Fish breeding toy for cellular telephones

• US 20030236119A1
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Forlines, Clifton L., Marks, Joseph W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,179,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/41
• 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 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/825 Fostering virtual characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8058 Virtual breeding, e.g. tamagotchi
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]

Abstract

A cellular telephone breeding toy includes a memory storing genetic traits of corresponding breedable virtual fish. The memory also stores sets of image templates, there being at least one genetic trait associated with each image template. A keypad is used to select one or more of the virtual fish, and to render the virtual fish according to the genetic traits and the sets of image templates. Lineage of the virtual fish can also be displayed, and the virtual fish can be traded between cellular telephones using communications protocols. Genetic traits of two virtual fish can be combined randomly to generate off-springs.

Claims

1. A cellular telephone breeding toy comprising:

a first memory of the cellular telephone configured to store a plurality of vectors, each vector representing genetic traits of a corresponding breedable object;

a second memory of the cellular telephone configured to store a plurality of sets of image templates, there being at least one element of each vector associated with each image template;

input means for selecting a particular one of the plurality of vectors associated with the corresponding breedable object;

processor means for compositing selected ones of the image templates according to the genetic traits of the corresponding breedable object, the compositing stacking the selected image templates in an image buffer of the memory in a predetermined order; and

a screen buffer coupled to the image buffer to render an image of the corresponding breedable object according to the genetic traits on a display of the cellular telephone.

2. The cellular telephone breeding toy of claim 1 further comprising;

third memory storing a lineage of the breedable object; and

means for displaying ancestors of the breedable object.

3. The cellular telephone breeding toy of claim 1 wherein the genetic traits include gender, size, color, and patterns.

4. The cellular telephone breeding toy of claim 1 wherein genetic traits of first and second breedable objects are combined into genetics traits of a third breedable object stored as one of the vectors in the first memory.

5. The cellular telephone breeding toy of claim 1 wherein the genetic traits include a set of gene pairs.

6. The cellular telephone breeding toy of claim 5 wherein the set of gene pairs is associated with phenotypes, genotypes, and dominance characteristic of the corresponding breedable object.

7. The cellular telephone breeding toy of claim 1 wherein the dominance characteristics include dominant, co-dominant, semi-dominant, recessive, and polygenic characteristics.

8. The cellular telephone breeding toy of claim 4 wherein the genetic traits are combined randomly.

9. The cellular telephone breeding toy of claim 4 wherein the genetic traits represent a background color, primary pattern, head pattern, secondary pattern, texture, of the corresponding breedable object.

10. The cellular telephone breeding toy of claim 4 wherein a particular genetic trait can only be combined a predetermined number of times.

11. The cellular telephone breeding toy of claim 1 further comprising:

means for communicating selected genetic traits with another cellular telephone.

12. The cellular telephone breeding toy of claim 1 wherein each breedable object is a virtual fish.

13. The cellular telephone breeding toy of claim 12 further comprising:

means for displaying the virtual fish in a virtual pond.

14. The cellular telephone breeding toy of claim 12 further comprising:

means for generating a physical object from the image of the corresponding breedable object.