Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-14
2001-03-20
Young, Lee (Department: 3729)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
With communication link
C463S041000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06203433
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network game system, a network game server, network game clients, a player selection program, a medium storing a player selection program, and a medium storing a player information collection program which are designed to carry out indoor games such as shogi, igo, chess, Othello game, mah-jong, fighting-type television games, and other games, and more particularly to a network game system, a network game server, network game clients, a player selection program, a medium storing a player selection program, and a medium storing a player information collection program which are designed to select play partners from an indefinitely large number of participants.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been general that indoor games such as shogi, igo, chess, Othello game, mah-jong, fighting-type television games, and other games are played in a manner that players play them at the same time and at the same place. However, with recent advances in information communication technology, tools have been developed which enable players to play them remotely by connecting computers by communication lines. This allows players to play the games at home. In this case, however, since a person that wants to play is at a specific place, it is difficult to select play partners.
Accordingly, there is provided an easier-to-use player display system which registers information about persons ready to play and displays its contents on the screen of terminal equipment of users who wish to play (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 7-95321). Use of this system enables users who wish to play to select opposing players from the screen to obtain play partners, whereby the users can play with the selected play partners.
The same function as that of the above-mentioned system is also implemented by listing users by use of homepages on the Internet.
However, the above-mentioned player display system requires that users themselves look for partners satisfying their requirements by themselves and make contact by themselves. This is difficult in the points described below.
(1) Desired partners with whom to play do not desire to play.
(2) Desired partners with whom to play cannot play immediately because they are playing.
(3) It must be monitored that desired partners with whom to play finish playing.
(4) Time-consuming operations other than the true purpose of playing games, such as displaying information about persons ready to play and selecting proper partners, are required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of these points and its object is to provide a network game system which relieves users of efforts to select play partners by themselves.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a network game server which automatically selects play partners of a user desiring to play.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a network game client which can automatically obtain information about partners with whom to play a game.
Further still another object of the present invention is to provide a medium storing a player selection program for instructing computers to automatically select play partners of a user desiring to play.
Yet another object of the present invention is to offer a medium storing a player information collection program for instructing computers to automatically collect information about play partners of a game.
To solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a network game system in which a game is played among an indefinitely large number of participants on a communication network, comprising: a server including: a user information storage unit that stores information about a plurality of users; a game request response unit that, upon receipt of a game request, places a user issuing the game request in a game queue; and a player selection processing unit that determines combinations of games among users placed in the game queue; and clients including a game request unit that outputs the game request to the server.
According to such a network game system, first, the game request unit outputs a game request to the server. The game request response unit of the server places a user issuing the game request in a game queue. The player selection processing unit determines combinations of games among players placed in the game queue. By this arrangement, combinations of games among users issuing a game request can be automatically determined.
To solve the above-mentioned problems, there is also provided a network game server which manages information about users playing games through a communication network, comprising: a user information storage unit that stores information about a plurality of users; a game request response unit that, upon receipt of a game request from a client, places a user issuing the game request in a game queue; and a player selection processing unit that determines combinations of games among users placed in the game queue.
When a game request is issued from the client, the game request response unit places a user issuing the game request in a game queue and the player selection processing unit determines combinations of games among users placed in the game queue.
To solve the above-mentioned problems, there is also provided a network game client which plays games through a communication network, comprising: a game request unit that outputs a game request to a server and receives player request issuance timing information specifying time to issue a player request, from the server; and a player request unit that, when time specified in the player request issuance timing information is reached, outputs the player request to the server and receives information about opposing players from the server.
According to such a network game client, the game request unit outputs a game request to the server and receives player request issuance timing information from the server. When time specified in the player request issuance timing information is reached, the player request unit outputs a player request to the server and receives information about opposing players from the server.
To solve the above-mentioned problems, there is also provided a medium storing a player selection program for instructing computers to select play partners of users wishing to play games through a communication network, the player selection program comprising: a user information storage unit that stores information about a plurality of users; a game request response unit that, upon receipt of a game request from the client, places a user issuing the game request in a game queue; and a player selection processing unit that determines combinations of games among users placed in the game queue.
If the player selection program is executed by a computer, the functions of the following units are implemented by the computer: the user information storage unit that stores information about a plurality of users; the game request response unit that, upon receipt of a game request from the client, places a user issuing the game request in a game queue; and the player selection processing unit that determines combinations of games among users placed in the game queue.
To solve the above-mentioned problems, there is also provided a medium storing a player information collection program for instructing computers to obtain information about play partners of users wishing to play a game through a communication network, the player information collection program comprising: a game request unit that outputs a game request to a server and receives player request issuance timing information specifying time to issue a player request, from the server; and a player request unit that, when the time specified in the player request issuance timing information is reached, outputs the player request to the server and receives information about opposing players from the server.
If the player information collection program is executed by a c
Fuji 'Xerox Co., Ltd.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Trinh Minh
Young Lee
LandOfFree
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