Patent Application
20130304838
This is a continuation application of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/820,530, filed Mar. 29, 2001, which claims priority to Japanese Application No. 2000-351911, filed Nov. 17, 2000. The disclosures of these documents, including the specifications, drawings and claims, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for joining an electronic conference, and particularly to a method and apparatus for joining an electronic conference by using a simple procedure from a video game machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Video game machines with an Internet connection function can receive various services via servers of ISPs (Internet Service Providers). With these new services, for example, game software is distributed to video game machines and users can play battle games via a network. On the other hand, other new services can be provided by combining services relating to games with services such as electronic mail and conferences (hereafter referred to as “chats”) which are conventionally provided on the Internet.
In a battle game, users playing the game via a network may be opponents or allies. If users who have become acquainted through a game have means for communication, they can exchange information on games to increase enjoyment such of games. Further, if not only one-on-one battle games but also games that can be joined by many players are available, information exchanged based on chats are effective.
A problem with conventional video game machines, however, is that they have the Internet connecting function but no application program for electronic mail or chats, thus requiring a separate general-purpose computer in order to send electronic mail or have chats.
Further, the conventional video game machines require various procedures with an ISP, which are cumbersome both to a chat chairman and to guests. Moreover, if new guests are invited while a chat opening process is in progress, complicated procedures are required, thus making it difficult to increase chat guests.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for joining an electronic conference which method and apparatus allow users to join a chat by means of a simple procedure from a video game machine even while the chat opening process is in progress.
To attain this object, an electronic conference joining method is provided by which a chairman who opens an electronic conference sets a particular area on a database and by which guests who join the electronic conference send a request for access to the area to a server from the guests' terminals. The chairman' s terminal stores setup information for setting the area, in a storage section, creates an invitation message containing the setup information stored in the storage section. The chairman's terminal gives an instruction for transmission of the invitation message, and transmits an invitation signal containing the setup information to the guests' terminals depending on the instruction. The guests' terminals receives the invitation signal and obtain the setup information, create an access request signal containing the setup information, and transmit to the server, the access request signal in response to the guests' instruction.
The chairman's terminal may also receive an opening response signal from the server. The signal indicates that the area has been set in the database, in that the opening response signal contains an ID number for allowing the server to identify the area of the database. The chairman' s terminal may also transmit the invitation signal containing the ID number, and add the ID number contained in the invitation signal to the access request signal.
A third invention is the first or second invention characterized in that the setup information contains at least one of a name of the electronic conference and a code number for accessing the area of the database.
A fourth invention is an electronic conference joining system by which a chairman who opens an electronic conference sets a particular area on a database and by which guests who join the electronic conference send a request for access to the area to a server from the guests' terminals. The chairman's terminal comprises a storage for storing setup information for setting the area and an invitation message creator for creating an invitation message containing the setup information stored in the storage. The chairman's terminal also indicates an instruction device for giving an instruction for transmission of the invitation message created by the invitation message creator, and an invitation signal transmitter for transmitting an invitation signal containing the setup information to the guests' terminals depending on the instruction from the instruction device. The guests' terminals include a setup information retriever for receiving the invitation signal and obtaining the setup information, an access request signal source for creating an access request signal containing the setup information obtained by the setup information retriever, and a request signal transmitter for transmitting to the server, the access request signal created at the access request signal source in response to the guests' instruction.
The chairman's terminal may also include a receiver for receiving an opening response signal from the server. The signal indicates that the area has been set in the database, in that the opening response signal contains an ID number for allowing the server to identify the area of the database. Moreover, the invitation signal transmitter may transmit the invitation signal containing the ID number, and in that the access request signal source may add the ID number contained in the invitation signal to the access request signal. The setup information may contain either a name of the electronic conference or a code number for accessing the area of the database.
According to another of the present invention, a recording medium has programs recorded thereon. The programs control terminals in an electronic conference joining system by which a chairman who opens an electronic conference sets a particular area on a database and by which guests who join the electronic conference send a request for access to the area to a server from the guests' terminals. The recording medium is readable by a computer and has to control the chairman's terminal, a program recorded thereon for causing the computer to execute storing setup information for setting the area, in a storage section. The program also cause the computer to create an invitation message containing the setup information stored in the storage section, give an instruction for transmission of the invitation message, and transmits an invitation signal containing the setup information to the guests' terminals depending on the instruction. The recording medium has, to control the guests' terminals, a program recorded thereon for causing the computer to receive the invitation signal and obtain the setup information. The computer also creates access request signal containing the setup information, and transmits to the server, the access request signal in response to the guests' instruction.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a program is provided for controlling terminals in an electronic conference joining system by which a chairman who opens an electronic conference sets a particular area on a database and by which guests who join the electronic conference send a request for access to the area to a server from the guests' terminals. The program causes to control the chairman's terminal, a computer to store setup information for setting the area, in a storage section and create an invitation message containing the setup information stored in the storage section. The computer also gives an instruction for transmission of the invitation message, and transmits an invitation signal containing the setup information to the guests' terminals depending on the instruction. The program causes to control the guests' terminals, the computer to receive the invitation signal and obtain the setup information. The computer also creates an access request signal containing the setup information, and transmits to the server, the access request signal in response to the guests' instruction.
As described above, the present invention allows users to join a chat by using a simple procedure from a video game machine even while a chat opening process is in progress.
The above and other objects, effects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.
The ISP servers 102 comprises multiple servers including an authentication server 111 for managing accounts to authenticate users, a content server 112 for providing services for allowing users to listen to and view content such as sounds or videos, a message server 113 for providing environments for chats or messengers, a mail server 114 for providing electronic mail services, a profile server 115 for managing users' profiles, and game servers 116a and 116b for providing game environments, all of these servers are connected to the ISP server via a LAN 117.
With this configuration, a user accesses the authentication server 111 from the video game machine 103a or 103b or the general-purpose computer 104a or 104b via the Internet 101, to have the user authenticated. The servers 102 transmit a menu screen to the authenticated user. The user selects one of services displayed on the menu screen to connect the video game machine 103a or 103b or the general-purpose computer 104a or 104b to one of the groups of servers depending on the service, so that the user can receive the service.
Upon receiving the chat opening response signal 204, the user can enter (join) the chat room by transmitting an enter room signal 205 to the database. The entry to a chat room refers to an operation of having the user's access checked by the message server 113 to access a predetermined area of the database.
Further, a message 206 for invitation to the chat which is transmitted to the chat guests is displayed based on the created message 201, and an invitation signal 207 is transmitted to all the guests. The video game machine 103b of an expected guest receiving the invitation signal 207 displays a screen 210 prompting the guest to enter the chat room, and the expected guest can join the chat by transmitting a enter room signal 208 to the database. At this time, an invitation answer signal 209 indicating that the guest accepts the chairman's invitation is transmitted from the expected guest to the chairman. The invitation to a chat refers to an operation of granting a guest access to an opened chat room and prompting the guest to join the chat.
After a chat has been opened, the invitation signal 207 can also be transmitted to new chat guests. The video game machine 103c, not shown in
The chat opening message 201 has a category 301 indicative of a type of message, and a message title 302 and a text box 303 that are required to transmit the invitation message to the expected guests. The message 201 also has input columns for a chat name 304 and a chat password 305 which are required to request the message server 113 to open the chat room.
The invitation message 206 can be invoked while the chat opening process is in progress. The user can invoke and edit the invitation message 206 by performing an operation required to invoke the message or selecting guests from an address book while the chat opening process is in progress. Then, after the chat has been opened, the invitation signal 207 can be transmitted to other guests.
The chat password 513 is set by obtaining it from the chat password 305 in the chat opening message 201 but is not displayed in the invitation message 206 shown in FIG. 4. The chat ID 514 is also not displayed. Upon receiving the invitation message 207, the video game machines 103b and 103c display the screen 210 prompting the guests to enter the chat room and create the Enter Room signal 208. The screen 210 prompting the guests to enter the chat room also does not display the chat password 513 or the chat ID 514. That is, the chat password 513 and the chat ID 514 are recognized by the video game machines 103a to 103c during the exchange of the signals but are not communicated to the guests through the screen. When cumbersome procedures required to set a chat are thus omitted, users can open and join a chat by means of a simple procedure from a video game machine.
According to this embodiment, even while the chat opening process is in progress , the video game machine 103a can invoke the invitation message 206 so that the invitation signal 207 can be transmitted based on this message, thereby eliminating the need for cumbersome procedures for inviting guests. Further, the guests can join chats without any cumbersome procedure because the video game machines 103b and 103c generate the enter room signal 208 from the contents of the invitation signal and transmit this signal.
A CD-ROM drive 716 for loading the game programs and the program for the electronic conference opening of the present invention, from the CD-ROM storing these programs, a serial interface 717 connected to the game controller 701, a video interface 718 connected to a TV monitor 702, and a communications interface 719 for connection to the Internet 101 are also connected to the bus 715.
Of course, the present invention is achieved by causing the video game machine or general-purpose computer to read and execute program code of software from the storage medium storing these program codes, the software implementing the electronic conference opening of the present invention. The storage medium for supplying the program code may include, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a photo-electromagnetic disk, an optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, and a ROM.
The electronic conference opening of the present invention is applicable not only to standalone general-purpose computers but also to a client server system including a group of computers
The present invention has been described in detail with respect to preferred embodiments, and it will now be apparent from the foregoing to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. It is the intention, therefore, in the appended claims to coverall such changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-351911 | Nov 2000 | JP | national |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 09820530 | Mar 2001 | US |
| Child | 13944379 | US |
