Community service offering apparatus, community service offering method, program storage medium, and community system

1. A community service offering apparatus for exchanging information with a plurality of user terminals connected by a network, the apparatus comprising:

virtual space information storing means for storing, in advance, virtual space information specifying a plurality of types of virtual spaces to be offered for purchase, the virtual spaces configured to enable interaction between avatars, the types of virtual spaces being determined based on respective characteristics of the virtual spaces different from an amount of resources of the community service offering apparatus that is utilized by each respective virtual space, the respective characteristics including functionality of the virtual space;

virtual space offering means for allowing a first user of a plurality of users to select one of said virtual spaces as a user-specific virtual space leased or owned by said first user of the plurality of users, each user corresponding to at least one avatar; and

charge controlling means for charging said first user of the plurality of users a fee to own or lease said user-specific virtual space, wherein said fee is based on the specified type of said user-specific virtual space which is determined based on respective characteristics of the virtual space which includes the functionality of the virtual space and only said first user of the plurality of users is charged to own or lease said user-specific virtual space and the remaining plurality of users may access the virtual space without charge.

2. A community service offering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

said virtual space information specifies a maximum number of further users who can gain access simultaneously to said user-specific virtual space, and

said charge controlling means charges said first user a fee based on the specified maximum number of further users who can gain access simultaneously to said user-specific virtual space.

3. A community service offering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said charge controlling means charges said first user a fee in proportion to the amount of data constituting a real storage area allocated to said user-specific virtual space.

4. A community service offering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

said virtual space information specifies a maximum number of non-avatar objects that can be allocated to said user-specific virtual space, and

said charge controlling means charges said first user a fee based on the specified maximum number of non-avatar objects that can be allocated to said user-specific virtual space.

5. A community service offering apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

access managing means for managing access to said user-specific virtual space,

wherein, if users other than said first user attempt to gain access to said user-specific virtual space, then said access managing means determines whether to permit said access based on a virtual space identification code for identifying said user-specific virtual space and on a password, both said virtual space identification code and said password being input by the access-attempting users.

6. A community service offering apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

object managing means for managing objects located where desired in said user-specific virtual space.

7. A community service offering apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said object managing means manages objects located as designated by those users other than said first user who gain access to said user-specific virtual space.

8. A community system for allowing a community service offering apparatus to exchange information with a plurality of user terminals connected by a network,

wherein:

said community service offering apparatus comprises

virtual space information storing means for storing, in advance, information specifying a plurality of types of virtual spaces to be offered for purchase, the virtual spaces configured to enable interaction between avatars, the types of virtual spaces being determined based on respective characteristics of the virtual spaces different from an amount of resources of the community service offering apparatus that is utilized by each respective virtual space, the respective characteristics including functionality of the virtual space;

virtual space offering means for allowing a first user of a plurality of users to select one of said virtual spaces as a user-specific virtual space leased or owned by said first user of the plurality of users, each user corresponding to at least one avatar,

charge controlling means for charging said first user of the plurality of users a fee to own or lease said user-specific virtual space, wherein said fee is based on the specified type of said user-specific virtual space which is determined based on respective characteristics of the virtual space which includes the functionality of the virtual space and only said first user of the plurality of users is charged to own or lease said user-specific virtual space and the remaining plurality of users may access the user-specific virtual space without charge; and

each of said user terminals comprises displaying means for displaying said user-specific virtual space.

9. A community service offering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

said virtual space information specifies limited types of non-avatar objects that can be allocated to said user-specific virtual space, and

said charge controlling means charges a privileged user a fee in accordance with the specified limited types of said non-avatar objects that can be allocated to said user-specific virtual space.

10. A computer readable carrier including program instructions that cause a computer to implement a method of exchanging information with a plurality of user terminals connected by a network, the method comprising:

storing, in advance, virtual space information specifying a plurality of types of virtual spaces to be offered for purchase, the virtual spaces configured to enable interaction between avatars, the types of virtual spaces being determined based on respective characteristics of the virtual spaces different from an amount of resources of the community service offering apparatus that is utilized by each respective virtual space, the respective characteristics including functionality of the virtual space;

allowing a first user of a plurality of users to select one of said virtual spaces as a user-specific virtual space leased or owned by said first user of the plurality of users, each user corresponding to at least one avatar; and

charging said first user of the plurality of users a fee to own or lease said user-specific virtual space, wherein said fee is based on the specified type of said user-specific virtual space which is determined based on respective characteristics of the virtual space which includes the functionality of the virtual space and only said first user of the plurality of users is charged to own or lease said user-specific virtual space and the remaining plurality of users may access the user-specific virtual space without charge.

11. A community service offering apparatus comprising:

virtual world space information storing means for storing, in advance, virtual world space information specifying a plurality of types of virtual spaces in a virtual world to be offered for purchase, the virtual spaces configured to enable interaction between avatars, the types of virtual spaces being determined based on respective characteristics of the virtual spaces different from an amount of resources of the community service offering apparatus that is utilized by each respective virtual space, the respective characteristics including functionality of the virtual space;

virtual world space offering means for allowing a purchasing user of a plurality of users of the virtual world to select one of said virtual spaces in the virtual world as a user-specific virtual space in the virtual world leased or owned by said purchasing user of the plurality of users of the virtual world, each user corresponding to at least one avatar; and

charge controlling means for charging said purchasing user of the plurality of users of the virtual world a fee to own or lease said user-specific virtual space in the virtual world, said fee being based on the specified type of said user-specific virtual space which is determined based on respective characteristics of the virtual space which includes the functionality of the virtual space,

wherein only said purchasing user of the plurality of users of the virtual world is charged to own or lease said user-specific virtual space in the virtual world and the remaining plurality of users of the virtual world may access the virtual space in the virtual world without charge.

12. The community service offering apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the fee to own or lease said user-specific virtual space in the virtual world is a monthly fee.

13. The community service offering apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the fee to own or lease said user-specific virtual space in the virtual world includes a virtual space use fee, the virtual space use fee based on the amount of virtual space owned or leased by said purchasing user in the virtual world.

14. The community service offering apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein said fee is based on the specified type of said user-specific virtual space.

15. The community service offering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the fee to own or lease said user-specific virtual space is a monthly fee.

16. The community service offering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the fee to own or lease said user-specific virtual space includes a virtual space use fee, the virtual space use fee based on the amount of virtual space owned or leased by said first user in the virtual world.