System for remote game access

• US 9,675,877 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2015
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ELBO, Inc. (Gamestop Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ELBO, Inc. (Gamestop Corporation)
• Inventors: Becca, Oswald Anthony, Walker, Peter Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): GARNER, WERNER G
• Application Number:
  US14/638,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20160023104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• 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 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• 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 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• 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 13/33 using wide area network [WAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2488 Remotely playable
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/52 with a remote control
• 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: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 : server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 : for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 : for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 : Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 : Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 : Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence

Abstract

A system for allowing a user to remotely access a game includes: a game console; a remote console client configured to receive a game control signal; and a remote console server. The remote console server includes an audio and video encoder configured to receive an audio output and a video output from the game console and to convert the audio output and the video output to a network packet. The remote console server also includes: a game controller emulation unit and a network interface configured to send and receive the network packet. The game controller emulation unit is configured to receive a game controller signal from the game console and to send the game controller signal to the remote console client and to receive a game controller input from the remote console client and send the game controller input to the game console.

Claims

1. A system for enabling a user to remotely access a game, the system comprising:

a first plurality of game consoles that include respective game controller interfaces, audio outputs, and video outputs, the first plurality of game consoles remote from the user; and

a remote console server comprising;

a console virtualization engine configured to selectively provide remote clients of a plurality of users access to the first plurality of game consoles, wherein the console virtualization engine is configured to;

provide access to a first game console from the first plurality of game consoles to the user in response to the user requesting a first game session, to enable the user to engage in game play on the first game console;

receive packetized control signals from a remote game controller associated with the user;

convert the packetized control signals from the remote game controller associated with the requesting user to a form compatible with the first game console;

receive audio and video data output from the first game console;

encode and packetize the audio and video data output from the first game console;

transmit the encoded and packetized audio and video data output from the first game console to a client associated with the user;

store a game configuration, corresponding to the first game session with the first game console;

enable another of the first plurality of game consoles access to the stored game configuration during a second game session of the user.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the stored game configuration is stored remote from the first game console.

3. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first plurality of game consoles comprises a plurality of different types of game consoles.

4. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the remote console server is further configured to communicate with a global server, wherein the global server is configured to store a second game configuration from the remote console server and to restore the stored second game configuration to the remote console server, and the remote console server is configured to restore the stored second game configuration to the first game console through a memory emulation unit, the memory emulation unit being configured to emulate a memory device for the first game console, and the global server is configured to provide the client associated with the user an advertisement for display, the advertisement targeted to the user based at least in part on a usage pattern of games played or viewed by the user, wherein the remote console server is configured to cache game controller configurations for future use and to automatically load game-specific controller help information.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the remote console server is further configured to communicate with a global server, wherein the global server is configured to enable an owner of a second game console to expose and manage remote access to the second game console through the remote console server.

6. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the remote console server is further configured to communicate with a global server, wherein the global server is configured to keep track of a usage of remote console servers by the clients.

7. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a global server is configured to provide the client associated with the user an advertisement for display, the advertisement targeted to the user based at least in part on a usage pattern of games played or viewed by the user.

8. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a first group of remote console servers, wherein each remote console server in the first group of remote console servers is configured to send a network packet that announces a presence of the respective remote console server and the client is configured to locate the remote console server having a lowest latency with respect to the client.

9. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a portal that enables franchising of a set of remote console servers, wherein the portal enables management of the set of remote console servers as a common pool.

10. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the remote console server is configured to automatically adjust a quality and a latency of a transmitted video depending on an available bandwidth or a type of image being transmitted.

11. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the remote console server is configured to automatically load game help information corresponding to the game controller.

12. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the remote console server is configured to adjust to a plurality of game console controller types.