Gaming device for multi-player games

• US 8,308,573 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lava Two, LLC.
• Original Assignee: Lava Two, LLC.
• Inventors: McKenna, Daniel Bernard, Graziano, James Michael, Kauss, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US12/675,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20100285875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 23, 463 25- 33, 463 39- 43, 273/138.1, 273/139, 273/138.2, 273/141.A, 273454-456, 273/460, 705 56- 57, 705/64, 705/67, 705/72, 705 74- 75, 705 78- 79, 709203-207, 709/FOR.113, 713/1, 713/100, 713/150, 713/155, 713/170, 713/176, 713182-184, 713186-189, 713/300, 713/375, 713/400, 713/500, 713/600, 902 2- 5, 902/23, 902/38, 902/40
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1037 being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1081 Input via voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video

Abstract

The present Gaming Device For Multi-Player Games provides the end user with a private bidirectional link to the gaming site to enter their moves, to optionally receive private data from the gaming site to enable the end user'"'"'s device to display private data that is hidden from the other players, and to communicate privately with another member or members of a sub-group. The Gaming Device For Multi-Player Games comprises a content display for displaying content that is transmitted to the plurality of end users on the unidirectional forward path, a plurality of controls for enabling an end user to generate data for transmission to at least one of the multicasting system and the plurality of end users, and a message display for displaying end user private communications received at the end user device.

Claims

1. An end user gaming device for use in a multicasting system that has a unidirectional forward path to transmit content simultaneously to a plurality of end user gaming devices and a plurality of bidirectional communication paths, each separate from the unidirectional wireless forward broadcast path and unique to each of a corresponding one of the plurality of end user gaming devices, comprising:

a content visual display configured to display content that is transmitted by the multicasting system, concurrently to the plurality of end user gaming devices and simultaneously received by each of the plurality of end user gaming devices, on the unidirectional forward path;

a user input device that transmits end user private communications, input by the end user, on the bidirectional communication path to the multicasting system and to at least one of the plurality of end user gaming devices selected by the end user via the unique bidirectional communication path from the multicasting system that is associated with the selected end user gaming device; and

a message display configured to display end user private communications originated by another of the plurality of end user gaming devices and received on the unique bidirectional communication path from the multicasting system.

2. The end user gaming device of claim 1 further comprising:

a wireless transceiver for wirelessly interconnecting the end user gaming device with the bidirectional communication path.

3. The end user gaming device of claim 2 further comprising:

a bidirectional communication path interface for connecting the user input gaming device and the message display to a reverse path and a forward path, respectively, of the bidirectional communication path to transmit data to and receive data from the multicasting system.

4. The end user gaming device of claim 3 wherein the user input device is connected to a reverse path of the bidirectional communication path to transmit data to the multicasting system.

5. The end user gaming device of claim 3 wherein the message display is connected to a forward path of the bidirectional communication path to receive data from the multicasting system.

6. The end user gaming device of claim 1 further comprising:

a wireless transceiver for wirelessly interconnecting the content display with the unidirectional communication path.

7. The end user gaming device of claim 1 wherein the content visual display and the message display operate independent of each other.

8. The end user gaming device of claim 1 wherein the content visual display and the message display are independently operable segments of a single display device.

9. The end user gaming device of claim 1 wherein the user input device comprises:

a soft key implemented on a one of the message display and the content visual display.

10. An end user gaming device for use in a multicasting system that has a unidirectional forward path to transmit content simultaneously to a plurality of end user gaming devices and a plurality of bidirectional communication paths, each separate from the unidirectional wireless forward broadcast path and unique to each of a corresponding one of the plurality of end user gaming devices, comprising:

a content visual display configured to display content that is transmitted by the multicasting system concurrently to the plurality of end user gaming devices and received by each of the plurality of end user gaming devices on the unidirectional forward path;

a plurality of user input devices that transmit end user private communications, input by the end user, on the bidirectional communication path to the multicasting system and to at least one of the plurality of end user gaming devices selected by the end user via the unique bidirectional communication path from the multicasting system that is associated with the selected end user gaming device; and

a message display configured to display end user private communications originated by another of the plurality of end user gaming devices and received on the unique bidirectional communication path from the multicasting system.

11. The end user gaming device of claim 10 further comprising:

a wireless transceiver for wirelessly interconnecting the end user gaming device with the bidirectional communication path.

12. The end user gaming device of claim 11 further comprising:

a bidirectional communication path interface for connecting the plurality of user input devices and the message display to a reverse path and a forward path, respectively, of the bidirectional communication path to transmit data to and receive data from the multicasting system.

13. The end user gaming device of claim 12 wherein the plurality of user input devices are connected to a reverse path of the bidirectional communication path to transmit data to the multicasting system.

14. The end user gaming device of claim 12 wherein the message display is connected to a forward path of the bidirectional communication path to receive data from the multicasting system.

15. The end user gaming device of claim 10 further comprising:

a wireless transceiver for wirelessly interconnecting the content visual display with the unidirectional communication path.

16. The end user gaming device of claim 10 wherein the content visual display and the message display operate independent of each other.

17. The end user gaming device of claim 10 wherein the content visual display and the message display are independently operable segments of a single display device.

18. The end user gaming device of claim 10 wherein the plurality of input devices comprises:

a soft key implemented on a one of the message display and the content visual display.