Communication game device

• US 8,545,324 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bandai Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Bandai Company Limited, WiZ Co., Ltd. (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Murase, Kazue, Yokoi, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): GALKA, LAWRENCE STEFAN
• Application Number:
  US11/019,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20050148390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,204 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/9, 463/10, 463/40
• US Class Current: 463/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• 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 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/58 by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/73 Authorising game programs or game devices, e.g. checking authenticity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/825 Fostering virtual characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1018 Calibration; Key and button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1031 using a wireless connection, e.g. Bluetooth, infrared connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/201 Playing authorisation given at platform level
• 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 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8058 Virtual breeding, e.g. tamagotchi

Abstract

A communication game device which is disclosed can communicate with another game device, memorize the information about a communication partner at the time of the communication, and offer the communication game device which can process information for the succeeding game to be reflected in the contents of a game or the simulation. The communication game device has a processing section, a program storage part which memorizes a control program, an image storage section which memorizes character pictures matched with picture IDs, and controlling elements which can be operated by a game player. When the player'"'"'s game device receives parameters from another communication game device, the parameters are stored or the data is renewed. If a parameter containing a body ID and the same body ID as arbitrary data is not stored, the arbitrary data in the parameter is memorized. If the parameter has been memorized, it is updated.

Claims

1. A communication game device comprising:

a data processing section,

a program storage section for storing a control program for controlling said communication game device,

an image storage section for storing a picture ID and a character picture associated with the picture ID,

a controlling element operated by a game player,

a parameter storage section for storing parameters including the picture ID, a device ID given by said data processing section to said communication game device based on the control program, and a name code given by the game player using said controlling element,

a displaying element for displaying the character picture retrieved by said data processing section from said image storage section corresponding to the picture ID stored in said parameter storage section,

a communicating element capable of transmitting the parameters stored in said parameter storage section to another communication game device as information of said communication game device and receiving parameters transmitted from another communication game device as received information of said another communication game device,

a communication partner memory section for storing the information of said another communication game device, the information including a picture ID, a device ID, and a name code that are received by the communicating element, and a friendship level, the friendship level being between a virtual living object of said another communication game device and a virtual living object of said communication game device of the game player,

wherein said data processing section is capable of;

controlling the communication game device based on the control program stored in said program storage section so as to display an information list including the information of another communication game device stored in said communication partner memory section,

determining whether said communication partner memory section has previously-stored information including a device ID and a name code that are identical with a device ID and a name code in the received information of another communication game device,

updating the friendship level in the information including the device ID and the name code that are identical with the device ID and the name code in the received information of said another communication game device if said data processing section determines that said communication partner memory section has the previously-stored information including the device ID and the name code that are identical with the device ID and the name code in the received information of said another communication game device, and

storing the received information of said another communication game device in said communication partner memory section if said data processing section determines that said communication partner memory section does not have the previously-stored information including the device ID and the name code that are identical with the device ID and the name code in the received information of said another communication game device.

2. The communication game device as defined in claim 1,

wherein said image storage section further comprises:

a code memory section for storing a player'"'"'s memory picture code which is determined according to a type of character picture and the relationship between the picture ID and the character ID, and

a section for storing a memory code mismatch image,

wherein said communicating element is further capable of transmitting the player'"'"'s memory picture code stored in said code memory section along with the parameters stored in said parameter storage section to another communication game device,

wherein said communicating element is further capable of receiving a partner'"'"'s memory picture code transmitted by the another communication game device,

wherein said data processing section is further capable of;

comparing the player'"'"'s memory picture code stored in said code memory section with the partner'"'"'s memory picture code,

retrieving a character picture which corresponds to an ID received by said communicating element from said image storage section to display a picture of a virtual living object of the another communication game device if the partner'"'"'s memory picture code is identified with the player'"'"'s memory picture code stored in said code memory section, and

retrieving the memory code mismatch image from said image storage section to display as the virtual living object on said displaying element if the partner'"'"'s memory picture code is not identified with the player'"'"'s memory picture code stored in said code memory section.

3. The communication game device as defined in claim 1, wherein said communicating element further includes an infrared ray emitting element and an infrared ray receiving element capable of receiving data transmitted by another communication game device.

4. The communication game device as defined in claim 1, wherein said communication partner memory section is an EEPROM.

5. The communication game device as defined in claim 1, wherein said controlling element includes a plurality of spaced apart buttons.

6. The communication game device as defined in claim 1, wherein said displaying element is a liquid crystal display.