Exploiting a broadcast system to enhance a wireless gaming experience using position holders to replace data

• US 6,453,160 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2000
• Issued: 09/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kotzin, Michael D., Thomas, Howard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US09/629,633
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.01, 455/3.06, 455/412, 455/414, 455/419, 455/426, 370/312, 370/401, 370/527, 370/529, 463/36-42
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

A wireless data system (200) and a method (400) of communicating digital data to one or more handheld wireless devices (202) are provided. The method (400) comprise the steps of removing (402) at least one data segment from the digital data to form a first digital data portion (300) and replacing (406) the at least one data segment with an at least one position holder (303, 305) embedded into the first digital data portion. The method further includes forming (409) at least one second digital data portion including the at least one data segment, communicating (413) the first digital data portion (300) to a wireless network (209), and communicating (419) the at least one second digital data portion to a broadcast transmitter (215). The method broadcasts (422) the first digital data portion (300) from the wireless network (209) and broadcasts (425) the at least one second digital data portion from the broadcast transmitter (215). The method combines (427) in the handheld wireless device (202) the at least one data segment of the at least one second digital data portion into the at least one position holder of the first digital data portion (300) to reconstitute the digital data.

Claims

1. A wireless data system, comprising:

a plurality of handheld wireless devices capable of receiving digital data comprised of a first digital data portion and at least one second digital data portion;

a wireless network capable of transmitting said first digital data portion to said plurality of handheld wireless devices;

a data server for creating said digital data, said data server communicating with said wireless network and removing at least one data segment from said digital data to form said first digital data portion, replacing said at least one data segment with at least one position holder embedded into said first digital data portion, and forming said at least one second digital data portion including said at least one data segment; and

at least one broadcast transmitter communicating with said data server and broadcasting said at least one second digital data portion to said plurality of handheld wireless devices;

wherein said plurality of handheld wireless devices are capable of receiving and combining said at least one data segment of said at least one second digital data portion into said at least one position holder of said first digital data portion to reconstitute said digital data.

2. The wireless data system of claim 1, wherein a handheld wireless device of said plurality of handheld wireless devices comprises a handheld wireless gaming device.

3. The wireless data system of claim 1, wherein said at least one data segment comprises digital data being transmitted to two or more handheld wireless devices.

4. The wireless data system of claim 1, wherein said at least one data segment comprises a graphics data.

5. The wireless data system of claim 1, wherein said at least one data segment comprises a visual game background.

6. The wireless data system of claim 1, wherein said broadcast transmitter communicates with said data server via a wire link.

7. The wireless data system of claim 1, wherein said broadcast transmitter communicates with said data server via a RF link.

8. The wireless data system of claim 1, wherein said broadcast transmitter communicates with a wireless handheld device via a wire link.

9. The wireless data system of claim 1, wherein a wireless handheld device communicates with said data server via a wire link.

10. The wireless data system of claim 1, wherein said broadcast transmitter communicates with a wireless handheld device via a RF link.

11. A method of communicating digital data to a handheld wireless device, comprising the steps of:

removing at least one data segment from said digital data to form a first digital data portion;

replacing said at least one data segment with at least one position holder embedded into said first digital data portion;

forming said at least one second digital data portion including said at least one data segment;

communicating said first digital data portion to a wireless network;

communicating said at least one second digital data portion to a broadcast transmitter;

broadcasting said first digital data portion from said wireless network;

broadcasting said at least one second digital data portion from said broadcast transmitter; and

combining in said handheld wireless device said at least one data segment of said at least one second digital data portion into said at least one position holder of said first digital data portion to reconstitute said digital data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said position holder comprises a pointer.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said position holder comprises a symbol.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said position holder comprises a code.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said first data portion comprises real time data.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said at least one data segment comprises digital data being transmitted to two or more handheld wireless devices.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein said method further includes generating said first digital data portion and said at least one second digital data portion in a data server communicating with said wireless network and communicating with said broadcast transmitter.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein said handheld wireless device comprises a handheld wireless gaming device.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein said steps of communicating said at least one second digital data portion and combining said at least one data segment into said at least one position holder are done independently of communicating said first digital data portion.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein said combining is performed in real time.

21. A wireless data system, comprising:

a plurality of wireless devices including first and second wireless device, said first wireless device capable of receiving a first data portion and a broadcast data portion and said second wireless device capable of receiving a second data portion and said broadcast data portion;

a wireless network capable of transmitting said first data portion to said first wireless device and said second data portion to said second wireless device;

a data server communicating with said wireless network, said data server capable of creating said digital data, removing a first data segment from said digital data to form said first data portion, removing a second data segment from said digital data to form said second data portion, and forming said broadcast data portion including said first and second data segments; and

a broadcast transmitter communicating with said data server, said broadcast transmitter broadcasting said broadcast data portion to said plurality of wireless devices including said first wireless device and said second wireless device;

wherein said first wireless devices is capable of receiving and combining said first data segment of said first data portion into said broadcast data portion to reconstitute a portion of said digital data that is relevant to said first wireless device, and said second wireless devices is capable of receiving and combining said second data segment of said second data portion into said broadcast data portion to reconstitute a portion of said digital data that is relevant to said second wireless device.

22. The wireless data system of claim 21 wherein said first and second wireless devices, responsive to said first and second data portions respectively, operate in sync with each other.

23. The wireless data system of claim 21 wherein at least a portion of said first data segment is different from said second data segment.

24. The wireless data system of claim 21, wherein said data service is capable of replacing said first data segment with a first position holder, embedding said first position holder into said first data portion, replacing said second data segment with a second position holder, and embedding said second position holder into said second data portion.

25. The wireless data system of clam 24, wherein:

said first wireless device is capable of identifying the first data segment from said broadcast data portion and replacing said first position holder of said first data portion with said first data segment to reconstitute said portion of said digital data that is relevant to said first wireless device; and

said second wireless device is capable of identifying the second data segment from said broadcast data portion and replacing said second position holder of said second data portion with said second data segment to reconstitute said portion of said digital data that is relevant to said second wireless device.