Video game system having terminal identification data

• US 5,707,289 A
• Filed: 10/06/1995
• Issued: 01/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Electronics (USA) Incorporated (Pioneer Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Electronics (USA) Incorporated (Pioneer Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Kazuhiro, Tsuda, Yoichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): ONEILL, MICHAEL W
• Application Number:
  US08/540,053
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/40, 463/29, 463/18, 463/17, 463/16, 364/410, 364/412, 275/439
• US Class Current: 463/40
• 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 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device

Abstract

A plurality of terminal devices through transmission lines, receive video game programs transmitted from a host. The host has a first memory storing the video game programs, and each terminal device has a second memory for storing video game programs sent from the host. The terminal devices is designated by a terminal device identification data. The video game program is constituted by a start packet, a data packet, and an end packet. The start packet includes a start packet identification code for indicating that the packet is a start packet, a first terminal device identification data for identifying the terminal device to which a video game program is transmitted, a game program identification data for identifying the video game program to be transmitted. The data packet includes a data packet identification code for identifying that the packet is a data packet, and data of the video game program, and the end packet includes an end packet identification code for indicating that the packet is an end packet, and a second terminal device identification data for identifying the terminal device which is to be inhibited from receiving the video game program thereafter.

Claims

1. A video game system for transmitting video game programs from a host to a plurality of terminal devices through transmission lines, the host having a first memory storing the video game programs, each of the terminal devices having a second memory for storing video game programs sent from the host, and a plurality of game units each of which having a display for displaying the video game programs stored in the second memory, the system comprising:

each of the terminal devices being designated by a terminal device identification data;

each of the video game programs being constituted by a start packet, a data packet, and an end packet,

the start packet including a start packet identification code for indicating that the packet is a start packet, at least one first terminal device identification data for identifying the terminal device to which a video game program is transmitted, a game program identification data for identifying the video game program to be transmitted,

the data packet including a data packet identification code for indicating that the packet is a data packet, and data of the video game program,

the end packet including an end packet identification code for indicating that the packet is an end packet, and a second terminal device identification data for identifying the terminal device which is to be inhibited from receiving the video game program thereafter,

the packets being arranged so as to be transmitted in the order of the start packet, data packet and end packet.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the start packet is provided at every terminal device to which the video game programs are transmitted.

3. The system according to claim 2 further comprising means for inhibiting the terminal device from receiving the video game program after the completion of the transmission of the data packet in accordance with the terminal device identification data of the start packet.