KR20130011836A - Server, system and method for providing game subsidiary program - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A game sub program providing server, a system thereof, and a method thereof are provided to transmit a patch file without an influence to an executed game. CONSTITUTION: A game sub-program file storage unit stores a game sub-program file. A version verifying unit(113) confirms a version of a game program used by a user terminal. A version comparing unit(114) compares the version of the game program with a version of the game sub-program file. When the version of the game program is a previous version of the game sub-program file, a game sub-program file transmitting unit transmits the game sub-program file to the user terminal. [Reference numerals] (110) Online game server; (111) Game providing unit; (112) Patch file storage unit; (113) Version verifying unit; (114) Version comparing unit; (115) Patch file transmitting unit; (120) User terminal; (121) Gate execution unit; (122) Patch manager

Description

Server, System and Method for Providing Game Subsidiary Program

The present invention relates to a server, a system, and a method for providing a game assistance program, and more particularly, an online game in which a user terminal transmits the patch file while playing an online game of a previous version of a patch file to be transmitted from a patch server. A server, system and method for patching.

A "patch" is an additional package from a supplier that supplements and resolves the problems of software that is already formally distributed, that is, operating systems and applications. These patches are not only for security, but also to improve the performance of the software in many ways, such as faster execution of applications and memory leak prevention. A patch is a kind of supplemental program that compensates for the vulnerability in the target system. The patch can update the distributed software while maintaining the suitability for the target system. In the present specification, the above-mentioned 'patch' and 'subsidiary program' are used interchangeably as equivalent concepts.

In particular, in the case of online games, the game may be updated after the distribution or an error may be found and corrected. In such a case, the patch may be updated or the error may be corrected. Patch work is essential for online games, as work continues to increase the degree of completeness through changes to the fun elements of the game and new items.

In the past, patch files were downloaded and installed 1: 1. This is the most stable patch type. However, there is a problem that a lot of network traffic costs and patch time is dependent on the user's network environment.

Another existing patching method is to pack a patch file into small files so that only a specific unit file can be patched. The advantage is that only the modified contents can be patched, but the game developer's point is that additional work using the Pack Library provided by the distributor is required.

Another existing patching method is to extract only the modified part of the patch file in the form of a binary file and patch only the corresponding area. This method has the advantage of reducing the user patch time when the network cost is reduced and the efficiency is high, but it is difficult to control for each patch, and correspondingly, a separate file must be generated. There is also the problem of time-consuming patching and increased operating costs.

Another existing patching method is to download only the minimum files necessary to run the game and then download the necessary files one by one after executing the program. In this case, there is an advantage that the entire program package does not need to be installed on the client. However, it is very sensitive to environment variables of the user network, and there is a problem that the game may stop when there are many files to download.

Currently, in the form of patching in real time, a temporary patch traffic crowding occurs after checking, and a user's patch time increases due to real-time download and installation. In addition, the task of the personnel in charge of checking the patch at dawn time is being overburdened, and the current online game trend is increasing, but the existing patch form alone can not solve the problem.

The present invention was created to solve the above-mentioned problems, the object of the present invention is to provide an online game patch system that can reduce the traffic of the patch server to lower the operating cost, and transmit the patch file without affecting the game during game execution. have.

In order to achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present invention, a patch file storage unit for storing a patch file; A version check unit for checking a version of a game program being used by the user terminal; A version comparison unit comparing a version of the game program with a version of the patch file; And a patch file transmitter for transmitting the patch file to the user terminal running the game program when the version of the game program is earlier than the version of the patch file.

Another embodiment of the present invention, the game execution unit for connecting to the online game server to execute the game program; And a patch manager which receives a patch file from the online game server when the game program is executed and executes the patch file when reception of the patch file is completed.

Another embodiment of the present invention, the game execution unit for connecting to the online game server to execute the game program; And a patch manager for executing a patch file received from the online game server, wherein the execution of the patch file comprises: comparing a version of the game program with a version of a patch file received from the online game server; and If the version of the game program is earlier than the version of the patch file provides a user terminal comprising the step of receiving an update file to update.

According to the server, system and method for an online game patch according to the present invention,

First, it is possible to solve the traffic congestion by controlling the patch file transmission so that the online game server properly divides the traffic.

Second, operating costs can be reduced by reducing the traffic of online game servers.

Third, since the patch file is transmitted during the online game of the previous version of the patch file on the user terminal, when the patch file needs to be executed, the patch file can be executed immediately without receiving the patch file, thereby providing convenience to the user. .

Fifth, it is possible to patch at a much faster speed than the existing patch speed.

1 is a block diagram of an online game system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 shows an example of an online game patch system.
3 illustrates the effect of the example of the online game patch system of FIG. 2.
4 shows a flowchart of an online game patching method in the system of FIG.
5 is a block diagram of an online game system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an execution process of a patch file in the system of FIG. 5.
7 is a block diagram of an online game system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an execution process of a patch file in the system of FIG. 7.

The present invention may be variously modified and have various embodiments, and specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, numerals (e.g., first, second, etc.) used in the description of the present invention are merely an identifier for distinguishing one component from another.

In addition, in the present specification, when one component is referred to as "connected" or "connected" with another component, the one component may be directly connected or directly connected to the other component, but in particular It is to be understood that, unless there is an opposite substrate, it may be connected or connected via another component in the middle.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of an online game system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an online game system includes an online game server 110, a user terminal 120, and a patch DB 130. The online game server 110 is connected to the user terminal 120 through various types of networks such as the Internet, a wireless communication network, a telephone network, and the like. Although one user terminal 120 is illustrated as being connected to the online game server 110 in FIG. 1, a plurality of user terminals 120 may be connected to the online game server 110.

The online game server 110 may include a game providing unit 111, a patch file storage unit 112, a version checking unit 113, a version comparing unit 114, and a patch file transmitting unit 115.

The game providing unit 111 provides an online game service according to a connection request from the user terminal 120.

The patch file storage unit 112 stores a patch file to be transmitted to the user terminal 120.

The patch file may have a different configuration depending on the version of the online game currently running on the user terminal 120. For example, when the most recent version of the online game is V3, the patch file may be different when the version of the online game executed in the user terminal 120 is V1 and V2.

In addition, the patch file may have a different configuration according to the system environment (eg, OS, graphics card, CPU speed, etc.) of the user terminal 120. In some cases, the patch file may need to consider a system environment of the user terminal 120. In this case, a patch file suitable for each system environment should be created, and a patch file suitable for each system environment should be installed. In order to install a patch file suitable for each system environment in the user terminal 120, the online game server 110 receives system environment information from the user terminal 120 and selects a patch file selected based on the system environment information. ) Can be sent.

Alternatively, the online game server 110 may transmit a patch file to the user terminal 120 regardless of the system environment, and the user terminal 120 may select and install a patch file suitable for its system environment. However, in this case, since the size of the patch file is increased, efficiency may be increased when transmitting the patch file selected based on the system environment information of the user terminal 120.

The patch file may be an executable file (for example, an exe) that is an independently executable program or a dynamic library file (for example, a dll) that can be loaded and written by another program.

The version checker 113 checks the version of the online game being used by the user terminal 120. Depending on the version of the online game being used by the user terminal 120, it may be determined whether the upgrade is possible due to the execution of the patch file. Also, the type of patch file may be selected according to the version of the online game used by the user terminal 120. Therefore, the version checker 113 checks the version of the online game that the user terminal 120 is using.

The version comparing unit 114 compares the version of the online game checked by the version checking unit 113 with the version of the patch file stored in the patch file storage unit 112. The patch file may be transmitted only when the version of the online game being used in the user terminal 120 is earlier than the version of the patch file.

When the version of the online game is older than the version of the patch file as a result of the comparison by the version comparing unit 114, the patch file transmission unit 115 stores the patch file stored in the patch file storage unit 112 according to the patch related information. Is transmitted to the user terminal 120 running the online game. Even if there is no patch file, the execution of the online game in the user terminal 120 does not affect.

2 shows an example of an online game patch system. Referring to FIG. 2, the game providing unit 111 provides the currently valid version V3, and the patch file transmitting unit 115 provides the next version V4. The game version in the user terminal 120 is V3, which is the currently valid version. When the user terminal 120 accesses the online game server 110 to proceed with the game, the game providing unit 111 provides the currently valid version V3 and the game operates as V3. While the user terminal 120 is playing the online game of V3, the patch file transmitter 115 transmits the patch file for the next version V4 to the user terminal 120, which is referred to as "Background Download" in FIG. Is displayed. The transfer of these V4 patch files is not affected by current game play.

3 illustrates the effect of the example of the online game patch system of FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 3, when executing the online game of version V4, since the user terminal 120 has already downloaded the patch file of version V4 while executing the online game of version V3, there is no need to download a separate patch file. You can immediately play the V4 version of the online game. Therefore, since the plurality of user terminals 120 do not need to download the patch file at the time when starting the V4 version of the online game, traffic congestion to the online game server 110 may be significantly reduced.

When the patch file transmitting unit 115 transmits a patch file, the patch file transmission unit 115 may change the transmission size of the patch file according to the online game access pattern of the user terminal 120. The online game access pattern may include at least one of an average time zone during which the user terminal 120 accesses the online game server 110 and an average use time of the online game.

For example, when the online game server 110 access frequency of the user terminal 120 is high in the night time zone and the average use time is long by several hours, the patch file transmitter 115 may detect traffic of the online game server 110. In a small night time zone, a packet size, a transmission unit divided by a certain size unit, to transmit a patch file may be transmitted. On the other hand, when the access frequency of the online game server 110 of the user terminal 120 is high in the weekday time zone and the average usage time is short as less than one hour, the probability of the transmission of the large size packet is high, (115) can transmit packets by reducing the packet size in the weekday time zone.

The patch related information includes a patch including at least one of information of a patch file, a start date of transmitting a patch file, a distribution period, a transmission schedule, a transfer rate of a patch file, whether a patch operation is completed, transfer status information of a patch file, and a patch version. Related information.

According to one embodiment, when a new patch file is stored in the patch file storage unit 112, patch related information including a start date, a distribution period, and a transmission schedule of the patch file is stored in the patch DB 130. The patch distribution period may be flexibly operated according to variables such as game size, patch capacity, number of users, and the like. The patch file transmission unit 115 transmits a speed so as not to affect resources and performance of the user terminal 120. Managed in bulk. Normally, 10 MB per minute can be set. For example, when a user terminal 120 using a game of about 60 minutes is patched at a speed of 10 MB per minute, the patch file transmitter 115 transmits a 600 MB patch file. It becomes possible. Accordingly, the patch file transmitter 115 manages and transmits patch related information including a distribution period, a transmission schedule, a transmission speed, etc. in consideration of the network state of the region to which the user terminal 120 to which the patch file is to be transmitted belongs.

In addition, since the transmission of the patch file by the patch file transfer unit 115 is transmitted little by little while the online game is being executed, there may be a case where the entire patch file can not be transferred by one connection. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the transmission status of the patch file so that only a part that cannot be installed at the next connection can be transmitted. Therefore, the current patch file transmission status of the user terminal 120 should also be provided.

Transmission information of the patch file among the patch-related information may be stored and managed through the patch DB 130 at the patch server 110. Alternatively, when the user terminal 120 accesses the online game server 110 for an online game, the current patch version and transmission status information may be automatically transmitted to the online game server 110 at the same time. Alternatively, when the online game server 110 requests the transmission status information from the user terminal 120, the user terminal 120 may transmit the transmission status information to the online game server 110.

The patch related information may be configured such that the traffic of the patch server 110 is below a specific value in order to facilitate the transmission of the patch file. When the user terminal 120 accesses the online game server 110 to execute a game, the patch file is transmitted. However, when there are too many game users, the traffic of the online game server 110 may be excessively increased. Therefore, a specific value for the traffic of the online game server 110 is specified in the patch-related information, and when the traffic of the online game server 110 becomes greater than or equal to the specific value, some user terminals 120 stop transmitting the patch file. To control traffic, for example. The specific value of the traffic may be set according to the policy of the online game server 110 operator. As a method of adjusting the traffic, various methods may be used in addition to the method of stopping the patch file transmission to the user terminal 120 described above.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the user terminal 120 is a communication device capable of connecting to the online game server 110 through a network. For example, a wired telephone, a wireless communication terminal, a computer, a TV, a game machine, and the like, which are connected to the Internet. May be a variety of communication devices. The user terminal 120 may access the online game server 110 using a network such as a telephone network, the Internet, or the wireless Internet.

The user terminal 120 includes a game execution unit 121 and a patch manager 212. The game executing unit 121 communicates with the game providing unit 111 of the online game server 110 and executes the online game. The game execution unit 121 proceeds with the online game based on a command input by the user, data stored in the user terminal 120 or provided from the online game server 110.

The game execution unit 121 automatically drives the patch manager 122 when the user terminal 120 executes an online game.

The patch manager 122 receives the patch file transmitted from the online game server 110 during the online game execution in the user terminal 120, and performs a patch operation by executing the patch file when the patch file is completed.

When the online game is executed, the patch manager 122 checks the status of receiving the patch file in the previous execution of the online game and informs the online game server 110. The previous execution refers to the execution of the past point of time connected to the online game server 110 to play the online game, and the execution of the point in time when the patch file was last received not only immediately before the connection point but also before.

On the other hand, when the online game execution is performed for the first time, the patch manager 122 creates a folder at a set location in the user terminal 120 and sets to receive the patch file. The folder is a location for storing the received patch file by connecting to the online game server 110, and this can be set by a game developer or an operator. That is, the patch manager 122 searches for a folder when executed, and creates a folder if the folder does not exist.

When the patch file transmission is not completed as a result of checking the reception status of the patch file, the patch manager 122 continuously receives the patch file of the part which has not been received from the online game server 110 in the above-described "Background Download" method. .

When the reception of the patch file is completed, the patch manager 122 performs a patch operation to execute the patch file. In addition, when the patch file transmission is completed as a result of checking the reception status of the patch file, the patch manager 122 performs a patch operation to execute the patch file. When the online game server 110 transmits a patch file regardless of the system environment of the user terminal 120, when performing a patch operation, the patch manager 122 checks the system information of the user terminal 120 and then receives the patch file. The patch operation may be performed by selecting a file suitable for the user terminal 120 from one patch file. Execution of the patch file may be executed automatically or after receiving an approval input from a user who manipulates the user terminal 120.

When the patch manager 122 installs the file while executing the patch file, a "move" command or a "copy" command may be used. In the case of the "copy" command, I / O of "read / write" is written to a storage space such as a hard disk because it is a form of reading the original ("read"), loading it into memory, and then writing it to the target space ("write"). Occurs. On the other hand, the "move" command only changes the location of the file in the OS kernel. Therefore, "read / write" I / O does not occur in the storage space of the hard disk. Therefore, the general user can feel a significant speedup in the case of "move" compared to the case of "copy".

4 shows a flowchart of an online game patching method in the system of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4, the user terminal 120 requests a game execution to the online game server 110 (S410).

The online game server 110 receives information such as system information and / or patch file transmission status information of the user terminal 120 from the user terminal 120 (S420). As described above, the patch file transmission status information may be information stored in the patch DB 130 or received from the user terminal 120. The aforementioned patch related information may include information received from the user terminal 120 in addition to the information stored in the online game server 110.

On the basis of the patch related information (patch file transmission status information), it is determined whether or not the transmission of the latest patch file is completed (S430). If the transmission of the latest patch file is not completed, while the user terminal 120 executes the online game based on the information on the version of the online game currently executed on the user terminal 120 and the information on the patch file transmission status, The user terminal 120 transmits a patch file (or a packet of a patch file) that is not received to the user terminal 120 (S440). When the transmission of the patch file is completed, the user terminal 120 performs a patch operation (S450).

5 is a block diagram of an online game system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the online game system includes an online game server 510, a user terminal 520, a peer to peer server 530, and a P2P providing terminal 540. The online game server 510 and the P2P server 530 are connected to the user terminal 520 through various types of networks such as the Internet, a wireless communication network, a telephone network, and the like. Although one user terminal 520 and one P2P providing terminal 540 are illustrated in FIG. 5, there may be a plurality of user terminals 520 and a plurality of P2P providing terminals 540. The user terminal 520 and the P2P providing terminal 540 are only classified as entities receiving and transmitting files in the P2P service, respectively, and they may not be terminals having different characteristics. That is, the user terminal 520 may operate as a P2P providing terminal to other terminals.

The online game server 510 includes a game provider 511, a patch file storage 512, and a patch file transmitter 513.

The game provider 511 provides an online game service according to a connection request from the user terminal 520.

The patch file storage unit 512 stores a patch file to be transmitted to the user terminal 520.

The patch file may be an executable file (for example, an exe) that is an independently executable program.

The patch file includes information for downloading a file that is updated or added (hereinafter, referred to as an "update file") among the files required to execute the online game of the user terminal 520, and data about the update file itself is May not be included. For example, for a patch where the old "aaa.dll" file is updated with the new "aaa.dll" file, the patch file contains information about how to download and install the new "aaa.dll". And may not include data of a file in which the "aaa.dll" file or the "aaa.dll" is modified (eg, compressed).

The patch file may extract version information of the online game executed in the user terminal 520 and system environment information of the user terminal 520. The patch file may include version information of the online game updated through the patch and information on how to download and install the update file. If the version of the online game executed in the user terminal 520 is earlier than the version of the online game updated, the patch file may execute a patch operation. The update file may be selected according to version information of the online game executed in the user terminal 520, system environment information of the user terminal 520, and the like. Information on how to download and install the update file may determine which object to connect to and install the update file.

The patch file transmitter 513 transmits the patch file stored in the patch file storage 512 to the user terminal 520. Transmission of the patch file may be an online game start time or an online game end time. When the batch file is transmitted at the start of the online game, the batch file may be transferred first and the online game may be started, or the batch file may be transferred and the online game may be simultaneously executed. Execution of the batch file may proceed if the batch file transfer is completed after the end of the online game.

The user terminal 520 includes a game execution unit 521 and a patch manager 522.

The game executor 521 communicates with the game provider 511 of the online game server 510 and executes the online game. The game execution unit 521 performs an online game based on a command input by the user, data stored in the user terminal 520 or provided from the online game server 510.

The game execution unit 521 drives the patch manager 522 when the user terminal 520 starts the online game or ends the online game.

The patch manager 522 receives the patch file transmitted from the online game server 510. When the patch manager 522 is started when starting an online game, the online game may proceed after the patch file reception is completed by the patch manager 522, or the patch file reception by the patch manager 522 may be performed simultaneously with the online game. Can proceed.

When the reception of the patch file is completed, the patch manager 522 executes the patch file. When the reception of the patch file is completed, the execution of the patch file may be performed automatically or after querying the user for the execution of the patch and receiving the user's approval input. If the patch manager 522 is started when the online game is started and the reception of the patch file is completed before or during the online game, the patch manager 522 may execute the patch file after the online game is finished. Execution of the patch file will be described later.

The P2P server 530 may receive information of an update file that the user terminal 520 wants to receive. The P2P server 530 searches for a shared folder of another terminal connected to the P2P server 530 and extracts information of the P2P providing terminal 540 which is a terminal having an update file. The P2P server 530 transmits the information (address) of the P2P providing terminal 540 to the user terminal 520 so that the user terminal 520 can obtain an update file from the P2P providing terminal 540.

The P2P server 530 may be the same entity as the online game server 510 or may be another entity. In addition, the P2P server 530 may be operated by the same or different operator than the online game server 510. For example, the online game server 510 may be operated by an online game service provider and the P2P server 530 may be operated by a P2P service provider.

The P2P providing terminal 540 is a terminal storing the update file required by the user terminal 520 in a shared folder for P2P. The P2P providing terminal 540 may be a terminal receiving the same online game service as the user terminal 520.

6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an execution process of a patch file.

Referring to FIG. 6, the version of the online game currently executed in the user terminal 520 is checked (S610). The version of the online game currently executed in the user terminal 520 is compared with the version of the online game updated through the patch to determine whether the online game executed in the user terminal 520 is a previous version Whether a patch operation is required or not is determined (S620). If the online game executed in the user terminal 520 is the same version as the online game updated through the patch, the patch operation is terminated.

If the online game executed in the user terminal 520 is a previous version of the online game updated through the patch, the update file to be downloaded is determined (S630).

The update file may differ depending on the version of the online game executed in the user terminal 520. [ For example, the files "aaa.dll", "bbb.dll", and "ccc.dll" are required to run the online game, and the file "aaa.dll" has changed when updated from version V1 to version V2. , "Bbb.dll" file is changed when it is updated from version V2 to version V3, it is assumed that the patch file currently distributed in the online game server 510 is an executable file to update to version V3. If the version of the online game executed in the user terminal 520 is V1, the "aaa.dll" and "bbb.dll" files are required to be changed, and in the case of V2, the "bbb.dll" file is to be changed.

In addition, the update file may vary depending on the system environment of the user terminal 520. For example, the update file may have a different configuration depending on the OS, graphics card, CPU speed, etc. of the user terminal 520.

Next, information (file identifier such as a file name) of the update file is transmitted to the P2P server 530 (S640), and the information (address) of the P2P providing terminal 540 having the update file is stored in the P2P server 530. It is received from (S650).

The user terminal 520 obtains the update file from the P2P providing terminal 540 (S660). The preparation of the update file can proceed simultaneously in a single thread or in multiple threads. The number of concurrent processes may be adjusted according to the system environment of the user terminal 520, the system environment of the P2P providing terminal 540, or the network environment.

The received update file or the packet of the update file may be stored in a shared folder of the user terminal 520. Thus, when another user terminal is patching, it is possible to take the update file or the packet of the update file stored in the shared folder of the user terminal 520.

When the reception of the update file is not completed and the execution of the patch file is terminated (for example, when the system of the user terminal 520 is terminated), the remaining update file or the packet of the update file is executed when the next patch file is executed. Can be received. For example, when the user terminal 520 restarts, or when the user plays an online game, execution of the patch file may be restarted and reception of the patch file may continue.

When the reception of the update file is completed, the update file is moved to the set location and is installed (S670). The "move" command or the "copy" command can be used to install the file. When the update file is set to be provided to other terminals through the P2P service, a "copy" command may be used such that the update file exists at the location set for the online game execution and the shared location for the P2P service. Alternatively, the "move" command may be used and the location set for the online game execution and the shared location for the P2P service may be the same.

When the installation of the update file is completed in the above-described manner, when the user terminal 520 executes the online game, a patch may be applied and the updated online game may be executed.

7 is a block diagram of an online game system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the online game system includes an online game server 710, a user terminal 720, and an update file providing server 730. The online game server 710 and the update file providing server 730 are connected to the user terminal 720 through various types of networks such as the Internet, a wireless communication network, a telephone network, and the like. Although one user terminal 720 is illustrated in FIG. 7, there may be multiple user terminals 720.

The online game server 710 includes a game provider 711, a patch file storage 712, and a patch file transmitter 713.

The game provider 711 provides an online game service according to a connection request from the user terminal 720.

The patch file storage unit 712 stores a patch file to be transmitted to the user terminal 720.

The patch file may be an executable file (for example, an exe) that is an independently executable program.

The patch file includes information for downloading a file that is updated or added (hereinafter, referred to as an "update file") among the files required to execute the online game of the user terminal 720, and the data about the update file itself is May not be included. For example, for a patch where the old "aaa.dll" file is updated with the new "aaa.dll" file, the patch file contains information about how to download and install the new "aaa.dll". And may not include data of a file in which the "aaa.dll" file or the "aaa.dll" is modified (eg, compressed).

The patch file may extract version information of the online game executed in the user terminal 720 and system environment information of the user terminal 720. The patch file may include version information of the online game updated through the patch and information on how to download and install the update file. If the version of the online game executed at the user terminal 720 is earlier than the version of the online game to be updated, the patch file can execute the patch job. The update file may be selected according to version information of the online game executed in the user terminal 720, system environment information of the user terminal 720, and the like. Information on how to download and install the update file may determine which object to connect to and install the update file.

The patch file transmitter 713 transmits the patch file stored in the patch file storage 712 to the user terminal 720. Transmission of the patch file may be an online game start time or an online game end time. When the batch file is transmitted at the start of the online game, the batch file may be transferred first and the online game may be started, or the batch file may be transferred and the online game may be simultaneously executed. Execution of the batch file may proceed if the batch file transfer is completed after the end of the online game.

The user terminal 720 includes a game execution unit 721 and a patch manager 722.

The game executing unit 721 communicates with the game providing unit 711 of the online game server 710 to execute an online game. The game execution unit 721 proceeds with the online game based on a command input by the user, data stored in the user terminal 720 or provided from the online game server 710.

The game execution unit 721 drives the patch manager 722 when the user terminal 720 starts the online game or ends the online game.

The patch manager 722 receives the patch file sent from the online game server 710. If the patch manager 722 is started when starting an online game, the online game may proceed after the patch file reception is completed by the patch manager 722, or the patch file reception by the patch manager 722 may be performed simultaneously with the online game. Can proceed.

When the reception of the patch file is completed, the patch manager 722 executes the patch file. When the reception of the patch file is completed, the execution of the patch file may be performed automatically or after querying the user for the execution of the patch and receiving the user's approval input. If the patch manager 722 is run when starting an online game and the reception of the patch file is completed before or during the progress of the online game, the patch manager 722 may execute the patch file after the online game is finished. Execution of the patch file will be described later.

The update file providing server 730 may store the update file and transmit the update file to the user terminal 720. In one example, an update file to be received is determined in the user terminal 720 based on a version of an online game executed in the user terminal 720, a system environment of the user terminal 720, and the information about the determined update file is determined by the user. The update file providing server 730 is transmitted from the terminal 720, and the update file providing server 730 may transmit the selected update file to the user terminal 720 based on the received update file information. In another example, the user terminal 720 transmits information, such as a version of an online game executed in the user terminal 720, a system environment of the user terminal 720, to the update file providing server 730, and provides an update file providing server. 730 may determine an update file to be transmitted based on the received information, and transmit the determined update file to the user terminal 720.

The update file providing server 730 may transmit an update file not yet transmitted based on the transmission status information. The transmission status information includes information on an updated update file (or a packet of update file) or an untransmitted update file (or packet of update file) among the entire update files. Such transmission status information may be generated by the update file providing server 730 transmitting the update file, or generated by the user server 720 receiving the update file and provided to the update file providing server 730.

The update file providing server 730 may be the same entity as the online game server 710 or may be another entity. In addition, the update file providing server 730 may be operated by the same or different operator than the online game server 710. For example, the online game server 710 may be operated by an online game service provider and the update file providing server 730 may be operated by an online game developer.

8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an execution process of a patch file.

Referring to FIG. 8, the version of the online game currently executed in the user terminal 720 is checked (S810). In addition, the current version of the online game executed in the user terminal 720 is compared with the version of the online game updated through the patch, and the previous version of the online game in which the online game executed in the user terminal 720 is updated through the patch. It is determined whether or not, that is, whether a patch operation is required (S820). If the online game executed in the user terminal 720 is the same version as the online game updated through the patch, the patch operation is terminated.

If the online game executed in the user terminal 720 is a previous version of the online game updated through a patch, an update file to be downloaded is determined (S830).

The update file may vary depending on the version of the online game executed on the user terminal 720. For example, the files "aaa.dll", "bbb.dll", and "ccc.dll" are required to run the online game, and the file "aaa.dll" has changed when updated from version V1 to version V2. , "Bbb.dll" file is changed when it is updated from version V2 to version V3, it is assumed that the patch file currently distributed in the online game server 510 is an executable file to update to version V3. If the version of the online game executed in the user terminal 520 is V1, the "aaa.dll" and "bbb.dll" files are required to be changed, and in the case of V2, the "bbb.dll" file is to be changed.

In addition, the update file may vary depending on the system environment of the user terminal 720. For example, the update file may have a different configuration depending on the OS, graphics card, CPU speed, etc. of the user terminal 720.

Next, information (file identifiers such as file names) of the update file is transmitted to the update file providing server 730 (S840), and the corresponding update file is received from the update file providing server 730 (S850).

The preparation of the update file can proceed simultaneously in a single thread or in multiple threads. The number of concurrent processes may be adjusted according to the system environment of the user terminal 520, the system environment of the update file providing server 730, or the network environment.

When the reception of the update file is not completed and the execution of the patch file is terminated (for example, when the system of the user terminal 720 is terminated), the remaining update file or the packet of the update file is executed when the next patch file is executed. Can be received. For example, when the user terminal 520 restarts, or when the user plays an online game, execution of the patch file may be restarted and reception of the patch file may continue.

When the reception of the update file is completed, the update file is moved to the set location and is installed (S860). The "move" command or the "copy" command can be used to install the file. In the case of the "copy" command, I / O of "read / write" is written to a storage space such as a hard disk because it is a form of reading the original ("read"), loading it into memory, and then writing ("write") to the target space. Occurs. On the other hand, the "move" command only changes the location of the file in the OS kernel. Therefore, "read / write" I / O does not occur in the storage space of the hard disk. Therefore, the general user can feel a significant speedup in the case of "move" compared to the case of "copy".

When the installation of the update file is completed in the above-described manner, when the user terminal 520 executes the online game, a patch may be applied and the updated online game may be executed.

In the above, although the user terminal 720 determines the update file (S830) and the update file providing server 730 transmits the update file determined by the user terminal 720 (S850), the user terminal 720 is described. It is also possible to transmit this version information, system information, etc. to the update file providing server 730, and the update file providing server determines the update file based on this information and transmits the determined update file.

The channel state transmission method and the channel state reception method according to an embodiment of the present invention described above may be implemented in a program and recorded in a computer-readable recording medium.

A program recorded on a recording medium for implementing a channel state transmission method according to an embodiment of the present invention may execute a function of converting a sparse of a channel state information vector, a function of compressing a vector of which the sparse is converted, and the like. Can be. The channel state reception method according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform a function of decompressing a received compression vector, a function of extracting a vector having the most correlation with the decompressed vector, and the like.

As described above, in order for a computer to read a program recorded on a recording medium and execute functions implemented as a program, the above-described program may be used by C, C ++ that the computer's processor (CPU) can read through the computer's device interface. Code may be coded in a computer language such as JAVA, machine language, or the like.

The code may include a function code related to a function or the like that defines the functions described above and may include an execution procedure related control code necessary for the processor of the computer to execute the functions described above according to a predetermined procedure.

In addition, such code may further include memory reference related code as to what additional information or media needed to cause the processor of the computer to execute the aforementioned functions should be referenced at any location (address) of the internal or external memory of the computer .

In addition, if the processor of the computer needs to communicate with any other computer or server on the remote in order to execute the above functions, the code may be used to determine which computer the processor of the computer uses the communication module of the computer on the remote. It may further include communication-related codes such as how to communicate with other computers or servers, and what information or media should be transmitted and received during communication.

Examples of recording media that can be read by a computer recording a program as described above include, for example, ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical media storage device, and the like. , Transmission through the Internet) may be included.

The computer readable recording medium may also be distributed over a networked computer system so that computer readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

In addition, a functional program for implementing the present invention, codes and code segments associated therewith may be used in consideration of a system environment of a computer that reads a recording medium and executes the program. It may be easily inferred or changed by.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (18)

A game auxiliary program file storage unit which stores a game auxiliary program file;
A version check unit for checking a version of a game program being used by the user terminal;
A version comparing unit comparing a version of the game program with a version of the game auxiliary program file; And
And a game auxiliary program file transmitter configured to transmit the game auxiliary program file to the user terminal executing the game program when the version of the game program is earlier than the version of the game auxiliary program file. The method of claim 1,
The game auxiliary program file transmission unit, characterized in that for changing the transmission size of the game auxiliary program file according to the online server connection pattern of the user terminal. A game execution unit which accesses an online game server and executes a game program; And
And a patch manager for receiving a game auxiliary program file from the online game server when the game program is executed, and executing the game auxiliary program file when the reception of the game auxiliary program file is completed. The method of claim 3, wherein
And the patch manager selects and executes a game auxiliary program file based on system information of the user terminal. The method of claim 3, wherein
The patch manager is a user terminal, characterized in that for transmitting the status of the previously received the game auxiliary program file to the online game server. The method of claim 3, wherein
The patch manager automatically executes the game auxiliary program file when the transmission of the game auxiliary program file is completed, or executes the game auxiliary program file with approval from the user of the user terminal. An online game server for transmitting the game auxiliary program file while a user terminal executes a game program of a previous version of the game auxiliary program file; And
And a user terminal that receives and executes the game assistance program file while accessing the online server and executing a game program. Storing a game assistant program file;
Providing an online game service according to a connection request of a user terminal;
Checking a version of a game program executed by the user terminal;
Comparing a version of the game program with a version of the game auxiliary program file; And
And transmitting the game auxiliary program file to the user terminal executing the game program when the version of the game program is earlier than the version of the game auxiliary program file. Storing a game assistant program file;
Providing an online game service according to a connection request of a user terminal;
Checking a version of a game program executed by the user terminal;
Comparing a version of the game program with a version of the game auxiliary program file; And
And transmitting the game auxiliary program file to the user terminal executing the game program when the version of the game program is earlier than the version of the game auxiliary program file. A game execution unit which accesses an online game server and executes a game program; And
It includes a patch manager for executing a game auxiliary program file received from the online game server,
The execution of the game auxiliary program file may include comparing a version of the game program with a version of a game auxiliary program file received from the online game server, and a version of the game program older than a version of the game auxiliary program file. If the user terminal characterized in that it comprises the step of receiving an update file to update. 11. The method of claim 10,
And the game auxiliary program file is received when the game program execution starts or when the game program execution ends. 11. The method of claim 10,
The execution of the game auxiliary program file is characterized in that the user terminal is performed after the end of the game program. 11. The method of claim 10,
The receiving step may include transmitting update file information to be updated to a P2P server, receiving information of a P2P providing terminal storing the update file from the P2P server, and receiving the update file from the P2P providing terminal. User terminal characterized in that it comprises a step. 11. The method of claim 10,
The receiving step includes transmitting update file information to be updated to an update file providing server, and receiving the update file from the update file providing server. Comparing a version of a game program executed in a user terminal with a version of a game auxiliary program file;
If the version of the game program is older than the version of the game auxiliary program file, determining information of an update file to update;
Transmitting information of the update file to a P2P server;
Receiving information of an update file providing terminal storing the update file from the P2P server; And
And receiving the update file from the update file providing server. Comparing a version of a game program executed in a user terminal with a version of a game auxiliary program file;
If the version of the game program is older than the version of the game auxiliary program file, determining information of an update file to update;
Transmitting information of the update file to an update file providing server; And
And receiving the update file from the update file providing server. Comparing a version of a game program executed in a user terminal with a version of a game auxiliary program file;
If the version of the game program is older than the version of the game auxiliary program file, determining information of an update file to update;
Transmitting information of the update file to a P2P server;
Receiving information of an update file providing terminal storing the update file from the P2P server; And
And a program for executing the step of receiving the update file from the update file providing server. Comparing a version of a game program executed in a user terminal with a version of a game auxiliary program file;
If the version of the game program is older than the version of the game auxiliary program file, determining information of an update file to update;
Transmitting information of the update file to an update file providing server; And
And a program for executing the step of receiving the update file from the update file providing server.

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