Game system, game machine, game data distribution machine, image data distribution system, and computer-usable information

• US 6,346,048 B1
• Filed: 12/05/2000
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Namco Limited (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Nishiura, Hiroshi, Wachi, Atsushi, Sato, Shigeru, Ogawa, Toru, Moriguchi, Akihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RADA, ALEX P
• Application Number:
  US09/647,356
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16-22, 463/26, 463/27, 463/40, 463/42, 463/41
• 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 13/30 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 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/404 characterized by a local network connection

Abstract

There are provided a game system, game machine, game data distribution machine, image data distribution system and computer available information which can synchronize clock signals between a plurality of devices.

A game data distribution machine (100) includes a machine clock generation section (180), a clock selection section (160) and a clock generation section (120). By using these sections, a reference clock is generated as a basis of synchronization. The game data distribution machine also includes a clock and data superposition section (170) which superposes the reference clock on a game data, the superposed game data being then distributed to game machines (200). Each of the game machines (200) includes a clock and data separation section (272) which extracts the reference clock from the superposed data and a clock generation section (220) which generates an operation clock for each of game execution means including a game data production section (290) and so on, based on the reference clock.

Claims

1. A game system comprising at least one slave machine and a master machine connected to the slave machine through a transmission path, synchronization between the master machine and the slave machine being taken during operation,

wherein the master machine includes:

means for generating a reference clock to be a basis of the synchronization; and

means for transmitting the generated reference clock to the slave machine,

wherein the slave machine includes;

means for receiving the reference clock transmitted from the master machine;

operation clock generation means for generating a slave operation clock for the slave machine so that the slave operation clock is synchronized with a master operation clock for the master machine based on the received reference clock; and

game means for executing a game based on the generated slave operation clock.

2. The game system according to claim 1,

wherein the reference clock is set to be of a frequency lower than the slave operation clock and the master operation clock,

wherein the game means includes a plurality of game execution means, and

wherein the operation clock generation means generates the slave operation clock for each of the game execution means.

3. An image data distribution system comprising at least one image display machine and an image distribution machine connected to the image display machine through a transmission path, the image distribution machine distributing image data to the image display machine, synchronization between the image display machine and the image distribution machine being taken during operation,

wherein the image distribution machine includes

means for generating a reference clock to be a basis of the synchronization;

and

means for transmitting the generated reference clock to the image display machine,

wherein the image display machine includes;

means for receiving the reference clock transmitted from the image distribution machine; and

operation clock generation means for generating a display operation clock for the image display machine so that the display operation clock is synchronized with a distribution operation clock for the image distribution machine based on the received reference clock.

4. The image data distribution system according to claim 3,

wherein the reference clock is set to be of a frequency lower than the display operation clock and the distribution operation clock.

5. A game data distribution machine for distributing game data for playing a game to a plurality of game machines in which the game is played while a progressing state of the game in each of the game machines is synchronous each other, the game data distribution machine comprising;

means for generating the game data;

means for generating a reference clock to be a basis of generation speed of the game data; and

means for transmitting the reference clock and the game data to the plurality of game machines,

wherein, in each of the plurality of game machines, execution speed of a game is adjusted based on the reference clock and the game is played at the execution speed of the game based on the game data.

6. A game machine for playing a game with at least one other game machine while a processing state of the game in the game machine is synchronous with a processing state of the game in the other game machine, the game machine comprising

means for receiving game data from a game data distribution machine for distributing the game data to the game machine and to the other game machine, and a reference clock to be a basis of clock speed from the game data distribution machine;

means for generating an operation clock of the game machine so that a clock speed of the game machine is synchronized with a clock speed of the other game machine based on the received reference clock; and

means for executing the game based on the generated operation clock and the game data.

7. A game machine realizing at least one of a master function and a slave function and operating in synchronization with at least one other game machine, the game machine comprising:

means for generating a reference clock to be a basis of the synchronization when the game machine realizes the master function;

means for transmitting the generated reference clock to the other game machine having the slave function when the game machine realizes the master function;

means for receiving the reference clock from the other game machine having the master function when the game machine realizes the slave function;

operation clock generation means for generating an operation clock based on the reference clock; and

game means for executing the game based on the generated operation clock.

8. The game machine according to claim 7,

wherein the reference clock is set to be of a frequency lower than the operation clock,

wherein the game means includes a plurality of game execution means, and

wherein the operation clock generation means generates the operation clock for each of the game execution means.

9. The game machine according to claim 7,

wherein the game machine realizes the master function when the game machine starts prior to the other game machine, and realizes the slave function when the game machine starts after the other game machine.

10. A game machine realizing at least one of a master function and a slave function and operating in synchronization with at least one other game machine, the game machine comprising:

circuit for generating a reference clock to be a basis of the synchronization when the game machine realize the master function;

circuit for transmitting the generated reference clock to the other game machine having the slave function when the game machine realizes the master function;

circuit for receiving the reference clock from the other game machine having the master function when the game machine realizes the slave function;

operation clock generating circuit for generating an operation clock based on the reference clock; and

game circuit for executing the game based on the generated operation clock.

11. A game machine usable in a network to which a plurality of game machines are connected through a transmission path designed to transmit data with a predetermined transmission interval, the game machine operating in synchronization with at least one other game machine, the game machine comprising:

means for receiving game data for playing a game, with the transmission interval;

means for generating an operation clock based on the transmission interval; and

means for executing the game based on the generated operation clock and the game data.

12. A computer-usable information embodied on an information storage medium or in a carrier wave, for distributing game data for playing a game to a plurality of game machines while a progressing state of the game in each of the game machines is synchronous each other, the information comprising information for realizing

means for generating the game data;

means for generating a reference clock to be a basis of generation speed of the game data; and

means for causing transmission means to transmit the reference clock and the game data to the plurality of game machines,

wherein, in each of the plurality of game machines, execution speed of a game is adjusted based on the reference clock, and the game is played at the execution speed of the game based on the game data.

13. Computer-usable information embodied on an information storage medium or in a carrier wave, for a computer playing a game with at least one game machine while a progressing state of the game in the computer is synchronous with a progressing state of the game in the game machine, the information comprising information for realizing:

means for causing receiving means to receive game data distributed from a game data distribution machine distributing the game data to the game machine for playing the game, and a reference clock to be a basis of clock speed;

means for generating an operation clock of the computer so that a clock speed of the computer which uses the computer-usable information is synchronized with a clock-speed of the game machine based on the received reference clock; and

means for executing the game based on the generated operation clock and the game data.

14. Computer-usable information embodied on an information storage medium or in a carrier wave, for a computer realizing at least one of a master function and a slave function and operating in synchronization with at least one game machine, the information comprising information for realizing:

means for generating a reference clock to be a basis of the synchronization when the computer realizes the master function;

means for causing transmission means to transmit the generated reference clock to the game machine having the slave function when the computer realizes the master function;

means for causing receiving means to receive the reference clock sent from the game machine having the master function when the computer realizes the slave function;

operation clock generation means for generating an operation clock based on the reference clock; and

game means for executing the game based on the generated operation clock.

15. Computer-usable information embodied on an information storage medium or in a carrier wave according to claim 14,

wherein the reference clock is set to be of a frequency lower than the operation clock.

16. Computer-usable information embodied on an information storage medium or in a carrier wave, being used in a network to which a computer and at least one game machine are connected through a transmission path designed to transmit data with a predetermined transmission interval and for synchronizing with the game machine, the information comprising information for realizing:

means for causing receiving means to receive game data for playing a game, with the transmission interval;

means for generating an operation clock based on the transmission interval; and

means for executing the game based on the generated operation clock and the game data.