Wireless communication game system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10518176-B2
Application number	US-201715709778-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2017
Priority date	Oct 21, 2002
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

A wireless communication game system includes a plurality of mobile game apparatuses, which function as a parent device or a child device and are capable of making a communication with each other, and broadcasts from the parent device a parent device packet including a parent device PID, a user name UserName, a game name GameName, an OC flag, an E slot, a U slot, and a payload. All the parent device packets are received from the parent device existing within a communicationable range of a user's own apparatus, and the user's own apparatus creates a parent device list, and displays the parent device list on an LCD. Therefore, a user or a player of his own apparatus looks at the game name of the parent device list, for example, and operates a cross key included in an operation key so as to select one desired parent device. Then, transmitting a child device number CID of the user's own apparatus at the E slot designated by the parent device packet, the user's own apparatus transmits a connection request to the parent device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing device, comprising:
processing resources, including at least one processor, configured to cause the device to operate in one of first and second modes, the first mode controlling the device to serve as a wireless communication group owner and the second mode controlling the device to serve as a wireless communication group participant;
a transceiver operably connected to the processing resources, the transceiver being configured to wirelessly send self-identifying information to, and wirelessly receive self-identifying information from, other devices within communication range of the transceiver, wherein one of first and second packet types is used based on the mode in which the device transmitting the self-identifying information is operating, the first and second packet types being different from one another;
wherein the processing resources are further configured to control the device to at least populate, when the device is operating in the first mode, a first packet type field with data indicative of whether the device can accept other devices into a group that it is administering.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the processing resources are further configured to control the device to at least generate a display that identifies one or more other devices for which self-identifying information has been received.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the processing resources are further configured to control the device to at least:
enable selection of at least one other device identified in the display; and
(a) remove at least one selected device from a group managed by the device when the device is operating in the first mode, and/or (b) join a group managed by at least one selected device when the device is operating in the second mode.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device can serve as a group owner, conditioned on an application being provided to, and shareable in connection with, the device.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the field indicates a number of other devices acceptable into a group that the device is administering.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first mode corresponds to a parent mode and the second mode corresponds to a child mode, and wherein devices operating in parent mode are eligible to become group owners.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein self-identifying information is transmittable between different devices without having to establish a connection therebetween.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the processing resources are further configured to control the device to switch from operating in one of the first and second modes to the other.

9. A system, comprising
a first device, comprising:
first processing resources, including at least one first processor, configured to cause the first device to operate in a first mode, the first mode controlling the first device to serve as a wireless communication group; and
a first wireless transceiver operably connected to the first processing resources, the first wireless transceiver being configured to wirelessly send self-identifying information to, and wirelessly receive self-identifying information from, other devices within communication range of the first wireless transceiver, wherein one of first and second packet types is used based on the mode in which the device transmitting the self-identifying information is operating, the first and second packet types being different from one another; and

a second device, comprising:
second processing resources, including at least one second processor, configured to cause the second device to operate in a second mode, the second mode controlling the second device to serve as a wireless communication group participant; and
a second wireless transceiver operably connected to the second processing resources, the second wireless transceiver being configured to wirelessly send self-identifying information to, and wirelessly receive self-identifying information from, other devices within communication range of the second wireless transceiver, wherein one of the first and second packet types is used based on the mode in which the device transmitting the self-identifying information is operating;

wherein the first processing resources are further configured to control the first device to at least populate a first packet type field with data indicative of whether the first device can accept other devices into a group that it is administering.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein:
the first processing resources are further configured to control the first device to at least generate a first display that identifies one or more other devices for which self-identifying information has been received; and
the second processing resources are further configured to control the second device to at least generate a second display that identifies one or more other devices for which self-identifying information has been received.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first and second processing resources are further configured to control the first and second devices to at least enable selection of at least one other device identified in the first and second displays, respectively;
wherein the first processing resources are further configured to control the first device to remove at least one selected device from a group managed by the first device; and
wherein the second processing resources are further configured to control the second device to join a group managed by at least one selected device.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first device can serve as a group owner, conditioned on an application being provided to, and shareable in connection with, the first device.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the field indicates a number of other devices acceptable into a group that the first device is administering.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first mode corresponds to a parent mode and the second mode corresponds to a child mode, and wherein devices operating in parent mode are eligible to become group owners.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein self-identifying information is transmittable between different devices without having to establish a connection therebetween.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first processing resources are further configured to control the first device to switch from operating in the first mode to operating in the second mode, and wherein the second processing resources are further configured to control the second device to switch from operating in the second mode to operating in the first mode.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by processing resources including at least one processor of an information processing device, control the information processing device to execute functionality comprising:
causing the device to operate in one of first and second modes, the first mode controlling the device to serve as a wireless communication group owner and the second mode controlling the device to serve as a wireless communication group participant;
using a transceiver of the device, wirelessly sending self-identifying information to, and wirelessly receiving self-identifying information from, other devices within communication range of the transceiver, wherein one of first and second packet types is used based on the mode in which the device transmitting the self-identifying information is operating, the first and second packet types being different from one another; and
populating, when the device

Assignees

• Nintendo Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tanaka Shoya
• Kuwahara Masato
• Oe Toru
• Yoshioka Teruyuki

Classifications

• A63F13/00

  Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions · CPC title

• A63F2300/402

  Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol · CPC title

• A63F13/795

  for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list · CPC title

• A63F2300/406

  Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM · CPC title

• A63F13/31 Primary

  Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range · CPC title