Method and apparatus for managing data in a gaming system

• US 7,811,174 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Whitten, Jon Marcus Randall, Pirich, Christopher M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hotaling, II; John M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): D'AGOSTINO, PAUL ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US11/082,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20050164782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,035 Days
• Field of Search: 463/43
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• 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 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems

Abstract

A gaming system includes a hard disk drive for storing applications and other data. The hard disk drive has multiple regions for storing different types of data. Each application executed on the gaming system has an associated storage area on the hard disk drive. A console application executing on the gaming system prevents a particular application from accessing data in an area of the hard disk drive that is not associated with the particular application. The gaming system also maintains a list of recently used nicknames to simplify entry of nicknames by a user of the gaming system.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

retrieving, by a game console, a list of recently used nicknames from a storage device in a game controller, at least one nickname being associated with multiple different game applications;

displaying, responsive to a signal from the game console, the list of recently used nicknames retrieved from the storage device in the game controller by displaying first in the list any nicknames used with a current game application and then displaying next in the list any nicknames used with other game applications;

receiving, by the game console, a selected nickname that is selected from the list of recently used nicknames;

retrieving, by the game console, authentication data from the storage device in the game controller, the authentication data being associated with the selected nickname and a user;

communicating the authentication data to a key distribution center to authenticate an identity of the user to join the game console with a network gaming environment; and

executing, by the game console, a game application associated with the selected nickname when the identity of the user is authenticated.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein retrieving the list of recently used nicknames includes retrieving the list of recently used nicknames from a non-removable hard disk drive in the game console.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the game console, a newly created nickname; and

executing, by the game console, the game application associated with the newly created nickname.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the game console, a newly created nickname; and

adding, by the game console, the newly created nickname to the list of recently used nicknames.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising automatically entering, by the game console, the selected nickname into a high score display.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected nickname identifies at least one of a high score or a character in the game application associated with the selected nickname.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising entering, by the game console, a recently used nickname as a default name when a high score is achieved.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising initiating a new game application, wherein the selected nickname is automatically associated with the new game application.

8. A game console, comprising:

one or more storage media; and

one or more processing units coupled to the one or more storage media, the one or more processing units configured to;

retrieve a collection of nicknames from a memory unit coupled to a game controller, each nickname being associated with multiple different games, wherein the collection of nicknames is displayed as a list of nicknames with nicknames recently used with a current game displayed first in the list and nicknames recently used with other games being displayed next in the list;

receive a selected nickname that is selected from the collection of nicknames;

retrieve authentication data from the memory unit coupled to the game controller, the authentication data being associated with a user and the nickname;

communicate the authentication data to a distribution center to authenticate an identity of the user to join the game console with a network gaming environment; and

execute a game associated with the selected nickname when the identity of the user is authenticated.

9. The game console as recited in claim 8, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to:

receive a newly created nickname; and

execute the game associated with the newly created nickname.

10. The game console as recited in claim 8, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to:

receive a newly created nickname; and

add the newly created nickname to the collection of nicknames.

11. The game console as recited in claim 8, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to enter the selected nickname into a high score display.

12. The game console as recited in claim 8, wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to use the selected nickname as a default name when a high score is achieved.