Communication system and method using pictorial characters

• US 20060040737A1
• Filed: 10/06/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Claude Comair
• Original Assignee: Claude Comair
• Inventors: Comair, Claude
• Granted Patent: US 8,317,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• 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 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/205 for detecting the geographical location of the game platform
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/401 Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6018 : where the game content is authored by the player, e.g. level editor or by game device at runtime, e.g. level is created from music data on CD
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 : for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 : Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

Pictorial characters are used to replace one or more words or even one or more full sentences of a message for communication to one or more people. In the context of an electronic communication device, a person (“sending party”) can use pictorial characters to “encode” words or sentences of a message to be sent to another person (“receiving party”). The receiving party, upon receiving the message, decodes the coded message and, if appropriate or desired, replies to the message. The communication devices used by the sending and receiving parties can be provided with various pictorial character-related features. For example, the communication devices may be provided with processing circuitry that conditions the use of a particular pictorial character for sending messages upon prior entry of a valid authorization (unlocking) code for that character. Alternatively or additionally, the processing circuitry of the communication devices may be responsive to received messages for proposing to the receiving party suggested meanings for one or more of the characters.

Claims

1. A hand-held display device for playing a video game comprising:

a housing grippable by a user'"'"'s hands;

a liquid crystal display viewable by the user gripping the housing;

input devices operable by the user when the user grips the housing;

a connector for operatively connecting to a computer-readable medium having stored thereon a video game program for the video game;

communication circuitry;

a memory;

processing circuitry which executes the video game program,

wherein the execution of the video game program generates identifiers of pictorial characters and said processing circuitry uses the identifiers to access a remotely located database of pictorial characters via the communication circuit to retrieve from the remotely located database for storage in the memory pictorial characters corresponding to the identifiers.

2. The hand-held display device according to claim 24, wherein the communication circuitry comprises a modem.

3. A hand-held communication device, comprising:

a memory;

an operating system for enabling user-generated pictorial characters to be stored in the memory;

a user-interface comprising a touch-sensitive screen for enabling the user to compose a message comprising one or more selected pictorial characters, the pictorial characters being selected by touching images of the pictorial characters displayed on the touch-sensitive screen; and

wireless communication circuitry for communicating the message over a wireless communication network.