Methods and apparatus for controlling an information processing system based on geographic position information

• US 9,744,447 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2012
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishina, Eiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bassett, Daniel G
• Application Number:
  US13/981,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20130303187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,043 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• 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 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• 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 13/798 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/307 for displaying an additional window with a view from the top of the game field, e.g. radar screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

Provided is an information processing system capable of, while avoiding running out of storage capacity, increasing the possibility that a program executed in the information processing system can use data according to a calculated position, even when the information processing system cannot receive data from a device. An item communication section (72) receives, from a server that stores data used in the program in association with a position, data associated with a position in a first-size area containing a position calculated by a positioning section (60). An item notification section (74) notifies to outside when a position associated with data received by the item communication section (72) is present in a second-size area, which contains a position calculated by the positioning section (60) and is smaller than the first-size area. An application executing section (66) executes a program using data received by the item communication section (72).

Claims

1. An information processing system, comprising:

a positioning unit that calculates respective geographic positions, including a current geographic position, of a mobile user terminal and stores a current position coordinate of the current geographic position when a predetermined position criteria is met, including that the mobile user terminal has moved by at least a first predetermined distance;

a data receiving unit that receives, from a server, predetermined data associated with a predetermined first-size geographic area only when the current position coordinate is within such first-size geographic area;

a notification unit that notifies a user of the mobile user terminal when the current position coordinate is within a predetermined second-size geographic area, which is smaller than, and within, the first-size geographic area; and

a program executing unit that executes a program, where the program is permitted to start using the received predetermined data only when the current position coordinate is within the predetermined second-size geographic area, wherein

the predetermined data associated with the predetermined first-size geographic area include an area ID uniquely identifying the predetermined first-size geographic area,

the predetermined first-size geographic area is among a plurality of first-size geographic areas including a further predetermined first-size geographic area having a further area ID uniquely identifying the further predetermined first-size geographic area, and

when the mobile user terminal moves from the predetermined first-size geographic area into the further predetermined first-size geographic area and receives further predetermined data associated with the further predetermined first-size geographic area, the data receiving unit compares the area ID of the predetermined first-size geographic area with the further area ID of the further predetermined first-size geographic area and on the basis of such comparison deletes the predetermined data associated with the predetermined first-size geographic area in favor of the further predetermined data associated with the further predetermined first-size geographic area.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determination unit that determines when the predetermined position criteria is met by, at predetermined time intervals, determining whether or not a distance between a previous position coordinate stored by the positioning unit and the current position coordinate calculated by the positioning unit exceeds the first predetermined distance,

wherein the data receiving unit receives, from the server, the predetermined data associated with the predetermined first-size geographic area within which the current position coordinate is located only when the predetermined position criteria is met.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the data receiving unit receives, from the server, the predetermined data associated with the predetermined first-size geographic area within which the current position coordinate is located only when the determination unit determines that a distance between a previous position coordinate stored by the positioning unit and the current position coordinate calculated by the positioning unit exceeds a second predetermined distance, greater than the first predetermined distance.

4. The information processing system according to claim 3, wherein a circular area that has a radius corresponding to the first predetermined distance is included in the first-size area.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the data receiving unit receives, from the server, the predetermined data associated with the predetermined first-size geographic area within which the current position coordinate is located only when a determination unit determines that one and/or the other of the following criteria are met:

at a predetermined time interval, that a distance between a previous position coordinate stored by the positioning unit and the current position coordinate calculated by the positioning unit exceeds the first predetermined distance; and

that the distance between the previous position coordinate stored by the positioning unit and the current position coordinate calculated by the positioning unit exceeds a second predetermined distance, greater than the first predetermined distance.

6. The information processing system according to claim 5, wherein a circular area that has a radius corresponding to the second predetermined distance is included in the first-size area.

7. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where, after the data receiving unit receives the predetermined data, the program is installed into the information processing system, the program executing unit executes, at a time the installed program is executed, the program using the predetermined data received by the data receiving unit.

8. The information processing system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined data further includes:

(i) a title ID, indicating the program among a plurality of programs that are executable via the program executing unit; and

(ii) an item ID, indicating a specific function of the program among a plurality of functions of the program that may only be executed when the current position coordinate is within the predetermined second-size geographic area.

9. A method for controlling an information processing system comprising:

calculating respective geographic positions, including a current geographic position, of a mobile user terminal;

storing a current position coordinate of the current geographic position when a predetermined position criteria is met, including that the mobile user terminal has moved by at least a first predetermined distance;

receiving, from a server, predetermined data associated with a predetermined first-size geographic area only when the current position coordinate is within such first-size geographic area;

notifying a user of the mobile user terminal when the current position coordinate is within a predetermined second-size geographic area, which is smaller than, and within, the first-size geographic area; and

executing a program, where the program is permitted to start using the received predetermined data only when the current position coordinate is within the predetermined second-size geographic area, wherein

the predetermined data associated with the predetermined first-size geographic area include an area ID uniquely identifying the predetermined first-size geographic area,

the predetermined first-size geographic area is among a plurality of first-size geographic areas including a further predetermined first-size geographic area having a further area ID uniquely identifying the further predetermined first-size geographic area, and

when the mobile user terminal moves from the predetermined first-size geographic area into the further predetermined first-size geographic area and receives further predetermined data associated with the further predetermined first-size geographic area, the receiving step includes comparing the area ID of the predetermined first-size geographic area with the further area ID of the further predetermined first-size geographic area, and on the basis of such comparison, deleting the predetermined data associated with the predetermined first-size geographic area in favor of the further predetermined data associated with the further predetermined first-size geographic area.

10. A program stored in a non-transitory computer readable information storage medium, which is to be executed by a computer, the program including instructions for:

calculating respective geographic positions, including a current geographic position, of a mobile user terminal;

storing a current position coordinate of the current geographic position when a predetermined position criteria is met, including that the mobile user terminal has moved by at least a first predetermined distance;

receiving, from a server, predetermined data associated with a predetermined first-size geographic area only when the current position coordinate is within such first-size geographic area;

notifying a user of the mobile user terminal when the current position coordinate is within a predetermined second-size geographic area, which is smaller than, and within, the first-size geographic area; and

executing a program, where the program is permitted to start using the received predetermined data only when the current position coordinate is within the predetermined second-size geographic area, wherein

the predetermined data associated with the predetermined first-size geographic area include an area ID uniquely identifying the predetermined first-size geographic area,

the predetermined first-size geographic area is among a plurality of first-size geographic areas including a further predetermined first-size geographic area having a further area ID uniquely identifying the further predetermined first-size geographic area, and

when the mobile user terminal moves from the predetermined first-size geographic area into the further predetermined first-size geographic area and receives further predetermined data associated with the further predetermined first-size geographic area, the receiving step includes comparing the area ID of the predetermined first-size geographic area with the further area ID of the further predetermined first-size geographic area, and on the basis of such comparison, deleting the predetermined data associated with the predetermined first-size geographic area in favor of the further predetermined data associated with the further predetermined first-size geographic area.

11. A non-transitory computer readable information storage medium storing a program which is to be executed by a computer, the program including instructions to:

calculating respective geographic positions, including a current geographic position, of a mobile user terminal;

storing a current position coordinate of the current geographic position when a predetermined position criteria is met, including that the mobile user terminal has moved by at least a first predetermined distance;

receiving, from a server, predetermined data associated with a predetermined first-size geographic area only when the current position coordinate is within such first-size geographic area;

notifying a user of the mobile user terminal when the current position coordinate is within a predetermined second-size geographic area, which is smaller than, and within, the first-size geographic area; and

executing a program, where the program is permitted to start using the received predetermined data only when the current position coordinate is within the predetermined second-size geographic area, wherein

the predetermined data associated with the predetermined first-size geographic area include an area ID uniquely identifying the predetermined first-size geographic area,

the predetermined first-size geographic area is among a plurality of first-size geographic areas including a further predetermined first-size geographic area having a further area ID uniquely identifying the further predetermined first-size geographic area, and

when the mobile user terminal moves from the predetermined first-size geographic area into the further predetermined first-size geographic area and receives further predetermined data associated with the further predetermined first-size geographic area, the receiving step includes comparing the area ID of the predetermined first-size geographic area with the further area ID of the further predetermined first-size geographic area, and on the basis of such comparison, deleting the predetermined data associated with the predetermined first-size geographic area in favor of the further predetermined data associated with the further predetermined first-size geographic area.