Power management apparatus, and method of providing game contents

• US 8,968,094 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2011
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Asami, Katagi, Masanobu, Moriai, Shiho, Asano, Tomoyuki, Ukita, Masakazu, Kawamoto, Yohei, Tanaka, Yu, Matsuda, Seiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US13/008,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20110183733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/73 Authorising game programs or game devices, e.g. checking authenticity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

There is provided a power management apparatus including a game service providing unit providing, to an electronic appliance, a service using game contents whose theme is power. The game service providing unit includes a game control unit controlling execution of the game contents, a real world constructing unit constructing a setting of a game reflecting a real-world environment, based on managed appliance information stored in a database, and a virtual world constructing unit constructing a setting of the game reflecting a virtual environment, based on a setting set in advance in the game contents. The game control unit is operable to initialize the game contents by combining the setting of the game constructed by the real world constructing unit and the setting of the game constructed by the virtual world constructing unit.

Claims

1. A power management apparatus comprising:

a managed appliance registering unit carrying out authentication on an electronic appliance connected to a power network and registering an electronic appliance for which the authentication has succeeded as a managed appliance;

a managed appliance information acquiring unit acquiring from the managed appliance, as managed appliance information, at least any of appliance information including identification information that is unique to the electronic appliance, information indicating an operation state of the electronic appliance, information indicating an usage state of the electronic appliance and power information of the electronic appliance;

a database storing the managed appliance information; and

a game service providing unit providing, to the electronic appliance, a service using game contents whose theme is power,

wherein the game service providing unit includes

a game controlling execution of the game contents,

a real world constructing unit constructing a setting of a game reflecting a real-world environment, based on the managed appliance information stored in the database, and

a virtual world constructing unit constructing a setting of the game reflecting a virtual environment based on a setting set in advance in the game contents, and

wherein the control unit is operable to initialize the game contents by combining the setting of the same constructed b the real world constructing unit and the setting of the game constructed by the virtual world constructing unit, and

wherein position information indicating a location of the electronic appliance is described in the database, and

wherein the real world constructing unit is operable to arrange an object corresponding to the electronic appliance registered as the managed appliance in a game stage based on the position information.

2. The power management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the game control unit is operable, when an object corresponding to the electronic appliance is selected, to display on a display screen on which the game contents are displayed any of the appliance information of the electronic appliance corresponding to the selected object, the information indicating an operation state, the information indicating an usage state and the power information.

3. The power management apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a control unit controlling operation of the managed appliance and supplying of power to the managed appliance,

wherein a result application mode of applying a game result of the game contents to the electronic appliance in a real world is set in the game contents, and

wherein the control unit is operable, when there is a notification from the game control unit indicating that the result application mode is carried out, to reflect a result of the game to an actual electronic appliance.

4. The power management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the game service providing unit provides the service using game contents while acting in concert with a game service providing server provided outside the power management apparatus.

5. A method of providing game contents, comprising the steps of:

carrying out authentication on an electronic appliance connected to a power network and registering an electronic appliance for which the authentication has succeeded as a managed appliance;

acquiring, from the managed appliance, as managed appliance information, at least any of appliance information including identification information that is unique to the electronic appliance, information indicating an operation state of the electronic appliance, information indicating an usage state of the electronic appliance and power information of the electronic appliance; and

providing, to the electronic appliance, a service using game contents whose theme is power,

wherein the step of providing further includes the steps of

constructing a setting of a game reflecting a real-world environment by referring to a database in which the managed appliance information is stored, and

constructing a setting of the game reflecting a virtual environment, based on setting set in advance in the game contents, and

wherein the game contents are initialized by combining the setting of the game constructed in the step of constructing a setting of a game reflecting a real-world environment and the setting of the game constructed in the step of constructing a setting of the game reflecting a virtual environment, and

wherein the real-world environment is a simulation of a physical environment surrounding the electronic appliance.

6. The power management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the real-world environment includes an object corresponding to the electronic appliance.

7. The power management apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a change to the object in the real-world environment causes a change in the electronic appliance in the physical environment.

8. The power management apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the game service providing unit receives a selection of the object from a user and displays at least a portion of the managed appliance information based on the selection.