Network-enabled game controller

• US 8,998,719 B1
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ELBO, Inc. (Gamestop Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ELBO, Inc. (Gamestop Corporation)
• Inventors: Walker, Peter Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ROSS A
• Application Number:
  US13/716,019
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 463 40- 42, 725/13
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• 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 13/355 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 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/73 Authorising game programs or game devices, e.g. checking authenticity
• 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

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to the implementation of a gaming environment including gaming servers for instantiating instances of games requested by a user. The gaming environment includes a game device for obtaining game inputs corresponding to the instantiated game. Additionally, the gaming environment includes one or more output devices for obtaining outputs generated by the processing of the inputs by the gaming server. Illustratively, the game device and one or more output devices form game device groups. Within each game device group, the inputs obtained by game device are transmitted independent of the outputs transmitted to the output devices. The transmission of input data from the game device and the transmission of the output audio data, output video data or other data from the gaming server may be individually optimized.

Claims

1. A system for implementing a gaming session comprising:

one or more gaming controllers, wherein the one or more gaming controllers include at least one wireless network communication component; and

a game management component implemented in a computing system associated with at least one processor and memory, the gaming management component operative to;

obtain a request to initiate a gaming session, the request to initiate the gaming session independently identifying at least;

one user,

a game,

an output device, and

a gaming controller;

process the request to initiate the gaming session;

determining a first protocol associated with the output device based at least in part on the information independently identifying the output device;

determining a second protocol associated with the gaming controller based at least in part on the information independently identifying the gaming controller,

and

cause the instantiation of a gaming session instance corresponding to the request, the gaming session instance executed by a network-based computing device having at least one input port to receive game control information from the identified game controller using the second protocol without requiring an intervening gaming console and at least one output port for transmitting gaming data to the identified output device using the first protocol without requiring an intervening gaming console.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more gaming controllers are operative to receive gaming session information associated with the instantiated gaming session.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one gaming controller includes a display device.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one gaming controller includes an input device for obtaining registration information.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one gaming controller is operative to transmit at least a portion of the request to initiate the gaming session.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the at least one gaming controller is operative to transmit an identification of a gaming controller.

7. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the at least one gaming controller is operative to transmit an identification of a user.

8. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the at least one gaming controller is operative to transmit an identification of an output device.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one game controller includes one or more memory components for maintain information related to gaming sessions.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the gaming controller maintains authentication information related to one or more users in the one or more memory components.

11. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the gaming controller maintains gaming progress information related to one or more gaming session in the one or more memory components.

12. The system as recited in claim 1 further comprising one or more computing devices for hosting gaming session instances.

13. A method for managing gaming sessions comprising:

obtaining a request to initiate a gaming session, the request to initiate the gaming session independently identifying at least one user, a game, an output device, and a gaming controller;

processing the request to initiate the gaming session;

determining a first protocol associated with the output device based at least in part on the information independently identifying the output device;

determining a second protocol associated with the gaming controller based at least in part on the information independently identifying the gaming controller, and

causing the instantiation of a gaming session instance corresponding to the request, the gaming session instance executed by a network-based computing device having at least one input port to receive game control information from the identified game controller using the second protocol without requiring an intervening gaming console and at least one output port for transmitting gaming data to the identified output device using the first protocol without requiring an intervening gaming console.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising transmitting gaming session information associated with the instantiated gaming session to the gaming controller.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the gaming controller includes a display device.

16. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the gaming controller includes an input device for obtaining registration information.

17. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein at least a portion of the request to initiate the gaming session is received from the gaming controller.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the identification of the gaming controller is received from the gaming controller.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the identification of the user is received from the gaming controller.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the identification of the output device is received from the gaming controller.