Combined game system

• US 6,371,854 B1
• Filed: 08/16/2000
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Ikeda, Akio, Tomizawa, Toshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RADA, ALEX P
• Application Number:
  US09/639,234
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 463/40, 463/42, 340/500-500, 340/568.4, 340/661, 340/870.16, 395/500
• 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 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• 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 13/323 between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/403 Connection between platform and handheld device

Abstract

A combined game system includes a portable game machine and another type of video game machine. The portable game machine and the other type of video game machine are connected through a game cartridge and communication cable. The portable game machine includes an LCD, and the other video game machine is connected to a CRT. When a player operates an operating device provided with the portable game machine, change is caused in a discrete game picture displayed on the LCD and in a common game picture displayed on the CRT. In the event that the communication cable is removed from the video game machine during playing a game, the CPU displays an, alert message on the LCD while the CPU displays an alert message on the CRT.

Claims

1. A combined game system including a video game playing platform connected with a common display and at least one portable game playing platform having a discrete display, which platforms are, in use, connected through a communication cable to communicate data for game processing therebetween, wherein said video game platform comprises:

a first connection problem detector to detect whether a connection problem occurred on said communication cable; and

a first alert message display message generator coupled to said first connection problem detector, to display a first alert message on said common display when the connection problem detector detects a connection problem,

said video game platform further comprising an output arrangement to output a data transmission request to said portable game platform, and

said first connection problem detector detects said connection problem based upon transmission data responsive to said data transmission request from said portable game platform, and

wherein said portable game platform comprises a second connection problem detector to detect a connection problem on said communication cable, and a second alert message display message generator to display a second alert message on said discrete display in response to detection of a connection problem by said second connection problem detector.

2. A combined game system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said portable game platform and said video game platform further comprises a first return message display generator to display a first return message on at least one of said discrete display and said common display when the connection problem is eliminated.

3. A combined game system according to claim 1, wherein said portable game machine further comprises a flag that varies depending upon a connection state of said communication cable, and

said first detector detects a connection problem based at least in part upon a state of said flag.

4. A combined game system according to claim 1, wherein said portable game platform further comprises a return message display generator to display a second return message on said discrete display when the connection problem is eliminated.

5. A combined game system according to claim 1, wherein said portable game platform further comprises a flag to vary depending upon a connection state of said communication cable, and said second detector performs a detection based at least in part upon a state of said flag.

6. A combined game system according to claim 1, wherein said portable game platform further comprises a key input signal creating arrangement to create a key input signal according to operation of said operation key, a first transmitter to transmit said key input signal to said video game platform, a first receiver to receive a discrete game picture signal from said video game platform, and a first display generator to display on said discrete display a picture corresponding to said discrete game picture signal, and

said video game platform further comprises a second receiver to receive said key input signal, a second display generator to display on said common display a common game picture based upon said key input signal, a discrete game picture signal creating arrangement to create said discrete game picture signal based on said key input signal, and a second transmitter to transmit said discrete game picture signal to said portable game platform.

7. A combined game system according to claim 6, wherein said portable game platform further comprises a first storage medium to store a game program for said portable game platform, said key input signal creating arrangement creating said key input signal based upon operation of said operating key and said portable game platform game program, and

said video game platform further comprises a second storage medium to store a video game platform game program, said discrete game picture signal creating arrangement creating said discrete game picture signal based upon said key input signal and said video game platform game program.

8. The combined game system of claim 1, having a video game platform connected with a common display and at least one portable game platform having a discrete display which platforms are connected through a communication cable to communicate data therebetween for game processing, wherein

said portable game platform comprises:

an operating device to play a game;

a first processor to perform a predetermined processing according to operation of said operating device;

a first data writer to write a first processing result of said first processor to a buffer memory;

a first flag setter to set a first flag to a first state when said first processing result is written to said buffer memory;

a first receiver to receive a transmission request from said video game platform;

a first transmitter to transmit to said video game platform said first processing result and state information of said first flag in response to said transmission request;

a second flag setter to set said first flag to a second state when said first processing result is transmitted from said buffer memory to said video game platform;

a disabling arrangement to disable said first data writer when said first flag is in a first state; and

an enabling arrangement to enable said first data writer when said first flag is in a second state.

9. A combined game system according to claim 8, wherein said buffer memory has a predetermined storage capacity, and said first processing result has a data amount greater than the storage capacity of said buffer memory, and said first data writer writes said first processing result by a predetermined amount at a time to said buffer memory.

10. A combined game system according to claim 9, wherein said portable game platform further comprises a first storage medium storing a portable game platform program, and said first processor processes based upon said portable game platform game program.

11. A combined game system according to claim 8, wherein

said video game platform comprises a second transmitter to transmit said transmission request to said portable game platform, a second receiver to receive said first processing result and said first flag state information transmitted from said portable game platform, a second processor to process said first processing result when said first flag state information represents said first state, a disabling arrangement to disable said first processing result when said first flag state information represents said second state, and common game picture display generator to display on said common display a related common game picture to a second processing result of said second processor.

12. A combined game system according to claim 11, wherein said video game platform further comprises a second storage medium storing a video game platform game program, and said second processor processes based upon said video game platform game program.

13. A combined game system according to claim 8, wherein said operating device includes a transmission key to instruct transmission of said first processing result, and said data writer starts to write said first processing result in response to operation of said transmission key.

14. A combined game system, including a video game playing platform connected with a common display and at least one portable game playing platform having a discrete display, which platforms are, in use, connected through a communication cable to communicate data for game processing therebetween, wherein said video game platform comprises:

a first connection problem detector to detect whether a connection problem occurred on said communication cable; and

a first alert message display message generator coupled to said first connection problem detector, to display a first alert message on said common display when the connection problem detector detects a connection problem,

said video game platform further comprising an output arrangement to output a data transmission request to said portable game platform, and

said first connection problem detector detects said connection problem based upon transmission data responsive to said data transmission request from said portable game platform, and

wherein a plurality of portable game platforms are connected respectively through plurality of communication cables to said video game platform, and said first detector detects connection problems with said plurality of portable game platforms, one portable game platform at a time.

15. A combined game system according to claim 14, wherein said video game platform further comprises an alert message signal transmitter to transmit an alert message signal to portable game platforms having a good connection state when the first detector detects a connection problem has occurred with respect to any of said plurality of portable game platforms, and

each of said plurality of portable game platforms further comprises a third alert message display generator to display an alert message on said discrete display based upon said alert message signal.

16. A combined game system according to claim 15, wherein said video game platform further comprises a return message signal transmitter to transmit a return message signal to portable game platforms having a good connection state when the first detector detects that a connection problem has been eliminated with respect to said any of portable game platforms, and

said portable game platform further comprises a third return message display generator to display a return message on said discrete display based upon said return message signal.