Patent ID: 8257178

Claim:
A server apparatus that is connected to a plurality of mobile phones having a function to execute a game through a network including a mobile phone network, the server apparatus comprising: a user information storage that, for each user of the plurality of mobile phones, stores utilization information indicating other users of the plurality of mobile phones that have one of played and tried to play the game with the user; a selection request receiver that receives a selection request for selecting an opponent to play a match-up in the game from one of the plurality of mobile phones through the network, the one of the plurality of mobile phones from which the selection request is received being a match-up challenger mobile phone used by a challenger user; a candidate extractor that, in response to the selection request being received by the selection request receiver from the match-up challenger mobile phone, extracts opponent candidates, who are liable to immediately play the match-up in the game, among the other users of the plurality of mobile phones according to the utilization information of the challenger user stored in the user information storage; a list transmitter that transmits a candidate list, on which the opponent candidates extracted by the candidate extractor are listed, to the match-up challenger mobile phone through the network; a selected opponent information receiver that receives, from the match-up challenger mobile phone, opponent information about an opponent user selected from the candidate list transmitted by the list transmitter; a match-up challenge mail transmitter that transmits, to a match-up opponent mobile phone of the opponent user corresponding to the opponent information received by the selected opponent information receiver through the network, a match-up challenge mail, which indicates a match-up challenge from the challenger user of the match-up challenger mobile phone; a match-up acceptance information receiver that receives, from the match-up opponent mobile phone, which accepts the match-up challenge of the match-up challenge mail, acceptance information about acceptance of the match-up challenge in regards to the match-up challenge mail transmitted from the match-up challenge mail transmitter; and a match-up start mail transmitter that, when the match-up acceptance information receiver receives the acceptance information about the acceptance of the match-up challenge, transmits a match-up start mail, which instructs to start the match-up in the game, to both the match-up challenger mobile phone and the match-up opponent mobile phone through the network.