Method and apparatus for managing data in a gaming system

• US 20050164795A1
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Whitten, Jon Marcus Randall, Pirich, Christopher M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,846,025 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/44
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/71 using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems

Abstract

A gaming system includes a hard disk drive for storing applications and other data. The hard disk drive has multiple regions for storing different types of data. Each application executed on the gaming system has an associated storage area on the hard disk drive. A console application executing on the gaming system prevents a particular application from accessing data in an area of the hard disk drive that is not associated with the particular application. The gaming system also maintains a list of recently used nicknames to simplify entry of nicknames by a user of the gaming system.

Claims

1. A game console comprising a housing that contains each of:

a portable media reader;

‘

a processor; and

a hard disk drive coupled to the processor, the hard disk drive being configured to boot the game console and to store data associated with the game console, wherein the processor;

is coupled to receive video game instructions for a video game from portable media in the portable media reader;

executes the video game using the game instructions read from the portable media in the portable media reader;

is coupled to a controller to receive user commands when executing the video game; and

sends video game data to the controller to be saved.

2. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the video game data is saved in a storage device in the controller.

3. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the video game data is saved in a portable memory unit coupled to the controller.

4. A game console as recited in claim 1 further including a memory coupled to the processor.

5. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the hard disk drive contains a console application configured to implement a user interface to the gaming system.

6. A game console comprising a processor, a portable media reader, a game controller including both an input device and a portable media reader-writer device, and a non-removable hard disk drive, wherein:

the portable media reader, the game controller, and the non-removable hard disk drive are coupled to the processor;

the non-removable hard disk drive stores a console application to which the game console boots;

the processor executes a video game using game instructions read from the portable media reader;

the processor receives input from the input device of the game controller;

the processor saves game data from the video game to portable media in the portable media reader-writer device of the game controller; and

the processor executes game instructions read from the portable media reader.