Entertainment system for providing interactive video game responses to the game interrogations to the video game engines without being processed by the host computer

• US 5,641,319 A
• Filed: 08/10/1994
• Issued: 06/24/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sonifi Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lodgenet Entertainment (LodgeNet Interactive Corporation)
• Inventors: Stoel, Leon P., Bankers, David M., Plucker, Prentice J., Hills, Vernon E., Cinco, Christopher A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barry, Esq., Lance Leonard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US08/288,626
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 358/86, 348/7, 348/8, 273/1, 455/4.1, 343/307 R, 395/856, 395/821, 395/825, 395/866, 395/871, 463/42, 463/1, 345/2
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution

Abstract

A hotel room entertainment system enables video games to be played in each room of a hotel without providing a video game generator in each room. The entertainment system includes at a head end system portion in which the video game audio and video signals are generated and a plurality of guest terminals. Game interrogations are provided to each guest terminal in an active game-playing mode, each game interrogation having a plurality of response positions for guest terminal responses to the interrogation. The game interrogations are interleaved with a series of system interrogations generated at the head end system, enabling the entertainment system to provide video game signals along with other entertainment and services to the guest terminals using a single distribution system.

Claims

1. A method for providing video games to a plurality of locations using an entertainment system, the entertainment system having a head end system containing a host computer, the entertainment system further having a plurality of terminals and a distribution system linking each terminal to the head end system, wherein the host computer initiates a series of system interrogations to the terminals via the distribution system, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of video game engines in the head end system of the entertainment system, for providing video game signals to the terminals via the distribution system;

providing a controller at each location, the controller being coupled to one of the terminals;

providing game interrogations to each of the terminals via the distribution system, for obtaining information from the controllers;

interleaving the game interrogations into the series of system interrogations;

receiving at the head end, via the distribution system, responses to the game interrogations;

providing responses to the game interrogations to the video game engines without providing the responses to the host computer for processing;

controlling operation of the video game engines as a function of the responses; and

displaying interactive video games at the locations based upon video game signals received via the distribution system from the head end system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each game interrogation includes a plurality of response positions for the responses of the terminals to the game interrogation.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein each of the terminals is assigned a response position in which to respond to each game interrogation at a time prior to the time that a video signal for a video game is provided to the terminal.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the response position is assigned to the terminal during a system interrogation.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the number of response positions in a game interrogation is equal to the number of terminals that are currently being provided with a video signal from the head end system.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein each of the video game engines is assigned a response position corresponding to the response position assigned to the terminal to which it provides a video game signal and wherein each video game engine processes the game interrogation response information contained in its assigned response position.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein when a terminal occupying a first response position is taken out of the game-playing mode so that its response position is no longer used and wherein another terminal remaining in the game-playing mode has a second, later response position, the second terminal and a corresponding game engine are reassigned to the first response position.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the terminal to be reassigned is first assigned to the first response position so that it responds to game interrogations in both the first and second response positions, and wherein the terminal ceases to respond to game interrogations in the second response position at a later time.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein system interrogations are not initiated by the host computer while a game interrogation is being provided to the terminals.

10. A method for providing video games to a plurality of locations using an entertainment system, the entertainment system having a head end system containing a host computer, the entertainment system further having a plurality of terminals and a distribution system linking each terminal to the head end system, wherein the host computer initiates a series of system interrogations to the terminals via the distribution system, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of video game engines in the head end system of the entertainment system, for providing video game signals to the terminals via the distribution system;

providing a controller at each location, the controller being coupled to one of the terminals;

providing game interrogations from the head end to the terminals via the distribution system to obtain information from the controllers;

providing responses to the game interrogations from the terminals to the head end via the distribution system,

providing a path at the head end for responses to the game interrogations such that the responses are provided to the video game engines without passing through the host computer; and

controlling the video game engines as a function of the responses.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the host computer provides the game interrogations.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein each game interrogation includes a plurality of response positions for the responses of the terminals to the game interrogation.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein system interrogations are not initiated by the host computer while a game interrogation is being provided to the terminals.

14. A method for providing video games to a plurality of locations using an entertainment system, the entertainment system having a head end system containing a host computer, the entertainment system further having a plurality of terminals and a distribution system linking each terminal to the head end system, wherein the host computer initiates a series of system interrogations to the terminals via the distribution system, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of video game engines in the head end system of the entertainment system, for providing video game signals to the terminals via the distribution system;

providing a controller at each location, the controller being coupled to one of the terminals;

providing game interrogations from the head end to each of the terminals via the distribution system for obtaining information from the controllers, wherein information from more than one of the controllers can be obtained in each game interrogation;

providing responses to the game interrogations from the terminals via the distribution system to the video game engines in the head and without passing the responses to the host computer for processing; and

controlling the video game engines as a function of the responses received.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the host computer provides the game interrogations.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein each game interrogation includes a plurality of response positions for the responses of the terminals to the game interrogation.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein system interrogations are not initiated by the host computer while a game interrogation is being provided to the terminals.

18. A method for providing video games to a plurality of locations using an entertainment system, the entertainment system having a head end system containing a host computer, the entertainment system further having a plurality of terminals and a distribution system linking each terminal to the head end system, wherein the host computer initiates a series of system interrogations to the terminals via the distribution system, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of video game engines in the head end system of the entertainment system, for providing video game signals to the terminals via the distribution system;

providing a controller at each location, the controller being coupled to one of the terminals;

periodically suspending the series of system interrogations to gather information from the controllers via the distribution system; and

controlling operation of the video game engines as a function of the information gathered from the controllers via the distribution system and directed to the video game engines without providing the responses to the host computer for processing.

19. An entertainment system for providing video games to a plurality of locations, the entertainment system comprising:

a plurality of terminals;

a host computer capable of initiating a series of system interrogations to the terminals;

a distribution system linking each of the terminals to the host computer;

a plurality of video game engines linked to the host computer for providing video game signals to the terminals via the distribution system; and

a controller coupled to each of the terminals, wherein the host computer is capable of initiating a series of game interrogations to each of the terminals via the distribution system for obtaining information from the controllers, the game interrogations being interleaved into the series of system interrogations, and wherein the video game engines provide the video game signals as a function of responses to the game interrogations received from the terminals via the distribution system without the responses being provided to the host computer for processing.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein each game interrogation includes a plurality of response positions for the responses of the terminals to the game interrogation.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein each of the terminals is assigned a response position in which to respond to each game interrogation at a time prior to the time that a video signal for a video game is provided to the terminal.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein each of the video game engines is assigned a response position corresponding to the response position assigned to the terminal to which it provides a video game signal and wherein each video game engine processes the game interrogation response information contained in its assigned response position.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the entertainment system further comprises timing means linked to the game engines for providing timing signals enabling each game engine to determine when its assigned response position occurs.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the timing means includes a first microcomputer for receiving the game interrogations and generating a plurality of timing pulses corresponding with each response position and a second microcomputer.

25. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the entertainment system further comprises conversion means linked to the game engines for altering the rate at which game interrogation response information is provided to the game engines.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the conversion means comprises a microcomputer.

27. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the entertainment system further comprises routing means linked to the game engines for routing each signal from the host computer to the game engines to the specific game engine to which it is intended to be received.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the routing means comprises signal separation means and a plurality of switches.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the signal separation means comprises a microcomputer.

30. An entertainment system for providing user-selected video entertainment to users at a plurality of locations, the entertainment system comprising:

a distribution system;

a head end, connected to the distribution system, which includes;

a plurality of video players for providing prerecorded video signals;

a plurality of video game generators for providing interactive video game signals as a function of user-generated interactive video game inputs and stored digital video game code wherein the video game inputs are not provided to the host computer for processing;

a host computer for controlling operation of the video players and the video game generators as a function of user-generated entertainment system command inputs;

a terminal at each of the plurality of locations connected to the distribution system for receiving from the head end prerecorded video signals and interactive video game signals and for sending to the head end signals representing user-generated interactive video game inputs and entertainment system command inputs via the distribution system;

a video display associated with each terminal for displaying video based upon one of the signals received by the terminal from the head end;

user input means associated with each terminal for providing signals to the terminal based upon user-generated interactive video game inputs and entertainment system command inputs the entertainment system command inputs including selecting prerecorded video signals to be played, selecting a video game to be played, and ordering video game playing time.

31. The entertainment system of claim 30 wherein the host computer assigns one of the video game generators to one of the terminals as a function of user-generated entertainment system command inputs received from that terminal.

32. The entertainment system of claim 30 wherein the head end further includes:

means for routing user-generated interactive video game inputs from a terminal to the video game generator assigned to that terminal.

33. The entertainment system of claim 30 wherein the user input means includes a game controller.

34. The entertainment system of claim 33 wherein the user input means further includes a remote control.

35. The entertainment system of claim 33 wherein the game controller includes a menu button for accessing an interactive menu.

36. The entertainment system of claim 33 wherein the game controller includes a select button for making selections from an interactive menu.

37. The entertainment system of claim 33 wherein the game controller includes a volume control for controlling volume of audio associated with the video display.

38. The entertainment system of claim 37 wherein the volume control includes a pair of volume buttons.

39. The entertainment system of claim 33 wherein the game controller includes a reset button for resetting a game being played when the terminal is in a game playing mode.

40. The entertainment system of claim 33 wherein the game controller includes an order button for purchasing services from an interactive menu.

41. The entertainment system of claim 33 wherein the game controller includes a plurality of game control buttons.

42. The entertainment system of claim 30 wherein the head end further includes:

a plurality of RF modulators having inputs for receiving prerecorded video signals from the video players and the interactive video game signals from the video game generators; and

a combiner for combining outputs of the RF modulators to produce a combined signal representing the prerecorded video signals and the interactive video game signals.

43. The entertainment system of claim 42 wherein the head end further includes:

a modem for sending and receiving digital signals; and

a diplexer connected to the combiner, the modem, and the distribution system.

44. The entertainment system of claim 43 wherein the diplexer routes signals received from the terminals via the distribution system to the modem.

45. The entertainment system of claim 43 wherein the modem has an output connected to the combiner.

46. The entertainment system of claim 42 wherein each video game generator has an output electrically connected to an input of one of the RF modulators.

47. The entertainment system of claim 30 wherein the prerecorded video signals from the video players are baseband video signals.

48. The entertainment system of claim 30 wherein the interactive video game signals from the video game generators are baseband video signals.

49. The entertainment system of claim 30 wherein digital signals sent from the head end to the terminals via the distribution system are at a first carrier frequency and digital signals sent from the terminals to the head end are at a second carrier frequency.

50. The entertainment system of claim 30 wherein the head end further includes:

means for producing menu video signals.

51. An entertainment system for providing user-selected video entertainment to users in a plurality of different rooms, the entertainment system comprising:

a head end which includes;

a host computer;

a modem;

a video player system having a plurality of outputs;

a video game system having a plurality of outputs;

an array of RF modulators having inputs for receiving outputs from the video player system and the video game system and having outputs;

a combiner having an output and having a plurality of inputs for connection to the outputs of the RF modulators and an output of the modem;

a two-way master antenna television (MATV) distribution system connected to the head end; and

an in-room system in each room which includes;

a television;

a game controller;

a remote control; and

a terminal connected to the MATV distribution system and to the television for controlling operation of the television based upon signals received via the MATV distribution system from the head end and for sending signals via the MATV distribution system to the head end based upon input signals received from the game controller and the remote control,

wherein the video game system includes an array of video game generators;

wherein the host computer assigns one of the video game generators to one of the rooms based upon a signal received from that room over the MATV distribution system, and

wherein the video game generator assigned to one of the rooms generates interactive video game signals as a function of video game input signals received via the MATV distribution system from that room, without having the interactive video game signals provided to the host computer for processing.

52. The entertainment system of claim 51 wherein each of the video game generators has an output connected to an input of a different one of the array of RF modulators.

53. The entertainment system of claim 51 wherein the head end further includes:

a diplexer having an input connected to the output of the combiner, an output connected to an input of the modem, and a two-way port connected to the MATV distribution system.

54. A method for providing video games to a plurality of locations using an entertainment system, the entertainment system having a head end system containing a host computer, the entertainment system further having a plurality of terminals and a distribution system linking each terminal to the head end system, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of video game generators in the head end system of the entertainment system for providing video game signals via the distribution system to the terminals;

providing a controller at each location, the controller being coupled to one of the terminals;

displaying at the locations interactive video games based upon the video game signals;

providing from the terminals to the head end via the distribution system, signals representing game control information obtained from the controllers and signals selecting video games to be played and ordering video game play time; and

controlling generation of the video game signals by the video game generators as a function of stored digital video game code and the signals representing game control information, wherein the signals representing game control information are provided to the video game generators without being provided to the host computer for processing.

55. A method for providing interactive video games to a plurality of locations using an entertainment system, the entertainment system having a head end system containing a host computer, the entertainment system further having a terminal and associated video display at each of the locations and a distribution system linking each terminal to the head end system, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of video game generators in the head end system of the entertainment system for providing video game signals via the distribution system to the terminals;

providing a game controller at each location, the game controller being coupled to the terminal at that location;

obtaining, via the distribution system, interactive game control information from the game controllers;

providing a path for the interactive game control information such that the information is provided to the video game generators without being provided to the host computer for processing;

controlling generation of the video game signals by the video game generators as a function of stored digital video game code and the interactive game control information; and

displaying interactive video games on the video displays as a function of the video game signals.

56. An entertainment system for providing interactive video games to a plurality of rooms, the entertainment system comprising:

a distribution system;

a terminal, a television, and a game controller located at each of the plurality of rooms, the television displaying interactive video games as a function of video game signals received by the terminal, the game controller providing interactive video game control information to the terminal, and the terminal connected to the distribution system for receiving the video game signals and for transmitting signals representing the video game control information; and

a head end connected to the distribution system and including a host computer and a plurality of video game generators, the host computer controlling which terminal is connected to which video game engine, and each video game generator being capable of generating the video game signals as a function of stored digital video game code and the interactive game control information received from the terminal connected to that video game engine, the interactive game control information is provided to the video game generator without being provided to the host computer for processing.