Wireless gaming method and wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal

• US 20080280676A1
• Filed: 05/07/2007
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ben-Ami, Eli, Linder, Natan, Dror, Yael, Barzilay, Asaf, Goren, Nitsan, Sadeh, Eyal, Distanik, Isreal, Primov, Amir, Michael, Kim
• Granted Patent: US 8,506,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3279 wherein the competition is one-to-one, e.g. match

Abstract

A wireless gaming method and wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal are provided for enabling a number of players to participate simultaneously in a game using their mobile terminals. A wireless gaming method of the present invention includes inviting, if a multi-player gaming mode for a game is activated, at least one counterpart terminal on a short range wireless communication network by transmitting a multi-player gaming mode request message; synchronizing, if an acknowledge message is received in response to the multi-player gaming mode request message, game data with the counterpart terminal transmitted the acknowledge message; and generating a game screen with an image taken by the camera as a background image after the game is synchronized; and starting the game with the game screen.

Claims

1. A wireless gaming method for a mobile terminal having a camera, comprising:

inviting at least one counterpart terminal on a short range wireless communication network by transmitting a multi-player gaming mode request message, when a multi-player gaming mode for a game is activated;

synchronizing game data with the counterpart terminal transmitting the acknowledge message, when an acknowledge message is received in response to the multi-player gaming mode request message;

generating a game screen with an real image taken by the camera as a background image after the game is synchronized; and

starting the game with the generated game screen.

2. The wireless gaming method of claim 1, wherein the inviting comprises:

discovering terminals on the short range wireless communication network;

listing at least one discovered terminal on a display; and

transmitting the multi-player gaming mode request message to the counterpart terminal, when a terminal is selected as the counterpart terminal by a key input.

3. The wireless gaming method of claim 2, wherein the short range wireless communication network is an ad hoc network.

4. The wireless gaming method of claim 1, wherein the synchronizing comprises:

checking a round trip time to the counterpart terminal;

transmitting game parameters to the counterpart terminal on the basis of the round trip time; and

transmitting a game start signal to the counterpart terminal for starting the game in a predetermined time.

5. The wireless gaming method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined time is ½

of the round trip time.

6. The wireless gaming method of claim 1, wherein the generating comprises:

converting the image input from the camera into video data; and

synthesizing the video data and graphic data of the game data to generate the game screen.

7. The wireless gaming method of claim 1, further comprising exchanging the game data, generated during the game, with the counterpart terminal in real time before the game ends.

8. The wireless gaming method of claim 7, further comprising performing a motion tracking on the basis of the image taken by the camera for matching a movement of graphic data with the background image.

9. The wireless gaming method of claim 7, wherein further comprising processing simultaneous operations of a same play in the terminals, using a random algorithm.

10. The wireless gaming method of claim 1, further comprising generating the game screen with the background image taken by the camera in real time, when a single player mode is activated by a key input.

11. The wireless gaming method of claim 1, further comprising synchronizing the game data with the real image.

12. The wireless gaming method of claim 11, wherein the synchronizing is to provide location persistency between the game data and the real image.

13. The wireless gaming method of claim 11 wherein the synchronizing is to provide object persistency between the game data and the real image.

14. The wireless gaming method of claim 1, further comprising synchronizing the background image of the terminal with the background image of the at least one other terminal.

15. The wireless gaming method of claim 1, further comprising detecting relative position and orientation between the terminal and the counterpart terminal.

16. The wireless gaming method of claim 1, further comprising tracking motion between the terminal and the counter part terminal.

17. The wireless gaming method of claim 1 comprising navigating through an area of the game screen by changing a field of view of the camera.

18. A wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal comprises:

a camera unit for taking an image;

a video processing unit for processing the image;

an input unit for receiving a user input;

a control unit for generating a game screen by combining a video data output from the video processing unit and graphic data of a game;

a display unit for displaying the game screen;

a short range wireless communication unit for establishing a game network with at least one other terminal in a multi-player gaming mode; and

a storage unit for storing game data including the graphic data.

19. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the game network is an ad hoc network.

20. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the control unit generates, if a single player gaming mode is selected, the game screen using the image taken by the camera as a background image of the game.

21. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 20, comprising a camera navigation unit for tracking a motion on the basis of the image taken by the camera.

22. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the control unit discovers, if a multi-player gaming mode is selected, terminals on the game network and displays discovered terminals on the display unit.

23. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein the control unit transmits, if a terminal is selected as a counterpart terminal, a multi-player gaming mode request message to the counterpart terminal.

24. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein the control unit performs, if an acknowledgement message is received in response to the multi-player gaming mode request message, synchronization with the counterpart terminal.

25. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 24, wherein the control unit checks a round trip time by transmitting an average packet.

26. The wireless gaming-enable mobile terminal of claim 25, wherein the control unit transmits a game start signal to the counterpart terminal for starting the game in a ½

of the round trip time.

27. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 24, wherein the control unit generates the game screen by combining the image taken by the camera unit and the graphic data synchronized between the terminals.

28. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein the control unit exchanges game data generated during the game with the counterpart terminal in real time through the short range wireless communication unit.

29. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the control unit performs motion tracking on the basis of the image taken by the camera unit.

30. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the control unit processes simultaneous operations of a same play in the terminals, using a random algorithm.

31. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 21 wherein the camera navigation unit provides synchronization between the video data output with the graphic data.

32. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 31 wherein the synchronization provides location persistency.

33. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 31 wherein the synchronization provides object persistency.

34. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 21 wherein the camera navigation unit provides in multi-player game mode synchronization of the video data output of the multi-players.

35. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 18 wherein the game screen extends over an area that is larger than a field of view of the display unit.

36. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 35 wherein navigation through the area of the game screen is by changing the field of view of the camera.

37. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 35 comprising a graphical user interface including a radar map to indicate the location of the field of view of the display unit in relation to the area of the game screen.

38. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 35 comprising a graphical user interface including a radar map to indicate the location of the graphic data in relation to the area of the game screen.

39. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 18 including at least one gyroscope to detect motion of the camera.

40. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 18 including at least one gyroscope to detect change in orientation of the mobile terminal.

41. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 40 wherein the storage unit is to store an initial orientation of the mobile terminal.

42. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 40 wherein the gyroscope is to detect translation of the camera.

43. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 18 wherein the graphic data includes a virtual animal trapped in a balloon.

44. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 18 wherein the graphic data includes a text box anchored to an object in the video data output.

45. The wireless gaming-enabled mobile terminal of claim 18 wherein the graphic data includes building blocks to be positioned on a foundation defined by an object in the video data output.