Hand-held electronic game with rotatable display

• US 6,248,017 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1999
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hasbro Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hasbro Inc.
• Inventors: Roach, Alan P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sager, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOTALING, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US09/471,325
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1-6, 463/30, 463/36, 463/37, 463/46, 463/47
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• 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 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying

Abstract

An electronic game includes a housing shaped like a fighter ship, a display mounted on the housing, an input device mounted within the housing, and a processor connected to control the display and receive input from the input device. The display is rotatable relative to the housing. The processor is programmed to cause the display to display an element representing the fighter ship that remains stationary relative to the housing when a player rotates the display relative to the housing. The processor causes the display to display a play zone that includes the stationary element and one or more zone elements, the zone elements rotating as the player rotates the display. The zone elements include objects that move toward a perimeter of the play zone, fired objects. The fired objects may emanate from the perimeter-moving objects—these fired objects move toward the play zone perimeter. The fired objects may concurrently or alternatively emanate from the stationary element in response to signals from the input device. When a fired object strikes the stationary element, the stationary element is destroyed. When a fired object strikes a zone element, the zone element is destroyed.

Claims

1. An electronic game comprising:

a housing;

a display mounted on the housing and rotatable relative to the housing; and

a processor connected to control the display and programmed to cause the display to display an element that remains stationary relative to the housing when the display is rotated relative to the housing.

2. The game of claim 1, wherein the housing is shaped like a vehicle.

3. The game of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a handle that enables a player to hold the housing using one hand and rotate the display using the other hand.

4. The game of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD).

5. The game of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises an end that couples to a player'"'"'s chest.

6. The game of claim 5, wherein the coupled end of the housing comprises a softer material to protect the player'"'"'s chest.

7. The game of claim 1, wherein the processor causes the display to display a play zone that includes the element.

8. The game of claim 7, wherein the play zone includes one or more zone elements, the zone elements rotating as the display is rotated relative to the housing.

9. The game of claim 8, wherein the zone elements comprise objects that move toward a perimeter of the play zone, and fired objects.

10. The game of claim 9, further comprising an input device mounted in the housing to receive input from a player.

11. The game of claim 10, wherein the processor is connected to the input device.

12. The game of claim 11, wherein the fired objects emanate from the perimeter-moving objects and move toward the play zone perimeter.

13. The game of claim 12, wherein when a fired object strikes the stationary element, the stationary element is destroyed.

14. The game of claim 13, further comprising a speaker connected to and controlled by the processor, wherein the processor is programmed to play one or more sounds from the speaker when the stationary element is destroyed.

15. The game of claim 13, wherein the processor is programmed to alter the play zone when the stationary element is destroyed.

16. The game of claim 13, wherein the processor is programmed to display a game update that provides game information to the player.

17. The game of claim 16, wherein the processor is programmed to permit the game update to display a value associated with a number of destroyed stationary elements.

18. The game of claim 11, wherein the fired objects emanate from the stationary element in response to signals from the input device.

19. The game of claim 18, wherein when a fired object strikes a zone element, the zone element is destroyed.

20. The game of claim 19, further comprising a speaker connected to and controlled by the processor, wherein the processor is programmed to play one or more sounds from the speaker when a zone element is destroyed.

21. The game of claim 20, further comprising a speaker connected to and controlled by the processor, wherein the processor is programmed to play one or more sounds from the speaker when a zone element is destroyed.

22. The game of claim 21, wherein the processor is programmed to display a game update that displays a score associated with a number of destroyed zone elements.

23. An electronic game comprising:

a housing that includes a handle at the front of the housing and a soft end at the back of the housing, the soft end coupling to a player'"'"'s chest;

a display mounted on the front of the housing and rotatable relative to the housing;

an input device mounted on the handle to receive input from a player; and

a processor connected to control the display and receive input from the input device, and programmed to cause the display to;

display an element that remains stationary relative to the housing when the player rotates the display relative to the housing, and

display a play zone that includes the stationary element and zone elements, the zone elements rotating as the player rotates the display, wherein;

the zone elements include objects that move toward a perimeter of the play zone and fired objects,

the fired objects emanate from the perimeter-moving objects and the fired object emanate from the stationary element in response to signals from the input device,

when a fired object strikes the stationary element, the stationary element is destroyed, and

when a fired object strikes a zone element, the zone element is destroyed.