1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a device comprising a processor, a first input from equipment of a user representing desirable performance metrics associated with a video game environment;
constructing, by the device, a game profile in accordance with the desirable performance metrics;
performing, by the device, first performance metric measurements relating to the video game environment;
comparing, by the device, the performance metric measurements with the game profile;
determining, by the device, a game environment quality level based on the comparing;
providing, by the device, a display at the equipment of the user representing the game environment quality level; and
receiving, by the device, a second input from the equipment of the user indicating whether a game session is to be initiated.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input comprises user preferences regarding performance of a network coupled to the equipment of the user, location of the game session, identity of a video game, participants in the game session, or a combination thereof.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user and the participants communicate via a social network.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first performance metric measurements are performed for a local video game environment to obtain a local game environment quality level, and further comprising:
performing second performance metric measurements for a remote video game environment to obtain a remote game environment quality level; and
displaying the local game environment quality level and the remote game environment quality level at the equipment of the user.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second input comprises a location of the remote video game environment, and wherein the second performance metric measurements are performed in response to the second input.
6. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing the local game environment quality level and the remote game environment quality level at a remote database.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:
retrieving from the database a historical local game environment quality level and a historical remote game environment quality level; and
displaying the local game environment quality level, the remote game environment quality level, the historical local game environment quality level, and the historical remote game environment quality level at the equipment of the user.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a graphical user interface for display at the equipment of the user, and wherein the first input and the second input are received via the graphical user interface.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
initiating the game session in response to the second input, the game session engaging the user and another participant;
receiving a first gaming quality level of the user;
receiving a second gaming quality level of the other participant; and
providing the first gaming quality level and the second gaming quality level to the user and to the other participant.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
receiving a signal from the equipment of the user in accordance with the first gaming quality level being higher than the second gaming quality level; and
in response to the signal, adjusting performance metrics of the equipment of the user to decrease a capability of the equipment of the user, thereby facilitating an equalized gaming experience with respect to the user and the other participant.
11. A server comprising:
a memory to store instructions; and
a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising:
receiving a first input from equipment of a user representing selection of a video game and desirable performance metrics associated with a video game environment,
constructing a game profile for the selected game in accordance with the desirable performance metrics;
performing first performance metric measurements relating to the video game environment;
comparing the performance metric measurements with the game profile;
determining a game environment quality level based on the comparing; and
receiving a second input from the equipment of the user indicating whether, based on the game environment quality level, a game session is to be initiated;
wherein the first input comprises user preferences regarding performance of a communication network including the server and the equipment of the user, location of the game session, participants in the game session, or a combination thereof.
12. The server of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise performing, in response to the second input, second performance metric measurements for a remote video game environment to obtain a remote game environment quality level.
13. The server of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving information from a social network regarding the participants in the game session.
14. The server of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise
determining a location of the user relative to the server and to another server communicating on the network; and
in accordance with a determination that the other server is in closer proximity to the user, delegating initiation of the game session to the other server.
15. The server of claim 11, wherein the first performance metric measurements are performed for a local video game environment to obtain a local game environment quality level, and wherein the operations further comprise:
performing second performance metric measurements for a remote video game environment to obtain a remote game environment quality level; and
displaying the local game environment quality level and the remote game environment quality level at the equipment of the user.
16. The server of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:
initiating the game session in response to the second input, the game session engaging the user and another participant;
receiving a first gaming quality level of the user;
receiving a second gaming quality level of the other participant;
providing the first gaming quality level and the second gaming quality level to the user;
receiving a signal from the equipment of the user in accordance with the first gaming quality level being higher than the second gaming quality level; and
in response to the signal, adjusting performance metrics of the equipment of the user to decrease a capability of the equipment of the user, thereby facilitating an equalized gaming experience with respect to the user and the other participant.
17. A machine-readable storage device comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving a first input from equipment of a user representing selection of a video game and desirable performance metrics associated with a video game environment local to the user;
constructing a game profile for the selected game in accordance with the desirable performance metrics;
performing first performance metric measurements relating to the video game environment;
comparing the performance metric measurements with the game profile;
determining a local game environment quality level based on the comparing;
providing a display at the equipment of the user representing the local game environment quality level; and
receiving, by the device, a second input from the equipment of the user indicating whether a game session is to be initiated,
wherein the first input comprises user preferences regarding performance of a communication network including the processor and the equipment of the user, a physical environment of the game session, participants in the game session, or a combination thereof, and
wherein the first input and the second input are received via a graphical user interface displayed at the equipment of the user.
18. The machine-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:
performing second performance metric measurements for a remote video game environment to obtain a remote game environment quality level; and
displaying the local game environment quality level and the remote game environment quality level at the equipment of the user.
19. The machine-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:
storing the local game environment quality level and the remote game environment quality level at a remote database;
retrieving from the remote database a historical local game environment quality level and a historical remote game environment quality level; and
displaying the local game environment quality level, the remote game environment quality level, the historical local game environment quality level, and the historical remote game environment quality level at the equipment of the user.
20. The machine-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving information from a social network regarding the participants in the game session.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge comprising:
an anode;
a cathode placed in such a manner as to form a discharge space together with the anode; and
a member configured so that, in voltage application to the anode and the cathode, an electric field should be concentrated at the member to a larger extent than an electric field at the cathode is, wherein
the member is provided inside the discharge space in such a manner that the member has a floating potential.
2. The cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge according to claim 1, further comprising a support member to which the member is provided.
3. The cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge according to claim 2, wherein
the support member is connected to at least one of the anode and the cathode, and
the support member itself is an insulator, or at least a connecting portion between the support member and the member is insulative.
4. The cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge according to claim 3, wherein
one of the anode and the cathode is a rod-shaped electrode,
the other one of the anode and the cathode is a cylindrical electrode provided in such a manner as to surround the rod-shaped electrode,
the support member has a disk shape and has an opening,
the member is a protrusion extending from an edge of the opening toward the rod-shaped electrode,
the rod-shaped electrode is placed through the opening, and
the protrusion is provided to the disk-shaped support member while being insulated therefrom.
5. The cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge according to claim 4, wherein the disk-shaped support member is mounted in the discharge space by bringing an edge of an outer circumference of the disk-shaped support member into pressure contact with an inner wall of the cylindrical electrode.
6. The cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge according to claim 4, wherein
one protrusion is provided as the protrusion, and
a distance between a tip of the protrusion and the rod-shaped electrode is not smaller than 0.05 mm but not larger than 3.0 mm.
7. The cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge according to claim 4, wherein
one protrusion is provided as the protrusion, and
a thickness of the protrusion is not larger than 1 mm.
8. An auxiliary discharge starting electrode plate used in a cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge which includes: a rod-shaped electrode as one of an anode and a cathode; and a cylindrical electrode as the other one of the anode and the cathode, the cylindrical electrode being provided in such a manner as to surround the rod-shaped electrode, the auxiliary discharge starting electrode plate comprising:
an opening for penetrating the rod-shaped electrode;
a protrusion which is provided to the auxiliary discharge starting electrode plate while being insulated therefrom, and which projects in the opening; and
a support claw for attachment to the cylindrical electrode.
9. A vacuum processing apparatus comprising the cold cathode ionization vacuum gauge according to claim 1.