Electronic entertainment and communication system

• US 6,762,733 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2001
• Issued: 07/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Nishizawa, Kenji, Smith, Darren C., Ravanpey, Ramin, McCarten, David J., Braun, Russell G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Henry N.
• Application Number:
  US09/931,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20020054016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/1.2, 345/156, 345/502, 345/530-532, 345/564, 345/565, 345/501, 463/1, 463/40, 463/43, 711/100, 711/170
• US Class Current: 345/2.2
• 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 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• 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 2300/209 characterized by low level software layer, relating to hardware management, e.g. Operating System, Application Programming 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: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/516 connected to a local network, e.g. in a plane, hotel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/214 Specialised server platform, e.g. server located in an airplane, hotel, hospital arrangements specially adapted for local area broadcast systems H04H20/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2146 located in mass transportation means, e.g. aircraft, train or bus flight-deck installations for entertainment or communications B64D11/0015; arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62; moving wireless networks H04W84/005

Abstract

A video game/communications system is disclosed which permits guest room guests to actively participate in video game play or to use other data processing/communication services. A multi-tasking master host computer stores video games and other application programs on its hard disk, downloads programs to an array of game playing engines in response to guest selections.

Claims

1. A guest room communications system for generating interactive, in-room videographic display sessions in a plurality of guest rooms, comprising:

a display associated with each of the plurality of guest rooms;

videographic processing systems associated with ones of the guest rooms, each videographic processing system including;

a memory system including at least one program memory configured to store one or more videographics programs, and

a videographics program executing processor, coupled to the memory system, configured to receive information generated during an in-room interactive videographics display session and to execute a selected one of the videographics programs to produce images on an associated display, said videographics program executing processor having a predetermined address space for executing the selected videographics program,

wherein said memory system further includes;

a plurality of address mapping registers, the contents of which determine a configuration of the memory system depending on which of a plurality of different programs is to be executed by the videographics program executing processor, and

memory control circuitry coupled to said plurality of address mapping registers configuring the memory system including controlling the location of said program memory in the address space of said videographics program executing processor depending on the contents of said plurality of address mapping registers.

2. A guest room communications system according to claim 1, further including a scratch pad memory and a scratch pad memory control circuit coupled to at least one of said plurality of address mapping registers for controlling the location of said scratch pad memory in the address space dependent upon the contents of at least one of said plurality of registers.

3. A guest room communications system according to claim 1, including a nonvolatile memory and a nonvolatile memory control circuit coupled to at least one of said plurality of address mapping registers for controlling the location of said nonvolatile memory in the address space of said videographics program executing processor dependent upon the contents of at least one of the plurality of registers.

4. A guest room communications system according to claim 1, further including an additional program memory and an additional program memory control circuit coupled to at least one of said plurality of address mapping registers for controlling the location of said additional program memory in the address space of said program executing processor dependent upon the contents of at least one of said plurality of registers.

5. A guest room communications system according to claim 4, wherein said additional program memory is a boot read-only memory.

6. A guest room communications system according to claim 1, including decoding logic coupled to each of said plurality of address mapping registers for receiving digital signals and for changing the contents of at least one said plurality of address mapping registers.

7. A guest room communications system according to claim 6, wherein said program executing processor includes an address bus and wherein said decoding logic receives said digital signals on said address bus.

8. A guest room communications system according to claim 1, further including an interface processing device for coupling information to said videographics program executing processor, and for receiving program information to be loaded into said main program memory for execution by said program executing processor.

9. A guest room communications system according to claim 8, further including at least one data bus coupled to said videographics program executing processor, at least one buffer memory coupled to said interface processing device and coupled to said at least one data bus.

10. A guest room communications system according to claim 8, further including an address bus coupled to said program executing processor and control logic coupled to said address bus and interface processing device said control logic controlling in part input/output operations of said interface processing device in response to signals received on said address bus.

11. A guest room communications system according to claim 1, wherein said videographics program executing processor includes at least one data bus and the control logic includes a plurality latches coupled to said interface processing device for receiving information for or coupling information to said at least one data bus.

12. A guest room communications system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of address mapping registers includes a register specifying a speed at which one of the programs is to be executed.

13. A guest room communications system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of address mapping registers includes a register specifying whether the contents of the address mapping registers may be modified.

14. A guest room communications system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of address mapping registers includes a register specifying whether a boot ROM program or other program should be executed.

15. A guest room communications system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of address mapping registers includes a register specifying an address mapping mode.