Multiplexed secure video game play distribution
First Claim
1. A multi-user video game playing environment comprising:
- plural video game execution units each configured to execute video game instructions associated with a video game and to request portions of game program instruction code from a video game program being executed, where the video game when executed displays a virtual environment that includes an in-game character whose movement in the virtual environment is controlled by game play inputs from a user playing the video game, each requested portion of game program instruction code being determined based on one or more of the game play inputs, wherein each of the video game execution units is configured to generate read requests intended for an associated optical disk drive and receive requested information from the optical disk drive at a predetermined access rate;
a mass storage device including a hard disk drive configured to store a video game library including multiple game programs, wherein the hard disk drive is capable of responding to read requests from each of the video game execution units many times faster than the predetermined access rate of the optical disk drive associated with each video game execution unit;
a multiplexer, coupled between said mass storage device and said plural video game execution units, configured to multiplex requested portions of game program instruction code for one or more of the game programs read from the mass storage device to provide said requested portions of game program instructions to each of said plural video game execution units while said plural video game execution units are executing video game instructions; and
interface circuitry configured to act as part of an optical disk emulator for the plural video game execution units by translating video game execution unit optical disk access commands into hard disk drive access commands for accessing data stored on the hard disk drive and to emulate the predetermined access rate of the optical disk drive associated with each video game execution unit in response to read requests from that video game execution unit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Multiple video game players access an encrypted video game library stored on a shared mass storage device. A multiplexer multiplexes data read from the mass storage device to provide output streams to multiple video game playing units consuming video game instructions. A secure bus communicates video game instructions from the shared mass storage device to each of the video game playing units. Video game software or other entertainment content is distributed to the shared mass storage device via electronic download in multi-level encrypted form. Before being transported, the content is encrypted and then further encrypted. Once the content has been successfully transported, it is decrypted to remove the further encryption layer—leaving the first encryption layer intact for protecting the video game during storage on mass storage at the remote distribution location.
134 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A multi-user video game playing environment comprising:
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plural video game execution units each configured to execute video game instructions associated with a video game and to request portions of game program instruction code from a video game program being executed, where the video game when executed displays a virtual environment that includes an in-game character whose movement in the virtual environment is controlled by game play inputs from a user playing the video game, each requested portion of game program instruction code being determined based on one or more of the game play inputs, wherein each of the video game execution units is configured to generate read requests intended for an associated optical disk drive and receive requested information from the optical disk drive at a predetermined access rate; a mass storage device including a hard disk drive configured to store a video game library including multiple game programs, wherein the hard disk drive is capable of responding to read requests from each of the video game execution units many times faster than the predetermined access rate of the optical disk drive associated with each video game execution unit; a multiplexer, coupled between said mass storage device and said plural video game execution units, configured to multiplex requested portions of game program instruction code for one or more of the game programs read from the mass storage device to provide said requested portions of game program instructions to each of said plural video game execution units while said plural video game execution units are executing video game instructions; and interface circuitry configured to act as part of an optical disk emulator for the plural video game execution units by translating video game execution unit optical disk access commands into hard disk drive access commands for accessing data stored on the hard disk drive and to emulate the predetermined access rate of the optical disk drive associated with each video game execution unit in response to read requests from that video game execution unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A multi-user electronic game playing arrangement, comprising:
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plural game execution units each configured to execute electronic game instructions associated with a video game and to request portions of game program instruction code from a video game program being executed, where the video game when executed displays a virtual environment that includes an in-game character whose movement in the virtual environment is controlled by game play inputs from a user playing the video game, each requested portion of game program instruction code being determined based on one or more of the game play inputs, wherein each of the game execution units is configured to generate read requests intended for an associated optical disk drive and receive requested information from the optical disk drive at a predetermined access rate; a mass storage device including a hard disk drive configured to store an electronic game library including multiple game programs, wherein the hard disk drive is capable of responding to read requests from each of the game execution units many times faster than the predetermined access rate of the optical disk drive associated with each game execution unit; and electronic circuitry coupled to the mass storage device and the plural game execution units, wherein the mass storage device and the electronic circuitry are configured to support plural game execution units simultaneously executing an electronic game program from the electronic game library, and wherein the electronic circuitry includes one or more buffers for each game execution unit and a multiplexer, and wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to transfer a requested portion of game program code stored on the mass storage device in a multiplexed fashion via the multiplexer requested by each of the game execution units based on the one or more game play inputs and to store the transferred game program code portion in one or more of the buffers for execution by a corresponding game execution unit currently executing a previously buffered portion of the game program code, the multi-user electronic game playing arrangement further comprising interface circuitry configured to act as part of an optical disk emulator for the plural game execution units by translating game execution unit optical disk access commands into hard disk drive access commands for accessing data stored on the hard disk drive and to emulate the predetermined access rate of the optical disk drive associated with each game execution unit in response to read requests from that game execution unit. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method for a multi-user electronic game playing arrangement including plural game execution units each configured to execute electronic game instructions associated with a video game and a mass storage device including a hard disk drive for storing an electronic game library, comprising:
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each of plural game execution units being configured to generate read requests intended for an associated optical disk drive and receive requested information from the optical disk drive at a predetermined access rate simultaneously accessing the hard disk drive to obtain a portion of electronic game instructions requested by the game execution unit for a game program currently being executed by that game execution unit, wherein the hard disk drive is capable of responding to read requests from each of the game execution units many times faster than the predetermined access rate of the optical disk drive associated with each game execution unit, where the game program when executed displays a virtual environment that includes an in-game character whose movement in the virtual environment is controlled by game play inputs from a user playing the video game, where the game execution unit determines the requested portion based on one or more of the game play inputs, optical disk emulator circuitry translating game execution unit optical disk access commands into hard disk drive access commands for accessing data stored on the hard disk drive and emulating the predetermined access rate of the optical disk drive associated with each game execution unit in response to read requests from that game execution unit, and multiplexing data read from the hard disk drive to provide independent output streams to each of the plural game execution units with each of the plural game execution units receiving from the hard disk drive and simultaneously executing the requested portion of electronic game instructions accessed from the hard disk drive. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A multi-user video game playing environment comprising:
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plural video game execution units each configured to execute video game instructions associated with a video game and to request portions of game program instruction code from a video game program being executed, where the video game when executed displays a virtual environment that includes an in-game character whose movement in the virtual environment is controlled by game play inputs from a user playing the video game, each requested portion of game program instruction code being determined based on one or more of the game play inputs; a mass storage device configured to store a video game library including multiple game programs; and a multiplexer, coupled between said mass storage device and said plural video game execution units, configured to multiplex requested portions of game program instruction code for one or more of the game programs read from the mass storage device to provide said requested portions of game program instructions to each of said plural video game execution units while said plural video game execution units are executing video game instructions, wherein the multiplexer is configured to interleave transfers of portions of additional game program code corresponding to said plural video game execution units while each of plural video game execution units are executing previously-transferred game program code, the environment further comprising a processor configured to poll said plural video game execution units currently executing video game instructions for requests to transfer additional game program instructions and to schedule transfer of additional game program instructions during different time intervals for different ones of said plural video game execution units in response to said requests.
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32. A multi-user video game playing environment comprising:
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plural video game execution units each configured to execute video game instructions associated with a video game and to request portions of game program instruction code from a video game program being executed, where the video game when executed displays a virtual environment that includes an in-game character whose movement in the virtual environment is controlled by game play inputs from a user playing the video game, each requested portion of game program instruction code being determined based on one or more of the game play inputs; a mass storage device configured to store a video game library including multiple game programs; and a multiplexer, coupled between said mass storage device and said plural video game execution units, configured to multiplex requested portions of game program instruction code for one or more of the game programs read from the mass storage device to provide said requested portions of game program instructions to each of said plural video game execution units while said plural video game execution units are executing video game instructions.
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Specification