User Association in Information Processing Systems

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing network services and portable game machines lack efficient user association mechanisms, making it inconvenient to reflect relationships established through data exchange between information processing terminals on the network service provided by an information processing device.

Innovation Solution

An information processing system and method that includes user identification data storage and transmission means on both terminals and a device, allowing for the association of user identities and account data, enabling the reflection of user relationships established through data exchange between terminals on the network service.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If user identification data is transmitted and stored between information processing terminals and the information processing device, then user relationship association is achieved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser relationship associationVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the user association functionality into separate components: terminals store their own user identification data locally, and the information processing device maintains a database of user relationships. This segmentation allows each component to operate independently while achieving overall user association through coordinated data exchange between terminal and server components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The information processing device acts as an intermediary that receives user identification data from terminals, stores it in its database, and uses it to establish associations between users. This mediator approach enables centralized user relationship management while allowing distributed terminals to participate in the association process without direct peer-to-peer complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If user identification data is transmitted between terminals and the information processing device, then user convenience is improved, but data transmission overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser convenienceVSAvoiddata transmission overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

User identification data is transmitted and stored in the information processing device database in advance, before actual network service operations occur. This preliminary action ensures that when users need to interact through the network service, their association is already established and recognized, eliminating the need for repeated authentication or relationship verification during service operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If the information processing device stores user identification data from multiple terminals, then user association capability is enhanced, but information storage requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser association capabilityVSAvoidinformation storage requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Each terminal stores only its own user identification data locally, while the information processing device stores the association information centrally. This local quality approach minimizes storage requirements at distributed terminals while maintaining comprehensive user association capability at the server level through efficient database storage of relationship data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2477135B1Information processing system, information processing method, information storage medium and program
Publication Date: 2019.04.17 SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC
  • EP2477135B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2477135B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2477135B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

Provided is an information processing system capable of reflecting the relationship between users, which has been established by exchanging data between information processing terminals, to an information processing device. A first information processing terminal (3-1) receives identification data which identifies a user who operates a second information processing terminal (3-2) from the second information processing terminal (3-2). The first information processing terminal (3-1) transmits, to an information processing device (2), identification data which identifies a user who operates the first information processing terminal (3-1) and the identification data which identifies the user who operates the second information processing terminal (3-2) in association with each other. The information processing device (2) associates, based on the received identification data, the user who operates the first information processing terminal (3-1) and the user who operates the second information processing terminal (3-2) .