Remote game apparatus

• US 4,372,558 A
• Filed: 11/20/1979
• Issued: 02/08/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Sea-Land Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Kazutsugu, Shimamoto, Takeshi, Arai, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Adams, Russell E.
• Application Number:
  US06/096,175
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 273/237, 273/238, 273/1 E, 273/1 ES, 273/271, 340/323, 364/410, 364/411, 179/2 DP
• 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 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• 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 2003/00406 with a vertical game board
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/086 played via telephone, e.g. using a modem
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2451 using illumination, e.g. with lamps
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00643 Electric board games; Electric features of board games electric word or number games A63F3/0421; computer chess G06F; electric raffle games A63F3/081
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems

Abstract

A game apparatus for enabling players present at remote places from each other to easily play the game through a connected common communication network like a telephone line. The game apparatus has functions for detecting and displaying the moved arrangement of a game piece, for transmitting and receiving the detected signals via the communication network, and for collating the reproductive motion of the one player, performed by watching the displayed moved arrangement of a game piece, with the intended motion carried out by the other player.

Claims

1. A remote game apparatus that enables players present at remote places to play a game by communicating via a common communication network, comprising:

detecting means for detecting a moved arrangement of a game piece on a game board and for providing a coded data signal;

communication means for communicating said coded data signal between two identical apparatus via said communication network;

displaying means for displaying a moved arrangement of a game piece in response to said received coded data signal; and

collating means for collating the coded data signal, supplied from the detecting means by a reproductive action of a game player performed by watching the display of said displaying means, with the coded data signal received by said communication means, and for displaying the result of the collation.

2. A remote game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said communication means additionally transmits said result of said collation of said collating means from one apparatus to the other apparatus via said communication network.

3. A remote game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said displaying means turns off the display when said result of said collation of said collating means is in accord.

4. A remote game apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said displaying means turns off the display when said result of said collation received by said communication means is in accord.

5. A remote game apparatus that enables players present at remote places to play a game by communicating via a common communication network, comprising:

detecting means for detecting a moved arrangement of a game piece on a game board and for providing a coded data signal;

communication means for transmitting and receiving said coded data signal between two identical apparatus via said communication network, and for storing temporarily said coded data signal when transmitting;

displaying means for displaying a moved arrangement of a game piece in response to said received coded data signal; and

collating means for collating said coded data signal stored in said communication means with the received coded data signal which is transmitted by the communication means from one apparatus to the other apparatus after being provided by said detecting means, when the player of said other apparatus performs a reproductive motion of a game piece on a game board by watching the display on the apparatus, and for displaying the result of the collation.

6. A remote game apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said communication means again transmits said stored coded data signal when said result of said collation of said collating means is not in accord.

7. A remote game apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said communication means additionally transmits said result of said collation of said collating means from one apparatus to the other apparatus via said communication network.