Ranking list display method in game system, and system for executing the method

• US 9,737,816 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GREE Inc.
• Original Assignee: GREE Inc.
• Inventors: Sawamura, Maya, Kai, Takuya, Iguchi, Kenji, Takagi, Yushi, Yabe, Toshiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Application Number:
  US15/386,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20170100673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 244 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• 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: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing

Abstract

A ranking list display method in a game system, which can easily execute ranking confirmation of a user, who is a ranking confirmation target, such as the user himself/herself, a friend or a rival, is provided. The ranking list display method in a game system includes determining a position in a ranking list of a game of a user who is a ranking confirmation target in relation to a display range of the ranking list which is currently displayed on a terminal, and displaying a pointer, which corresponds to the determined position in the ranking list of the user who is the ranking confirmation target in relation to the display range of the ranking list which is currently displayed on the terminal, within the display range of the ranking list which is currently displayed on the terminal.

Claims

1. A method performed by an electronic device, the method comprising:

transmitting, via a communication interface of the electronic device, a display request for a ranking list to a computer, the display request including identification information corresponding to a user who is a ranking confirmation target;

controlling, by circuitry of the electronic device, the communication interface to receive, in response to the display request, a position in the ranking list of the user in relation to a display range of the ranking list from the computer, wherein the position is identified by the computer based on ranking data stored in the computer;

displaying, by the circuitry, a pointer that corresponds to the position received by the communication interface;

determining, by the circuitry, based on a user input at the electronic device, whether the display range is changed;

determining, by the circuitry, when it is determined that the display range is changed, a direction of the pointer based on the changed display range and the position received by the communication interface;

determining, by the circuitry, that a user input is received at the pointer displayed by the electronic device;

controlling, by the circuitry, the communication interface to receive the ranking data including another user based on the user input received at the pointer; and

display, by the circuitry, the display range of the ranking list including a rank of the another user based on the received ranking data.

2. An electronic device comprising:

a communication interface configured to transmit a display request for a ranking list to a computer, the display request including identification information corresponding to a user who is a ranking confirmation target;

circuitry configured to

control the communication interface to receive, in response to the display request, a position in the ranking list of the user in relation to a display range of the ranking list from the computer, wherein the position is identified by the computer based on ranking data stored in the computer;

display a pointer that corresponds to the position received by the communication interface;

determine, based on a user input at the electronic device, whether the display range is changed;

determine, when it is determined that the display range is changed, a direction of the pointer based on the changed display range and the position received by the communication interface;

determine that a user input is received at the pointer displayed by the electronic device;

control the communication interface to receive ranking data including another user based on the user input received at the pointer; and

display the display range of the ranking list including a rank of the another user based on the received ranking data.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein

the pointer, which corresponds to the received position in the ranking list of the user who is the ranking confirmation target, is a first pointer which indicates that the user who is the ranking confirmation target is within the display range of the ranking list, when the position in the ranking list of the user is within the display range of the ranking list which is currently displayed,

the pointer, which corresponds to the received position in the ranking list of the user who is the ranking confirmation target, is a second pointer which indicates that the user who is the ranking confirmation target is above the display range of the ranking list, when the position in the ranking list of the user is above the display range of the ranking list which is currently displayed, and

the pointer, which corresponds to the received position in the ranking list of the user who is the ranking confirmation target, is a third pointer which indicates that the user who is the ranking confirmation target is below the display range of the ranking list, when the position in the ranking list of the user is below the display range of the ranking list which is currently displayed.

4. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein

the circuitry is configured to display information of the user who is the ranking confirmation target when a predetermined user input to the pointer is accepted.

5. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein

there are a plurality of the pointers, and the circuitry is configured to display pointers of the plurality of pointers, which indicate the same direction of the identified positions in the ranking list of users who are ranking confirmation targets in relation to the display range, in a foldable and unfoldable manner.

6. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein

the electronic device is a client.

7. The electronic device of claim 2, further comprising:

a client including the circuitry and the communication interface configured to communicate with the computer over a network.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer instructions, which when executed by an electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

transmit a display request for a ranking list to a computer, the display request including identification information corresponding to a user who is a ranking confirmation target;

control the communication interface to receive a position in the ranking list of the user in relation to a display range of the ranking list from the computer, in response to the display request, wherein the position is identified by the computer based on ranking data stored in the computer;

display a pointer, which corresponds to the position received by the communication interface;

determine, based on a user input at the electronic device, whether the display range is changed;

determine, when it is determined that the display range is changed, a direction of the pointer based on the changed display range and the position received by the communication interface;

determine that a user input is received at the pointer displayed by the electronic device;

control the communication interface to receive the ranking data including another user based on the user input received at the pointer; and

display the display range of the ranking list including a rank of the another user based on the received ranking data.