Information processing system and information processing method

• US 9,380,451 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2015
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamashita, Yoshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Allen
• Application Number:
  US14/633,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20150172911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 463/36, 463/37, 463/39, 463/40
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• 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 13/323 between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/847 Cooperative playing, e.g. requiring coordinated actions from several players to achieve a common goal
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/403 Connection between platform and handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

A handheld terminal 200 performs wireless communication with a game apparatus 103 and determines whether the wireless communication with the game apparatus 103 is possible. The game apparatus 103 performs wireless communication with the handheld terminal 200 and determines whether the wireless communication with the handheld terminal 200 is possible. The game apparatus 103 performs a return home determination process, based on the determination about whether the wireless communication is possible, when the wireless communication with the handheld terminal 200 has become, after having become disabled, enabled again.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising a portable device and a further device, wherein the portable device comprises:

at least one sensor;

a processor operatively coupled to the at least one sensor, the processor configured to repeatedly generate information related to human physical activity based on signals repeatedly produced by the at least one sensor;

a memory configured to store the repeatedly generated information related to human physical activity;

a display coupled to the processor, the processor being further configured to display at least some of the generated information related to human physical activity on the display; and

a wireless transceiver operatively coupled to the processor, the wireless transceiver detecting whether wireless communication with the further device is possible and, in response to detecting that wireless communication with the further device is possible, automatically and repeatedly transmitting via wireless communication, without a user commanding the portable device to transmit, the information related to human physical activity to the further device for storage, the wireless transceiver wirelessly transmitting the stored repeatedly generated information to the further device when the portable device detects that communications with the further device can be established, and

the processor being further configured to receive one or more messages from the further device upon completing wireless transfer of the stored information related to human physical activity to the further device; and

the further device comprising;

a data storage memory; and

a further processor configured to;

receive the wirelessly transmitted information; and

store the received information related to human physical activity in the data storage memory.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the further device is configured to transmit the information to a server.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitted information related to human physical activity represents human physical activity detections accumulated by the portable device since a previous transmission of the information related to human physical activity to the further device.

4. A portable device comprising:

at least one sensor that recurrently provides a signal;

a processor configured to recurrently determine, in response to the signal, at least one parameter indicating human physical activity;

a memory configured to store the recurrently determined at least one parameter indicating human physical activity;

a wireless transmitter operatively coupled to the processor, the wireless transmitter wirelessly transmitting, without requiring a user commanding the portable device to transmit, the at least one human physical activity indicating parameter to a further device for storage, the wireless transmitter wirelessly transmitting the stored recurrently determined at least one parameter to the further device when the portable device determines that communications with the further device can be established; and

a display operatively coupled to the processor, the processor being further configured to display the at least one human physical activity indicating parameter on the display,

wherein the processor is further configured to receive one or more messages from the further device upon completing wireless transfer of the stored at least one human physical activity indicating parameter to the further device.

5. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one sensor comprises an accelerometer.

6. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the parameter includes location information.

7. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one sensor provides the signal while the portable device is being carried by a user and the parameter indicates human physical activity of a human carrying the portable device.

8. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the parameter comprises step count.

9. The portable device according to claim 4, further comprising a threshold detector configured to compare the signal to a threshold, and wherein the processor is further configured to count occurrences of the signal exceeding the threshold.

10. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the wireless transmitter automatically detects when it comes into wireless communication with the further device, and in response, automatically transmits the at least one human physical activity indicating parameter to the further device.

11. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the wireless transmitter automatically detects when wireless communication with the further device becomes enabled, and in response, automatically transmits the at least one human physical activity indicating parameter to the further device.

12. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the wireless transmitter transmits the at least one parameter to the further device via a short range wireless radio transmission.

13. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the at least one physical activity parameter based upon the at least one sensor detecting motion of the portable device.

14. The portable device according to claim 13, wherein the processor determines whether the detected motion of the portable device corresponds to human movement.

15. The portable device of claim 4, wherein the processor determines the at least one parameter while the wireless communication is disabled and stores the parameter in the memory, and the wireless transmitter transmits the at least one parameter to the further device in response to a determination by the portable device that the wireless communication has re-enabled.

16. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the further device is configured to operate in standby mode, and wherein the portable device is further configured to transmit to the further device for storage while the further device is operating in standby mode.

17. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the portable device is configured for a low power mode, and the wireless transmitter is configured to communicate while the portable device is in the low power mode.

18. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the transmitted at least one parameter includes time information related to the human physical activity.

19. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the stored recurrently determined parameters indicating human physical activity comprises respective parameters indicating human physical activity for each of different corresponding time periods.

20. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to delete a stored human physical activity parameter upon determining that transmission is completed.

21. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to reset the recurrently determined parameter indicating human physical activity after transmitting it to the further device.

22. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein the wireless transmitter transmits human physical activity indicating parameters the portable device accumulated while the portable device was unable to wirelessly communicate with the further device.

23. The portable device of claim 4 wherein the portable device wirelessly transmits the parameter as data that is different and updated from parameter data the portable device previously transmitted.

24. An information processing system comprising a portable device and a further device, wherein the portable device comprises:

at least one sensor;

a processor operatively coupled to the at least one sensor and the memory, the processor configured to repeatedly generate information related to human physical activity based on signals repeatedly generated by the at least one sensor;

a memory configured to store repeatedly generated information related to human physical activity; and

a wireless transceiver operatively coupled to the processor, the wireless transceiver detecting whether wireless communication with the further device is possible and, in response to the detecting, transmitting via wireless communication without a user commanding the portable device to transmit, the information related to human physical activity to the further device for storage,

wherein the processor generates the information related to human physical activity while the wireless communication is disabled and stores the information in the memory, and the wireless transceiver transmits the stored repeatedly generated information to the further device in response to a determination by the portable device that the wireless communication has re-enabled,

wherein the processor is further configured to receive one or more messages from the further device upon completing wireless transfer of the stored repeatedly generated information to the further device; and

the further device comprising;

a data storage memory; and

a further processor configured to;

receive the wirelessly transmitted information; and

store the received information related to human physical activity in the data storage memory.

25. The portable device according to claim 24, further comprising a display operatively coupled to the processor, the processor being further configured to display the at least one physical activity parameter on the display.

26. A portable device comprising:

at least one sensor that recurrently provides a signal;

a processor configured to recurrently determine, in response to the signal, at least one parameter indicating human physical activity;

a memory configured to store the recurrently determined at least one parameter indicating human physical activity; and

a wireless transmitter operatively coupled to the processor, the wireless transmitter wirelessly transmitting the at least one physical activity parameter to a further device without requiring a user commanding the portable device to transmit,

the processor being further configured to determine the at least one parameter while the wireless communication is disabled and store the parameter in the memory,

the wireless transmitter wirelessly transmitting the stored repeatedly generated at least one parameter to the further device in response to a determination by the portable device that the wireless communication has re-enabled,

wherein the processor is further configured to receive one or more messages from the further device upon completing wireless transfer of the stored at least one human physical activity parameter to the further device.

27. The portable device according to claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured to delete a stored human physical activity parameter upon determining that transmission is completed.

28. The portable device according to claim 26, wherein the transmitted stored parameter represents human physical activity determinations by the processor accumulated since a previous transmission of the parameter to the further device.