The game system according to any of claims 6 through 10,

wherein the control means sends a request for the exchange of player personal introduction information to the terminal device of the party with whom the player wishes to exchange the personal introduction information;

wherein, when an exchange request is received from another terminal device, the control means transmits to the terminal device that sent the exchange request the result of input by the player regarding whether or not the exchange request is accepted; and

wherein, if an input indicating that the exchange request is accepted is made by the player, the control means carries out the exchange of personal introduction information with the other terminal device and cumulatively stores the personal information sent from the terminal device of the party with whom the personal information is exchanged.

12. The game system according to claim 6, wherein the personal introduction information includes data pertaining to the results of games played by means of the game application program.

13. The game system according to claims 6 through 10, wherein:

the personal introduction information includes a character which is divided into parts;

each game terminal device has a memory area in which data regarding each part and its corresponding code is saved; and

the control means is constructed such that it reproduces the character sent by the game terminal device with which personal information is exchanged by determining the parts of the characters based on their codes received.

14. The game system according to claim 6 or claim 9, wherein the personal introduction information includes data regarding the history of exchanges of personal introduction information.

15. The game system according to claim 14, wherein the configurations of the objects comprising the personal introduction information organized in the form of a business card are changed in accordance with the history of exchanges of personal introduction information.

16. The game system according to claim 15, wherein the data pertaining to the objects displaying the business card comprises at least one of the color of the card, the motion of the characters on the card, the background behind the character on the card, and the title of the card.

17. The game system according to any of claims 6 through 16, wherein the personal introduction information includes the player'"'"'s e-mail address, which is attached to the data displayed in the form of a business card.

25. A storage medium on which a program to have the game terminal device execute the control means according to claims 6 through 24 are stored.

26. The game terminal device constituting the system according to any of claims 6 through 24.

8. A game system wherein the plurality of terminal devices are connected to a common server machine via a communication means.

18. A network game system constructed such that a plurality of game terminal devices are connected to a game parent station over a network and a game application program can be executed between the game terminal devices by means of the game parent station, wherein the game parent station comprises:

a server means that can execute the game application program in such a way that a plurality of players may participate;

a determining means that determines when a player has violated prescribed rules in connection with the game application program; and

a sanctioning means that, when the violating player next attempts to participate, implements measures in regard to the violation.

19. The network game system according to claim 18, wherein the sanctioning means is a means that implements measures such as the issuance of a warning or the denial of access of an offending player to the server means.

20. A communication system in which terminal devices are connected to servers over a network, wherein the terminal devices have a control means that executes a game program in parallel with the process of connection to the server.

21. The communication system according to claim 20, wherein the terminal devices previously read out both the program indicating the process of connecting to the server and the game program, and wherein the control means begins the execution of the game program when the user issues an instruction to execute the process of connection to the server.

22. The communication system according to claim 20 or claim 21, wherein the terminal devices serve as display devices to perform display of the execution of the game program, and also display the status of connection to the server.

23. The communication system according to any of claims 20 through 22, wherein the terminal device executes the game program until the connection to the server is ended or until it is confirmed that connection to the server is not possible.

24. The communication system according to claims 20 through 23, wherein the control means executes the game program until the connection to the server is ended or until it is confirmed that connection to the server is not possible.