Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-02
2002-03-26
Cheng, Joe H. (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
With communication link
C463S040000, C463S041000, C463S043000, C463S029000, C463S046000, C463S047000, C700S090000, C709S200000, C709S201000, C709S208000, C709S209000, C709S230000, C709S231000, C709S250000, C709S232000, C709S233000, C710S058000, C710S060000, C710S061000, C273S453000, C273S454000, C273S460000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06361440
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game system, a game machine, a game data distribution machine, a network system and an information storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Normally, each machine on a network operates asynchronously in relation to a clock signal which determines operating speed of an image display and the like within the machine. Accordingly, there is a case when the progress such as image display or the like becomes different gradually between each of machines, thus giving a sense of incongruity to a person watching the images.
Then, in order to solve this problem, the inventor of the present application has provided a method of transmitting a clock signal itself which is the basis of synchronization and distributed data including game data from one master machine to each slave machine to synchronize the respective machines.
However, when an enough transmission band for distributing such clock signal itself cannot be ensured, an amount of data for synchronization and a number of times of distributing data for synchronization must be reduced.
Particularly, in a network type game system in which players play a game executed on real-time while a plurality of game machines are synchronized each other, it is important to synchronize the respective game machines adequately so as not to give any sense of incongruity to the persons watching the game screens.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a game system, a game machine, a game data distribution machine, a network system and an information storage medium which allow the clock of the respective machines to be synchronized adequately without giving any sense of incongruity to persons watching images displayed based on data distributed among the respective machines linked to a network via a transmission path having a limited transmission band.
(1) In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, according to a first aspect of the invention, with a game system in which at least one slave machine is connected with a master machine via a transmission path, the slave machine and the master machine operating synchronously each other,
the master machine comprises:
means for generating indication data indicative of clock speed; and
means for transmitting the generated indication data to the slave machine,
the slave machine comprises:
means for receiving the indication data transmitted from the master machine; and
clock adjusting means for adjusting the clock speed of the slave machine so as to synchronize with the clock speed of the master machine based on the received indication data, and
the clock adjusting means adjusts the clock speed of the slave machine so as to reduce the clock speed of the slave machine when the clock speed thereof is faster than the clock speed of the master machine and to increase the clock speed of the slave machine when the clock speed thereof is slower than the clock speed of the master machine, based on the received indication data.
(2) According to a second aspect of the invention, with a network system in which at least one image display machine is connected with an image distribution machine for distributing image data for displaying images on the image display machine via a transmission path, the image display machine and the image distribution machine operating synchronously each other,
the image distribution machine comprises:
means for generating indication data indicative of clock speed; and
means for transmitting the generated indication data to the image display machine,
the image display machine comprises:
means for receiving the indication data transmitted from the image distribution machine; and
clock adjusting means for adjusting the clock speed of the image display machine so as to synchronize with the clock speed of the image distribution machine based on the received indication data, and
the clock adjusting means adjusts the clock speed of the image display machine so as to reduce the clock speed of the image display machine when the clock speed thereof is faster than the clock speed of the image distributing machine and to increase the clock speed of the image display machine when the clock speed thereof is slower than the clock speed of the image distributing machine, based on the received indication data.
(3) According to a third aspect of the invention, a game data distribution machine for distributing game data for playing a game to a plurality of game machines in which the game is played while a progressing state of the game in each of the game machines is synchronous each other comprises:
means for generating the game data;
means for generating indication data indicative of the clock speed which determines generating speed of the game data; and
means for transmitting the indication data and the game data to the game machines.
(4) According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a game machine for playing a game with another game machine while a progressing state of the game in the game machine is synchronous with a progressing state of the game in the other game machine comprises:
means for receiving game data from a game data distribution machine for distributing the game data to the game machine and to the other game machine, and indication data indicative of clock speed from the game data distribution machine; and
clock adjusting means for adjusting the clock speed of the game machine so as to synchronize with the clock speed of the other game machine based on the received indication data,
wherein the clock adjusting means adjusts the clock speed of the game machine so as to reduce the clock speed of the game machine when the clock speed thereof is faster than the clock speed of the game data distribution machine and to increase the clock speed of the game machine when the clock speed thereof is slower than the clock speed of the game data distribution machine, based on the received indication data.
(5) According to a fifth aspect of the invention, a game machine realizing at least one of a master function and a slave function and operating synchronously with another game machine comprises:
means for generating indication data indicative of clock speed in realizing the master function;
means for transmitting the generated indication data to the other game machine in realizing the master function;
means for receiving the indication data sent from the other game machine in realizing the slave function;
clock adjusting means for adjusting the clock speed by a predetermined adjustment amount at a time, based on the received indication data in realizing the slave function; and
means for executing a game based on the adjusted clock speed in realizing the slave function,
wherein the clock adjusting means reduces the clock speed of the game machine when the clock speed thereof is faster than the clock speed of the other game machine and increases the clock speed of the game machine when the clock speed thereof is slower than the clock speed of the other game machine, based on the received indication data.
(6) According to a sixth aspect of the invention, a game machine realizing at least one of a master function and a slave function and operating synchronously with another game machine comprises:
a circuit for generating indication data indicative of clock speed in realizing the master function;
a circuit for transmitting the generated indication data to the other game machine in realizing the master function;
a circuit for receiving the indication data sent from the other game machine in realizing the slave function;
a clock adjusting circuit for adjusting the clock speed by a predetermined adjustment amount at a time, based on the received indication data in realizing the slave function; and
a circuit for executing a game based on the adjusted clock speed in realizing the slave function,
wherein the clock adjusting circuit reduces the clock speed of the game machine when the clock speed thereof is faster than the clock speed of the other game machine and increases the clo
Moriguchi Akihiko
Ogawa Toru
Cheng Joe H.
Namco Ltd.
Nguyen Binh-An D.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
LandOfFree
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