WIRELESS COMMUNICATION GAME SYSTEM

• US 20130210529A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: TANAKA, Shoya, KUWAHARA, Masato, OE, Toru, YOSHIOKA, Teruyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,968,102 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• 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 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• 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 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM

Abstract

A wireless communication game system includes a plurality of mobile game apparatuses, which function as a parent device or a child device and are capable of making a communication with each other, and broadcasts from the parent device a parent device packet including a parent device PID, a user name UserName, a game name GameName, an OC flag, an E slot, a U slot, and a payload. All the parent device packets are received from the parent device existing within a communicationable range of a user'"'"'s own apparatus, and the user'"'"'s own apparatus creates a parent device list, and displays the parent device list on an LCD. Therefore, a user or a player of his own apparatus looks at the game name of the parent device list, for example, and operates a cross key included in an operation key so as to select one desired parent device. Then, transmitting a child device number CID of the user'"'"'s own apparatus at the E slot designated by the parent device packet, the user'"'"'s own apparatus transmits a connection request to the parent device.

Claims

1. A communication information system using a plurality of information devices, comprising:

at least one of the devices including;

a wireless broadcasting unit for wirelessly broadcasting self-identifying information and application identifying information identifying an application on the one of the devices,

at least one other of the devices including;

a wireless receiving unit for wirelessly receiving said self-identifying information and application identifying information identifying an application from said broadcasting unit when said one of the devices is within a communications range,

a displaying unit for displaying information concerning devices existing within the communication range and information about applications on each of the devices, based on said information received by said receiving unit,

a selecting unit for allowing a user to select between devices displayed by the displaying unit, and

a connection request transmitting unit for wirelessly transmitting a connection request toward the device selected by said selecting unit.

2. A wireless device, comprising:

a broadcasting unit for broadcasting self-identifying information and application identifying information for identifying an application which is being executed on the device.

8. The device of claim 2, wherein the broadcasting unit broadcasts the self-identifying information and the application identifying information before the device has not established a connection with any other wireless device.

10. The device of claim 2, wherein the broadcasting unit broadcasts the self-identifying information and the application identifying information after the device has established a connection with another wireless device.

11. The device of claim 2, wherein the application identifying information identifies an application which has already been executed but has not started a communicative state in the application with any other devices.

12. The device of claim 2, wherein the broadcasting unit is configured to broadcast the self-identifying information and the application identifying information before the device has started a communicative state with any other devices.

13. The device of claim 2, wherein the broadcasting unit is configured to broadcast the self-identifying information and the application identifying information before any opponent to connect with has been determined.

14. The device of claim 2, wherein the broadcasting unit is configured to broadcast the self-identifying information and the application identifying information before the user has selected any opponent to connect with.

15. The device of claim 2, wherein the broadcasting unit is configured to broadcast the self-identifying information and the application identifying information before the first opponent to connect with has been determined.

16. The device of claim 2, wherein the broadcasting unit is configured to broadcast the self-identifying information and the application identifying information before the user has selected the first opponent to connect with.

17. The device of claim 2, wherein the broadcasting unit broadcasts the self-identifying information and the application identifying information so that the device is selected on the other device which received the information as an opponent to connect with.

18. The device of claim 2, wherein the broadcasting unit broadcasts the self-identifying information and the application identifying information so that the device is selected on the other device which received the information as the first opponent to connect with.

19. The device of claim 2, wherein the broadcasting unit broadcasts the self-identifying information and the application identifying information for a plurality of other devices without establishing a connection with the other devices.

20. The device of claim 2, wherein the broadcasting unit broadcasts the self-identifying information and the application identifying information to have the other device which received the information to request to establish a connect with the device.

21. The device of claim 2, the device comprises a game device, and the application comprises a game.

22. The device of claim 2, wherein the receiving unit is configured to receive said information from plural ones of the plurality of information devices.

23. The device of claim 2, wherein the displayed information about the applications includes information indicating which games are being executed on each of the devices.

24. The device of claim 2, wherein the broadcasted identifying information allows the application identifying information to be displayed on other devices that received the self-identifying information and, wherein the broadcasting unit further broadcasts self-identifying information to enable the other devices to select the device identified by the self-identifying information and cause a connection request to be transmitted to the devices identified by the self-identifying information.

3. A wireless device, comprising:

a broadcasting unit for broadcasting self-identifying information and application identifying information for identifying an application which is being activated on the device.

4. A wireless device, comprising:

a broadcasting unit for broadcasting self-identifying information and application identifying information for identifying an application on the device.

5. A wireless device, comprising:

a sending unit for sending self-identifying information and application identifying information for identifying an application which is being executed on the device for other wireless devices without establishing a connection.

6. A wireless device, comprising:

a sending unit for sending self-identifying information and application identifying information for identifying an application which is being activated on the devive for other wireless devices without establishing a connection.

7. A wireless device, comprising:

a sending unit for sending self-identifying information and application identifying information for identifying an application on the device for other wireless devices without establishing a connection.

9. The device of claim 9, wherein the broadcasting unit broadcasts the self-identifying information and the application identifying information also after the device has established a connection with another wireless device.

25. At least one non-transitory computer readable storage device for use in a communication information system using a plurality of information devices, the at least one non-transitory storage device storing instructions configured to provide at least the following:

wirelessly broadcasting self-identifying information and application identifying information identifying an application on the first device,

wirelessly receiving said broadcasted information when said first device is within a communications range,

displaying information concerning devices existing within the communications range and information about applications executed on each of the devices, based on said information received by said receiving,

allowing a user to select between displayed devices, and

wirelessly transmitting a connection request toward the selected device.

26. A non-transitory computer readable storage device storing program instructions for use by a wireless device, the program instructions configured to at least:

broadcast self-identifying information and application identifying information for identifying an application which is being executed on the device.

27. A wireless game device, comprising:

a broadcasting unit for broadcasting self-identifying information and application identifying information for identifying a game application which is being executed on the game device.