Wireless communication game system

• US 20040110563A1
• Filed: 10/21/2003
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Shoya, Yoshioka, Teruyuki, Oe, Toru, Kuwahara, Masato
• Application Number:
  US10/689,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20040110563A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/39
• 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 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net

Abstract

Wireless communication game system includes a plurality of mobile game apparatuses that are capable of making a wireless communication with each other, and function as a parent device or a child device. The parent device broadcasts a parent device packet in a first time slot, and receives a child device packet in a second time slot. The child device receives the parent device packet in the first time slot, and transmits the child device packet toward the parent device in the second time slot. In a U slot field of the parent device packet, the number of child devices CID, which is connected (or was connected), is included. In the child device, when detected that a communication is disconnected from the parent device, it is attempted to receive the parent device packet broadcast from the parent device. In addition, when the child number CID of a user'"'"'s apparatus exists in a position of the user'"'"'s apparatus of a U slot of the parent device packet, a restoring is successful.

Claims

1. A wireless communication game system provided with a plurality of mobile game apparatuses that are capable of making a communication with each other, and function as a parent device or a child device, wherein

said parent device includes a broadcasting means for broadcasting a parent device packet including connection permitting data that permits a child device having a communication between the parent device disconnected to connect to the parent device:

and

said child device includes

a communication disconnection detecting means for detecting that the communication between said parent device is disconnected, and

a restoring means for attempting receiving said parent device packet broadcast from said parent device when detected by said communication disconnection detecting means that the communication between the parent device is disconnected.

2. A wireless communication game system according to claim 1, wherein said broadcasting means continues broadcasting said connection permitting data after said child device connects to said parent device.

3. A wireless communication game system according to claim 1, wherein

said parent device includes, a deleting means for deleting the connection permitting data for the child device in a case that the communication between said child device is disconnected for more than a first predetermined time period,

said communication disconnection detecting means of said child device detects that the communication between the parent device is disconnected for more than a second predetermined time period, and

said first predetermined time period is longer than said second predetermined time period.

4. A wireless communication game system according to claim 1, wherein

said parent device and said child device are apparatuses for making a communication with each other in a communication cycle including a first time slot used by said parent device, and a second time slot having a plurality of sub time slots used by said child device, and

said connection permitting data includes information that designates the sub time slot, out of said plurality of sub time slots, to which said child device is to be restored.

5. A restoring method in a wireless communication game system provided with a plurality of mobile game apparatuses that are capable of making a wireless communication with each other, and function as a parent device or a child device, including following steps of:

(a) broadcasting by said parent device a parent device packet including connection permitting data that permits the child device having a communication between the parent device disconnected to connect to the parent device;

(b) detecting by said child device that the communication between said parent device is disconnected; and

(c) attempting by said child device, when detected that the communication between said parent device is disconnected in said step (b), receiving said parent device packet broadcast from said parent device.

6. A program for a wireless communication game provided with a plurality of mobile game apparatuses that are capable of making a communication with each other, and function as a parent device or a child device, comprising steps of:

making a processor of said parent device execute a step for broadcasting a parent device packet including connection permitting data that permits the child device having a communication disconnected to connect to the parent device,

making a processor of said child device execute a step for detecting that the communication between said parent device is disconnected, and a step for attempting receiving said parent device packet broadcast from said parent device when detected that the communication between the parent device is disconnected by said communication disconnection detecting step.

7. A mobile game apparatus capable of playing a wireless communication game which utilizes a plurality of mobile game apparatuses, and any one of which functions as a parent device, and the other of which functions as a child device, comprising:

a broadcasting means, for said parent device, for broadcasting a parent device packet including connection permitting data that permits the child device having a communication between the parent device disconnected to connect to the parent device;

a communication disconnection detecting means, for said child device, for detecting that the communication between said parent device is disconnected; and

a restoring means for attempting receiving said parent device packet broadcast from said parent device when detected by said communication disconnection detecting means that the communication between the parent device is disconnected.