Game apparatus and storage medium storing a game program for conducting data communications with a network

• US 10,293,264 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2011
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Hirose, Kazuki, Tamaki, Shinichiro, Sasaki, Tetsuya, Araki, Tsutomu, Adachi, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carter, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US13/251,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20120028717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,787 Days
• Field of Search: 463 15, 463 20, 463 40, 463 42, 705 14, 705 51
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/537 for exchanging game data using a messaging service, e.g. e-mail, SMS, MMS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A game apparatus includes an input-output processor, and by following an instruction from the input-output processor, messages are transmitted and received with other game apparatus 12 connected via a network. The messages are transmitted and received in an electronic mail format, and has identification information of an application being a creation source of the message as well as general information, such as a transmission source, a destination and a subject as header information.

Claims

1. An information processing system including communication circuitry for transmitting and receiving data with a network and a storage medium having a download data storage location for storing received download data, said information processing system being configured to execute an application by utilizing said download data from said network, said information processing system comprising:

application processing circuitry for executing said application;

a task storage location in said download data storage location for storing communication schedule data including at least information of a downloading schedule for each application, said communication schedule data including;

a permissible remaining number of times to download a file, and

a past time indicating an estimated time for a next download to occur after a downloading interval;

download managing circuitry for reading said communication schedule data from said task storage location, causing said communication circuitry to communicate with said network on the basis of said communication schedule to download predetermined data, storing in said download data storage location said download data from said network for said application, detecting a communication error, causing a permissible remaining number of times said file may be downloaded to not be decremented in response to detecting said communication error, and deleting said communication schedule data if said past time expires without said download being made;

wherein in a first mode of said information processing system said application processing circuitry is powered to execute said application and said communication circuitry is powered to transmit and receive data with said network, and in a second mode of said information processing system said application processing circuitry is not powered to execute said application but said communication circuitry is powered to transmit and receive data with said network; and

switching circuitry for switching said information processing system between said first mode and said second mode,

wherein said application processing circuitry, when said download data for said application exists in said download data storage location, performs utilization of said download data when said information processing system is in said first mode.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein said application processing circuitry further performs a task registering process for storing said communication schedule data in said task storage location.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein said download managing circuitry deletes said communication schedule data when said permissible remaining number of times said file may be downloaded is zero.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising time outputting circuitry for outputting data indicative of said past time, and said download managing circuitry determines said estimated time for a subsequent download on the basis of said downloading interval.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein said download managing circuitry causes said communication circuitry to make a communication in at least said second mode.

14. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein said downloading data downloaded from said network for said application is data identifiable with said application.

6. A system comprising:

one or more processors for executing an application;

an input/output processor, operatively coupled to the one or more processors, for communicating data with a network based at least in part on communication schedule data, wherein the communication schedule data includes a time limit for a download to occur;

download managing circuitry for deleting the communication schedule data if the time limit expires without the download occurring; and

switching circuitry for switching the system between a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation;

wherein, in the first mode of operation, sufficient power is provided to enable the one or more processors to execute the application and to enable the input/output processor to communicate data with the network; and

wherein, in the second mode of operation, power to the one or more processors is restricted so that the one or more processors cannot execute the application, while sufficient power is provided to the input/output processor to enable communication of data with the network.

7. The system as in claim 6, further comprising a flash memory which stores data received from the network and data to be transmitted to the network by the input/output processor in both the first mode and the second mode.

8. The system as in claim 6, further comprising a flash memory which stores data received from the network and data to be transmitted to the network by the input/output processor in both the first mode and the second mode, the data stored in the flash memory being in an electronic mail format.

9. The system as in claim 6, further comprising a flash memory which stores data received from the network and data to be transmitted to the network by the input/output processor in both the first mode and the second mode, the data stored in the flash memory including data identifying an application which will utilize the stored data.

10. A method of operating a system, the method comprising:

controlling power to one or more processors for executing an application;

controlling power to an input/output processor, operatively coupled to the one or more processors, for communicating data with a network based at least in part on communication schedule data, wherein the communication schedule data includes;

a permissible remaining number of times to download a file, and

a past time indicating an estimated time for a next download to occur after a downloading interval;

decrementing the permissible remaining number of times every time the file is downloaded;

receiving a first input;

switching from a normal mode of system operation to a standby mode of system operation based at least in part on receiving the first input;

receiving a second input;

switching from the standby mode to the normal mode based at least in part on receiving the second input;

wherein, in the normal mode, power to the one or more processors and the input/output processor is controlled so that the one or more processors executes the application and the input/output processor communicates data with the network; and

wherein, in the standby mode, power to the one or more processors and the input/output processor is controlled so that the one or more processors cannot execute the application but the input/output processor can communicate data with the network.

11. The method as in claim 10, further comprising storing, in a flash memory, data received from the network and data to be transmitted to the network by the input/output processor in both the normal mode and the standby mode.

12. The method as in claim 10, further comprising storing, in a flash memory, data received from the network and data to be transmitted to the network by the input/output processor in both the normal mode and the standby mode, the data stored in the flash memory being in an electronic mail format.

13. The method as in claim 10, further comprising storing, in a flash memory, data received from the network and data to be transmitted to the network by the input/output processor in both the normal mode and the standby mode, the data stored in the flash memory including data identifying an application which will utilize the stored data.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising deleting the communication schedule data if the past time expires without the download being made.