Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US20050282635?ie=ISO-8859-1&dq=5,815,794
Timestamp: 2015-05-23 06:53:21
Document Index: 262013003

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 22', 'art 24', 'art 26', 'art 28', 'art 30', 'art 32', 'art 34', 'art 36', 'art 38', 'art 30', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 32', 'art 22', 'art 34', 'art 26', 'art 34', 'art 26', 'art 26', 'art 36', 'art 36', 'art 26', 'art 26', 'art 28', 'art 34', 'art 38', 'art 28', 'art 42', 'art 44', 'art 46', 'art 44', 'art 48', 'art 50', 'art 52', 'art 32', 'art 50', 'art 50', 'art 46', 'art 46', 'art 48', 'art 48', 'art 52', 'art 26']

Patent US20050282635 - Game system, game system control method, and program - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA network game system capable of representing a sense of the existence of players other than the immediate contest opponent, with a light communication load. In a game system for serving multiple contest games, a game server (12) used together with multiple game terminals includes a contest pairing determination...http://www.google.com/patents/US20050282635?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US20050282635 - Game system, game system control method, and programAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS20050282635 A1Publication typeApplicationApplication numberUS 10/523,793PCT numberPCT/JP2003/008319Publication dateDec 22, 2005Filing dateJul 1, 2003Priority dateSep 30, 2002Also published asCN1684747A, EP1552867A1, EP1552867A4, WO2004030780A1Publication number10523793, 523793, PCT/2003/8319, PCT/JP/2003/008319, PCT/JP/2003/08319, PCT/JP/3/008319, PCT/JP/3/08319, PCT/JP2003/008319, PCT/JP2003/08319, PCT/JP2003008319, PCT/JP200308319, PCT/JP3/008319, PCT/JP3/08319, PCT/JP3008319, PCT/JP308319, US 2005/0282635 A1, US 2005/282635 A1, US 20050282635 A1, US 20050282635A1, US 2005282635 A1, US 2005282635A1, US-A1-20050282635, US-A1-2005282635, US2005/0282635A1, US2005/282635A1, US20050282635 A1, US20050282635A1, US2005282635 A1, US2005282635A1InventorsJun AokiOriginal AssigneeKonami CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManReferenced by (9), Classifications (11), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetGame system, game system control method, and program
US 20050282635 A1Abstract
A network game system capable of representing a sense of the existence of players other than the immediate contest opponent, with a light communication load. In a game system for serving multiple contest games, a game server (12) used together with multiple game terminals includes a contest pairing determination part (22) for determining contest pairings in contest games; a contest game start command part (32) for transmitting a contest game start command to game terminals corresponding to contest pairings determined by the contest pairing determination part (22); a parameter change command destination determining part (26) for, when in a contest game executed by game terminals in accordance with the contest game start command a predetermined game event such as a point-scoring occurs, receiving event details data expressing details of the predetermined game event and determining destinations of parameter change commands corresponding with the event details data; and a parameter change command part (36) for sending the parameter change commands to the destinations determined by the parameter change command destination determining part (26). Images(8) Claims(13)
BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail on the basis of the drawings. FIG. 1 is a view showing the overall construction of a network game system according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in the figure, this network game system 10 includes a game server 12 and multiple game terminals 16A to 16Z. The game server 12 and the game terminals 16 are connected to the Internet 14, which is a data communication network, and are capable of reciprocal data communication. The game server 12 is realized for example by means of a known server computer including a CPU, memory, a hard disk storage device, a display and input devices and so on, and has the function of managing a network game. Each of the game terminals 16 is realized for example by means of a known personal computer including a CPU, memory, a hard disc storage device, a display and input devices and so on, or a home game machine, a portable game machine, a commercial game machine, a portable telephone or a portable information terminal or the like, and is used by a user to play the network game. In this network game system 10, players, who are the participants in the network game, are divided into multiple pairs, and use the game terminals 16A to 16Z to engage in contest play of a ball game, a hand-to-hand fighting game, a war game or a race game or the like, and, by repeating such contest play a predetermined number of times, eventually decide a champion. For this, the game server 12 decides contest pairings in advance or ad hoc on the basis of a tournament approach or a league approach or the like, and provides a contest game start command to the two game terminals 16 pertaining to each contest pairing. The game terminals 16 have a common game program installed in them in advance, and start a game in accordance with the contest game start command. Contest play is realized by phenomena occurring in the two game terminals 16 as a result of game control carried out by the players being exchanged via the Internet 14 and made common. At this time, data communication between the two game terminals 16 pertaining to the contest game may be relayed by the game server 12 or may be conducted directly between the game terminals 16. For some contest pairings, in the game server 12 or a game terminal 16, the game control of one of the players may be carried out automatically. That is, for some contest pairings, a contest game may be played with a computer as the opponent instead of another player. One characteristic feature of this network game system 10 is that an event such as the scoring of a point occurring in a certain contest is reported to the game server 12 from a game terminals 16, and parameter change commands are transmitted via the Internet 14 to the game terminals 16 pertaining to other contests to which that event is relevant. Another characteristic feature is that, with respect to these game terminals 16 pertaining to other contests to which the event is relevant, the output of a message, image or sound relating to the event is commanded. When a game terminal 16 receives a parameter change command, in correspondence with that it updates parameters relating to a contest subject (team or competitor or the like). Consequently, in correspondence with an event occurring in one contest, changes appear in the contest subjects of other contests. Also, when a game terminal 16 receives a command for the output of a message or the like, in correspondence with that it outputs a message by display or sound, and/or changes the image of a contest subject. FIG. 2 shows an example of a game screen displayed on the display of a game terminal 16 in a case where a league-format or tournament-format baseball contest game is realized in the network game system 10. As shown in the figure, when a baseball contest game is being played, an image pertaining to a game subject (an image of an own team competitor) is displayed on the display, and an image pertaining to the contest opponent (an image of an opposition team competitor) is displayed on the display. Also, using an input device such as a game controller to control a contest subject, a baseball victory is fought for with a rival player or a computer. At this time, when an event such as a point or a hit occurs in another relevant contest, a window is displayed at the bottom of the screen, and a message showing details of that event is displayed there. This message may be one that shows the details of the event directly or may be one that shows them indirectly. Also, in the network game system 10, when an event such as a point or a hit occurs in another relevant contest, a change appears in the own team competitor image and/or the other team competitor image. For example, when, in another contest, a rival competitor with whom a certain competitor is competing on batting average makes a hit, the image of that certain competitor moves so that the competitor makes practice swings more forcefully. Also when, in another contest, a rival team wins, the competitor images move so that the competitors look disheartened. The invention can also be applied to games other than baseball games. For example in a case where a league-format or tournament-format soccer contest game is realized, as shown in FIG. 3, an image of the pitch as seen from above is displayed on the display of the game terminal 16, and when an event such as a point occurs in another relevant contest, a message reporting that is displayed in a window at the bottom of the screen. At this time, in correspondence with the event, the formation of the own team and/or the opposing team changes to become more defensive or changes to become more offensive. Also, a change appears in a parameter relating to a striker competing to be a leading goal-scorer, for example a parameter showing a success rate of shots on goal. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram focussing on, of the functions realized in the game server 12, those functions relating to the present invention. As shown in this figure, the functions realized in the game server 12 include a player database 20, a contest pairing determination part 22, a database updating part 24, a parameter change command destination determining part 26, a message output command destination determining part 28, a log-in processing part 30, a contest game start command part 32, an event details receiving part 34, a parameter change command part 36, and a message output command part 38. These functions are realized by the game server 12 executing a network game management program. First, the player database 20 includes memory such as RAM and a hard disc storage device or the like for storing a user table, a team table, ranking table data, performance data and contest pairings data. FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of a user table. As shown in this figure, a user table associates log-in flags and team IDs with user IDs. Here, a user ID is information identifying a participant in the network game. A log-in flag is a flag showing whether or not the corresponding user is presently logged in to the game server 12 from a game terminal 16. A team ID is information identifying a baseball team that the corresponding user is to make the object of game control as a contest subject. FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of a team table. As shown in this figure, a team table associates a competitor ID set with a team ID. Here, a competitor ID set is competitor IDs identifying all the members of the baseball team identified by the team ID stored in association with them in the same table. FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of ranking table data. Ranking table data records rankings and ranking details (number of games won, number of games lost, number of games drawn, win rate) of all the users in the network game. FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of performance data. Performance data is recorded rankings and results of those elements (competitors) constituting a contest subject (team) controlled by a player whose individual results are excellent in a certain field. FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of contest pairings data. Contest pairings data is team IDs of baseball teams currently in contests, paired in accordance with the contest pairings. By referring to this contest pairings data, the game server 12 can determine which team is currently contesting with which team. The log-in processing part 30, when accessed from a game terminal 16, receives a log-in request together with a user ID and a password, and, if the password is valid, authorizes the provision of the network game to the player pertaining to the user ID and records in the player database 20 that the user is currently logged in. Specifically, it updates the log-in flag corresponding to the user ID of the logged-in user in the user table recorded in the player database 20 so that it shows that the user is logged in. The contest pairing determination part 22 determines contest pairings in tournament format or league format on the basis of the content stored in the player database 20. That is, the contest pairing determination part 22 pairs-off users in the user table whose log-in flags are ‘logged in’, in twos. It then generates contest pairings data by making pairs of the team IDs of the baseball teams that those users make their objects of control as contest subjects, and stores them in the player database 20. The contest game start command part 32 transmits contest game start commands to the game terminals 16 corresponding to the contest pairings determined by the contest pairing determination part 22 via the Internet 14. The event details receiving part 34 receives event details data transmitted from the game terminals 16 via the Internet 14. Event details data includes an ID identifying the event type and competitor IDs of competitors involved in the event (for example when a home run event has occurred, the competitor IDs of the hitter who hit the home run and of the pitcher). The parameter change command destination determining part 26 determines destinations of parameter change commands according to the event details data received by the event details receiving part 34. For example, on the basis of contest pairings data stored in the player database 20, the parameter change command destination determining part 26 determines game terminals 16 engaged in counterpart matches as parameter change command destinations. On the basis of the results relating to contest subjects, i.e. the ranking table data and performance data, stored in the player database 20, the parameter change command destination determining part 26, for example, determines, as parameter change command destinations, game terminals 16 at which contests involving rival teams, or teams to which rival competitors belong, are being conducted. The parameter change command part 36 transmits parameter change commands to the destinations (game terminals 16) determined by the parameter change command destination determining part. These parameter change commands include IDs specifying parameter types. In this way, on the basis of the occurrence of a predetermined game event in a certain contest pairing, parameter change commands are transmitted to other game terminals 16 to which that game event is very relevant. Also, by incorporating storing means such as memory into the parameter change command part 36 so that parameter change commands can be temporarily stored in the storing means, a parameter change command may be read out from there and transmitted at a timing corresponding to the state of the game terminal 16 that is the destination of the parameter change command (whether or not a contest game is in progress, whether or not it is logged in to the game server 12, and so on) to the game terminal 16. When, for some of the contest pairings, a computer such as the game server 12 or a game terminal 16 is serving as a contest opponent of a player, the parameter change command destination determining part 26 may determine them to be the destinations of parameter change commands. When the parameter change command destination determining part 26 has received event details data from a game terminal 16, it does not necessarily have to transmit corresponding parameter change commands somewhere, and may alternatively make only event details data relating to teams whose results are above a predetermined level or event details data relating to competitors whose results are above a predetermined level the object of parameter change commands. The message output command destination determining part 28 determines destinations of commands ordering the output of text or sound (message) or an image (image of a competitor making practice swings) corresponding to event details data received by the event details receiving part 34. The message output command part 38 sends the output commands to the destinations determined by the message output command destination determining part 28. Next, FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram focussing on, of the functions realized in the game terminals 16, those which relate to the invention. As shown in the figure, the functions realized in a game terminal 16 include a game database 40, a control part 42, an operating part 44 and a communication part 46. The operating part 44 includes a parameter updating part 48, a contest game processing execution part 50 and a message output part 52. These functions are realized by the game terminal 16 executing a network game program. First, the game database 40 stores parameters of a baseball team to be a contest subject. FIG. 11 is a view showing an example of parameters stored in the game database 40. As shown in the figure, various parameters of all the competitors belonging to a team to be a contest subject are stored in the game database 40. Besides this, parameters (not shown) for determining the behavior of the team as a whole are also stored in the game database 40. When receiving a contest game start command transmitted by the contest game start command part 32, the contest game processing execution part 50 executes contest game processing on the basis of the parameters stored in the game database 40. At this time, the contest game processing execution part 50 displays a contest scene on the display and outputs various sounds such as cheers, stadium announcements and noises of hits through speakers. Also, when in a contest game a predetermined event, specifically a point-scoring event or a hit event, occurs, it commands the communication part 46 to transmit event details data including data specifying the type of the event (an event type specification ID) and the competitor IDs of the competitors involved in the event. The communication part 46 then transmits that event details data to the game server 12. The parameter updating part 48, when it receives a parameter change command from the game server 12, updates the parameters stored in the game database 40 in accordance with the content of the parameter update command. Optionally, by incorporating storing means such as a memory into the parameter updating part 48 and storing the parameter change command in the storing means, the parameter change command may be read out and the parameters may be changed in accordance with its content at a timing corresponding to the state of the game terminal 16 (for example whether or not a contest game is in progress). The message output part 52, when it receives from the game server 12 a command for the output of a message or the like, correspondingly effects a change in a competitor image and/or displays a message showing details of an event and/or outputs a message by audio. With the network game system 10 described above, it is possible for a game event occurring in a certain contest pairing to be reported to the game terminals of other players to which it is deeply relevant, and for games to be changed correspondingly. For example, in a baseball contest game like that described above, if a certain competitor hits a home run, the parameters of a rival of that competitor change. For example a long-hitting ability parameter is raised and a hit rate parameter is lowered. By this means, the competitor can give a good appearance of being stimulated by the activity of a rival. Also, if a certain competitor hits a home run off a pitch with a certain course, a computer to contest with that competitor thereafter can represent a performance of not pitching on the same course. The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. For example, if the invention is applied to a soccer contest game and a certain competitor scores a goal, movement speed parameters, ball capture success rate parameters and shooting success rate parameters and so on of rival competitors may be changed. At this time, changes may be made to the parameters of individual competitors, and changes may be made to the parameters of teams as a whole. Alternatively, changes may be made to the individual parameters of all the members of a team. Also, when the invention is applied to a hand-to-hand fighting contest game and a certain competitor in another contest suffers an injury, changes may be made to the parameters of other competitors in correspondence with that. Also, the parameter change command destination determining part 26 may be made such that from a game terminal 16 a player can set which team/competitor's parameters will be changed when which event relating to which team/competitor has occurred, and the destinations of parameter change commands then determined on the basis of these set details. When this is done, players can set rival relationships and so on themselves. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, by applying this invention to game machines, for example, it is possible to represent a sense of the existence of players other than the immediate contest opponent with a relatively light communication load. Referenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS7842991May 16, 2007Nov 30, 2010Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Nonvolatile memory devices including oxygen-deficient metal oxide layers and methods of manufacturing the sameUS8043926Oct 22, 2010Oct 25, 2011Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Nonvolatile memory devices including oxygen-deficient metal oxide layers and methods of manufacturing the sameUS8235822Nov 13, 2006Aug 7, 2012Wms Gaming Inc.Transmitting content in wagering networksUS8360889Dec 18, 2007Jan 29, 2013Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.Game system, game apparatus therefor, communication apparatus therefor, computer program therefor, and data management method thereforUS8696466 *May 25, 2011Apr 15, 2014Sony Computer Entertainment America LlcMethod and apparatus for implementing nemesis matchmakingUS8992306Jun 26, 2008Mar 31, 2015IgtGaming system and method providing variable payback percentagesUS20120115603 *Nov 8, 2011May 10, 2012Shuster Gary SSingle user multiple presence in multi-user gameUS20120302332 *May 25, 2011Nov 29, 2012Sony Computer Entertainment America LlcMethod and apparatus for implementing nemesis matchmakingWO2007059080A2 *Nov 13, 2006May 24, 2007Rory L BlockTransmitting content in wagering networks* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification463/42International ClassificationA63F13/12, A63F13/10, A63F13/00Cooperative ClassificationA63F2300/407, A63F2300/5546, A63F2300/558, A63F2300/50, A63F13/12, A63F2300/5566European ClassificationA63F13/12Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionFeb 9, 2005ASAssignmentOwner name: KONAMI CORPORATION, JAPANFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:AOKI, JUN;REEL/FRAME:016798/0003Effective date: 20040409RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services