Multiplexed secure video game play distribution
First Claim
1. An entertainment system, comprising:
- an electronic game library including plural games stored on a mass storage device;
multiple game engines coupled to an interactive distribution network to which multiple user devices may also be coupled, each user device remotely located from the electronic game library and the multiple game engines; and
a controller configured to receive a game selection from one of the user devices via the interactive distribution network and to assign one of the game engines to execute a game from the game library selected by the one user device,wherein the assigned game engine is configured (a) not to receive the entire selected game but only a portion of game program code just before the assigned game engine requires that portion to continue with game play, (b) to provide game play signals corresponding to the received game portion to the one user device over the interactive distribution network, and (c) to receive game player control signals from the one user device in response to the provided game play signals over the interactive distribution network with sufficient speed to permit the one user to play the selected game substantially in real time,wherein the 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 game, each received portion of game program instruction code being determined based on one or more of the game play inputs directing movement of the in-game character to a particular location in the virtual environment,wherein the assigned game engine is configured to provide head-to-head play between multiple user devices at remote locations so that users of those user devices can control the same game and play against one another or otherwise participate in the same game play experience substantially in real time,wherein the assigned game engine is configured to provide the head-to-head play between users at remote locations by providing the same game play signals corresponding to the received game portion over the interactive distribution network to each of the user devices involved in the head-to-head play so that the users can control the same game and play against one another substantially in real time or otherwise participate in the same game play experience substantially in real time.
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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.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. An entertainment system, comprising:
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an electronic game library including plural games stored on a mass storage device; multiple game engines coupled to an interactive distribution network to which multiple user devices may also be coupled, each user device remotely located from the electronic game library and the multiple game engines; and a controller configured to receive a game selection from one of the user devices via the interactive distribution network and to assign one of the game engines to execute a game from the game library selected by the one user device, wherein the assigned game engine is configured (a) not to receive the entire selected game but only a portion of game program code just before the assigned game engine requires that portion to continue with game play, (b) to provide game play signals corresponding to the received game portion to the one user device over the interactive distribution network, and (c) to receive game player control signals from the one user device in response to the provided game play signals over the interactive distribution network with sufficient speed to permit the one user to play the selected game substantially in real time, wherein the 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 game, each received portion of game program instruction code being determined based on one or more of the game play inputs directing movement of the in-game character to a particular location in the virtual environment, wherein the assigned game engine is configured to provide head-to-head play between multiple user devices at remote locations so that users of those user devices can control the same game and play against one another or otherwise participate in the same game play experience substantially in real time, wherein the assigned game engine is configured to provide the head-to-head play between users at remote locations by providing the same game play signals corresponding to the received game portion over the interactive distribution network to each of the user devices involved in the head-to-head play so that the users can control the same game and play against one another substantially in real time or otherwise participate in the same game play experience substantially in real time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A cable TV head-end for providing entertainment, comprising:
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a game library including plural games stored on a mass storage device; multiple game engines coupled to a cable TV distribution network to communicate with multiple user devices via respective cable TV interface circuitry associated with each user device, wherein the user devices are located remotely from the cable TV head-end; a controller configured to receive a game selection from one of the user devices via the cable TV distribution network and to assign one of the game engines to execute a game from the game library selected by the one user device, wherein the assigned game engine is configured (a) not to receive the entire selected game but only a portion of game program code just before the assigned game engine requires that portion to continue with game play, (b) to provide resulting game play signals to the one user device over the cable TV distribution network, and (c) to receive game player control signals from the one user device in response to the provided game play signals over the cable TV distribution network with sufficient speed to permit the one user to play the selected game substantially in real time, wherein the 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 game, each requested portion of game program instruction code being determined based on one or more of the game play inputs directing movement of the in-game character to a particular location in the virtual environment, wherein the assigned game engine is configured to provide head-to-head play over the cable TV distribution network between multiple user devices at remote locations so that users of the multiple user devices can control the same game and play against one another or otherwise participate in the same game play experience substantially in real time, wherein the assigned game engine is configured to provide the head-to-head play between the multiple user devices at remote locations by providing the same game play signals corresponding to the received game portion over the interactive distribution network to each of the multiple user devices involved in the head-to-head play so that the users can control the same game and play against one another substantially in real time or otherwise participate in the same game play experience substantially in real time. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method for a multi-user electronic game playing arrangement including an electronic game library including plural games stored on a mass storage device and multiple game engines coupled to the mass storage device and to an interactive distribution network to which multiple, remotely-located user devices may also be coupled, comprising:
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receiving a game selection from one of the user devices via the interactive distribution network; assigning one of the game engines to execute a game from the game library selected by the one user device; receiving at the assigned game engine only a portion of game program code of the selected game stored in the electronic game library just before the assigned game engine requires that portion to continue with game play, wherein the assigned game engine does not to download the entire selected game but only a portion of the selected game as needed; providing from the assigned game engine game play signals corresponding to the received game portion to the one user device over the interactive distribution network; receiving at the assigned game engine game player control signals from the one user device in response to the provided game play signals over the interactive distribution network with sufficient speed to permit the one user to play the selected game substantially in real time, wherein the executed game program code 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 game, each received portion of game program code being determined based on one or more of the game play inputs directing movement of the in-game character to a particular location in the virtual environment, and providing head-to-head play between user devices at remote locations so that users of those user devices can control the same game and play against one another or otherwise participate in the same game play experience substantially in real time, wherein the assigned game engine provides the head-to-head play between users at remote locations by providing the same game play signals corresponding to the received game portion over the interactive distribution network to each of the user devices involved in the head-to-head play so that the users can control the same game and play against one another substantially in real time or otherwise participate in the same game play experience substantially in real time. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38)
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Specification