Communicative game system

• US 6,183,367 B1
• Filed: 07/15/1998
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
• Inventors: Fuse, Naoki, Harada, Yoshinori, Kaji, Toshiyuki, Nakane, Toshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, BINH AN DUC
• Application Number:
  US09/115,638
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/40, 463/1, 463/2, 463/3, 463/4, 463/5, 463/6, 463/7, 463/8, 463/9, 463/10, 463/11, 463/12, 463/13, 463/16, 463/25, 463/26, 463/30, 463/31, 463/41, 463/43, 273/292, 273/293, 345/418, 345/433, 345/113, 345/114, 345/133, 345/329
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• 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 13/54 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 13/655 by importing photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/695 Imported photos, e.g. of the player

Abstract

By enabling exchange of information relating to players, apart from game data, “communication” between the players is increased, and the sense of rivalry and level of interest generated by a game are raised. The communicative game system 1 forms a network comprising a plurality of game devices 2a-2d connected mutually by communications media 3. The plurality of game devices 2a-2d respectively comprise a communications system 31 for receiving data transferred over the network and transferring the received data and data generated by the home game device onto the network, and a host system 32 for accessing the received data. By this means, data comprising a game packet, sound packet and video packet can be transmitted by conducting broadcast communications based on the communications system 31 and host system 32 between the plurality of game devices 2a-2d.

Claims

1. A communicative game system comprising a network formed by mutually connecting a plurality of game devices, whereby a plurality of players play a game individually, by means of communications media, wherein said plurality of game devices respectively comprise:

transferring means for receiving data transferred over said network and transferring the received data and data generated by the game device onto said network; and

access means for accessing said received data;

wherein

the data is transmitted and received by conducting communications according to a broadcast system between said plurality of game devices by means of said transferring means and said access means; and

wherein the data transferred over said network comprises a frame data packet generated by implementation of the game in each of said game devices;

a sound data packet relating to the voice of the player playing the game at each of said game devices; and

a video packet relating to an image of the player playing the game at each of said game devices.

2. The communicative game system according to claim 1, wherein each of said game devices comprises game executing means for generating said game data, sound data generating means for inputting the voice of said player and generating said sound data and video data generating means for inputting images of said player and generating said video data.

3. The communicative game system according to claim 2, wherein each of said game devices comprises sound generating means for generating sound by synthesizing the sound data in said game data with said sound data in said transfer data, and image display means for displaying an image on a monitor by synthesizing the video data in said game data with said video data in said transfer data.

4. The communicative game system according to claim 2, wherein said image display means comprises video data processing means whereby at least one element out of the elements of display size, display position, brightness, colour, bordering and embossing, relating to said video data in said transfer data can be changed.

5. The communicative game system according to claim 3, wherein said video data generating means comprises compression means for compressing said video data.

6. The communicative game system, according to claim 3, wherein said video data generating means comprises extracting means for extracting only a human image of said player from said video data.

7. The communicative game system according to claim 3, wherein said image display means comprises means for superimposing said video data in said transfer data on the screen of video data in said game data, in the form of a window.

8. The communicative game system according to claim 3, wherein said transferring means comprises a controller for controlling the data transmission and reception operations of said transferring means and a memory for recording said received data, and said sound data generating means comprises a processor for processing said sound data and a working memory, which is separate from said memory and is used as a work area by the processor.

9. The communicative game system, according to claim 3, wherein said sound data generating means comprises means for achieving synchronism by interpolation processing to match a plurality of frame lengths.

10. The communicative game system according to claim 3, wherein said sound data generating means comprises sound data processing means for applying processing corresponding to at least one element of the elements of sound effects, noise or special effects, to said sound data.

11. The communicative game system according to claim 3, wherein any one of said plurality of game devices comprises means for transmitting background sound data generated by a home game device to the other game devices.

12. The communicative game system according to claim 3, wherein said sound data generating means comprises means for converting said sound data to three-dimensional sound data.

13. The communicative game system according to claim 1, wherein each of said game devices comprises scene change processing means for exchanging a scene between a first character corresponding to a user of the game device and a second character corresponding to a user of another game device.