Wireless communication game system

• US 10,518,176 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2017
• Issued: 12/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Shoya, Kuwahara, Masato, Oe, Toru, Yoshioka, Teruyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Renwick, Reginald A
• Application Number:
  US15/709,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20180008892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• 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 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• 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 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM

Abstract

A wireless communication game system includes a plurality of mobile game apparatuses, which function as a parent device or a child device and are capable of making a communication with each other, and broadcasts from the parent device a parent device packet including a parent device PID, a user name UserName, a game name GameName, an OC flag, an E slot, a U slot, and a payload. All the parent device packets are received from the parent device existing within a communicationable range of a user'"'"'s own apparatus, and the user'"'"'s own apparatus creates a parent device list, and displays the parent device list on an LCD. Therefore, a user or a player of his own apparatus looks at the game name of the parent device list, for example, and operates a cross key included in an operation key so as to select one desired parent device. Then, transmitting a child device number CID of the user'"'"'s own apparatus at the E slot designated by the parent device packet, the user'"'"'s own apparatus transmits a connection request to the parent device.

Claims

1. An information processing device, comprising:

processing resources, including at least one processor, configured to cause the device to operate in one of first and second modes, the first mode controlling the device to serve as a wireless communication group owner and the second mode controlling the device to serve as a wireless communication group participant;

a transceiver operably connected to the processing resources, the transceiver being configured to wirelessly send self-identifying information to, and wirelessly receive self-identifying information from, other devices within communication range of the transceiver, wherein one of first and second packet types is used based on the mode in which the device transmitting the self-identifying information is operating, the first and second packet types being different from one another;

wherein the processing resources are further configured to control the device to at least populate, when the device is operating in the first mode, a first packet type field with data indicative of whether the device can accept other devices into a group that it is administering.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing resources are further configured to control the device to at least generate a display that identifies one or more other devices for which self-identifying information has been received.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the processing resources are further configured to control the device to at least:

enable selection of at least one other device identified in the display; and

(a) remove at least one selected device from a group managed by the device when the device is operating in the first mode, and/or (b) join a group managed by at least one selected device when the device is operating in the second mode.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the device can serve as a group owner, conditioned on an application being provided to, and shareable in connection with, the device.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the field indicates a number of other devices acceptable into a group that the device is administering.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first mode corresponds to a parent mode and the second mode corresponds to a child mode, and wherein devices operating in parent mode are eligible to become group owners.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable between different devices without having to establish a connection therebetween.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing resources are further configured to control the device to switch from operating in one of the first and second modes to the other.

9. A system, comprising

a first device, comprising:

first processing resources, including at least one first processor, configured to cause the first device to operate in a first mode, the first mode controlling the first device to serve as a wireless communication group; and

a first wireless transceiver operably connected to the first processing resources, the first wireless transceiver being configured to wirelessly send self-identifying information to, and wirelessly receive self-identifying information from, other devices within communication range of the first wireless transceiver, wherein one of first and second packet types is used based on the mode in which the device transmitting the self-identifying information is operating, the first and second packet types being different from one another; and

a second device, comprising;

second processing resources, including at least one second processor, configured to cause the second device to operate in a second mode, the second mode controlling the second device to serve as a wireless communication group participant; and

a second wireless transceiver operably connected to the second processing resources, the second wireless transceiver being configured to wirelessly send self-identifying information to, and wirelessly receive self-identifying information from, other devices within communication range of the second wireless transceiver, wherein one of the first and second packet types is used based on the mode in which the device transmitting the self-identifying information is operating;

wherein the first processing resources are further configured to control the first device to at least populate a first packet type field with data indicative of whether the first device can accept other devices into a group that it is administering.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the first processing resources are further configured to control the first device to at least generate a first display that identifies one or more other devices for which self-identifying information has been received; and

the second processing resources are further configured to control the second device to at least generate a second display that identifies one or more other devices for which self-identifying information has been received.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first and second processing resources are further configured to control the first and second devices to at least enable selection of at least one other device identified in the first and second displays, respectively;

wherein the first processing resources are further configured to control the first device to remove at least one selected device from a group managed by the first device; and

wherein the second processing resources are further configured to control the second device to join a group managed by at least one selected device.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first device can serve as a group owner, conditioned on an application being provided to, and shareable in connection with, the first device.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the field indicates a number of other devices acceptable into a group that the first device is administering.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the first mode corresponds to a parent mode and the second mode corresponds to a child mode, and wherein devices operating in parent mode are eligible to become group owners.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable between different devices without having to establish a connection therebetween.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the first processing resources are further configured to control the first device to switch from operating in the first mode to operating in the second mode, and wherein the second processing resources are further configured to control the second device to switch from operating in the second mode to operating in the first mode.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by processing resources including at least one processor of an information processing device, control the information processing device to execute functionality comprising:

causing the device to operate in one of first and second modes, the first mode controlling the device to serve as a wireless communication group owner and the second mode controlling the device to serve as a wireless communication group participant;

using a transceiver of the device, wirelessly sending self-identifying information to, and wirelessly receiving self-identifying information from, other devices within communication range of the transceiver, wherein one of first and second packet types is used based on the mode in which the device transmitting the self-identifying information is operating, the first and second packet types being different from one another; and

populating, when the device is operating in the first mode, a first packet type field with data indicative of whether the device can accept other devices into a group that it is administering.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the device can serve as a group owner, conditioned on an application being provided to, and shareable in connection with, the device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the field indicates a number of other devices acceptable into a group that the device is administering.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable between different devices without having to establish a connection therebetween.