System and method for gaming in an ad-hoc network

• US 9,308,455 B1
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Kopikare, Rahul, Kopikare, Milind, Gopi, Paramesh, Mohan, Aswath, Mishra, Partho
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Shirley
• Application Number:
  US11/924,431
• Time in Patent Office: 3,092 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 463/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/327 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 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A method of mobile gaming is disclosed. The method includes configuring a mobile device to include a plurality of gaming parameters representative of a game to be played, communicating a gaming request via a wireless network, wherein the gaming request includes a game identifier. The method further includes detecting a gaming request response, wherein the gaming request response is associated with the game identifier, exchanging at least one of the plurality of gaming parameters, and updating at least one of the plurality of gaming parameters on the mobile device to reflect the exchanged at least one of the plurality of gaming parameters.

Claims

1. A method of mobile gaming for a mobile device, the mobile device configured to include a plurality of gaming parameters representative of a game to be played, the method comprising:

communicating a gaming request from a first mobile device to a second mobile device in order to create an ad-hoc wireless network, wherein the gaming request includes a game identifier;

detecting a gaming request response from the second mobile device, wherein the gaming request response is associated with the game identifier;

determining a difference of a display of a user indication for a game play based on a first wireless beacon signal of the first mobile device and a second wireless beacon signal of the second mobile device, wherein the difference of the display of the user indication for the game play corresponds to a difference in receiving the first wireless beacon signal of the first mobile device and the second wireless beacon signal of the second mobile device; and

modifying a game playing sequence to include at least a delay of the display of the user indication on at least one of the first mobile device or second mobile device based on the determined difference, the delay reducing the determined difference of the display of the user indication for the game play.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

exchanging at least one gaming parameter of the plurality of gaming parameters.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein modifying the game playing sequence comprises:

updating an indicator of at least one gaming parameter of the plurality of gaming parameters on the first mobile device to reflect the at least one exchanged gaming parameter,

wherein the updating is delayed to reduce the difference of the display of the user indication for the game play.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ad-hoc wireless network is configured to communicate with a network selected from the group consisting of:

a cellular network;

a wireless fidelity network and a personal area network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming request response is generated in response to the communicated gaming request.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein exchanging at least one gaming parameter of the plurality of gaming parameters includes exchanging a player parameter and a game parameter.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaming request includes a service set identifier (SSID).

8. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

analyzing the at least one exchanged gaming parameter to determine how to play the game.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the delay is equal to the difference between the first wireless beacon signal and the second wireless beacon signal.

10. A method of mobile gaming for a first mobile device configured to include a first plurality of gaming parameters representative of a game to be played and a second mobile device configured to include a second plurality of gaming parameters representative of a game to be played, the method comprising:

detecting the presence of the first mobile device within a communications range of the second mobile device in order to create an ad-hoc wireless network;

exchanging at least one gaming parameter of the first and second plurality of gaming parameters between the first and second mobile devices;

determining a difference of a display of a user indication for a game play based on a first wireless beacon signal and a second wireless beacon signal of the first and second mobile devices, wherein the difference of the display of the user indication for the game play corresponds to a difference in receiving the first wireless beacon signal of the first mobile device and the second wireless beacon signal of the second mobile device; and

modifying a game playing sequence to include at least a delay of the display of the user indication on at least one of the first mobile device or second mobile device based on the determined difference, the delay reducing the determined difference of the display of the user indication for the game play.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

communicating a gaming request in order to create the ad-hoc wireless network, wherein the gaming request includes a game identifier.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

detecting a gaming request response, wherein the gaming request response is associated with the game identifier.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein detecting the presence of the first mobile device includes detecting a communicated gaming request provided by the first mobile device.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein modifying the game playing sequence comprises:

updating an indicator of at least one gaming parameter of the first and second plurality of gaming parameters on the first and second mobile devices to reflect the at least one exchanged gaming parameter,

wherein the updating is delayed to reduce the difference of the display of the user indication for the game play.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

changing the status of the indicator to reflect at least one of the first plurality of gaming parameters.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication range of the second mobile device is associated with the ad-hoc wireless network configured to communicate with a network selected from the group consisting of:

a cellular network;

a wireless fidelity network and a personal area network.

17. A mobile device for gaming comprising:

a controller configured to store a plurality of gaming parameters representative of a game to be played;

a transmitter configured to broadcast a gaming request in order to create an ad-hoc wireless network, wherein the gaming request includes a game identifier;

a receiver configured to detect a gaming request response, wherein the gaming request response is associated with the game identifier;

wherein the controller is configured to;

determine a difference of a display of a user indication for a game play based on a first wireless beacon signal of the mobile device and a second wireless beacon signal of another mobile device, wherein the difference of the display of the user indication for the game play corresponds to a difference in receiving the first wireless beacon signal of the first mobile device and the second wireless beacon signal of the another mobile device; and

modify a game playing sequence to include at least a delay of the display of the user indication on at least one of the mobile device or the another mobile device based on the determined difference, the delay configured to reduce the difference of the display of the user indication for the game play.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the receiver is configured to detect the presence of the another mobile device within a communications range of the receiver.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to exchange at least one gaming parameter of the plurality of gaming parameters in response to the gaming request response.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to update an indicator to reflect the at least one exchanged gaming parameter.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the controller is further configured to:

delay the update of the indicator to reduce the difference of the display of the user indication for the game play.