Media formatting and system for interactive game programming

• US 20060024034A1
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hasbro Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hasbro Inc.
• Inventors: Capper, David G., Filo, Andrew S., Suzuki, Kent
• Granted Patent: US 7,565,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/243
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 specifically adapted for audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/025 Portable cases
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/027 Covers G11B33/022 takes precedence; with means for guiding the record carrier G11B17/34
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/10 Indicating arrangements; Warning arrangements G11B15/04, G11B19/04, G11B27/34, G11B27/36 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/806 with processing of the sound signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals

Abstract

A video game system including a compact disc programmed with video and audio data and designed to continuously update a player device with informational data to facilitate dynamic sequencing of video tracks during video game play. A unique uncomplicated development methodology is disclosed for the format information on the disc and the programming of the player device providing advantages of achieving strategic video gaming and fast action gaming, exclusively from the manipulation of a user'"'"'s input during play via six operable navigational buttons. The navigational buttons thus affect the player device selection of video tracks through format information added to image frames of the disc. Numerous benefits are provided including the use of high quality video images and DVD style gaming applications in a low cost system which utilizes inexpensive standard disc media, such game discs are developed at substantially reduced programming cost relative to other game programming technologies.

Claims

1. A disc player for interactive image display, comprising:

a housing for receiving a disc;

a plurality of navigational buttons on the housing;

an optical disc reader for reading content information and format information from frame data structures encoded on a plurality of tracks on the disc;

a display;

an information processor operable with the display and the optical disc reader for using the content information for generating an image on the display;

a data acquisition track mechanism for positioning the optical disc reader at a selected one of the plurality of tracks on the disc; and

a series of registers used by the information processor to store selected portions of the format information from the frame data structures to provide jump chains associated with at least one of the plurality of navigational buttons, the series of registers being used by the information processor to position the data acquisition track mechanism at the selected one of the plurality of tracks.

2. The disc player as recited in claim 1, wherein said selected portions of the format information from at least one of the frame data structures comprises a table containing address information associating at least one of the plurality of navigational buttons to a track on the disc.

3. The disc player as recited in claim 2, wherein said series of registers are located on the disc player and are dynamically updated with table addresses as the disc is played, creating time windows.

4. The disc player as recited in claim 2, wherein said disc player comprises multiple navigational buttons associated with the table.

5. The disc player as recited in claim 3, wherein at least one track of the disc comprises two or more frame data structures having identical address information to ensure the accuracy of the updating of the registers of the disc player.

6. The disc player as recited in claim 2, wherein said address information comprises a series of addresses to provide a jump chain defined by the table.

7. The disc player as recited in claim 2, wherein at least one track of the disc comprises frame data structures with tables containing a series of addresses which change with multiple frame data structures of the track.

8. The disc player as recited in claim 1, further comprising a table contained in the selected portions of the format information from the frame data structures of the tracks on the disc, wherein said table is unique to one of the plurality of tracks on the disc and is stored on the series of registers as said one of the plurality of tracks is read by the optical disc reader.

9. The disc player as recited in claim 8, wherein said table contains a series of addresses which provide jump chains associated with two or more of the multiple navigational buttons linking together two or more selected tracks to each of said two or more multiple navigational buttons.

10. A method of formatting information on a disc for playback responsive to user navigational inputs, the method of formatting comprising:

encoding frame data structures on a plurality of tracks on the disc;

providing content information in the frame data structures for the display of images associated with at least one of the plurality of tracks on the disc;

providing format information in the frame data structures defining jump chains associated with at least one of the user navigational inputs to select at least one of the plurality of tracks on the disc.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said format information comprises tables containing address information associating at least one of the user navigational inputs with a track on the disc.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein said tables associate two or more of said user navigational inputs with a track on the disc.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein said address information comprises a series of addresses to provide jump chains defined by the tables.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein said tables comprise a series of addresses which provide jump chains associated with two or more of the user navigational inputs linking together two or more selected tracks to each of said two or more user navigational inputs.

15. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein said address information is repeatedly updated to a series of registers located on a disc player during playback of the disc.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one track of the disc comprises two or more frame data structures having identical address information to ensure the accuracy of the updating of the registers.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of tracks comprises at least one frame data structure providing address information which changes dynamically from frame to frame, creating time windows.

18. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said format information of the plurality of tracks comprises a table containing a series of addresses unique to one or more of the plurality of tracks on the disc.

19. A disc playing method for selecting one of a plurality of tracks from the disc for displaying images on the disc player, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of navigational buttons on the disc player;

encoding frame data structures on a plurality of tracks on the disc;

providing content information and format information in the frame data structures for the display of images associated with the content information;

storing the format information from the frame data structures on the disc player in a series of registers used to provide jump chains associated with at least one of the plurality of navigational buttons to select the track from the disc; and

generating images from the content information of the frame data structures associated with the selected one of the plurality of tracks from the disc.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein said format information further comprises tables containing address information used to repeatedly update the series of registers.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein said address information comprises a series of addresses associating at least one of the plurality of navigational buttons with a track on the disc.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein said series of addresses associate at least one of the plurality of navigational buttons with two or more selected tracks on the disc.

23. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein said address information comprises a series of address to provide at least one jump chain defined by the table.

24. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein at least one track of the disc comprises frame data structures with tables containing a series of address which change dynamically from frame to frame, creating time windows.