Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-20
2001-08-14
Harrison, Jessica J. (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
With communication link
C463S040000, C463S042000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273821
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a game system, a game data distribution machine, a game machine, and computer-usable information storage medium.
BACKGROUND ART
In an image display system that displays images that have been produced by another processing device in real time over a transmission path, various factors such as restrictions on transfer bandwidth dictate that images are compressed for transfer then the image data is expanded for display by a processing device at the transfer destination.
However, such compression is not particularly effective with some images. One example of such an image is a special image in which adjacent pixels have greatly different properties, such as a demo image in which a game character and a large amount of lettering are mixed together to form a game image. When a special image of this type is transferred, the corresponding image data takes up the entire transfer bandwidth and has a low transfer efficiency.
The present invention was devised in the light of this technical problem and has as an objective thereof the provision of a game system, a game data distribution machine, game machine, an image display system, and computer-usable information that make it possible to increase the efficiency of the compression and transfer of images that are otherwise difficult to compress efficiently.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
(1) A game system in accordance with the present invention comprises:
a game machine for transmitting distribution request data and also displaying a game image based on predetermined distribution data, to present a game; and
a game data distribution machine for generating the distribution data, based on distribution request data that is transmitted over a transmission path from the game machine, and transmitting the game image data to the game machine;
wherein the game data distribution machine comprises:
means for receiving the distribution request data from the game machine;
means for generating game image data, based on received distribution request data; and
means that operates if the thus generated game image data is special image data for the display of a predetermined special image, for generating distribution data that comprises image identification data indicating that the game image data is the special image data, and transmitting the generated distribution data to the game machine; and
wherein the game machine comprises:
means for generating the distribution request data on the basis of operating information, transmitting the thus generated distribution request data to the game data distribution machine, and receiving the distribution data from the game data distribution machine;
means for determining an image type, based on the image identification data comprised within received distribution data; and
means that operates if it has been determined that the special image data has been distributed, for displaying the special image, based on the special image data that has been stored in a predetermined storage area.
(2) A game data distribution machine in accordance with the present invention for transmitting distribution data that comprises game image data over a transmission path, comprises:
distribution-side determination means for determining whether or not the game image data is special image data having a data volume that exceeds a predetermined volume of data; and
distribution-side transmission means that operates if it has been determined that the game image data is the special image data, for generating the distribution data that comprises image identification data indicating that the game image data is the special image data instead of the game image data, and transmitting the distribution data to a game machine which stores the special image data and is presenting a game.
(3) Another game data distribution machine in accordance with the present invention for transmitting distribution data that comprises game image data over a transmission path, comprises:
a distribution-side determination circuit for determining whether or not the game image data is special image data having a data volume that exceeds a predetermined volume of data; and
a distribution-side transmission circuit that operates if it has been determined that the game image data is the special image data, for generating the distribution data that comprises image identification data indicating that the game image data is the special image data instead of the game image data, and transmitting the distribution data to a game machine which stores the special image data and is presenting a game.
(4) A game machine in accordance with the present invention that receives distribution data that comprises game image data over a transmission path from a game data distribution machine, to display a game image, comprises:
means for determining whether or not received distribution data comprises image identification data indicating that the display of a predetermined special image is requested; and
means that operates if it has been determined that the distribution data comprises the image identification data, for displaying the game image, based on special image data for displaying the special image that is stored in a predetermined storage area, instead of the game image data.
(5) Computer-usable information in accordance with the present invention embodied on an information storage medium or in a carrier wave, for transmitting distribution data that comprises game image data over a transmission path, comprises:
determination information for determining whether or not the game image data is special image data having a data volume that exceeds a predetermined volume of data; and
information that is used if it has been determined that the game image data is the special image data, for making transmission means transmit the distribution data that comprises image identification data indicating that the game image data is the special image data to a game machine at which the special image data is stored, instead of the game image data.
(6) Another type of computer-usable information in accordance with the present invention embodied on an information storage medium or in a carrier wave, for displaying a game image, based on distribution data that comprises game image data transferred over a transmission path from a game data distribution machine, comprises:
information for previously storing special image data that is part of the image data in a predetermined storage area before the reception of the distribution data; and
information that is used if received distribution data comprises predetermined image identification data, for displaying a special image, based on the special image data in the storage area instead of the game image data.
The above-described aspects of this invention enable a device on the reception side of distribution data to determine whether or not a special image is to be displayed, from image identification data that is comprised within the received distribution data, then read special image data from a predetermined storage area instead of the distribution data, for display.
If the special image data is extracted from the distribution data, it could happen that the transfer of the special image data will make the special image data occupy the entire transfer bandwidth, or will make the transferred data volume exceed the data volume allotted to the transfer bandwidth, making it impossible to display the image in real time. The present invention makes it unnecessary to transmit special image data, enabling a smooth display of images in real time.
Note that the special image data in this case corresponds to image data in which there are large differences in the properties of adjacent pixels (such as lightness and chroma), or between frames, such as in flash scenes.
(7) Another game system in accordance with the present invention comprises:
a game machine for transmitting distribution request data and also displaying a game image based on predetermined distribution data, to present a game; and
a game data distribution machine f
Cherubin Yveste G.
Harrison Jessica J.
Namco Ltd.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
LandOfFree
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