Messaging service for video game systems with buddy list that displays game being played

• US 7,056,217 B1
• Filed: 11/28/2000
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Smith, Darren C., Pelkey, Casey J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOTALING, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US09/724,908
• Time in Patent Office: 2,016 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463 40- 43, 463/25, 463/29
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

A messaging system includes a web server computer and at least two video game systems. Each game system is configured to connect to the web server computer via the Internet and to communicate status data indicative of an activity engaged in by a user thereof. The web server computer generates a session file indicative of user status and the status of each of two or persons on a buddy list of the user.

Claims

1. A messaging system comprising:

a web server computer; and

a video game system for executing a video game program for a video game, the video game program being embodied on a storage device replaceably connectable by a user to the video game system and comprising program instructions for both the video game and for a messaging service client, whereby the messaging service client is activated by connecting the storage device to the video game system and executing the video game program embodied thereon, the activated messaging service client establishing a connection between the video game system and said web server computer via the Internet and sending status data from the video game system to said web server computer that is indicative of the video game program being executed by the video game system,

wherein said web server computer generates a session file when the video game system connects thereto, the session file comprising the status data sent from the video game system and status data indicative of video game programs being executed by video game systems of each of one or more buddies identified on a buddy list previously defined by the user,

wherein the status data of the one or more buddies on the buddy list is accessible to the user even if the video game system of the user and the video game systems of the one or more buddies are executing video game programs for playing different games.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the status data for each buddy further indicates whether that buddy is online and able to send/receive messages.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the status data for each buddy further indicates whether that buddy is online, but not able to send/receive messages.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the status data for each buddy further indicates whether that buddy is online and able to send, but not receive, messages.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the web server computer stores a user profile for the user.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the user can configure accessibility of the user'"'"'s profile to others.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein a system administrator can configure accessibility of the user'"'"'s profile to others.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said web server computer is responsive to a user-supplied request for communicating to the user an identification of all buddy lists on which the user appears.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said web server computer is further responsive to a user-supplied request for deleting the user'"'"'s name from one or more other user'"'"'s buddy lists.

10. A messaging service client incorporated into a video game program for a video game that is embodied on a storage device that is replaceably connectable to a video game machine for executing the video game program, the messaging service client being activated by executing the video game program and comprising instructions for:

contacting a messaging server over a communication network;

sending identities of the video game and a player playing the video game to the contacted messaging server;

receiving from the contacted messaging server buddy list data for one or more players on a buddy list previously defined by the player, the buddy list data comprising identities of other players and games that the other players are playing; and

generating a display based on the received buddy list data, the display comprising the identities of one or more of the other players and the games the one or more other players are playing.

11. The messaging service client according to claim 10, comprising further instructions for:

receiving a message from another player while the player is playing the video game.

12. The messaging service client according to claim 11, comprising further instructions for:

providing a prompt to the player that the message has been received.

13. The messaging service client according to claim 12, comprising further instructions for:

suspending playing of the video game and displaying the message in response to one or more player inputs.

14. The messaging service client according to claim 10, comprising further instructions for:

receiving email notifications from the player'"'"'s e-mail service indicating that e-mail messages have been received.

15. The messaging service client according to claim 10, comprising further instructions for:

receiving and storing player preference data that is referenced when the messaging service client is executed.

16. The messaging service client according to claim 10, comprising further instructions for:

generating the buddy list in response to inputs from the player.

17. The messaging service client according to claim 10, wherein the storage medium comprises a portable storage medium.

18. A server process for a game network server embodied on a storage device and comprising instructions executable by a server processing system for:

receiving identifiers of players and video games played by the players from a plurality of game machines executing respective video game programs each embodied on a replaceably connectable storage device, the respective video game programs each comprising program instructions both for a video game and for a messaging service client, whereby the messaging client is activated by connecting the storage device to a corresponding game machine and executing the video game program;

logging the players onto the game network server;

for each of one or more of the logged-on players, determining whether that logged-on player has a previously-defined buddy list of other players and, if so, determining which players on the buddy list are currently logged-in and what games those players are playing; and

sending to each of the one or more logged-on players, the identities of the players on the buddy list that are currently logged-in and the games that those players are playing.

19. The server process according to claim 18, comprising further instructions executable by the server processing system for:

supplying messages received from one logged-in player to another logged-in player.

20. The server process according to claim 18, comprising further instructions executable by the server processing system for:

setting up text-based chat sessions between two or more logged-in players.

21. The server process according to claim 18, comprising further instructions executable by the server processing system for:

setting up voice-based chat sessions between two or more logged-in players.

22. A game network server configured to execute the server process according to claim 18.