Impulse radio interactive wireless gaming system, gaming unit, game server and method

• US 6,585,597 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2001
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alereon Incorporated (PNG Telecommunications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Time Domain Corporation (Humatics Corporation)
• Inventors: Finn, James S.
• Primary Examiner(s): ONEILL, MICHAEL W
• Application Number:
  US09/873,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20020052239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 463/40, 463/41, 463/42, 463/39, 342/375, 342/132, 342/457, 342/463, 375/200, 375/206, 375/208, 375/210, 375/239, 375/259, 375/295
• US Class Current: 463/40
• 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 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/6908 using time hopping

Abstract

An interactive wireless gaming system is provided which utilizes the significant wireless improvements of impulse radio technology to enable gaming system enhancements. For instance, the interactive wireless gaming system has a plurality of impulse radio wireless gaming units operating alternately as a host device and a guest device. Each impulse radio wireless gaming unit includes an impulse radio receiver for receiving impulse radio wireless messages including gaming information from a game server, a display for displaying the received gaming information, a processor for generating updated gaming information, and an impulse radio transmitter for transmitting impulse radio wireless messages including the updated gaming information to said game server. The game server then uses impulse radio technology to interact with and provide the updated gaming information to the other impulse radio wireless gaming units.

Claims

1. An impulse radio wireless gaming unit comprising:

an impulse radio receiver for receiving impulse radio wireless messages including gaming information from a game server;

a processor for generating updated gaming information; and

an impulse radio transmitter for transmitting impulse radio wireless messages including the updated gaming information to said game server.

2. The impulse radio wireless gaming unit of claim 1, further comprising a display for displaying the received gaming information.

3. The impulse radio wireless gaming unit of claim 1, wherein said gaming unit and said game server use a dedicated outbound impulse radio channel and a dedicated inbound impulse radio channel to communicate with one another.

4. The impulse radio wireless gaming unit of claim 1, wherein said gaming information is in a form of graphic characterizations depicting moveable objects.

5. The impulse radio wireless gaming unit of claim 4, wherein said graphic characterizations are displayed and individually animated through a display of said gaming unit.

6. The impulse radio wireless gaming unit of claim 1, wherein said gaming information includes relative position signals to provide a relative position of the plurality of moveable objects, and wherein said processor is responsive to the relative position signals for generating the graphic characterizations corresponding to each of the relative position signals.

7. The impulse radio wireless gaming unit of claim 1, wherein said gaming unit can communicate interactively with said game server.

8. The impulse radio wireless gaming unit of claim 1, wherein said gaming unit can communicate interactively with another gaming unit through the game server.

9. The impulse radio wireless gaming unit of claim 1, wherein said gaming information is periodically preserved in memory to prevent a loss of said gaming information.

10. An impulse radio game server comprising:

an impulse radio receiver for receiving impulse radio wireless messages including gaming information from a gaming unit;

a processor for generating updated gaming information; and

an impulse radio transmitter for transmitting impulse radio wireless messages including the updated gaming information to said gaming unit.

11. The impulse radio game server of claim 10, wherein said gaming unit and said game server use a dedicated outbound impulse radio channel and a dedicated inbound impulse radio channel to communicate with one another.

12. The impulse radio game server of claim 10, wherein said gaming unit can communicate interactively with another gaming unit through the game server.

13. An interactive impulse radio wireless gaming system comprising:

a game server; and

at least one impulse radio wireless gaming unit, wherein said gaming unit further comprises;

an impulse radio receiver for receiving impulse radio wireless messages including gaming information from said game server;

a processor for generating updated gaming information; and

an impulse radio transmitter for transmitting impulse radio wireless messages including the updated gaming information to said game server.

14. The interactive impulse radio wireless gaming system of claim 13, wherein said gaming unit further includes a display for displaying the gaming information.

15. The interactive impulse radio wireless gaming system of claim 13, wherein said gaming unit and said game server use a dedicated outbound impulse radio channel and a dedicated inbound impulse radio channel to communicate with one another.

16. The interactive impulse radio wireless gaming system of claim 13, wherein said gaming unit can communicate interactively with said game server.

17. The interactive impulse radio wireless gaming system of claim 13, wherein said gaming unit can communicate interactively another gaming unit through the game server.

18. A method for providing interactive radio wireless gaming, said method comprising the steps of:

transmitting gaming information between an impulse radio wireless gaming unit and an impulse radio game server; and

displaying at least a portion of the gaming information for at least one user of the at least one impulse radio wireless gaming unit.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said gaming unit and said game server use a dedicated outbound impulse radio channel and a dedicated inbound impulse radio channel to communicate with one another.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said gaming unit can communicate interactively with said game server.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said gaming unit can communicate interactively with another gaming unit through the game server.