Game console communication with a device

• US 7,991,890 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Derek H., Whitten, Jon Marcus Randall, Maston, Michael Cory, Pirich, Christopher M., Schmidt, Brian Lloyd, Martinez, Gregory A., Poley, Joshua G., Maciesowicz, Maciej
• Primary Examiner(s): Bruckart; Benjamin R
• Application Number:
  US10/954,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20060068910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,497 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/230
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1025 details of the interface with the game device, e.g. USB version detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204

Abstract

Communication between a game console having a communication port and a portable device is facilitated by determining that a portable device has been directly connected to the communication port, determining the protocol associated with the portable device, and communicating with the portable device using a driver associated with the determined protocol. An ancillary application may handle the communication between the game console and the portable device while a game or entertainment application executes concurrently on the game console. The game application may execute in a reserved predetermined amount of hardware resources of the game console while the ancillary application may execute concurrently using the remaining hardware resources.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for communication between a game console having a communication port and a portable device, the method comprising:

reserving a first predetermined amount of hardware resources of a game console for executing a game application, the first predetermined amount of hardware resources reserved for later use by only the game application and made unavailable to other applications regardless of amount of resources used by the game application;

reserving a second predetermined amount of hardware resources different than the first predetermined amount of hardware resources which allow communication between the game application and an ancillary application to allow one or the other of the game application and the ancillary application having user input focus to transmit user input information to the other of the game application and the ancillary application not having user input focus;

executing the game application using the first predetermined amount of reserved hardware resources;

upon detecting that a portable device has been communicatively coupled to a communication port of the game console, launching the ancillary application, the ancillary application;

concurrently executing using remaining hardware resources to communicate between the game console and the portable device,

determining a protocol associated with the portable device, and

communicating with the portable device via a driver compatible with the determined protocol, the driver supporting a subset of features provided by the determined protocol and occupying less memory than a full-featured driver; and

upon receipt of a request at the ancillary application, the request requiring action by the game application, the ancillary application transmitting information regarding the request to the second predetermined amount of hardware resources which causes the game application to pause.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein reserving the first predetermined amount of hardware resources comprises reserving a predetermined amount of memory for the game application.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein reserving the first predetermined amount of hardware resources comprises reserving a portion of central processing unit time for the game application.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication port is a Universal Serial Bus port.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining the protocol associated with the portable device comprises determining that the protocol is a Media Transfer Protocol.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein communicating with the portable device comprises communicating via a Media Transfer Protocol compatible driver supporting only a subset of features supported by the Media Transfer Protocol.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining the protocol associated with the portable device comprises determining that the protocol is a Universal Serial Bus protocol.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein communicating with the portable device comprises communicating with the portable device via a Universal Serial Bus Mass Storage Specification compatible driver supporting only a subset of features supported by the Universal Serial Bus Mass Storage Specification.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein communicating with the portable device comprises one of writing a game controller configuration setting to the portable device and receiving a game controller configuration setting from the portable device.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein communicating with the portable device comprises one of writing a game application configuration setting to the portable device and receiving a game application configuration setting from the portable device.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining a media file stored on the portable device;

writing an indication of the media file to an audio/visual port for display on a display device;

receiving a user selection of the media file; and

playing the selected media file.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein playing the selected media file comprises playing a slide show of digital photographs.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

writing wireless network configuration prompts to an audio/visual port for display on a display device;

receiving wireless network configuration information from an input device of the game console; and

storing the received wireless network configuration information to a Universal Serial Bus flash configuration device connected to the communication port.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining that a portable device has been directly connected to the communication port comprises determining that a portable networking device has been directly connected to the communication port and further comprising providing network communication to the game console via the portable networking device.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, the step of reserving a second predetermined amount of hardware resources further comprising reserving a second predetermined amount of memory for storing the transmitted user input information.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising sharing an input device between the game application and the ancillary application.

17. A computer implemented method for communication between a game console having a communication port and a portable device, the method comprising:

reserving a first predetermined amount of hardware resources of a game console for executing a game application, the first predetermined amount of hardware resources reserved for later use by only the game application and made unavailable to other applications regardless of amount of actual resources used by the game application;

reserving a second predetermined amount of hardware resources different than the first predetermined amount of hardware resources which allow communication between the game application and an ancillary application to allow one or the other of the game application and the ancillary application having user input focus to transmit user input information to the other of the game application and the ancillary application not having user input focus;

executing the game application using the first predetermined amount of reserved hardware resources;

upon detecting that a portable device has been communicatively coupled to a communication port of the game console, launching the ancillary application, the ancillary application;

concurrently executing using remaining hardware resources to communicate between the game console and the portable device,

determining a protocol associated with the portable device,

communicating with the portable device via a driver compatible with the determined protocol, the driver supporting a subset of features provided by the determined protocol and occupying less memory than a full-featured driver

identifying a media file stored on the portable device;

writing an indication of the media file to an audio/visual port for display on a display device;

receiving a user selection of the media file; and

playing the selected media file; and

upon receipt of a request at the ancillary application, the request requiring action by the game application, the ancillary application transmitting information regarding the request to the second predetermined amount of hardware resources which causes the game application to pause.