Amusement devices: games – Games accessories – All video game accessories
Patent
1995-02-27
1997-03-04
Harrison, Jessica
Amusement devices: games
Games accessories
All video game accessories
463 37, A63F 924
Patent
active
056071574
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a multi-connection device for use in a game apparatus for transmitting data from a plurality of input means to a main body of the game apparatus.
BACKGROUND ART
Years have passed since home video game devices appeared, and recently a wide variety of amusing games have been developed. The video games are very popular for entertainment. Generally a home video game apparatus has 2 input means directly connected to its main body.
Consequently in the case of a software game played concurrently by three or more game players, the players operate two input means in turn in accordance with instructions of the software. But this way of using the input means is applicable only to certain types of games, such as a simulation game, etc. This has been a problem.
For software games, such as action games, shooting games, etc., which require players to operate input means in real time, adapters with a plurality of connection terminals to be connected to the input means have been developed. The input means are connected to the respective plural connection terminals, and the adaptor is connected to a connection terminal of a game apparatus body or a game console for the input means. The use of the adaptor allows players to simultaneously operate a plurality of input means to advance a game.
But in this conventional adaptor, control of the plural input means connected to the adaptor, such as monitoring of connection states of the input means, reading of data from the input means, etc., is conducted by the game console. Consequently the controlling of the input means and processing of input data by the game console are complicated, and is not applicable to games which require high-speed data processing.
An object of the present invention is to provide a multi-connection device which can supply data from a plurality of input means to a body of a game apparatus while reducing the data processing load on the game console.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
A multi-connection device for use in a game apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the multi-connection device comprises a plurality of input connections respectively connected to input means; an output connection connected to a body of the game apparatus for outputting data to the game apparatus body; and a control unit for sequentially reading data from the input means connected to the plural input connections, and outputting the read data to the game console at the output connection.
In the multi-connection device for use in a game apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit includes a storing unit for storing the data of the plural input means sequentially read from the plural input means, and outputs at once at the output connection the data stored by the storing unit in a lump.
In the multi-connection device for use in a game apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the multi-connection device further comprises a selection operation unit having a separate selection state which is selective of associated one of the plural input connections, and that the control unit connects, when the separate selection state is selected, the input connection selected by the selection operating unit to the output connection.
In the multi-connection device for use in a game apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the selection operating unit has a multi-selective state which is selective of the plural input connections, and that the control unit outputs, when the multi-selective state is selected, at once at the output connection the data stored by the storing unit in a lump.
According to the present invention, the multi-connection device itself for use in a game apparatus sequentially reads data from a plurality of input means, and outputs at once the read data to the body of the game apparatus in a lump, whereby the game apparatus itself is less loaded, and is applicable to complicated and amusing games which require hi
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Harrison Jessica
O'Neill Michael
Sega Enterprises Ltd.
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