Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-05
2002-02-12
Harrison, Jessica J. (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
With communication link
C463S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06346048
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a game system, game machine, game data distribution machine, image data distribution system and computer-usable information, which can synchronize clock signals between a plurality of machines.
BACKGROUND OF ART
Usually, each machine in a network operates in an asynchronous mode with respect to clock signals for determining its speed of executing a display of image and so on. It is thus difficult to synchronize the display of image or the like between the machines.
For example, when clock signals are not synchronized between the machines, the timing of image display will be deviated between the machines. This may provide a sense of incompatibility to a viewer when he or she simultaneously sees the screens of the machines.
Particularly, in a network type game system in which a game is performed while synchronizing between a plurality of game machines, it is important that the game machines are properly synchronized without any sense of incompatibility to players seeing the game scene.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to a game system, game machine, game data distribution machine, image data distribution system and computer-usable information, which can synchronize clock signals between a plurality of machines without an unpleasantness to players.
(1) To this end, the present invention provides a game system comprising at least one slave machine and a master machine connected to the slave machine through a transmission path, synchronization between the master machine and the slave machine being taken during operation,
wherein the master machine includes:
means for generating a reference clock to be a basis of the synchronization; and
means for transmitting the generated reference clock to the slave machine,
wherein the slave machine includes:
means for receiving the reference clock transmitted from the master machine;
operation clock generation means for generating a slave operation clock for the slave machine so that the slave operation clock is synchronized with a master operation clock for the master machine based on the received reference clock; and
game means for executing a game based on the generated slave operation clock.
(2) The present invention also provides an image data distribution system comprising at least one image display machine and an image distribution machine connected to the image display machine through a transmission path, the image distribution machine distributing image data to the image display machine, synchronization between the image display machine and the image distribution machine being taken during operation,
wherein the image distribution machine includes:
means for generating a reference clock to be a basis of the synchronization; and
means for transmitting the generated reference clock to the image display machine,
wherein the image display machine includes:
means for receiving the reference clock transmitted from the image distribution machine; and
operation clock generation means for generating a display operation clock for the image display machine so that the display operation clock is synchronized with a distribution operation clock for the image distribution machine based on the received reference clock.
(3) The present invention farther provides 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, the game data distribution machine comprising:
means for generating the game data;
means for generating a reference clock to be a basis of generation speed of the game data; and
means for transmitting the reference clock and the game data to the plurality of game machines,
wherein, in each of the plurality of game machines, execution speed of a game is adjusted based on the reference clock and the game is played at the execution speed of the game based on the game data.
(4) The present invention further provides a game machine for playing a game with at least one other game machine while a processing state of the game in the game machine is synchronous with a processing state of the game in the other game machine, the game machine comprising:
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 a reference clock to be a basis of clock speed from the game data distribution machine;
means for generating an operation clock of the game machine so that a clock speed of the game machine is synchronized with a clock speed of the other game machine based on the received reference clock; and
means for executing the game based on the generated operation clock and the game data.
(5) The present invention further provides a game machine realizing at least one of a master function and a slave function and operating in synchronization with at least one other game machine, the game machine comprising:
means for generating a reference clock to be a basis of the synchronization when the game machine realizes the master function;
means for transmitting the generated reference clock to the other game machine having the slave function when the game machine realizes the master function;
means for receiving the reference clock from the other game machine having the master function when the game machine realizes the slave function;
operation clock generation means for generating an operation clock based on the reference clock; and
game means for executing the game based on the generated operation clock.
(6) The present invention further provides a game machine realizing at least one of a master function and a slave function and operating in synchronization with at least one other game machine, the game machine comprising:
circuit for generating a reference clock to be a basis of the synchronization when the game machine realizes the master function;
circuit for transmitting the generated reference clock to the other game machine having the slave function when the game machine realizes the master function;
circuit for receiving the reference clock from the other game machine having the master function when the game machine realizes the slave function;
operation clock generating circuit for generating an operation clock based on the reference clock; and
game circuit for executing the game based on the generated operation clock.
(7) The present invention further provides computer-usable information embodied on an information storage medium or a carrier wave, for distributing game data for playing a game to a plurality of game machines while a progressing state of the game in each of the game machines is synchronous each other, the information comprising information for realizing:
means for generating the game data;
means for generating a reference clock to be a basis of generation speed of the game data; and
means for causing transmission means to transmit the reference clock and the game data to the plurality of game machines,
wherein, in each of the plurality of game machines, execution speed of a game is adjusted based on the reference clock, and the game is played at the execution speed of the game based on the game data.
(8) The present invention further provides computer-usable information embodied on an information storage medium or in a carrier wave, for a computer playing a game with at least one game machine while a progressing state of the game in the computer is synchronous with a progressing state of the game in the game machine, the information comprising information for realizing:
means for causing receiving means to receive game data distributed from a game data distribution machine distributing the game data to the game machine for playing the game, and a reference clock to be a basis of clock speed;
means for generating an operation clock of the computer so that a clock speed of the computer which uses the computer-usable information is synchronized with a clock speed of the game mac
Moriguchi Akihiko
Nishiura Hiroshi
Ogawa Toru
Sato Shigeru
Wachi Atsushi
Harrison Jessica J.
Namco Ltd.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Rada, II Alex F. R. P.
LandOfFree
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