Video game with interactive enlarged play action inserts

• US 4,672,541 A
• Filed: 05/31/1984
• Issued: 06/09/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hasbro Inc.
• Original Assignee: Coleco Industries Incorporated (Ranger Industries, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sustare, Beverly D., Bromley, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jablon, Clark A.
• Application Number:
  US06/615,810
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 364/410, 273/85 G, 273/93 R, 273/88, 273/DIG. 28, 273/185 B, 273/87 R, 273/1 E
• US Class Current: 463/3
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5378 for displaying an additional top view, e.g. radar screens or maps using two or more virtual cameras concurrently A63F13/5252
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/0041 in electronic form, e.g. video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

A method of operating a video game which comprises storing at least two different but related playfield displays and changing playfield displays in response to the player-initiated selection of a designated switch, representing a specific game action.

Claims

1. A method of operating a video game which comprises a video display processor and a video random access memory, said processor including means for addressing said video random access memory to read display elements therefrom for display on a video screen, a central processing unit communicating with said video display processor, a replaceable game memory device readable by said central processing unit, said game memory device containing digital data indicative of at least two playfield displays for the video game, said central processing unit being in communication with said game memory device to transfer display data therein to said video random access memory, and player controller means connected to said central processing unit for control of movement or objects on the video display, comprising the steps of

storing in said game memory device digital data representative of at least two related playfield displays where one playfield display depicts portions of the other playfield display,

transferring data indicative of one playfield display from said game memory device to said video random access memory for display,

sensing a first game event in one of said displays and transferring data indicative of a second display from said game memory device to said video random access memory for display,

and sensing another game event in said second display and transferring data indicative of said one of said displays to said video random access memory, at least one of the sensing steps being in response to a game player selection made by a game player through said player controller means.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the playfield display depicting a portion of the other display depicts said portion in at least one isolated block.

3. The method of claim 2 where a movable game object is displayed in said isolated block corresponding to a movable game object of the other display.

4. The method of claim 1 where one of said sensing steps is coincidence of game objects.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein one of said displays is a baseball field showing all defensive players, and the other of said displays is an enlarged pitcher and batter together with isolated inserts of the areas about first, second and third bases.

6. The method of claim 5 where base runners, if any, are shown on both of said displays.

7. The method of claim 5 where base runners, if any, are shown in said isolated inserts.

8. The method of claim 1 where at least one of said playfield displays show movable objects, and using said player controller for selecting an object for movement and causing movement of the selected object.

9. The method of claim 8 further including the step of controlling the rate of movement of the selected object.