Card stack reader, card thereof, card case, method for manufacturing card, game machine using the same, computer-readable storage medium on which game program is recorded

• US 7,357,321 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2005
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SEGA Corporation (SEGA Sammy Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SEGA Corporation (SEGA Sammy Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Shiba, Hidenori, Kato, Fumihiro, Kaji, Toshiyuki, Yoshida, Toshikazu, Ohara, Toru, Yamauchi, Takao, Terada, Takaharu, Nishino, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai; Thien T
• Application Number:
  US11/166,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20050248088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 235/462.25, 235/462.01, 235/468, 235/462.36, 235/462.09, 235/462.04, 235/462.07, 235/456, 235/447, 235/462.08, 235/462.41, 235/462.11, 235/462.1, 235/436, 273/149.R, 273/273, 273/292, 273/304, 273/309, 273/148.R, 463/25, 463/13, 463/11, 463/29, 463/47, 463/36
• US Class Current: 235/454
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation

Abstract

The present invention relates to a card stack reader, a card thereof, a card case, a method for manufacturing the card, a game machine using the same, and a computer-readable storage medium on which a game program is recorded. The card stack reader comprises an imaging unit which reads an image from a peripheral side portion of a stack of cards, each card having a read code along a peripheral side edge thereof, the read code identifying the card, and a code recognizing unit which recognizes the read code of each card from the image read by the imaging unit.

Claims

1. A game apparatus comprising:

a game program execution means arranged to execute a game program;

an interface means connected to said game program execution means;

an input means, operable by a player, connected to said interface means;

a card data detection means connected to said interface means, said data detection means including a card setting means arranged to mount a set of cards for a single scan, the set of cards being selected from a variety of cards which include cards representing game characters as well as functions related to the game characters and printed with code patterns containing data indicative of the game characters or the functions related to the game characters; and

a display image generating means,

wherein said card data detection means further comprises an image sensor means arranged to receive a light from said set of cards to generate, in the single scan by the image sensor, data of an image containing said code patterns of all of said set of cards mounted to said card setting means while said set of cards is selectively mounted on said card setting means, and a data recognition means arranged to execute separation of the generated image data to provide a set of card data including data indicative of a game character selected by the player and of a function related to the game character

wherein said game program executing means are arranged to execute the game program to perform a game with the game character and the function determined based on the data supplied from said card data detection means and to control progress of the game in response to data from the input means;

wherein an image display means displays various images on a monitor display in accordance with the obtained card data as well as with progress of the game.

2. A game apparatus comprising:

a game program execution means which executes a game program;

an interface means connected to said game program execution means;

an input means operable by a player connected to said interface means;

a card data detection means connected to said interface means and arranged to mount a set of cards for a single scan, wherein said cards mounted for the single scan are to be selected by the player from a variety of cards which include cards representing game characters as well as functions related to the game characters and provided with code patterns indicative of the game characters or the functions related to the game characters; and

a display image generating means,

wherein said card data detection means detects, in a single scan, a set of code data from said cards mounted to the card data detection means, said detected code data containing data indicative of a game character selected by the player and of a function related to the game character and being supplied to said game program execution means via said interface as data indicative of the player'"'"'s operation,

wherein said game program execution means executes a game with the game character selected by the player and the function related to the game character determined in response to the data supplied from said card data reading means and controls progress of the game in response to signals from said input means;

wherein said display image generating means generates signals for displaying on a display monitor images of the game character corresponding to the game characters selected by the selection of the card and the progress of the game.

3. A game apparatus comprising:

a game program execution means which executes a game program;

an interface means connected to said game program execution means;

an input means, operable by a player, connected to said interface means;

a card data detection means connected to said interface means and including a card setting means; and

a display image generating means,

wherein said card setting means is arranged to mount a set of cards for a single scan, the set of cards being selected by the player from a variety of cards which include cards representing game characters as well as functions related to the game characters, said variety of cards being provided on one of their side faces with code patterns containing data indicative of game characters or of functions related to the game characters, respectively,

wherein said set of cards selected by the player are stacked on said card setting means so that side faces of said stacked cards, on which the code patterns are provided, form a flat surface;

wherein said card data reading means includes an image sensor means which generates, in a single scan, data of an image indicative of the flatly arranged side faces of said stacked cards while said set of cards are stacked on said setting means, and a data recognition means arranged to execute separation of the generated image data to provide a set of card data including data indicative of a game character selected by the player and of a function related to the game character,

wherein said game program execution means executes a game program to perform a game with the game character selected by the player and the function related to the game character determined in response to data supplied from said card data reading means and controls progress of the game in response to signals from said input means,

wherein said display image generating means generates signals for displaying on a display monitor images of the game character corresponding to the game character selected by the selection of the cards and progress of the game.

4. A game apparatus comprising:

a game program execution means which executes a game program;

an interface means connected to said game program execution means;

an input means, operable by a player, connected to said interface means; and

a card data detection means connected to said interface means and including a card setting means which is arranged to mount a set of cards for a single scan, the set of cards being selected by the player from a variety of cards which include cards representing game characters as well as functions related to the game characters and provided with code patterns indicative of the game characters or the functions related to the game characters,

wherein said card data detection means detects, in a single scan, a set of data from said cards mounted to the card data detection means, said detected data containing data indicative of a game character selected by the player and of a function related to the game character and being supplied to said game program execution means via said interface as data indicative of the player'"'"'s operation,

wherein said game program execution means executes the game program to perform a game with the game character selected by the player and the function related to the game character determined based on said data read from said set of cards selectively mounted to the game apparatus and in response to signals from said input means.

5. A game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said card data detection means comprises:

a card holder on which the set of cards are stacked, each of said cards having at a peripheral portion a code pattern containing data indicative of a game character or a function related to the game character, respectively;

an image sensor means arranged to receive lights from the peripheral portions of the stacked cards in a single scan by said image sensor means, and generating. in the single scan, data of an image including images of the peripheral portions of the stacked cards mounted on said card holder; and

a data recognition means arranged to execute separation of the generated image data into a set of data indicative of the respective peripheral portions of the stacked cards to provide a set of data including data indicative of a game character selected by the player and of a function related to the game.

6. A game apparatus of claim 5, wherein each said stacked card has a pair of major plane faces and side faces between said pair of major plane faces, the peripheral portion of the card including one of the side faces printed with the code pattern containing data indicative of a game character or of a function related to the game character.

7. A game apparatus of claim 6, wherein said card holder is arranged so as to hold said set of cards with side faces of the stacked cards forming a flat surface for a single scan, wherein the image data generated by the image sensor means is indicative of the side faces of the stacked cards, wherein said data recognition means executes the separation of the generated image data to a set of ones indicative of the side faces of the stacked cards by referring to reference data indicative of thickness of the cards.

8. A game apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a card case, said card case being arranged so that the set of cards, each printed with the code pattern at the side face, are stacked in said card case with the side faces of the stacked cards forming a flat surface for a single scan by said image sensor means, said card case having an opening disposed so as to expose portions of the side faces of the stacked cards,

wherein said image sensor means is arranged to receive lights from the side faces of the stacked cards in the single scan.

9. A game apparatus of claim 8, wherein said card case further comprises a stopper disposed so the side faces of the stacked cards form a flat surface.

10. A game apparatus of claim 5, wherein each of said stacked cards has a pair of major plane faces and side faces between said pair of major plane faces, the peripheral portion of one of major faces of the card being printed with the code pattern including data indicative of a game character or of a function related to the game character, wherein said card holder is arranged so as to hold said plurality set of cards with said peripheral portion of each card exposed for a single scan by said image sensor means, wherein the image data generated by the image sensor means is indicative of the exposed peripheral portions of said plurality of cards.