Center device

• US 8,422,953 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2012
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hino, Mariko, Hashimoto, Satoshi, Kutaragi, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US13/532,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20120264519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 295 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/3.03, 455/3.06, 455/556.1, 455/557, 725/31, 725/25, 725/133, 463/29, 463/42, 713/150, 713/153, 348/14.1, 348/211.12
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/212 using sensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat or leg activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/73 Authorising game programs or game devices, e.g. checking authenticity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1031 using a wireless connection, e.g. Bluetooth, infrared connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/201 Playing authorisation given at platform level
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/208 for storing personal settings or data of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8088 involving concurrently several players in a non-networked game, e.g. on the same game console
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/305 by remotely controlling device operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2109 Game systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 : based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 : Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

To provide a center device for accommodating a variety of situations which may occur when a home-use game machine, or the like, is used, in which a plurality of users use their own controller devices such as an input device. A center device communicates with a plurality of devices in either a wired or radio manner, receives an instruction operation from a user of each device, and carries out a process based on the instruction operation, the plurality of devices each having unique identifier, including: a unit that obtains an identifier of a device; a unit that provides information concerning the device, the identifier of the device is not associated with the identifier of the user; and a unit that associates the identifier of the device selected by the user, the identifier of the user is already associated with the identifier of another device, with the identifier of the user.

Claims

1. A center device that communicates with a plurality of devices in either a wired or radio manner, receives an instruction operation from a user of each device, and carries out a process based on the instruction operation, the plurality of devices each having a unique identifier, comprising:

a unit that obtains the identifiers of the plurality of devices;

a unit that displays a menu to the user including information concerning at least some of the plurality of devices such that the user may select from among the devices in the menu, wherein none of the identifiers of the devices listed in the menu are associated with an identifier of the user but an identifier of another of the plurality of devices is associated with the identifier of the user; and

a unit that associates the identifier of the device selected by the user from among the devices listed in the menu with the identifier of the user.

2. A center device according to claim 1, wherein:

the device selected by the user is a controller device;

the other device is an information presentation device; and

the center device further comprises a unit that changes the property of the information presentation device in response to the user'"'"'s operation to the controller device.

3. A center device according to claim 2, wherein the unit that changes the property of the information presentation device conducts the processing to control the information presentation device as the instructing operation received from the controller device concerns the instructing operation regarding the information presentation device.

4. A method for controlling a center device, using the center device that communicates with a plurality of devices in either a wired or radio manner, receives an instruction operation from a user of each device, and carries out a process based on the instruction operation, the plurality of devices each having a unique identifier, the method comprising:

obtaining the identifiers of the plurality of devices;

displaying a menu to the user including information concerning at least some of the plurality of devices such that the user may select from among the devices in the menu, wherein none of the identifiers of the devices listed in the menu are associated with an identifier of the user but an identifier of another of the plurality of devices is associated with the identifier of the user; and

associating the identifier of the device selected by the user from among the devices listed in the menu with the identifier of the user.

5. A system, comprising:

a plurality of devices each having a unique identifier; and

a center device that communicates with the plurality of devices in either a wired or radio manner, receives an instruction operation from a user of each device, and carries out a process based on the instruction operation, wherein the center device comprises;

a unit that obtains the identifiers of the plurality of devices;

a unit that displays a menu to the user including information concerning at least some of the plurality of devices such that the user may select from among the devices in the menu, wherein none of the identifiers of the devices listed in the menu are associated with an identifier of the user but an identifier of another of the plurality of devices is associated with the identifier of the user; and

a unit that associates the identifier of the device selected by the user from among the devices listed in the menu with the identifier of the user.

6. A device that communicates with a center device comprising:

a unit that stores a unique identifier of the device; and

a unit that sends the stored identifier of the device to the center device,

wherein the center device displays a menu to the user including information concerning at least some of a plurality of devices such that the user may select from among the devices in the menu, wherein none of the identifiers of the devices listed in the menu are associated with an identifier of the user, including the device that sent the stored identifier of the device to the center device, but an identifier of another of the plurality of devices is associated with the identifier of the user by the center device in response to the user inputting the identifier of the user into the another device, and

wherein the sent identifier of the device is associated with the identifier of the user by the center device in response to the user selecting the device from among the devices listed in the menu.