Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-05
2001-11-27
O'Neill, Michael (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
With communication link
C463S043000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322450
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a portable electronic device for an entertainment system. More specifically, the invention relates to technology for using as a calculator (desktop electronic calculator) a portable electronic device that can be connected to an information device such as a video game machine, functions as a memory card or other auxiliary memory device, and can be used independently.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
A conventional memory card (child machine or ancillary machine) that is used inserted into the main unit (parent machine or host machine) of an information device such as a video game machine, is constructed so as to have an interface for connecting with the parent device and a nonvolatile memory element for storing data.
FIG. 1A
shows a composition of the main part of a memory card as one example of a memory device of a conventional portable electronic device. The conventional memory card
10
has a control unit
11
for controlling its operation, a connector
12
for connecting to a terminal provided in a slot of the parent machine, and a nonvolatile memory
16
for storing data. Connector
12
and nonvolatile memory
16
are connected to control unit
11
.
Control unit
11
is constructed using, for example, a microprocessor (labeled as such in the diagram). As nonvolatile memory
16
, an EEPROM or other flash memory may be used. For the connection interface with the main unit, a microprocessor is sometimes used as a control means for interpreting protocols.
FIG. 1B
shows the control elements in control unit
11
of conventional memory card
10
.
The conventional memory card
10
has had only a main unit connection interface
13
for connecting to the main unit, and a memory interface
14
for inputting and outputting data to and from the nonvolatile memory
16
.
Also, a conventional video game device has the function of storing game data, etc. in an auxiliary memory device. The memory card
10
is used as an auxiliary memory device of such a video game device.
FIG. 2
shows an example of a conventional video game device
1
that uses a memory card
10
as an auxiliary memory device. Main unit
2
of the video game device
1
is housed in a roughly square-shaped housing and consists of a disk mounting unit
3
in the middle of which is mounted an optical disk that is a recording medium on which are recorded application programs for video games, a reset switch
4
for arbitrarily resetting the game, a power switch
5
, a disk operation switch
6
for operating the mounting of said optical disk, and, for example, two slots
7
A and
7
B.
Memory card
10
, which is used as an auxiliary memory device, is inserted into these slots
7
A and
7
B, and for example the results of games executed on video game device
1
are sent from a control device (CPU)
19
and are written into nonvolatile memory
16
. The construction is such that multiple operation devices (controllers, not shown) can be connected to slots
7
A and
7
B, allowing multiple users to play a competitive game simultaneously.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has been desired that a child machine that is connected using a memory card slot of a video game device that serves as the parent machine should have the function of executing the game and other programs. Such child machine can also be used as a portable electronic device as it is, and by facilitating communication with other devices, its range of applications is broadened, which will lead to the stimulation of new demand. In addition, it would be very convenient if such a portable electronic device could also be used as a calculator (desktop electronic calculator).
It is an object of this invention, which was devised in consideration of the above-described situation, to provide technology for using as a calculator a portable electronic device that can be connected to a parent machine and that can also be used as an individual child machine.
In order to achieve this and other objects, the portable electronic device of the present invention, which is a portable electronic device that has an interface for connecting it to a parent machine that has the function of executing programs, comprises a program storage means, a control means that controls execution of said programs, a display means that displays information according to said executed programs, an operation input means for operating said programs, and a power supply means that supplies power to each of said means, wherein information accompanying the execution of a calculator program is transferred from the parent machine to said portable electronic device, and it executes a calculator program stored in said program storage means by said control means based on this transferred information.
Also, in the portable electronic device of this invention, the calculator program stored in said program storage means is executed while the connection with said parent machine is being severed.
In addition, in the portable electronic device of this invention, said connected parent machine is a video game device, said calculator program is downloaded from the connected parent machine to said storage means, and this program is executed by said control means.
In addition, in the portable electronic device of this invention, said calculator program is recorded additionally on the optical disk recording medium on which game software is accumulated and which is mounted on said parent machine.
Furthermore, the characters of the number-specifying keys and operation keys and the numerical value characters of the calculation results which are displayed on said display means are distinguishable.
In addition, in the portable electronic device of this invention, the characters of the number-specifying keys and operation keys are displayed on said display means normally, while the numerical value characters of said calculation results are displayed in characters whose intensity is reversed.
Further, in the portable electronic device of this invention, the number-specifying keys, operation keys, and calculation results are displayed partially on the relatively small display screen of said display means, and the entire view can be displayed successively by scrolling said partial display.
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Papier Oder Elektronen XP 000680785.
Sony To Develop “Personal Digital Assitants” XP-002131494.
O'Neill Michael
Rosenman & Colin, LLP.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
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