Communication adaptor for game set

• US 5,396,225 A
• Filed: 06/09/1994
• Issued: 03/07/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamagami, Hitoshi, Okada, Satoru, Yamano, Katsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holloway, III, Edwin C.
• Application Number:
  US08/257,732
• Time in Patent Office: 271 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.21, 340/323 R, 340/825.15, 345/1, 273/148 B, 273/434, 273/435, 273/460, 273/85 G, 364/410
• US Class Current: 463/40
• 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 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• 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 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A communication adapter which is used with a plurality of game sets for transmitting and receiving data related to the game states of the game sets. Each game set including a serial interface and a buffer memory for temporarily storing transmit/receive data. The adapter including: a housing; a connection terminal for each game set; data input, data output and clock output ports, a clock signal generator, format converter and transmit/receive storage means. The clock signal generating means applies the same clock signal used for data communication with the game sets to each clock output port so that data to be transmitted to each game set and data received from each game set is synchronized with the clock signal whereby reliable communication is obtained with two or more game sets without the use of modems.

Claims

1. A communication adaptor for use with a plurality of game sets each provided with a first connecting means for inputting and outputting data on the state of a game and each game set including a buffer memory for temporarily storing transmit/receive game state data of the game states of the other game sets connected thereto, and for transmitting and receiving game state data to and from the plurality of game sets, said communication adaptor comprising:

a housing;

a plurality of second connecting means provided for said housing and each including at least a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal, each second connecting means including at least a said first, second and third terminal being connected to an associated first connecting means in one of the plurality of game sets;

a data input port connected to the first terminals for storing bits whose number correspond to the number of said plurality of second connecting means, the bits being stored corresponding to the bits received from the first terminals included in the second connecting means, said bits being related to the game states of the game sets;

a data output port connected to the second terminals for storing bits whose number correspond to the number of said plurality of second connecting means, the bits being stored corresponding to the bits to be transmitted to the second terminals included in the second connecting means;

a clock output port connected to the third terminals for storing bits whose number correspond to the number of said plurality of second connecting means, the bits being stored corresponding to the bits connected to the third terminals included in the second connecting means,

clock signal generating means for applying the same clock signal used for data communication with said game sets to said clock output port;

transmit/receive data temporary storing means for storing transmit game state data on the game to be transmitted to each of said game sets and receive game state data on the game received from each of the game sets in synchronization with said clock signal;

format converting means for converting bit serial data received from each of said game sets into bit parallel data and for converting bit parallel data to be transmitted into bit serial data;

receive data writing means for writing into said transmit/receive data temporary storing means corresponding data out of said data input port which are received from each of said game sets and after being format-converted by said format converting means in synchronization with said clock signal; and

transmit data supplying means for reading out the transmit game state data stored in the transmit/receive data temporary storing means to supply the same to said data output port after being converted by said format converting means so as to transmit the transmit data stored in said transmit/receive data temporary storing means to each of said game sets in synchronization with said clock signal.

2. The communication adaptor for a game set according to claim 1, wherein

said transmit/receive data temporary storing means comprises a transmission buffer region and a reception buffer region,

said reception buffer region including buffer areas respectively corresponding to said plurality of game sets, each of the buffer areas having a location storing the transmitted game state data from one game set and locations storing dummy data corresponding to the other game sets.

3. The communication adaptor according to claim 2, wherein said transmission buffer region includes buffer areas respectively corresponding to said plurality of game sets, each of the buffer areas being divided into locations storing transmit game state data for the respective game sets.

4. A communication adaptor for use with a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device having a game central processing means for executing a game program and for generating data indicative of a predetermined game state, said adaptor being connected to said plural gaming devices for communicating said predetermined game state data of each gaming device among said plurality of gaming devices, said adaptor comprising:

a housing having a plurality of external connector ports, each port being coupled to an associated one of said gaming devices;

a random access memory partitioned into transmit/receive buffer areas for storing transmission and reception game state data for each of said plurality of gaming devices;

input/output means coupled to said plurality of external connector ports for receiving serial game state data therefrom and transmitting serial game state data thereto;

adaptor processing means coupled to said input/output means for processing serial game state data received from said plurality of gaming devices and for writing said processed data in parallel into said random access memory and including means for reading game state data out of said random access memory and converting said data for serial transmission to a plurality of said gaming devices.

5. A communication adaptor according to claim 4 wherein said gaming devices are hand held devices, each having a dot matrix liquid crystal display.

6. A communication adaptor according to claim 4, further including a program memory coupled to said adaptor processing means and a hardware timer coupled to said adaptor processing means.

7. A communication adaptor according to claim 4, wherein said input/output means includes an input port having means for storing serial game state data received from said plurality of game devices and an output port having means for storing serial game state data to be transmitted to a plurality of game devices.

8. A communication adaptor according to claim 4, wherein each of said plurality of external connector ports includes a first terminal for receiving input serial game state data from the gaming devices, a second terminal for transmitting output serial game state data to the gaming devices and a third terminal for receiving a clock signal from said adaptor processing means.