Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Perceptible output or display
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-01
2003-07-22
Sager, Mark (Department: 3714)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Perceptible output or display
C463S043000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06595858
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image-display game systems and, more specifically, to an image-display game system diversified in game process with property data provided to characters such as monsters appearing therein. Such an image-display game system is applied to video game machines and portable game machines on which those characters have battles, get captured, get trained, are traded, or any combination thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
Video games such as the “Pocket Monster (versions in red, green, blue, and yellow)” (trade name; hereinafter, “prior art”) have been designed and distributed by the same assignee of this application. In the prior art, the game is played for capturing, training, and trading characters (hereinafter referred to as monsters or characters), and each version differs in probability of a character or monster appearing. The characters such as monsters are tradable among players, and each player captures and keeps up to the maximum number of characters or monsters.
The player can enjoy the game in the prior art for a relatively long period without losing his or her interest. Furthermore, exchanging the characters such as monsters with friends serves to expand communications and cultivate friendships. However, the players may lose their interest sooner or later if the game is fun for trading the characters such as monsters only.
Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide an image-display game system, incorporating virus infection and being full of change and surprise, and encouraging players to trade monsters. Herein, game characters such as monsters are, for example, pocket monsters (hereinafter, shortened as “pokemons”).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to an image-display game system comprising an information storage medium and an image-display game device detachable with the information storage medium,
the information storage medium comprising a program storage in which a game program is unalterably stored, and
the image-display game device comprising: an actuator by a player; a temporal writable/readable storage including an infection data region where property data varied in type is stored for every character captured in the course of a game, and data indicating whether the character has been virus infected is started; a processor for carrying out information processing in response to the actuator and based on the program; and an image display for displaying an image obtained through processing carried out by the processor, wherein,
with the program carried out, the processor subjects an image on display to change in response to the actuator; changes the property data to be stored in the temporary storage responding to game process made based on the state of the actuator; changes the characters' images based on the property data; has data indicating if the captured character has been virus infected; and writes the data indicative of being virus infected into at least one of the infection data regions corresponding to the captured characters stored in the temporal storage, when a predetermined condition is satisfied.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which incorporates virus infection, it is possible to provide an image-display game system and an information storage medium having a game program stored therein, which provides for a game full of changes and surprises and encourages the players to trade characters such as monsters.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4180805 (1979-12-01), Burson
patent: 5065414 (1991-11-01), Endou et al.
patent: 5265888 (1993-11-01), Yamamoto et al.
patent: 5267734 (1993-12-01), Stamper et al.
patent: RE34728 (1994-09-01), Hall-Tipping
patent: 5370399 (1994-12-01), Liverance
patent: 5390937 (1995-02-01), Sakaguchi et al.
patent: 5498002 (1996-03-01), Gechter
patent: 5645513 (1997-07-01), Haydocy et al.
patent: 5649862 (1997-07-01), Sakaguchi et al.
patent: 5746656 (1998-05-01), Bezick et al.
patent: 5807174 (1998-09-01), Fukuhara et al.
patent: 5810665 (1998-09-01), Takemoto et al.
patent: 5833536 (1998-11-01), Davids et al.
patent: 5833540 (1998-11-01), Miodunski et al.
patent: 5855512 (1999-01-01), Aoyama et al.
patent: 5885156 (1999-03-01), Toyohara et al.
patent: 5935003 (1999-08-01), Stephens et al.
patent: 5947868 (1999-09-01), Dugan
patent: 5956685 (1999-09-01), Tenpaku et al.
patent: 5999622 (1999-12-01), Yasukawa et al.
patent: 6022274 (2000-02-01), Takeda et al.
patent: 6039648 (2000-03-01), Guinn et al.
patent: RE36675 (2000-04-01), Yamamoto et al.
patent: 6115036 (2000-09-01), Yamato et al.
patent: 6117009 (2000-09-01), Yoseloff
patent: 1-107187 (1989-04-01), None
patent: 6-218088 (1994-08-01), None
patent: 7-181056 (1995-07-01), None
patent: 8-84894 (1996-04-01), None
patent: 8-103568 (1996-04-01), None
patent: 8-224349 (1996-09-01), None
patent: 9-146566 (1997-06-01), None
patent: 9-155064 (1997-06-01), None
patent: 10-277262 (1998-10-01), None
patent: 11-99276 (1999-04-01), None
patent: 11-109844 (1999-04-01), None
patent: 11-179055 (1999-07-01), None
patent: 11-299988 (1999-11-01), None
patent: 11-309273 (1999-11-01), None
patent: WO 98/14898 (1998-04-01), None
Pokémon Pikachu packaging, Model No.: MPG-001, Nintendo of America Inc., 1998, 4 pages.
Tamagotchi Virtual Pet instructions, 6 pages, Bandai, 1996-1997.
“Drawings on Napkins, Video Game Animation, and Other Ways to Program Computers”, Ken Khan, Information Access Company and Association for Computing Machinery, vol. 39, No. 8, p. 49, Aug. 1996, (2 pages).
May, Scott, “We Need to Distinguish Ourselves From Edutainment”, IDG Commucications, inc., InfoWorld, Aug. 13, 1984, 2 pages.
“C User's Journal”, Apr. 1992, 1 page.
PC Magazine, Oct. 2, 1984, 2 pages.
Gavin, Maurice, “The Hally Orrery: A program to show the comet's orbit”, pp 64-66,New Scientist, Spotters-Guide, Halley's Comet, London England, 1985.
Press Release, “Activision Little Computer People' People Project: Research Update”, Activision, Mountain View, California, Jul. 12, 1985, 2 pages.
Emery, Jr., C. Eugene, “Who's the little guy in there?”Knickerbocker News, p. 22 Albany, New York, Dec. 16, 1985.
Advertisement, “We're learning to love the little people who live inside computers”, USA Today, Nov. 11, 1985, 1 page.
Mulloy, Mike, “David, dog, and others live inside computers”, Maywood Herald, Oak Park, Illinois, Jan. 29, 1986, 1 page.
Katz, Arnie, “The Little Computer People Project”, pp. 47-49, Ahoy!, 03/86.
Research Update: Activism, “Little Computer People” Project, p. 9, Computer Entertainer, 8/85.
Bishop, David, “Little Computer People”, Computer and Video Games, 1985, 6 pages.
Bartimo, Jim, “Q&A: David Crane”, p84, Info World, Mar. 12, 1984.
Advertisement, “Who's living in your computer? It's me!”, p. 62, Commodore Computing, 12/85.
Kristiansen, Rasmus Kirkegard, “The Little Computer People—Hvor Kommer De Fra?”, pp. 4-7, SOFT, Jan.-Feb. 1986 (with translation).
Advertisement, “Unitsoft Distribution”, Computer and Video Games, 5/86, 1 page.
Mason Ralph, Little Computer People: Research Project, Win 64 Emulator (copyright), 1995, 3 pages.
Crane, David and Nelson, Sam, “Little Computer People”, 1986, Activision, 7 pages.
Activision's Modern Computer People: human-like beings actually found living inside computers, (Activision, Mountain View, CA), pp. 1-12, 1985.
Advertisement, Little Computer People Discovery Kit, (Activision, Software, Mountain View, CA), 1985, 1986, 2 pages.
A Computer Owner's Guide to Care of and Communication with Little Computer People, (Activision, Mountain View, CA), 1985, 8 pages.
Activision Catalog, (Activision, Mountain View, CA), 1985, 4 pages.
InfoWorld, 1986, 1 page.
Ryan, Bob, Dr.Floyd's Desktop Toys (MicoProse Ente
Ishihara Tsunekazu
Tajiri Satoshi
Nintendo Co. Ltd.
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Sager Mark
LandOfFree
Image-display game system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Image-display game system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Image-display game system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3052239