Game system, game apparatus, storage medium storing game program and game data exchange method

• US 9,839,841 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2016
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Shoya, Kuwahara, Masato, Oe, Toru, Yoshioka, Teruyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US15/387,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20170100663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• 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 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• 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: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/24 for communication between two or more posts wireless communication networks H04W

Abstract

A game system including a plurality of mobile game apparatuses, and a mobile game apparatus that can communicate with another game apparatus that exists within a communicable range by use of a radio communications unit. When a communicated state is established, exchanging conditions for exchanging game data are received and transmitted, and in a case the exchange conditions are coincident with each other, the game data are exchanged.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a processor configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver and cause the device to at least;

wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information indicative of a capability of connecting with the device;

wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information from other devices; and

request that a connection be established with an other device from which self-identifying information has been wirelessly received, conditioned on the connection capability information of the other device,

wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that is responsive to reception, during a wait time, of self-identifying information and connection capability information from an other device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein connection capability information indicates whether the device can be connected to.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that includes user selection of an other device from which self-identifying information and connection capability information has been received.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that, once completed, causes the device to cease power- saving operation.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information and connection capability information is wirelessly transmittable while the device is operating in a power-saving mode.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the device to wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information by broadcasting, and wirelessly receive broadcasted self-identifying information and connection capability information.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the device to wirelessly transmit and wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information without establishing a connection.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein:

connection capability information indicates whether the device can be connected to;

self-identifying information and connection capability information is wirelessly transmittable while the device is operating in a power-saving mode and also while application software is being executed by the device; and

wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that includes user selection of an other device from which self-identifying information and connection capability information has been received.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein self-identifying information and connection capability information is wirelessly transmittable while application software is being executed by the device.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmission and the wireless reception are performed cyclically.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the request that a connection be established is automatic, responsive to reception of self-identifying information and connection capability information from an other device.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver and cause the device to automatically respond to an other device from which a request has been wirelessly transmitted, responsive to reception of that request.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver and cause the device to automatically connect with the other device to which the response has been wirelessly transmitted, responsive to reception of the request.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmission and the wireless reception alternately repeat.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmission includes consecutive transmissions of self-identifying information and connection capability information.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein repeated wireless reception of self-identifying information and connection capability information is enabled.

17. A device, comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a processor configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver and cause the device to at least;

wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information from other devices; and

request that a connection be established with an other device from which self-identifying information has been wirelessly received, conditioned on the connection capability information of the other device,

wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that is responsive to reception, during a wait time, of self-identifying information and connection capability information from an other device.

18. A device, comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a processor configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver and cause the device to at least;

wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information indicative of a capability of connecting with the device to other devices that, when received by an other device, causes the other device to request that a connection be established with the device, conditioned on the connection capability information of the device, wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process of the other device and is responsive to reception, during a wait time, of the self-identifying information and connection capability information from the device.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly storing instructions executable by a processor of a device comprising a wireless transceiver to cause the device to at least:

wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information indicative of a capability of connecting with the device;

wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information from other devices; and

request that a connection be established with an other device from which self-identifying information has been wirelessly received, conditioned on the connection capability information of the other device,

wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that is responsive to reception, during a wait time, of self-identifying information and connection capability information from an other device.

20. A device, comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a processor configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver and cause the device to at least;

wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information indicative of a capability of connecting with the device;

wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information from other devices; and

request that a connection be established with an other device from which self-identifying information has been wirelessly received, conditioned on the connection capability information of the other device,

wherein the request that a connection be established is automatic, responsive to reception of self-identifying information and connection capability information from an other device.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein connection capability information indicates whether the device can be connected to.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that, once completed, causes the device to cease power-saving operation.

23. The device of claim 20, wherein self-identifying information and connection capability information is wirelessly transmittable while the device is operating in a power-saving mode.

24. The device of claim 20, wherein self-identifying information and connection capability information is wirelessly transmittable while application software is being executed by the device.

25. The device of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver and cause the device to automatically respond to an other device from which a request has been wirelessly transmitted, responsive to reception of that request.

26. The device of claim 20, wherein the wireless transmission includes consecutive transmissions of self-identifying information and connection capability information.

27. A device, comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a processor configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver and cause the device to at least;

wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information indicative of a capability of connecting with the device;

wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information from other devices;

request that a connection be established with an other device from which self-identifying information has been wirelessly received, conditioned on the connection capability information of the other device; and

automatically respond to an other device from which a request has been wirelessly transmitted, responsive to reception of that request.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein connection capability information indicates whether the device can be connected to.

29. The device of claim 27, wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that, once completed, causes the device to cease power- saving operation.

30. The device of claim 27, wherein self-identifying information and connection capability information is wirelessly transmittable while the device is operating in a power-saving mode.

31. The device of claim 27, wherein self-identifying information and connection capability information is wirelessly transmittable while application software is being executed by the device.

32. The device of claim 27, wherein the wireless transmission includes consecutive transmissions of self-identifying information and connection capability information.

33. A system, comprising

a first device, comprising:

a first wireless transceiver, and

a first processor configured to cooperate with the first wireless transceiver and cause the first device to at least wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information indicative of a capability of connecting with the first device; and

a second device, comprising;

a second wireless transceiver, and

a second processor configured to cooperate with the second wireless transceiver and cause the second device to at least;

wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information from other devices; and

request that a connection be established with the first device from which self-identifying information has been wirelessly received, conditioned on the connection capability information of the first device, wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that is responsive to reception, during a wait time, of self-identifying information and connection capability information from the first device.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein self-identifying information and connection capability information is wirelessly transmittable while the first device is operating in a power-saving mode.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein the first processor is further configured to cause the first device to wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information by broadcasting, and

wherein the second processor is further configured to cause the second device to wirelessly receive broadcasted self-identifying information and connection capability information.

38. The system of claim 33, wherein the first processor is further configured to cause the first device to wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information without establishing a connection, and

wherein the second processor is further configured to cause the second device to wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information without establishing a connection.

39. The system of claim 33, wherein self-identifying information and connection capability information is wirelessly transmittable while application software is being executed by the first device.

40. The system of claim 33, wherein:

the first processor is further configured to cause the first device to wirelessly receive selfidentifying information and connection capability information from other devices,

the second processor is further configured to cause the second device to wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information indicative of a capability of connecting with the second device, and

the wireless transmission and the wireless reception are performed cyclically for each of the first and second devices.

34. A system, comprising

a first device, comprising:

a first wireless transceiver, and

a first processor configured to cooperate with the first wireless transceiver and cause the first device to at least wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information indicative of a capability of connecting with the first device; and

a second device, comprising;

a second wireless transceiver, and

a second processor configured to cooperate with the second wireless transceiver and cause the second device to at least;

wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information from other devices; and

request that a connection be established with the first device from which self-identifying information has been wirelessly received, conditioned on the connection capability information of the first device, wherein the request that a connection be established is automatic, responsive to reception of self-identifying information and connection capability information from the first device.

41. The system of claim 34, wherein self-identifying information and connection capability information is wirelessly transmittable while the first device is operating in a power-saving mode.

42. The system of claim 34, wherein the first processor is further configured to cause the first device to wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information by broadcasting, and

wherein the second processor is further configured to cause the second device to wirelessly receive broadcasted self-identifying information and connection capability information.

43. The system of claim 34, wherein the first processor is further configured to cause the first device to wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information without establishing a connection, and

wherein the second processor is further configured to cause the second device to wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information without establishing a connection.

44. The system of claim 34, wherein self-identifying information and connection capability information is wirelessly transmittable while application software is being executed by the first device.

45. The system of claim 34, wherein:

the first processor is further configured to cause the first device to wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information from other devices,

the second processor is further configured to cause the second device to wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information indicative of a capability of connecting with the second device, and

the wireless transmission and the wireless reception are performed cyclically for each of the first and second devices.

35. A system, comprising

a first device, comprising:

a first wireless transceiver, and

a first processor configured to cooperate with the first wireless transceiver and cause the first device to at least wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information indicative of a capability of connecting with the first device; and

a second device, comprising;

a second wireless transceiver, and

a second processor configured to cooperate with the second wireless transceiver and cause the second device to at least;

wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information from other devices; and

request that a connection be established with the first device from which self-identifying information has been wirelessly received, conditioned on the connection capability information of the first device;

wherein the first processor is further configured to cooperate with the first wireless transceiver and further cause the first device to at least automatically respond to the second device from which a request has been wirelessly transmitted, responsive to reception of that request.