TV Game apparatus
First Claim
1. A player-operated game apparatus for use with a display screen means having an intensity control means for varying the intensities of picture elements for the presentation of movable symbols on a screen, said apparatus comprising player-operated means including input elements adapted to be operated by a player and signal means actuable by said input elements for affecting the display of symbols and initiating interaction of the player with the symbols on the screen;
- random access memory for storing in a digital form a set of digital bits representing the intensities necessary for generating a display on said screen and locating the symbols within the display;
display controller means for addressing said random access memory and reading the set of bits in the random access memory in time-spaced read periods separated by reading idle periods, in each of which read periods one or more bits associated with a desired display are read from the random access memory, said display controller means being adapted for connection to said intensity control means of the display means to transmit the bits to said intensity control means to present the desired display stored in said random access memory;
a microprocessor;
program means;
communicating port means for connecting the signal means of the player-operated means to the microprocessor;
said microprocessor having means for accessing said program means and means for reading from and writing to said random access memory to represent symbols in response to said signal means and said program means wherein the microprocessor revises and controls interaction of the symbols within the display;
control means operatively coupling the random access memory to the microprocessor during said reading idle periods to change said random access memory between said read periods;
means for reading bits associated with the desired display from the random access memory in parallel groups defined by a predetermined number of bits during each of the reading periods;
serializing means serially transmitting a parallel group of bits to the intensity control means;
said means for reading from and writing to said random access memory including means for accessing the random access memory a parallel group of bits at a time whereby the microprocessor modifies digital bits in the random access memory a parallel group of bits at a time;
shifting means operatively coupled to the microprocessor for receiving therefrom parallel groups of bits, and for shifting the bits of the parallel groups of bits a number of bit positions as determined by the microprocessor; and
means for transferring the parallel groups of bits so shifted from the shifting means to the random access memory so that smooth appearing continuous movements of the symbols on the display is provided.
17 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A TV-type game employs a raster screen television for presenting game symbols. Player operated control switches are encoded to move the symbols. A microprocessor reads the switches. A dually addressed random access memory is employed as the interfacing between the screen and the processor which otherwise function as essentially separate and distinct devices. The memory provides a static storage of the screen pattern for each point in the raster lines with a portion assigned as a processor scratch pad. The memory may be dynamic with periodic refreshing and constructed with individual chips for each of the several bits in a word. The chips are grouped for alternate refreshing and powered during access periods. The processor updates the memory during idle display access periods. The memory is accessed in multiple bit words or bytes for display and processing. For display, a parallel to serial output latch is employed. The previous symbol position and pose is stored in the scratch pad and is erased and rewritten in a new position and pose. The controls may provide encoding. A hardwired bit shifter with programmed shift level rapidly shifts the symbol bits before placing in memory. A high speed memory and low speed processor are shown with separate clocks and a special synchronizer unit.
69 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A player-operated game apparatus for use with a display screen means having an intensity control means for varying the intensities of picture elements for the presentation of movable symbols on a screen, said apparatus comprising player-operated means including input elements adapted to be operated by a player and signal means actuable by said input elements for affecting the display of symbols and initiating interaction of the player with the symbols on the screen;
- random access memory for storing in a digital form a set of digital bits representing the intensities necessary for generating a display on said screen and locating the symbols within the display;
display controller means for addressing said random access memory and reading the set of bits in the random access memory in time-spaced read periods separated by reading idle periods, in each of which read periods one or more bits associated with a desired display are read from the random access memory, said display controller means being adapted for connection to said intensity control means of the display means to transmit the bits to said intensity control means to present the desired display stored in said random access memory;
a microprocessor;
program means;
communicating port means for connecting the signal means of the player-operated means to the microprocessor;
said microprocessor having means for accessing said program means and means for reading from and writing to said random access memory to represent symbols in response to said signal means and said program means wherein the microprocessor revises and controls interaction of the symbols within the display;
control means operatively coupling the random access memory to the microprocessor during said reading idle periods to change said random access memory between said read periods;
means for reading bits associated with the desired display from the random access memory in parallel groups defined by a predetermined number of bits during each of the reading periods;
serializing means serially transmitting a parallel group of bits to the intensity control means;
said means for reading from and writing to said random access memory including means for accessing the random access memory a parallel group of bits at a time whereby the microprocessor modifies digital bits in the random access memory a parallel group of bits at a time;
shifting means operatively coupled to the microprocessor for receiving therefrom parallel groups of bits, and for shifting the bits of the parallel groups of bits a number of bit positions as determined by the microprocessor; and
means for transferring the parallel groups of bits so shifted from the shifting means to the random access memory so that smooth appearing continuous movements of the symbols on the display is provided. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
- random access memory for storing in a digital form a set of digital bits representing the intensities necessary for generating a display on said screen and locating the symbols within the display;
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2. A player-operated game apparatus for use with a display screen means having an intensity control means for varying the intensities of picture elements for the presentation of movable symbols on a screen, said apparatus comprising player-operated means including input elements adapted to be operated by a player and signal means actuable by said input elements for affecting the display of symbols and initiation interaction of the player with the symbols on the screen;
- random access memory for storing in a digital form a set of digital bits representing the intensities necessary for generating a display on said screen and locating the symbols within the display;
display controller means for addressing said random access memory and reading the set of bits in the random access memory in time-spaced read periods separated by reading idle periods, in each of which read periods one or more bits associated with a desired display are read from the random access memory, said display controller means being adapted for connection to said intensity control means of the display means to transmit the bits to said intensity control means to present the desired display stored in said random access memory;
a microprocessor;
program means;
communicating port means for connecting the signal means of the player-operated means to the microprocessor, said microprocessor having means for accessing said program means and means for reading from and writing to said random access memory to represent symbols in response to said signal means and said program means whereby the microprocessor revises and controls interaction of the symbols within the display;
control means operatively coupling the random access memory to the microprocessor during said reading idle periods to change said random access memory between said read periods; and
processing means operatively coupled to the microprocessor for receiving therefrom control signals and symbol signals representative of a symbol to be displayed on the display, the control signals activating the processing means for transforming the symbol signals to produce transformed symbol signals so that a symbol represented by the transformed symbol signals is different than a symbol represented by the symbol signals relative to the display, and for providing smooth appearing continuous movement of the symbols on the display. - View Dependent Claims (4)
- random access memory for storing in a digital form a set of digital bits representing the intensities necessary for generating a display on said screen and locating the symbols within the display;
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3. A player-operated game apparatus for use with a display screen means having an intensity control means for varying the intensities of picture elements for the presentation of movable symbols on a screen, said apparatus comprising player-operated means including input elements adapted to be operated by a player and signal means actuable by said input elements for affecting the display of symbols and initiating interaction of the player with the symbols on the screen;
- random access memory for storing in a digital form a set of digital bits representing the intensities necessary for generating a display on said screen and locating the symbols within the display;
display controller means for addressing said random access memory and reading the set of bits in the random access memory in time-spaced read periods separated by reading idle periods, in each of which read periods one or more bits associated with a desired display are read from the random access memory, said display controller means being adapted for connection to said intensity control means of the display means to transmit the bits to said intensity control means to present the desired display stored in said random access memory;
a microprocessor;
program means;
communicating port means for connecting the signal means of the player-operated means to the microprocessor;
said micrprocessor having means for accessing said program means and means for reading from and writing to said random access memory to represent symbols in response to said signal means and said program means whereby the microprocessor revises and controls interaction of the symbols within the display;
control means operatively coupling the random access memory to the microprocessor during said reading idle periods to change said random access memory between said read periods;
interrupt signal means for generating a pair of interrupt sigals which divides the screen into two parts, means for connecting the interrupt signal means to the microprocessor for transferring the pair of interrupt signals thereto so that digital bits of the random access memory representative of one part of the screen can be revised while digital bits of the random access memory representative of the other part of the screen are read to the intensity control means.
- random access memory for storing in a digital form a set of digital bits representing the intensities necessary for generating a display on said screen and locating the symbols within the display;
Specification