Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-10
2004-01-27
Walberg, Teresa (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
With communication link
C273S237000, C379S088210, C379S093230, C379S433070
Reexamination Certificate
active
06682427
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of telecommunications as it relates to remote apparatus for enabling game players present at remote locations to play a game over a communications link.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are numerous known remote game systems in which players, present at various remote locations, can play a game by communicating coded information relating to the state of the game through a common communication network, such as a telephone line.
By way of a first example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,558 entitled “Remote Gaming Apparatus” and issued to Shimamoto et al. on Feb. 8, 1983, each player has a dedicated game apparatus for detecting and displaying the position of game pieces (i.e., chess pieces). Each dedicated gaming apparatus has communications hardware for transmitting and receiving over the phone system coded information relating to the position of the game pieces. In this manner, each dedicated gaming apparatus displays the current position of the game pieces as effected by both players.
The apparatus disclosed by '558 patent does not identify the players or enable the players to communicate with each other while playing the game. Further, not only must each player input their game moves, but they must also manually move game pieces on a game board.
By way of a second example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,471 entitled “Interactive Telephone Gaming System” and issued to Vancraeynest on Feb. 16, 1993, discloses a gaming apparatus for use with a telephone network which supports standard dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signals. One or more players use a modified telephone station to play a game with a network gaming apparatus by receiving a sequence of DTMF tones and replicating the same sequence DTMF tones by pressing tone keys that correspond to the received sequence of DTMF tones. Each tone key has a corresponding light emitting diode (LED) which illuminates in response to receiving a corresponding DTMF signal from the network gaming apparatus. The illumination of the LEDs provide visible cues to the player at the modified telephone station to assist the player in matching the auditory pattern of DTMF tones generated by the network gaming apparatus.
The apparatus disclosed by the '471 patent does not identify players, nor does it enable play or communications between two or more players.
By way of a third example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,288 entitled “Communication Terminal Used As A Game Machine” and issued to Teshima et al. on Dec. 28, 1993, discloses a communication terminal for playing a game with an opponent through a telephone line. The communication terminal comprises a push button type telephone connected parallel to the communication terminal so that a voice signal of the push button type telephone is simultaneously transmitted to the opponent with a PB signal and a position signal. Accordingly, it is possible to talk with an opponent during game play.
By way of a fourth example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,855 entitled “Apparatus And Method Of Communicating Between Electronic Games” and issued to Ng on Oct. 26, 1999, discloses linking small hand-held electronic games, preprogrammed with a single game, through a communications unit so as to enable connection to a central processing unit on an Internet website.
By way of a fifth example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,064 entitled “Device For Playing Games Via A Communications Network, And A Game System Using A Communications Network” and issued to Pieterse et al. on Jun. 27, 2000, discloses apparatus using a pointing device such as a joystick or the keys of a telephone set to generate DTMF pointing signals. Pieterse also discloses using the keys of a telephone set to transmit game instructions, such as “Fire”, “Start”, “Stop” and “Hold”.
The apparatus disclosed by the '288, '855 and '064 patents do not clearly identify and differentiate between players and their respective game moves, nor do they enable the display and identification of each player's moves on a modified keypad located at each of a plurality of communication terminals participating in game play.
Although known remote gaming systems succeed in providing entertainment to remotely located game players, they pose a problem in that they often require specialized apparatus, in addition to a telephone that shares a telephone line with the apparatus. Further, it is difficult to identify who made which move and whose turn it is, especially for a game played by a plurality of players.
Computer games, played via a server located in a telephone network or over the Internet, normally require the user to subscribe to a service and/or pay to play a game. For such games, it is difficult to set up a game with a known opponent. Often, game players are playing alone or against a computer. In other cases, players participating in game play do not know who their opponents are, and thus the personal interaction with friends and family members is lost. Further, such games do not allow parties having a conversation to spontaneously play a game by placing their communication devices in a game mode.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to incorporate a compact gaming system into a communication terminal, such that parties having a conversation can initiate game play without interfering with an ongoing conversation or having to connect additional equipment to their telephone lines.
It is a further object of the present invention to display at each terminal participating in a game, the identities of each player and to identify each player's game moves in a clear and compact manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the above and other objectives are realized in a keypad for dialing telephone numbers and displaying game moves. Such a feature can be used to indicate the moves of parties playing a game over a telephone line. Once a party indicates a game move, the party is prohibited from making any additional moves until after the other party makes a move. The present invention can also be incorporated into wireless telephones (e.g., cellphones), walkie-talkies, wireless toys and other types of transceivers.
More particularly, once a communications link (e.g., wired, wireless, etc.) is established between two or more parties, their terminals are placed in a game mode which activates inband signal detection circuitry located within the terminals. Multi-colored indicators (e.g., LEDs and/or LCDs) at each terminal are activated, their color being dependent upon the source of received instructions.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a keypad includes a plurality of keys and an indicator which indicates a game move.
At least one of the keys may be used to dial a telephone number. At least one of the keys may be used to establish a communications link. At least one of the keys may include a display which presents the game move to a user of the keypad. The keys may display telephone digits used for dialing a telephone number, and the keys may display game moves after a communications link is established with a device associated with the telephone number. The identity of a game player associated with the game move may be indicated by the indicator. The indicator may comprise a plurality of multi-colored LEDs, each LED representing a different game player. Each key may include the indicator. The keypad may reside on a surface of a telephone.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a keypad in a communications apparatus includes a plurality of keys and at least one indicator which indicates at least one game move when a game mode is initiated by a user of the apparatus. The keypad may reside on a surface of the apparatus.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a telephone keypad is used to dial telephone numbers. The keypad includes a plurality of keys and at least one indicator which indicates at least one game move when a game mode is initiated by a user of the keypad. At least one of the keys may include a display which presents the
Cohen, Esq. Neil G.
Interactive Telegames, LLC
Jones Scott E.
Walberg Teresa
LandOfFree
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