Video game distribution network

• US 6,884,171 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2001
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Kamada, Hiroshi, Elliott, Scott, McCarten, David, Link, Patrick, Eck, Charles P.
• Primary Examiner(s): ONEILL, MICHAEL W
• Application Number:
  US09/954,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20020045484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 463/3, 463/29, 463/30, 463 39- 44, 346/2.1, 703/21, 703/23, 717/172, 360/131, 725/74, 725 75- 77
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/71 using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/73 Authorising game programs or game devices, e.g. checking authenticity
• 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 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/20 characterised by details of the game platform
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/201 Playing authorisation given at platform level
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/203 Image generating hardware
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/401 Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• 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: A63F 2300/60 Methods for processing data by generating or executing the game program
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6018 : where the game content is authored by the player, e.g. level editor or by game device at runtime, e.g. level is created from music data on CD

Abstract

A video game distribution network for use in airlines, trains, hotels, cruise ships, set top boxes, cable television systems, satellite and other wireless systems or other communications systems, distributes special purpose game binary image files to general purpose computing/display devices. Software emulators running on the general purpose computing/display devices model the game source platform and interpret and/or compile the game files to provide interactive video game play. Software emulators for emulating a handheld video game platform such as GAME BOY®, GAME BOY COLOR® and/or GAME BOY ADVANCE® on a low-capability target platform (e.g., a seat-back display for airline or train use, a personal digital assistant, a cell phone) may provide any number of features and optimizations to provide high quality graphics and sound that nearly duplicates the game playing experience on the native platform.

Claims

1. A method for distributing video games from a server over a network including plural computing appliances disposed within a moving vehicle, said method comprising:

displaying a general menu with plural applications at a first of said appliance;

receiving at the server a request from said first appliance to play a video game;

said first appliance requesting the server to download a software-based video game platform emulator over said network;

the server downloading the software-based video game platform emulator over said network onto said first appliance;

said emulator displaying at least one game pick menu on said first appliance;

in response to a user selection of a game on said game pick menu, the server downloading a selected game file including a binary image file of the selected game over said network to said first appliance for interoperation with said emulator; and

allowing a user to interact with said first appliance running said emulator to play a video game corresponding to said selected game file by interpreting the downloaded game file.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said moving vehicle comprises an airplane.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said moving vehicle comprises a train.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said moving vehicle comprises a bus.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said moving vehicle comprises a ship.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said first appliance comprises a seatback controller.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said first appliance comprises a set top box.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said first appliance comprises a special purpose diskless personal computer.

9. The method of claim 1 further including displaying, on said first appliance, said video game within an image of a handheld portable video game player.

10. The method of claim 1 further including displaying, on said first appliance, textual help information in selectable different languages.

11. The method of claim 1 further including pausing said video game play in response to an intercom announcement.

12. The method of claim 1 further including providing game play audio on headphones.

13. The method of claim 1 further including decrypting said game file.

51. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the server authenticating the first appliance to determine if the first appliance is permitted to run the software-based video game platform emulator.

52. The method in claim 1, wherein an executable portion of the game file is encrypted, the method further comprising:

the emulator decrypting the encrypted portion before executing the executable portion of the game file.

53. The method in claim 1, wherein the emulator emulates a security system of the original video game platform.

54. The method in claim 1, further comprising:

the emulator displaying on the appliance an image less than a display size of the appliance in order to simulate a display size used for the original video game platform.

55. The method in claim 54, further comprising:

the emulator displaying one or more display screen labels in a border of the display not used to simulate the size of the display used for the original video game platform.

14. A vehicle-based video game distribution network comprising:

at least one server disposed on a vehicle, said server storing a video game library comprising plural video game files, each video game file including a corresponding binary image file of the game;

at least one user device disposed on said vehicle and connected to said server, said user device including a display, a user input interface, an audio playback transducer, and a processor; and

emulation software executable on said user device processor, said emulation software emulating at least some of hardware functionality of at least one dedicated video game platform,

wherein said server selectively downloads (1) the emulation software, said emulator displaying a menu of plural video games for selection by the user, and (2) a selected game file including a corresponding binary image file of the game from said video game library to said user device for interoperation with said emulation software so that the user may interact with the user device running the emulation software in conjunction with the selected game file to play the selected video game.

15. The network of claim 14 wherein said user device is disposed, at least in part, within a seat.

16. The network of claim 14 wherein said emulator authenticates said video game files.

17. The network as in claim 14 wherein said emulator includes a pause control that pauses game play in response to a halt command received from a location remote thereto.

18. The network as in claim 14 wherein said user device is diskless.

19. The network as in claim 14 wherein said emulator dynamically configures its functionality based at least in part on the characteristics of particular game files downloaded thereto.

20. A vehicle-based video game system in claim 14 wherein said server is operable to download said emulation software, selected video game files, and non-video game application files;

said system further comprising a plurality of passenger video game processing devices,

wherein said processor is operable in a first simulation mode under the control of said emulation software downloaded by said server to display the menu of games from which a passenger selects a game to play and to replicate a graphics function associated with said special purpose video game system to enable simulation of video game play in accordance with one or more of the video game files downloaded by said server associated with the selected game on said first special purpose video game system, and

wherein said processor is operable in a second mode under the control of one of said non-video game application files downloaded by said server to perform a non-video game application selected via said user interface and to control the display of information related to the non-video game application.

21. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said passenger video game processing device is disposed, at least in part, within a seat.

22. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said processor authenticates said video game files.

23. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said first program includes a pause control that pauses game play in response to a halt command received from a location remote thereto.

24. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said passenger video game processing device is diskless.

25. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said first program dynamically configures its functionality based at least in part on the characteristics of particular game files downloaded thereto.

26. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said moving vehicle comprises an airplane.

27. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said moving vehicle comprises a train.

28. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said moving vehicle comprises a bus.

29. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said moving vehicle comprises a ship.

30. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said user interface is operable to permit a user to select a game file, wherein said emulation software interprets said game file.

31. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said user interface is operable to permit a user to select a game file and said selected game file is precompiled or translated for said video game processing device.

32. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said user interface is operable to permit a user to select a game file and said video game processing device is operable to authenticate said selected game file.

33. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said video game processing device under the control of said emulation software is operable to display the image of a handheld portable video game player which is being simulated.

34. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said video game processing device is operable to cause the display of textual information in selectable different languages.

35. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said video game processing device is operable to cause the pausing of video game play in response to an intercom announcement.

36. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, further including headphones for providing game play audio.

37. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 20, wherein said video game processing device is operable to decrypt the downloaded game file.

38. The vehicle-based video game system in claim 14 wherein said video game library stores a first program enabling simulation of a first special purpose video game system and a second program enabling simulation of a second structurally different special purpose video game system, and

wherein the processor is operable to execute at least one of the game files received from the server using said first program received from said server to enable simulation of video game play on said first special purpose video game system, and to execute another of the game files received from the server using at least said second program received from said server to enable simulation of video game play on said second special purpose video game system which is structurally distinct from said first special purpose video game system.

39. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 38, wherein said first program comprises emulation software executable on said passenger video game processing device, said emulation software emulating at least some of hardware functionality of said first special purpose video game platform, and

wherein said server selectively downloads a selected game file from said video game library to said passenger video game processing device for interoperation with said emulation software.

40. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 38, wherein said passenger video game processing device is disposed, at least in part, within a seat.

41. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 38, wherein said first program authenticates said video game files.

42. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 38, wherein said passenger video game processing device is diskless.

43. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 38, wherein said first program dynamically configures its functionality based at least in part on the characteristics of particular game files downloaded thereto.

44. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 38, wherein said moving vehicle comprises an airplane.

45. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 38, wherein said moving vehicle comprises a ship.

46. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 39, wherein said user interface is operable to permit a user to select a game file, wherein said emulation software interprets said game file.

47. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 38, wherein said user interface is operable to permit a user to select a game file and said selected game file is translated for said video game processing device.

48. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 38, wherein said first special purpose video game system is a handheld portable video game player and said video game processing device under the control of said first program is operable to display the image of a handheld portable video game player which is being simulated.

49. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 38, wherein said video game processing device is operable to cause the display of textual information in selectable different languages.

50. The vehicle-based video game system according to claim 38, wherein said video game processing device is operable to decrypt a game file.

56. The network as in claim 14 wherein the server authenticates the user device to determine if the user device is permitted to run the emulation software.

57. The network as in claim 14 wherein an executable portion of the game file is encrypted, the user device processor decrypting the encrypted portion before executing the executable portion of the game file.

58. The network as in claim 14 wherein the user device processor executing the emulation software emulates a security system of the one dedicated video game platform.

59. The network as in claim 14 wherein the user device processor executing the emulation software displays on the display an image less than a screen size of the display in order to simulate a display size used for the one dedicated video game platform.

60. The network as in claim 14 wherein the user device processor executing the emulation software displays one or more soft keys display screen labels in a border of the display not used to simulate the display size used for the one dedicated video game platform.