Wireless communication game system

• US 8,968,102 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Shoya, Kuwahara, Masato, Oe, Toru, Yoshioka, Teruyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): RENWICK, REGINALD A
• Application Number:
  US13/831,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20130210529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 communication information system including a plurality of information devices, wherein:

at least one first device in the plurality of information devices includes;

processing resources including at least one processor;

a wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit self-identifying information,

a wireless receiver configured to wirelessly receive self-identifying information from one or more other devices within communications range of the wireless receiver, and

a computer readable storage medium tangibly storing a parent device list and a child device list; and

the processing resources of the at least one first device are configured to control the at least one first device to at least;

update the parent device list stored on the computer readable storage medium of the at least one first device to identify parent devices, if any, from among the one or more other devices within communications range of the wireless receiver of the at least one first device, based on self-identifying information received by the wireless receiver of the at least one first device, and

update the child device list stored on the computer readable storage medium of the at least one first device to identify child devices, if any, from among the one or more other devices within communications range of the wireless receiver of the at least one first device, based on self-identifying information received by the wireless receiver of the at least one first device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable to and receivable by opposing devices without a connection being established therebetween.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable before the device on which it is generated has established a connection with any other devices.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein self-identifying information also is transmittable after the device on which it is generated has established a connection with another device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable after the device on which it is generated has established a connection with another device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable before the device on which it is generated has started a communicative state with any other devices.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable before an opponent to connect with has been determined.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable before user selection of an opponent to connect with.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable before the first opponent to connect with has been determined.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable before user selection of the first opponent to connect with.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable so that the device from which it is transmitted is selected as an opponent to connect with by another device that has received the information.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable so that the device from which it is transmitted is selected as the first opponent to connect with by another device that has received the information.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable for a plurality of other devices without establishing a connection with any of the other devices.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information, once received, is configured to cause a receiving device to request that a connection be established with the device on which the information was generated.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless receiver of the at least one first device is configured to receive information from plural ones of the plurality of information devices.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing resources of the at least one first device are further configured to generate a display including information concerning devices existing within the communications range and information about applications on each of those devices, based on said information received by said wireless receiver.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing resources of the at least one first device are further configured to:

control the at least one first device to at least receive a selection of a device included in the display, and

transmit a connection request toward the selected device.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing resources of the at least one first device are further configured to generate a display including information concerning devices existing within the communications range and information about applications on each of the devices, based on said information received directly by the wireless receiver from the respective wireless transmitter that originally sent the information received by the wireless transmitter while the wireless receiver and the wireless transmitter were exchanging information.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the parent device list of the at least one first device is clearable.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one first device further comprises a timer, and wherein the parent device list is clearable based on the timer.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein any of the one or more other devices within the communications range of the wireless receiver of the at least one first device is arbitrarily configurable as being one of a child device and a parent device.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter of the at least one first device is further configured to wirelessly transmit application identifying information identifying an application stored on the at least one first device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein application identifying information identifies an application that is being executed on the device that generates it.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein application identifying information identifies an application that is being activated on the device that generates it.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein self-identifying information and application identifying information is transmittable to and receivable by opposing devices without connection being established therebetween.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein self-identifying information and application identifying information is transmittable to and receivable by opposing devices without connection being established therebetween.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein application identifying information identifies an application that has already been started but has not established a communicative state with any other devices.

28. The system of claim 22, the at least one first device is a game device, and the application thereon comprises a game.

29. At least one non-transitory computer readable storage device for use in a communication information system using a plurality of information devices, the at least one non-transitory storage device storing instructions configured to at least cause at least one first device in the plurality of information devices to perform operations comprising:

wirelessly transmitting self-identifying information,

wirelessly receiving self-identifying information from one or more other devices within communications range of the at least one first device,

store on a computer readable storage medium a parent device list and a child device list,

update the parent device list to identify parent devices, if any, from among the one or more other devices within communications range of the at least one first device, based on self-identifying information received by the at least one first device, and

update the child device list to identify child devices, if any, from among the one or more other devices within communications range of the at least one first device, based on self-identifying information received by the at least one first device.

30. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 29, further comprising instructions configured to at least cause at least one first device in the plurality of information devices to perform operations comprising wirelessly transmitting application identifying information identifying an application stored on the at least one first device,

wherein application identifying information identifies an application that is being executed on the device that generates it.

31. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 29, further comprising instructions configured to at least cause at least one first device in the plurality of information devices to perform operations comprising wirelessly transmitting application identifying information identifying an application stored on the at least one first device,

wherein self-identifying information and application identifying information is transmittable to and receivable by opposing devices without a connection being established therebetween.

32. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 29, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable to and receivable by opposing devices without a connection being established therebetween.

33. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 29, wherein:

self-identifying information is transmittable before the device on which it is generated has established a connection with any other devices, and

self-identifying information also is transmittable after the device on which it is generated has established a connection with another device.

34. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 29, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable before the device on which it is generated has started a communicative state with any other devices.

35. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 29, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable before user selection of an opponent to connect with.

36. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 29, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable so that the device from which it is transmitted is selected as an opponent to connect with by another device that has received the information.

37. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 29, wherein self-identifying information, once received, is configured to cause a receiving device to request that a connection be established with the device on which the information was generated.

38. An information device in a communication information system including a plurality of information devices, the information device comprising:

processing resources including at least one processor;

a wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit self-identifying information,

a wireless receiver configured to wirelessly receive self-identifying information from one or more other devices within communications range of the wireless receiver, and

a computer readable storage medium tangibly storing a parent device list and a child device list; and

wherein the processing resources are further configured to control the device to at least;

update the parent device list stored on the computer readable storage medium to identify parent devices, if any, from among the one or more other devices within communications range of the wireless receiver, based on self-identifying information received by the wireless receiver, and

update the child device list stored on the computer readable storage medium to identify child devices, if any, from among the one or more other devices within communications range of the wireless receiver, based on self-identifying information received by the wireless receiver.

39. The device of claim 38, wherein the wireless transmitter is further configured to wirelessly transmit application identifying information identifying an application stored on the device, and

wherein application identifying information identifies an application that is being executed on the device that generates it.

40. The device of claim 38, wherein the wireless transmitter is further configured to wirelessly transmit application identifying information identifying an application stored on the device, and

wherein self-identifying information and application identifying information is transmittable to and receivable by opposing devices without a connection being established therebetween.

41. The device of claim 38, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable to and receivable by opposing devices without a connection being established therebetween.

42. The device of claim 38, wherein:

self-identifying information is transmittable before the device on which it is generated has established a connection with any other devices, and

self-identifying information also is transmittable after the device on which it is generated has established a connection with another device.

43. The device of claim 38, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable before the device on which it is generated has started a communicative state with any other devices.

44. The device of claim 38, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable before user selection of an opponent to connect with.

45. The device of claim 38, wherein self-identifying information is transmittable so that the device from which it is transmitted is selected as an opponent to connect with by another device that has received the information.

46. The device of claim 38, wherein self-identifying information, once received, is configured to cause a receiving device to request that a connection be established with the device on which the information was generated.