Information Processing Apparatus Automatic Content Usage Status Synchronization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional systems fail to distribute records of content data purchases to terminal apparatuses, making it difficult for users to obtain information about their own content data usage and status.

Innovation Solution

A program stored on a computer-readable storage medium enables an information processing apparatus to transmit and receive identification information of content data, allowing users to know the execution status of content data on a specific terminal apparatus, even without user intervention, through automatic transmission and reception processes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the server collects records of purchases of content data, then the server can accumulate usage history information, but terminal apparatus users are unable to obtain these records

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveusage history informationVSAvoiduser access to purchase records

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The server acts as an intermediary that stores purchase records and provides them to terminal apparatuses upon request. The server receives requests from terminal apparatuses for distribution of purchase records, retrieves the relevant records from its storage, and transmits them back to the requesting terminal apparatus, thereby enabling users to access their own usage history information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where terminal apparatuses can request their purchase records from the server, and the server responds by providing the requested information. This feedback loop allows users to obtain information about their content data purchases and usage status by sending requests to the server and receiving the corresponding records.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If the server distributes records of purchases of content data to terminal apparatuses, then users can obtain their purchase records, but the server distributes information about all terminal apparatuses making it difficult to identify specific apparatus usage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser access to purchase recordsVSAvoidspecific apparatus usage information

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The server provides customized information to each terminal apparatus based on its unique identification. When a terminal apparatus requests purchase records, the server uses the terminal's ID to retrieve only that specific terminal's purchase history from the storage, ensuring that each user receives information localized to their own usage rather than aggregated data from all terminals.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The purchase records stored on the server are segmented by terminal apparatus ID. Each record in the storage contains associations between terminal IDs and purchase information, allowing the server to segment and retrieve only the relevant subset of records corresponding to the requesting terminal apparatus, thus providing specific apparatus usage information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Loss of information

If the system requires user requests to distribute purchase records, then users can obtain information, but the process requires manual user intervention

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveusage status informationVSAvoidautomatic information transmission

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSExtent of automation

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal apparatus automatically transmits requests to the server to obtain purchase records without requiring explicit user intervention for each request. The system enables self-service functionality where the terminal apparatus autonomously communicates with the server to retrieve and display usage history information, reducing the need for manual user operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The server pre-stores purchase records in its storage for all terminal apparatuses before any requests are made. This preliminary action of accumulating and organizing purchase data by terminal ID allows the server to quickly retrieve and transmit relevant information when requests are received, enabling efficient automatic information distribution without requiring real-time data processing or manual record-keeping.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9656173B2Computer-readable storage medium, information processing apparatus, information processing system, and information processing method

Publication Date: 2017.05.23 NINTENDO CO LTD

AI summary

Example systems and methods involve an information processing apparatus configured to transmit transmission data to one or more of a plurality of other information processing apparatuses, the transmission data including identification information for content data executed by the information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus is also configured to receive reception data from one or more of the plurality of other information processing apparatuses, the reception data from each respective other information processing apparatus including identification information for content data executed by the respective other information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus accesses purchase information associated with purchasing content data corresponding to at least one piece of identification information included in the reception data received from the one or more of the plurality of other information processing apparatuses.