Game of skill or chance playable by several participants remote from each other in conjunction with a common event

• US 5,083,800 A
• Filed: 06/07/1990
• Issued: 01/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Interactive Network, Inc. (Liberty Global Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Interactive Network, Inc. (Liberty Global Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lockton, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coven, Edward M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica J.
• Application Number:
  US07/535,309
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 273/85 G, 273/138 A, 273/1 E, 273/DIG. 28, 273/433, 273/434, 273/439, 364/410
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor

Abstract

A game of skill or chance playable by several participants remote from each other in conjunction with a common event, such as a computer game, provides the basic format or template of the game on a floppy disk suitable for use with the remote users'"'"' personal computers. Then by connection to a mass communications one way channel, such as an FM SCA channel, variations in the game parameters and characteristics are broadcast at the same time to all of the individual remote players. These characteristics both initialize characteristics of the game and when the game is being played, provide updated playing parameters. A score can later be uploaded to the central station by, for example, telephone lines or any other convenient means.

Claims

1. A game of skill or chance playable simultaneously by several participants remote from each other in conjunction with a common event comprising:

computer game means for providing said common event having a basic format with playing parameters and stored in a binary data form on a digital storage medium;

personal computer means associated with each participant including means for receiving said binary data from said storage medium;

a one-way only mass communication means;

network terminal means connected to each personal computer means for receiving data related to said playing parameters from said one-way only mass communications means and transferring such data to said personal computer;

said mass communications means for transferring such data to said network terminal in a form compatible with said format of said computer game means for both initializing said game and while the game is being played, for providing updated playing parameters which affect the playing of said game.

2. A game as in claim 1 where said basic format of said game which is stored on said storage medium includes blank templates suitable for storing and receiving said data from said mass communications means.

3. A game as in claim 1, including means for receiving a start signal from said one way only mass communications means, so that all participants start the playing of said game at the same time.

4. A game as in claim 1 where each of said network terminals includes buffer memory means for temporarily storing said data from said one way only mass communications means for later transfer to a memory of said personal computer means.

5. A game as in claim 1 including means for scoring said game and for storing the results of said scoring in secured memory means.

6. A game as in claim 1 where said basic format includes a plurality of stored graphic routines for selective use in an adventure type computer game requiring player intelligence compared to player eye/hand coordination, and selected in accordance with said data from said mass communications means.