Matching system, information processing apparatus, server, matching method, and storage medium storing matching program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10080969-B2
Application number	US-201213551138-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2012
Priority date	Oct 20, 2011
Publication date	Sep 25, 2018
Grant date	Sep 25, 2018

Abstract

A game system 100 , which is an example of a matching system, includes a game server 500 and a plurality of game devices 300 that are connected to the game server 500 over a network. The game system 100 includes a related player presenting section 331 for presenting, to a participating player who is attempting to join a game and for whom matchmaking is to be performed in any of matching rooms that are matching ranges, a related player related to the participating player, a matching room identification section 54 for identifying a matching room that is associated with the related player presented by the related player presenting section 331 , and a matching processor 55 for performing matchmaking in the matching room identified by the matching room identification section 54.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A matching system including a server and first and second information processing apparatuses each configured to connect to the server over a network, and perform information processing while the first and second information processing apparatuses are communicating information over the network, a first user using the first information processing apparatus is associated with a first matching range, a second user using the second information processing apparatus is associated with a second matching range, the second matching range being different from the first matching range, the first information processing apparatus comprising:
an input device configured to receive user input;
a network interface configured to communicate over the network with the server and other information processing apparatuses; and
at least one processor operatively coupled to the input device and the network interface, the at least one processor configured to:
receive, via the input device, selection of the second user as a related user;
in response to the received selection, identify, from among a plurality of matching ranges, the second matching range associated with the selected second user; and
the matching system being further configured to use the identified second matching range to match the first user with at least a third user using a third information processing apparatus for joining an online multiplayer game in which the third player is attempting to play and during which the first information processing apparatus communicates with the third information processing apparatus using the network interface, wherein the second matching range associated with the related user is any of a matching range in which the related user has most recently been matched, a matching range determined based on a history of matchmaking of the related user, a matching range in which the related user is currently matched, and a matching range made by the related user.

2. The matching system according to claim 1 , wherein the related user includes at least any of a user identified and registered by the first user, a user with established near field communication with the first user, a user who has been matched with the first user in past, a user selected based on an attribute of the first user, and a user matched in the first matching range of the first user.

3. The matching system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
present, on a display, the identified second matching range that is associated with the related user; and
receive, via the input device, selection of the presented second matching range,
wherein the selected matching range is a matching range to match the first user with at least the third user for joining the online multiplayer game.

4. The matching system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor presents, on a display, the related user so as to show that the related user is online.

5. The matching system according to claim 1 , wherein the matching system is configured to perform matchmaking between the first user and the related user.

6. The matching system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
determine a matching range to match the first user with users of other information processing apparatuses based on an operation made by the first user using the input device at the first information processing apparatus.

7. The matching system according to claim 1 , wherein the matching system is configured to perform matchmaking in the identified matching range, without presenting a user who is matched within the identified matching range.

8. The matching system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the server is a game server,
wherein the first information processing apparatus is a game device, and
wherein the matching system is a game system which includes the game server and a plurality of game devices connected to the game server over a network and which performs matchmaking, in any of the plurality of matching ranges, for the first user attempting to play the online multiplayer game while the game devices are communicating information.

9. The matching system according to claim 1 , wherein the identified matching range is a matching room explicitly indicating a specific condition regarding users who are allowed to join the matching room.

10. An information processing apparatus used in the matching system according to claim 1 , comprising:
a memory storing therein information regarding the second user; and
the at least one processor is further configured to present the related user based on the information stored in the user memory.

11. A server used in the matching system according to claim 1 , comprising:
at least one server processor configured to acquire the second matching range that is associated with the related user and to provide information regarding the acquired matching range to the first information processing apparatus in response to a request, from the first information processing apparatus, for a matching range associated with the related user; and
wherein the at least one server processor is further configured to receive, from the first information processing apparatus, the identified second matching range, and to use the identified second matching range to match the first user with at least the third user for joining the online multiplayer game.

12. A server used in the matching system according to claim 1 , comprising:
at least one server processor configured to acquire a matching range that is associated with the related user, transmit the acquired matching range to the first information processing apparatus, and match the first user with at least the third user for joining the online multiplayer game based on the identified second matching range.

13. The matching system according to claim 1 , wherein the second matching range associated with the selected second user is received from the server and the second matching range includes one or more conditions satisfied by the selected second user.

14. The matching system according to claim 1 , wherein the first user and the third user participate simultaneously in the multiplayer game.

15. The matching system according to claim 1 , wherein the first user is matched with the third user which satisfies a plurality of conditions included in the identified second matching range.

16. The matching system according to claim 1 , wherein the matching system is configured to use the identified second matching range to match the first user with a plurality of other users who satisfy, at the time matching is performed, a conditioned of the second matching range, and wherein the condition of the second matching range is not satisfied by the first user at the time matching is performed.

17. The matching system according to claim 1 , wherein the matching system is configured to use the identified second matching range to match the first user with a group of other users which does not include the second user, and each user in the group of other users satisfying a conditioned of the second matching range.

18. A matching method for performing matchmaking for a first information processing apparatus including a processor configured to perform information processing while communicating information, using a network interface operatively coupled to the first information processing apparatus, with other information processing apparatuses over a network, a first user using the first information processing app

Assignees

• Nakata Tetsuya
• Asakura Atsushi
• Shiraiwa Yusuke
• Masuda Takumi
• Nakano Keigo
• Yabuki Kosuke
• Nintendo Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakata Tetsuya
• Asakura Atsushi
• Shiraiwa Yusuke
• Masuda Takumi
• Nakano Keigo
• Yabuki Kosuke

Classifications

• A63F2300/5566

  by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style · CPC title

• A63F13/795 Primary

  for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list · CPC title

• A63F13/35

  Details of game servers · CPC title

• A63F13/87

  Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat · CPC title