METHOD OF EXCHANGING DATA BETWEEN COMMUNICATION TERMINALS

• US 20130165172A1
• Filed: 05/01/2012
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: OBANA, Kazutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,220,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/518
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A communication system which includes a plurality of communication terminals, each communication terminal includes: a memory that stores a group attribute representative of an attribute of a group, the group attribute assigned to a communication terminal or a user of the communication terminal; a communication unit that transmits the group attribute stored in a memory of a correspondent terminal located within a predetermined range from the communication terminal, and receives a group attribute stored in a memory of the correspondent terminal; and a controller that compares the group attribute received by the communication unit with the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal and initiates selectively one of a first information processing and a second information processing based on a result of the comparison.

Claims

1. A communication system which includes a plurality of communication terminals, each communication terminal comprising:

a memory that stores a group attribute representative of an attribute of a group, the group attribute assigned to a communication terminal or a user of the communication terminal;

a communication unit that transmits the group attribute stored in a memory of a correspondent terminal located within a predetermined range from the communication terminal, and receives a group attribute stored in a memory of the correspondent terminal; and

a controller that compares the group attribute received by the communication unit with the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal and initiates selectively one of a first information processing and a second information processing based on a result of the comparison.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the memory further stores first data for comparison with data stored in the memory of the correspondent terminal,

the communication unit transmits the first data stored in the memory of the communication terminal to the correspondent terminal and receives from the correspondent terminal first data stored in the memory of the correspondent terminal; and

the controller compares the first data stored in the memory of the communication terminal with the first data received by the communication unit in the first information processing.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller initiates the first information processing when the group attribute received by the communication unit and the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal are different.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the controller executes a game application using the data stored in the memory of the communication terminal and the data received by the communication unit.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a server communicable with the plurality of the communication terminals, wherein

each communication terminal includes a first transmitter that transmits to the server an output of the first information processing executed by the controller.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the server includes a collecting unit that collects results transmitted by the transmitters.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the collecting unit collects the results based on a group specified by the group attribute.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein each communication terminal includes an obtaining unit that receives a result output by the collecting unit from the server.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein:

the server updates the group attribute based on the result output by the collecting unit; and

an updated group attribute output by the collecting unit is stored in the memory.

10. The system according to claim 6, wherein the server includes:

a generation unit that generates second data representative of privileges offered to a communication terminal or to a user of the communication terminal based on the result output by the collecting unit; and

a second transmitter that transmits the second data generated by the generation unit to the communication terminal.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the memory further stores third data to be output at the correspondent terminal;

the communication unit transmits the third data stored in the memory of the communication terminal to the correspondent terminal located within a predetermined range from the communication terminal and receives from the correspondent terminal the third data stored in the memory of the correspondent terminal; and

the controller outputs the third data received by the communication unit in the second information processing.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller initiates the second information processing when the group attribute received by the communication unit and the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal is the same.

13. A communication method comprising:

transmitting a group attribute stored in a memory of a communication terminal to a correspondent terminal located within a predetermined range from the communication terminal, the group attribute representative of an attribute of a group and assigned to a communication terminal or a user of the communication terminal;

receiving, from the correspondent terminal, a group attribute stored in a memory of the correspondent terminal located within the predetermined range from the communication terminal; and

comparing the received group attribute with the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal and initiating selectively one of a first information processing and a second information processing based on a result of the comparison.

14. A non-transient computer readable storage medium storing computer program that causes the computer to execute:

transmitting a group attribute stored in a memory of a communication terminal to a correspondent terminal located within a predetermined range from the communication terminal, the group attribute representative of an attribute of a group and assigned to a communication terminal or a user of the communication terminal;

receiving, from the correspondent terminal, a group attribute stored in a memory of the correspondent terminal located within the predetermined range from the communication terminal; and

comparing the received group attribute with the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal and initiating selectively one of a first information processing and a second information processing based on a result of the comparison.

15. A communication terminal comprising:

a memory that stores a group attribute representative of an attribute of a group, which is assigned to a communication terminal or a user of the communication terminal;

a communication unit that transmits the group attribute stored in a memory of a correspondent terminal, and receives the group attribute stored in a memory of the correspondent terminal located within a predetermined range from the correspondent terminal; and

a controller that compares the group attribute received by the communication unit with the group attribute stored in the memory of the communication terminal and initiates selectively one of a first information processing and a second information processing based on a result of the comparison.