Multi-player audio game and game console

• US 7,549,645 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2006
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael K. Wong
• Original Assignee: Michael K. Wong
• Inventors: Wong, Michael K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hotaling, II; John M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed; Masud
• Application Number:
  US11/345,025
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 463/35, 273/430, 273/431
• US Class Current: 273/430
• 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 13/30 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 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00126 using audio equipment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/247 audible, e.g. using a loudspeaker
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/403 Connection between platform and handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8064 Quiz
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/183 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/00 Teaching music metronomes G04F5/02

Abstract

A multi-player audio game system and game console enables players to compete against each other based on music that is contained in their own personal music player devices. The game console has multiple ports to allow the players to plug their audio player devices into the game console. In response to pressing a Next button to advance the game, the console displays a music question or challenge selected from questions stored in memory. Upon seeing the challenge displayed, the players compete to be the first to submit a music entry (by playing their entry and pressing the respective Enter button on the console) that meets the challenge from among the songs stored on their audio player devices. The console has an audio signal queuing mechanism to allow the first-in-time player'"'"'s song input to be played on a speaker while muting the other players'"'"' song inputs. If the first-in-time player'"'"'s entry is deemed incorrect by the other players, the player'"'"'s Enter button can be pressed a second time to mute that player'"'"'s song input and allow the next-in-time player'"'"'s song input to be played, and so on until a winner is found.

Claims

1. An audio game system comprising:

an audio game console adapted to be connected to a plurality of audio playback devices for respective participants in a music selection game wherein each audio playback device stores a plurality of music files representing the participant'"'"'s own chosen music inventory, and has an audio signal output for transmitting to the game console an audio signal for any music file selected by the participant in response to a game question or challenge of a game played on said game console, so that each participant can select a music selection stored on their respective audio playback device they deem suitable in response to the game question or challenge and play an output of audio signals from their audio playback device as their respective music selection in response to the game question or challenge;

said audio game console having a console body and a plurality of inlets arranged on said console body for the respective game participants for enabling them to connect their respective audio playback devices to enter their audio signal outputs for their respective music selections in response to the game question or challenge;

an audio signal queuing mechanism provided with said game console for determining an ordering by time-of-entry among the audio signal outputs from the participants'"'"' audio playback devices for the respective music selections of the respective game participants input into said game console inlets and for transmitting to a speaker circuit one or more of the audio signal outputs from the participants'"'"' audio playback devices based on the determined queuing order; and

a speaker circuit provided with said game console for playing an audio sound output from the audio signal output for at least a music selection received first-in-time from a participant'"'"'s audio playback device and transmitted through the audio signal queuing mechanism.

2. An audio game system according to claim 1, wherein the audio signal queuing mechanism includes a plurality of “

Enter”

buttons corresponding to the inlets which are pressed by the participants to enable entry of the audio signal outputs for their respective music selections.

3. An audio game system according to claim 1, wherein the audio signal queuing mechanism includes a circuit device for detecting the times-of-arrival for the entries of the audio signal outputs input by the participants for their respective music selections and for ordering said entries in order based on their times-of-arrival.

4. An audio game system according to claim 3, wherein the circuit device is a microprocessor which detects the times-of-arrival for the entries of the audio signal outputs input by the participants for their respective music selections.

5. An audio game system according to claim 1, having a display on one or more sides of the console body for displaying music challenge or trivia questions and other game instructions, and a microprocessor with an associated memory for controlling said display.

6. An audio game system according to claim 1, having buttons arranged at the respective positions for the game participants to enable cutting off or muting of a participant'"'"'s music selection to play the music selection of the next participant in the determined queue.

7. An audio game system according to claim 2, wherein any of said “

Enter”

buttons when pushed a second time causes the respective input of the participant'"'"'s music selection to be cut off or muted.

8. An audio game system according to claim 7, wherein the audio signal queuing mechanism includes a circuit device for detecting the times-of-arrival for the entries of the audio signal outputs input by the participants for their respective music selections and for ordering said entries in order of their times-of-arrival, and wherein, after an entry is played, the “

Enter”

button for that entry may be pushed by any participant to cut off playing that entry, and the circuit device then causes the next queued entry to be transmitted to the speaker circuit and played.

9. An audio game console adapted to be used with a plurality of audio playback devices connected thereto, wherein each audio playback device stores a plurality of music files representing the participant'"'"'s own chosen music inventory, and has an audio signal output for transmitting to the game console an audio signal for any music file selected by the participant for playback on the game console in response to a game question or challenge of a game played on said game console, comprising:

a console body having a plurality of inlets for enabling a plurality of game participants respectively to connect the audio signal outputs for their respective audio playback devices to enter audio signals for their respective music selections in response to a game question or challenge requiring a music selection from each player'"'"'s playback device as each player'"'"'s input of a respective answer to the game question or challenge;

an audio signal queuing mechanism provided in said console body for receiving the audio signal outputs from the audio playback devices of the respective game participants and for determining an ordering by time-of-entry among the audio signals for their respective music selections of the respective game participants input into said inlets and for transmitting to a speaker circuit one or more of the audio signal outputs based on the determined queuing order; and

a speaker circuit provided in said console body for playing an audio sound output of the audio signal for at least a music selection received first-in-time from a player'"'"'s audio playback device through the audio signal queuing mechanism.

10. An audio game console according to claim 9, wherein the audio signal queuing mechanism includes a plurality of “

Enter”

buttons corresponding to the inlets which are pressed by the participants to enable entry of the audio signal outputs for their respective music selections.

11. An audio game console according to claim 9, wherein the audio signal queuing mechanism includes a circuit device for detecting the times-of-arrival for the entries of the audio signal outputs input by the participants for their respective music selections and for ordering said entries in order based on their times-of-arrival.

12. An audio game console according to claim 11, wherein the circuit device is a microprocessor which detects the times-of-arrival for the entries of the audio signal outputs input by the participants for their respective music selections.

13. An audio game console according to claim 9, having a display on one or more sides of the console body for displaying music challenge or trivia questions and other game instructions, and a microprocessor with an associated memory for controlling said display.

14. An audio game console according to claim 9, having buttons arranged at the respective positions for the game participants to enable cutting off or muting of a participant'"'"'s music selection to play the music selection of the next participant in the determined queue.

15. An audio game console according to claim 10, wherein any of said “

Enter”

buttons when pushed a second time causes the respective input of the participant'"'"'s music selection to be cut off or muted.

16. An audio game console according to claim 15, wherein the audio signal queuing mechanism includes a circuit device for detecting the times-of-arrival for the entries of the audio signal outputs input by the participants for their respective music selections and for ordering said entries in order of their times-of-arrival, and wherein, after an entry is played, the “

Enter”

button for that entry may be pushed by any participant to cut off playing that entry, and the circuit device then causes the next queued entry to be transmitted to the speaker circuit and played.

17. A method of playing an audio game on a game console with a plurality of game participants having respective audio playback devices wherein each audio playback device stores a plurality of music files representing participant'"'"'s own chosen music inventory, and has an audio signal output for transmitting an audio signal to the game console for any music file selected by the participant for playback in response to a game question or challenge of a game played on the game console, comprising:

presenting for a plurality of game participants a game question or challenge requiring a music selection from each player'"'"'s audio playback device as each player'"'"'s input of a respective answer to the game question or challenge;

transmitting audio signals from the audio playback devices of the respective game participants and receiving through a plurality of inlets arranged on the game console the audio signals from the respective audio playback devices selected by the game participants as their respective music selections in response to the game question or challenge;

determining at least a first-in-time entry from among the audio signals for the music selections of the respective game participants input to the game console; and

playing an audio sound output on a speaker circuit coupled to the inlets to the game console of the audio signal for at least the music selection received first-in-time from a player'"'"'s audio playback device.

18. A method of playing an audio game on a game console according to claim 17, further comprising enabling the game participants to cut off or mute an entry being played on the game console if it is deemed incorrect by any of the game participants.

19. A method of playing an audio game on a game console according to claim 17, further comprising enabling game questions and instructions to be stored in a memory in the game console and displayed on a display to the game participants.

20. A method of playing an audio game on a game console according to claim 18, further comprising determining an ordering based on times of entry of each of the inputs to the console by the participants, and playing an audio sound output on the game console for a next-in-time entry in the determined ordering if an earlier-in-time entry is cut off by any of the participants.