Method and apparatus for interfacing multiple peripheral devices to a host computer

• US 6,263,392 B1
• Filed: 01/04/1999
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jack J. Mccauley
• Inventors: McCauley, Jack J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoleil, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHUNG TRANS, XUONG MY
• Application Number:
  US09/225,160
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 710/129, 710/126, 710/63, 173/200, 463/25, 463/26, 463/27, 463/40, 463/41, 463/42, 235/380, 235/381
• US Class Current: 710/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A method and an apparatus to interface multiple peripheral devices to a host computer is provided. An interface control module located in a multi-user computer game arcade system interfaces a host computer via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) to one or more joysticks, steering wheels, trackballs, coin op/bill counters, credit card readers and/or optical guns. A set of connectors allows the game builder or player to interface a variety of input peripherals to the interface control module. The interface control module recognizes the HID type of the input peripheral by the type of the selected connector, and then provides HD reports that describe each input device to the HID compliant software system of the host computer. The interface control module may support 127 HID peripherals. A watchdog function of the interface control module detects host computer malfunctions and crashes, and boots the host computer while retaining coin credit input data received proximate to and during the malfunction and recovery.

Claims

1. An interface control module for interfacing a peripheral device and a credit input device to a USB and HID compliant host computer of a game arcade system, the interface control module comprising:

an interface controller, said controller having an operating system that enables receiving electrical signals from peripheral devices and executing HID compliant formatting and USB compliant transmission of HID report descriptors and HID reports, whereby information contained in said electrical signals is communicated to the host computer in HID reports;

a USB cable, said USB cable electrically connecting said controller and the host computer, and providing a USB pathway for transmitting HID report descriptors and HID reports from said interface controller and to the host computer;

a peripheral device connected, said connector providing a transmission pathway to said interface controller and the peripheral device,

whereby said interface controller receives electrical signals from the peripheral device, where said peripheral electrical signals contain information describing the state and/or activity of the peripheral device, and said interface controller reformats the said peripheral electrical signals received from the peripheral device into a HID report, and the interface controller transmits a HID report descriptor corresponding to the structure and type of the peripheral device via said USB cable to the host computer and the interface controller transmits said peripheral HID report via said USB cable to the host computer; and

a credit input connector, said credit connector providing a transmission pathway from the credit input device to said interface controller, whereby said interface controller receives credit input electrical signals from the credit input device, where said credit input electrical signals contain information describing monetary compensation transferred by a user in return for authority to operate the game arcade system, and said interface controller reformats the credit input electrical signals received from the credit input device into a credit input HID report, and the interface controller transmits a credit input HID report descriptor corresponding to the structure and type of the credit input device via said USB cable to the host computer and the interface controller transmits said credit input HID report via said USB cable to the host computer.

2. The interface control module of claim 1, wherein said peripheral device comprises a digital input device.

3. The interface control module of claim 1, wherein said peripheral device comprises a digital output device.

4. The interface control module of claim 1, wherein the interface control module further comprises a reset signal transmission line, said reset transmission signal transmission line electrically connecting said interface controller to a reset signal input of the host computer, whereby the interface controller may reset the host computer by transmitting a reset signal via said reset signal transmission line and to the reset signal input of the host computer.

5. The interface control module of claim 1, wherein said peripheral device comprises a bi-directional device.

6. The interface control module of claim 1, wherein said peripheral device comprises a digital input device of a set of digital input devices that consists of a digital joystick, an optical gun, a credit card reader, a coin counter, a paper currency counter and a trackball.

7. The interface control module of claim 1, wherein said peripheral device comprises an analog input device of a set of analog input devices that consists of an analog joystick and a steering wheel.

8. A method of interfacing a HID compliant host computer of an arcade game system with a credit input device and a peripheral device through an interface controller, said method comprising:

a. transmitting peripheral state data from the peripheral device to the interface controller;

b. formatting the state data in the controller into a HID report;

c. generating and transmitting a HID report descriptor corresponding to the archetype and structure of the peripheral device to the host computer;

d. transmitting the HID report from the interface controller to the host computer;

e. interpreting the HID report descriptor by the host computer in accordance with the HID standard;

f. interpreting the HID report by the host computer according to the HID standard and the previously interpreted HID report descriptor;

f.1. transmitting credit information from the credit input device and to the interface controller;

f.2. formatting the credit information into a credit HID report;

f.3. generating and transmitting a credit HID report descriptor corresponding to the archetype and structure of the credit input device to the host computer;

f.4. transmitting the credit HID report from the interface controller to the host computer;

f.5. interpreting the credit HID report descriptor by the host computer in accordance with the HID standard; and

f.6. interpreting the credit HID report by the host computer according to the HID standard and the previously interpreted credit HID report descriptor, whereby user is authorized to play the arcade game system according to monetary credit information contained in said credit HID report.

9. The method of claim 8, said method further comprising the steps of:

g. monitoring of the operation of the host computer by the interface controller;

h. detecting an operational malfunction of the host computer; and

i. transmitting a reset signal from the interface controller to the host computer.

10. The method of claim 9, said method further comprising the steps of:

j. transmitting an authorization key from the interface controller to the host computer; and

k. determining in the host computer if the authorization key is valid.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said authorization key is a serial number.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

j. transmitting a credit counter value from the interface controller to the host computer; and

k. integrating the value of the credit counter value into the operation of the host computer.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

h. interpreting the state data in the interface controller as data output from a keyboard;

i. formatting the state data as a HID report from a keyboard;

i. transmitting a keyboard HID report descriptor to the host computer; and

j. transmitting the keyboard formatted HID report to the host computer, whereby the peripheral transmits alphanumeric data to the host computer.