Wireless communication game system

• US 8,768,255 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Shoya, Kuwahara, Masato, Oe, Toru, Yoshioka, Teruyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US13/830,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20130210361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413, 455/550.1, 709/219, 709/209, 709220-224, 709/238, 715/236
• 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 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• 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 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• 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

Abstract

A wireless communication game system includes a plurality of mobile game apparatuses, which function as a parent device or a child device and are capable of making a communication with each other, and broadcasts from the parent device a parent device packet including a parent device PID, a user name UserName, a game name GameName, an OC flag, an E slot, a U slot, and a payload. All the parent device packets are received from the parent device existing within a communicationable range of a user'"'"'s own apparatus, and the user'"'"'s own apparatus creates a parent device list, and displays the parent device list on an LCD. Therefore, a user or a player of his own apparatus looks at the game name of the parent device list, for example, and operates a cross key included in an operation key so as to select one desired parent device. Then, transmitting a child device number CID of the user'"'"'s own apparatus at the E slot designated by the parent device packet, the user'"'"'s own apparatus transmits a connection request to the parent device.

Claims

1. A wireless communication information system using a plurality of information devices, wherein,

at least one of the devices includes:

a sending unit for, when the device has not yet established a connection with any other devices at all, sending self-identifying information and application identifying information identifying an application which is being executed on the device, and

at least one other of the devices includes;

a receiving unit for receiving said information from said sending unit existing within a communications range,

a displaying unit for displaying a list including device information for each device existing within the communications range and respective application information indicating which applications are being executed on each of the devices in the communications range at the time of sending the respective application identifying information, based on said information received by said receiving unit,

a selecting unit for allowing a user to select one of the devices included in said device list, and

a connection request transmitting unit for transmitting a connection request to the device selected by said selecting unit.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the application identifying information identifies an application which has already been executed but has not started a communicative state in the application with any other devices.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the sending unit is configured to send the self-identifying information and the application identifying information before the device has started a communicative state with any other devices.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the sending unit is configured to send the self-identifying information and the application identifying information before any opponent to connect with has been determined.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the sending unit is configured to send the self-identifying information and the application identifying information before the user has selected any opponent to connect with.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the sending unit is configured to send the self-identifying information and the application identifying information before the first opponent to connect with has been determined.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the sending unit is configured to send the self-identifying information and the application identifying information before the user has selected a first opponent to connect with.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the sending unit sends the self-identifying information and the application identifying information so that the device is selected on the other device which received the information as an opponent to connect with.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the sending unit sends the self-identifying information and the application identifying information so that the device is selected on the other device which received the information as a first opponent to connect with.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the sending unit sends the self-identifying information and the application identifying information to have another device which received the information to request to establish a connection with the device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the device is a game device, and the application is a game.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the sending unit is configured to send the self-identifying information and the application identifying information when the user has not selected any opponent'"'"'s device to connect to.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein:

each said sending unit is configured to broadcast respective self-identifying information and application identifying information; and

each said receiving unit is configured to receive broadcasted self-identifying information and application identifying information.

2. A wireless device, comprising:

a sending unit for, when the device has not yet established a connection with any other devices at all, sending self-identifying information and application identifying information for identifying an application which is being executed on the device at the time of sending the application identifying information,

wherein the sending unit sending the self-identifying information and the application identifying information allows the application identifying information to be displayed on other devices that have received the self-identifying and application identifying information, and wherein the sending unit further sends the self-identifying information and the application identifying information to enable the other devices to select the device identified by the self-identifying information and cause a connection request to be transmitted to the device identified by the self-identifying information in response to a selection.

3. A wireless device, comprising:

a sending unit for, when the device has not yet established a connection with any other devices at all, sending self-identifying information and application identifying information for identifying an application which is being activated on the device at the time of sending the application identifying information,

wherein the sending unit sending the self-identifying information and the application identifying information allows the application identifying information to be displayed on other devices that have received the self-identifying and application identifying information, and wherein the sending unit further sends the self-identifying information and the application identifying information to enable the other devices to select the device identified by the self-identifying information and cause a connection request to be transmitted to the device identified by the self-identifying information in response to a selection.

4. A wireless device, comprising:

a sending unit for, when the device has not yet established a connection with any other devices at all, sending self-identifying information and application identifying information for identifying an application on the device at the time of sending the application identifying information,

wherein the sending unit sending the self-identifying information and the application identifying information allows the application identifying information to be displayed on other devices that have received the self-identifying and application identifying information, and wherein the sending unit further sends the self-identifying information and the application identifying information to enable the other devices to select the device identified by the self-identifying information and cause a connection request to be transmitted to the device identified by the self-identifying information in response to a selection.

16. A wireless communication information apparatus, comprising:

a sending unit for, when another user to connect with is unknown, sending apparatus self-identifying information and application identifying information which identifies an application that is being executed on the apparatus at the time of sending the application identifying information,

wherein the sending unit sending the apparatus self-identifying information and the application identifying information allows the application identifying information to be displayed on other apparatuses that have received the apparatus self-identifying and application identifying information, and wherein the sending unit further sends the apparatus self-identifying information and the application identifying information to enable the other apparatuses to select the apparatus identified by the apparatus self-identifying information and cause a connection request to be transmitted to the apparatus identified by the apparatus self-identifying information in response to a selection.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the another user is an opponent.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the sending unit is configured to broadcast the apparatus self-identifying information and application identifying information.

18. At least one non-transitory computer readable storage device storing program instructions for use by a wireless device, the program instructions configured for at least:

when at least one of the devices has not yet established a connection with any other devices at all, sending device self-identifying information and application identifying information identifying an application which is being executed on the device,

receiving, with at least one other of the devices, said information from said sending unit existing within a communications range,

displaying a list including device information for each device existing within the communications range and respective application information indicating which applications are being executed on each of the devices in the communications range, based on said received information,

allowing a user to select one of the devices included in said list, and

transmitting a connection request to the selected device.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage device storing program instructions for use by a wireless device, the program instructions configured for at least:

when the devices has not yet established a connection with any other devices at all, sending device self-identifying information and application identifying information identifying an application which is being executed on the device,

receiving said information from said sending unit existing within a communications range,

displaying a list including device information for devices existing within the communications range and application identifying information indicating which applications are being executed on each of the devices in the communications range at the time of sending the respective application identifying information, based on said received information,

allowing a user to select one of the devices included in said list, and

transmitting a connection request to the selected device.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for use by wireless device, the program comprising:

instructions for, when no other user to connect with is known, sending device self-identifying information and application identifying information which identifies an application that is being executed on the device at the time of sending the application identifying information,

wherein the device self-identifying information and the application identifying information allows the application identifying information to be displayed on other devices that have received the device self-identifying and application identifying information, and wherein the device self-identifying information and the application identifying information is sent to enable the other devices to select the device identified by the device self-identifying information and cause a connection request to be transmitted to the device identified by the device self-identifying information in response to a selection.

21. A wireless game device, comprising:

a sending unit for, when the game device has not yet established a connection with any other game devices at all, sending self-identifying information and application identifying information for identifying a game application which is being executed on the device at the time of sending the application identifying information,

wherein the sending unit sending the self-identifying information and the application identifying information allows the application identifying information to be displayed on other devices that have received the self-identifying and application identifying information, and wherein the sending unit further sends the self-identifying information and the application identifying information to enable the other devices to select the device identified by the self-identifying information and cause a connection request to be transmitted to the device identified by the self-identifying information in response to a selection.