Wireless video game system and method

• US 20080146343A1
• Filed: 12/14/2006
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eric M. Mickelson, Sullivan C. Bart
• Original Assignee: Eric M. Mickelson, Sullivan C. Bart
• Inventors: Mickelson, Eric M., Sullivan, C. Bart
• Granted Patent: US 8,333,641 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/208 for storing personal settings or data of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history

Abstract

A method and system for operating a multi-player wireless video-game session is disclosed. In one embodiment, a wireless device is configured to establish a wireless ad-hoc connection with another wireless device capable of serving a video game over the ad-hoc network. The wireless device is capable of communicating with the ad-hoc connection through other networks such that a video-game player in one region may move between geographic regions without loss of game play and/or may join other video games associated with other networks. In one embodiment, in response to the user joining the video game, a selection of characters along with personalities and behaviors based on attributes supplied by the user is presented to the user for selection thereof. In another embodiment, the user may transfer a selected personality to another character associated with the video game, such as a computer operated video-game character.

Claims

1. A method of playing a multi-player video game, the method comprising:

establishing an ad-hoc wireless network between a plurality of devices capable of communicating over a wireless network;

sharing a video game between members of the ad-hoc network; and

providing at least one video-game character for the video game based on attributes of at least one member of the ad-hoc network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices comprise at least one mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ad-hoc wireless network is formed between a network interface of a first mobile device and a network interface of at least one other mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ad-hoc wireless network is formed between a first mobile device and a base station broadcasting the video game.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining a personality for the at least one video-game character from user defined attributes associated with one of the members of the ad-hoc network.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising transferring the personality, or transferring a behavior, or transferring an identity from the at least one video-game character to another video-game character associated with the video game.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein transferring the personality comprises transferring the personality, or the behavior, or the identity of the at least one video-game character to a computer controlled video-game character.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the attributes comprise user defined attributes.

9. A method for establishing a multi-player video game, the method comprising:

transmitting a request to join a multi-player video game;

upon receiving an acknowledgement from a user to join the multi-player video game, obtaining user attributes associated with the user; and

determining from the user attributes which video-game characters to present to the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining which video-game characters to present to the user comprises providing at least one video-game character that includes at least one character trait associated with the user attributes.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining from the user attributes which video-game character personalities to present to the user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining which personalities to present to the user comprises providing at least one video-game character personality that includes at least one personality trait associated with the user attributes.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining from the user attributes which character behaviors to present to the user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining which behaviors to present to the user comprises providing at least one video-game character behavior that includes at least one behavior associated with the user attributes.

15. A system for establishing and playing a multi-user video game over a wireless network, the system comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable storage medium coupled to the processor, wherein the computer readable storage medium includes;

code for establishing a wireless ad-hoc network between a plurality of devices capable of communicating over a wireless network;

code for establishing a video game over the wireless ad-hoc network; and

code for providing at least one video-game character for the video game based on user attributes of at least one member of the ad-hoc network.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein code for establishing a video game over the wireless ad-hoc network comprises code for code for joining another video game associated with another ad-hoc network.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein code for establishing the wireless ad-hoc network comprises code for joining another video game hosted on a second network capable of communicating with the wireless ad-hoc network.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the second network comprises a cellular network or a wireless intranet.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising code for defining a character personality with at least one of the user attributes.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising code for replacing the personality associated with a computer generated video-game character with a personality associated with the at least one member of the ad-hoc network.