Mesh Synchronization

• US 20090088259A1
• Filed: 04/10/2008
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Smith, Daren, McArthur, Mark, Poulin, Martin, Gosztyla, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 9,770,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/43
• 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 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/28 characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] wireless communication networks H04W ; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide techniques for establishing and reestablishing associations between users of game devices. In one embodiment, information about an association between a user of a first game device and a user of a second game device is stored in the nonvolatile memories of first and second game media, the first and second game media being communicatively coupled with the first and second game devices respectively. If the first game device loses track of the association (e.g., the user of the first game devices swaps out the first game medium for another one, or the memory resident on the first game medium is corrupted/erased), an association notification received at the first game device from the second game device may be used to reestablish the association at the first game device. In this manner, previously established associations between users of game devices may be automatically established/reestablished.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for establishing an association between a user of a first game device and a user of a second game device, the method comprising:

transmitting a first identifier from the first game device to the second game device;

receiving a second identifier at the first game device from the second game device;

searching for the second identifier among a first plurality of identifiers stored in a first nonvolatile memory, the first nonvolatile memory being resident on a first game medium communicatively coupled with the first game device; and

if the second identifier is found among the first plurality of identifiers;

establishing the user of the second game device as an associate of the user of the first game device; and

transmitting an association notification from the first game device to the second game device, the association notification including the first identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, at the second game device, the association notification transmitted from the first game device;

determining the first identifier from the association notification;

searching for the first identifier among a second plurality of identifiers stored in a second nonvolatile memory, the second nonvolatile memory being resident on a second game medium communicatively coupled with the second game device; and

if the first identifier is not found among the second plurality of identifiers;

establishing the user of the first game device as an associate of the user of the second game device; and

storing the first identifier in the second nonvolatile memory.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if the second identifier is not found among the first plurality of identifiers;

allowing the user of the first game device to transmit an association invitation to the user of the second game device; and

if the association invitation is accepted by the user of the second game device;

establishing the user of the second game device as an associate of the user of the first game device; and

storing the second identifier in the first nonvolatile memory.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

receiving, at the second game device, the association invitation transmitted from the first game device; and

if the association invitation is accepted by the user of the second game device;

establishing the user of the first game device as an associate of the user of the second game device; and

storing the first identifier in a second nonvolatile memory, the second nonvolatile memory being resident on a second game medium communicatively coupled with the second game device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining the first identifier; and

storing the first identifier in the first nonvolatile memory.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing a connection between the first game device and the second game device via a communications link.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the data link is a wireless link.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second game devices do not have access to locally-resident, rewritable nonvolatile memory.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first identifier uniquely identifies the first game device and the second identifier uniquely identifies the second game device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first identifier uniquely identifies the user of the first game device and the second identifier uniquely identifies the user of the second game device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second game devices are portable.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first nonvolatile memory is flash memory.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the first game medium is a ROM cartridge.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the first identifier is a MAC address of the first game device.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein establishing the user of the second game device as an associate of the user of the first game device comprises allowing the user of the first game device to send chat messages to, and receive chat message from, the user of the second game device.

16. A computer-implemented method for establishing an association between a user of a first game device and a user of a second game device, the method comprising:

transmitting a first identifier from the first game device to the second game device, the first identifier uniquely identifying the first game device;

transmitting a second identifier from the second game device to the first game device, the second identifier uniquely identifying the second game device;

receiving the second identifier at the first game device, wherein the second identifier is already stored in a first nonvolatile memory resident on a game medium communicatively coupled with the first game device;

receiving the first identifier at the second game device, wherein the first identifier is not stored in a second nonvolatile memory resident on a game medium communicatively coupled with the second game device;

establishing, at the first game device, the user of the second game device as an associate of the user of the first game device;

transmitting an association notification from the first game device to the second game device; and

processing the association notification at the second game device, the processing comprising;

establishing the user of the first game device as an associate of the user of the second game device; and

storing the first identifier in the second nonvolatile memory.

17. A game device comprising:

a port for communicatively coupling a game medium to the game device;

the game medium having resident thereon a nonvolatile memory configured to store a plurality of identifiers; and

a processing component configured to;

transmit a first identifier to a second game device;

receive a second identifier from the second game device;

search for the second identifier among the plurality of identifiers stored in the nonvolatile memory; and

if the second identifier is found among the plurality of identifiers;

establish the user of the second game device as an associate of a user of the game device; and

transmit an association notification to the second game device.

18. The game device of claim 17, wherein the association notification transmitted from the game device to the second game device is processed at the second game device, the processing comprising:

searching for the first identifier among a second plurality of identifiers stored in a second nonvolatile memory, the second nonvolatile memory being resident on a second game medium communicatively coupled with the second game device; and

if the first identifier is not found among the second plurality of identifiers;

establishing the user of the game device as an associate of the user of the second game device; and

storing the first identifier in the second nonvolatile memory.

19. A machine-readable medium for a game device, the machine-readable medium having stored thereon a series of instructions which, when executed by a processing component, cause the processing component to establish an association between a user of the game device and a user of a second game device by:

transmitting a first identifier from the game device to the second game device;

receiving a second identifier at the game device from the second game device;

searching for the second identifier among a plurality of identifiers stored in a nonvolatile memory, the nonvolatile memory being resident on a game medium communicatively coupled with the game device; and

if the second identifier is found among the plurality of identifiers;

establishing the user of the second game device as an associate of the user of the game device; and

transmitting an association notification from the game device to the second game device.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the association notification transmitted from the game device to the second game device is processed at the second game device, the processing comprising:

searching for the first identifier among a second plurality of identifiers stored in a second nonvolatile memory, the second nonvolatile memory being resident on a second game medium communicatively coupled with the second game device; and

if the first identifier is not found among the second plurality of identifiers;

establishing the user of the game device as an associate of the user of the second game device; and

storing the first identifier in the second nonvolatile memory.