COMMUNICATION GAME SYSTEM

• US 20140364226A1
• Filed: 08/27/2014
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: IWAMOTO, Daiki, MOURI, Shirou
• Granted Patent: US 9,199,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• 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 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• 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 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• 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 2300/531 Server assignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

A communication game system includes a plurality of game apparatuses which can be communicated via a network and functions as a parent machine and as a child machine, for example. In the child machine, a moving track of an object to be operated is obtained in response to an input with a pointing device by a player, and transmitted to the parent machine. In the parent machine, a movement of the object is controlled by the moving track, and drawing information to draw a virtual game space including the moved object is transmitted to the child machine. In the child machine, a game screen including the object to be operated is generated and displayed on the basis of the received drawing information.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising a plurality of terminal devices each of which includes an operation unit and a display unit and are configured to communicate over the Internet, wherein:

each of the plurality of terminal devices comprises;

an input accepter configured to accept an input operation from a touch-panel in the operation unit; and

a transmitter configured to transmit an input operation data based on the input operation that is accepted in the input accepter to a computer;

the computer comprises;

a receiver configured to receive the input operation data from each of the plurality of terminal devices;

an information processor configured to execute an information process based on the received input operation data;

an image information generator configured to generate first image information and second image information based on the information process; and

an image information transmitter configured to transmit the first image information to one of the plurality of terminal devices and the second image information to another one of the plurality of terminal devices; and

each of the plurality of the terminal devices further comprises;

an image information receiver configured to receive image information transmitted from the computer to that terminal device; and

a display controller configured to display an image based on the image information received by the image information receiver of that terminal device on the display unit of that terminal device.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the transmitter of each terminal device is configured to transmit by wireless communication;

the receiver of the computer is configured to receive by wireless communication;

the image information transmitter of the computer is configured to transmit by wireless communication; and

the image information receiver of each terminal device is configured to receive by wireless communication.

3. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein:

the transmitter of each terminal device is configured to transmit wirelessly using Wi-Fi communication;

the receiver of the computer is configured to receive wirelessly using Wi-Fi communication;

the image information transmitter of the computer is configured to transmit wirelessly using Wi-Fi communication; and

the image information receiver of each terminal device is configured to receive wirelessly using Wi-Fi communication.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the computer is a server computer and each of the terminal devices is a portable display device.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the information process is a game process and the information processor is configured to operate a character in a virtual space of the game process based on the received input operation data.

6. The information processing system according to claim 5, wherein:

at least one of the first and second image information includes at least one of the position of the character, the orientation of the character, or the motion of the character.

7. The information processing system according to claim 5, wherein:

the game is a fighting game in real time.

8. The information processing system according to claim 5, wherein:

the game is a fighting game using the input operation data from three or more terminal devices and one of the terminal devices manages data of all of the terminal devices.

9. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the input operation data is a coordinate data that is accepted from the touch-panel.

10. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the input operation data is one or more commands based on the input operation.

11. The information processing system according to claim 10, wherein:

the input operation data are a plurality of commands based on the input operation.

12. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of the terminal devices further comprises;

a communication delay reducer configured to perform a predetermined process for reducing a communication delay.

13. The information processing system according to claim 12, wherein:

the predetermined process is a prediction process using the input operation data from each of the plurality of terminal devices.

14. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the transmitter is configured to transmit a plurality of the input operation data collectively.

15. The information processing system according to claim 14, wherein:

the transmitter is configured to transmit a continuous input based on the plurality of the input operation data.

16. A non-transitory storage medium storing computer readable instructions which upon execution by an information processing system, including a computer and a plurality of terminal devices each of which includes an operation unit and a display unit and are configured to communicate over the Internet, provides functionality comprising:

at each of the plurality of the terminal devices;

accept an input operation from a touch-panel in the operation unit; and

transmit input operation data based on the input operation that is accepted by the terminal device to the computer;

at said computer;

receive the input operation data from each of the plurality of the terminal devices;

execute an information process based on the received input operation data;

generate first image information and second image information based on the information process; and

transmit the first image information to one of the plurality of terminal devices and the second image information to another one of the plurality of terminal devices;

at the one of the plurality of terminal devices;

receive the first image information transmitted from the computer to the one of the plurality of terminal devices; and

display a first image based on the first image information received by the one of the plurality of terminal devices on the display unit of the one of the plurality of terminal devices; and

at the another one of the plurality of terminal devices;

receive the second image information transmitted from the computer to the another one of the plurality of terminal devices; and

display a second image based on the second image information received by the another one of the plurality of terminal devices on the display unit of the another one of the plurality of terminal devices.

17. A method upon execution by information processing system, including a computer and a plurality of terminal devices each of which includes an operation unit and a display unit and are configured to communicate over the Internet, the method comprising:

at each of the plurality of the terminal devices;

accepting an input operation from a touch-panel in the operation unit; and

transmitting input operation data based on the input operation that is accepted by the terminal device to the computer;

at said computer;

receiving the input operation data from each of the plurality of the terminal devices;

executing an information process based on the received input operation data;

generating first image information and second image information based on the information process; and

transmitting the first image information to one of the plurality of terminal devices and the second image information to another one of the plurality of the terminal devices;

at the one of the plurality of terminal devices;

receiving the first image information transmitted from the computer to the one of the plurality of terminal devices; and

displaying a first image based on the first image information received by the one of the plurality of terminal devices on the display unit of the one of the plurality of terminal devices; and

at the another one of the plurality of terminal devices;

receiving the second image information transmitted from the computer to the another one of the plurality of terminal devices; and

displaying a second image based on the second image information received by the another one of the plurality of terminal devices on the display unit of the another one of the plurality of terminal devices.

18. A computer capable of communication with a plurality of terminal devices each of which that includes an operation unit and a display unit and are configured to communicate over the Internet, the computer comprising:

a processing system, including a computer processor, the processing system being at least configured to;

receive input operation data from each of the plurality of the terminal devices, the input operation data being based on an input operation from the operation unit of the each of the terminal devices;

execute an information process based on the received input operation data;

generate first image information and second image information based on the information process;

transmit the first image information to one of the plurality of terminal devices and the second image information to another one of the plurality of terminal devices so that the one of the plurality of the terminal devices can receive the first image information and display a first image based on the first image information on the display unit of the one of the plurality of terminal devices and the another one of the plurality of the terminal devices can receive the second image information and display a second image based on the second image information on the display unit of the another one of the plurality of terminal devices.