Game system, game apparatus, storage medium storing game program and game data exchange method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9839841-B2
Application number	US-201615387857-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2016
Priority date	Jun 17, 2003
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

A game system including a plurality of mobile game apparatuses, and a mobile game apparatus that can communicate with another game apparatus that exists within a communicable range by use of a radio communications unit. When a communicated state is established, exchanging conditions for exchanging game data are received and transmitted, and in a case the exchange conditions are coincident with each other, the game data are exchanged.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a wireless transceiver;
a processor configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver and cause the device to at least:
wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information indicative of a capability of connecting with the device;
wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information from other devices; and
request that a connection be established with an other device from which self-identifying information has been wirelessly received, conditioned on the connection capability information of the other device,

wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that is responsive to reception, during a wait time, of self-identifying information and connection capability information from an other device.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein connection capability information indicates whether the device can be connected to.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that includes user selection of an other device from which self-identifying information and connection capability information has been received.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that, once completed, causes the device to cease power- saving operation.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein self-identifying information and connection capability information is wirelessly transmittable while the device is operating in a power-saving mode.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to cause the device to wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information by broadcasting, and wirelessly receive broadcasted self-identifying information and connection capability information.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to cause the device to wirelessly transmit and wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information without establishing a connection.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
connection capability information indicates whether the device can be connected to;
self-identifying information and connection capability information is wirelessly transmittable while the device is operating in a power-saving mode and also while application software is being executed by the device; and
wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that includes user selection of an other device from which self-identifying information and connection capability information has been received.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein self-identifying information and connection capability information is wirelessly transmittable while application software is being executed by the device.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless transmission and the wireless reception are performed cyclically.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the request that a connection be established is automatic, responsive to reception of self-identifying information and connection capability information from an other device.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver and cause the device to automatically respond to an other device from which a request has been wirelessly transmitted, responsive to reception of that request.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver and cause the device to automatically connect with the other device to which the response has been wirelessly transmitted, responsive to reception of the request.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless transmission and the wireless reception alternately repeat.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless transmission includes consecutive transmissions of self-identifying information and connection capability information.

16. The device of claim 1 , wherein repeated wireless reception of self-identifying information and connection capability information is enabled.

17. A device, comprising:
a wireless transceiver;
a processor configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver and cause the device to at least:
wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information from other devices; and
request that a connection be established with an other device from which self-identifying information has been wirelessly received, conditioned on the connection capability information of the other device,

wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that is responsive to reception, during a wait time, of self-identifying information and connection capability information from an other device.

18. A device, comprising:
a wireless transceiver;
a processor configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver and cause the device to at least:
wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information indicative of a capability of connecting with the device to other devices that, when received by an other device, causes the other device to request that a connection be established with the device, conditioned on the connection capability information of the device, wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process of the other device and is responsive to reception, during a wait time, of the self-identifying information and connection capability information from the device.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly storing instructions executable by a processor of a device comprising a wireless transceiver to cause the device to at least:
wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information indicative of a capability of connecting with the device;
wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information from other devices; and
request that a connection be established with an other device from which self-identifying information has been wirelessly received, conditioned on the connection capability information of the other device,
wherein the request that a connection be established is a part of a connection process that is responsive to reception, during a wait time, of self-identifying information and connection capability information from an other device.

20. A device, comprising:
a wireless transceiver;
a processor configured to cooperate with the wireless transceiver and cause the device to at least:
wirelessly transmit self-identifying information and connection capability information indicative of a capability of connecting with the device;
wirelessly receive self-identifying information and connection capability information from other devices; and
request that a connection be established with an other device from which self-identifying information has been wirelessly received, conditioned on the connection capability information of the other device,

wherein the request that a connection be established is automatic, responsive to reception of self-identifying information and connection capability information from an other device.

21. The device of claim 20 , wherein connection capability information indicates whether the device can be connected to.

22. The device of

Assignees

• Nintendo Co Ltd

Inventors

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

Classifications

• A63F13/34

  using peer-to-peer connections · CPC title

• A63F13/31

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

• G07F17/3225

  Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users · CPC title

• A63F2300/406

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

• H04B7/24 Primary

  for communication between two or more posts (wireless communication networks H04W) · CPC title