Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-25
2003-04-08
Jones, Melvin (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
active
06544126
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
“NOT APPLICABLE”
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
“NOT APPLICABLE”
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to game systems and portable game machines. More particularly, the invention relates to a game system including a portable game machine and another game machine, wherein executable code can be downloaded from the other game machine into the portable game machine for execution.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There is a well-known cartridge-based portable hand-held game machine made by Nintendo known as “GAMEBOY” (product name). The GAMEBOY game machine has a boot ROM storing a boot program. The boot program is a program for initializing the portable game machine (e.g., processing involving writing zeros to memory cells and registers) and starting, after initialization, to execute a game program provided in an interchangeable ROM-based memory cartridge. The CPU of the portable game machine first executes the boot program upon turning on the unit's power. After the boot program related initialization processing, the CPU processes a game program by executing it out of the cartridge.
Nintendo's GAME BOY portable game machine has a communication port to communicate with other game machines (e.g., other GAME BOYs) or communication systems. The communication port is utilized to get game data and the like in the course of the GAME BOY's internal CPU executing a cartridge game program out of the memory cartridge.
In the conventional portable game machines, there are advantages of exchanging game data and playing network games owing to their capabilities of acquiring game data and programs from other game machines.
However, in the past, the GAME BOY communication port cannot be utilized without inserting a cartridge in the portable game machine. There exists a problem that each portable game machine needs a cartridge to participate in the game play. Thus, a cartridge for each of several portable game machines may be needed for communicating data between the portable game machines through communication ports. For playing a network game over a plurality of portable game machines, there is a need to provide, for each portable game machine, a cartridge installed with an appropriate network-game program. While this may increase the sales of game cartridges, it may be difficult to find a number of friends all having the appropriate game cartridge to play a desired multiplayer game
It would be possible for an auxiliary program such as communication software to be previously stored and resident within the portable game machine housing (e.g., as part of the internal “boot ROM”) in order to avoid the necessity of providing a cartridge for each portable game machine. In such a case, however, there is a need to increase the storage capacity of the portable game machine to make the capacity large enough to store the auxiliary program. This increases the manufacturing cost of making the portable game machine. Also, should an auxiliary program be stored in advance on the portable game machine, the portable game machine may not be able to compatible with different type game machines utilizing communication ports be newly developed. There may arise a problem that communications could be made impossible or incompatible between the portable game machines storing different versions of auxiliary program when the auxiliary program version is improved (e.g., due to bug fixes or functional extensions). Once a large installed user base of such portable game machines existed, it might be difficult from a practical, commercial standpoint to release new portable game machine versions having new communications ports and/or protocols that are incompatible with the prior versions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a novel game system and portable game machine that overcomes these problems.
The invention also provides a game system and portable game machine which is capable of communicating data by utilizing a communication port without a cartridge received by the portable game machine.
Briefly, an illustrative embodiment provides a portable game machine that can be placed into a “download mode” when no game cartridge is inserted into the portable game machine. When operating in the “download mode”, the portable game machine is capable of receiving executable code written to it by a data source (e.g., another portable game machine, a home video game machine, a personal computer, a network, etc.) The portable game machine writes the received executable code into an internal working random access memory and then proceeds to execute the code. In one example arrangement, this download capability permits multiple players to play a common video game on multiple video game units using only a single cartridge or other storage media.
In more detail, a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention communicatably connects a communications link between a portable game machine and another game machine. The portable game machine includes readable/writable storage capable of electrically reading/writing information. In response to turning on power, the portable game machine starts execution of a program stored in an information storage medium when the information storage medium is loaded into the receiving portion of the portable game machine. The portable game machine requests the other game machine to transfer a program to it when an information storage medium is not loaded in the receiving portion but communication is possible to the other game machine over a communications link.
The other game machine in this embodiment may execute a program from its own information storage medium removably coupled thereto. The other game machine reads the program out of its information medium and transfers same to the portable game machine in response to a program transfer request from the portable game machine. The portable game machine writes the program transferred from the other game machine into its readable/writable storage in response to the transfer request, and executes the second program written in the readable/writable storage.
The other game machine's information storage medium can further store a first game program for the portable game machine to execute. The program transferred to the portable game machine for execution may include a download program to be executed by the portable game machine to thereby download the game program to the portable game machine.
Where the game program stored in the other video game machine's information storage medium has a capacity greater than the storage capacity of the readable/writable storage, the download program downloads the game program in blocks or modules that are smaller than the storage capacity of the readable/writable storage.
A game system according to an example embodiment of the present invention is structured by communicatably connecting at least one portable game machine with another game machine. The portable game machine comprises a first receiver removably receiving an information storage medium storing a program to be executed on a portable game machine. The portable game machine further comprises a first communication port communicatably connecting to the other game machine. A program store stores a startup program to be executed when a startup event occurs such as when power is turned on. A readable/writable store readably/writably stores an auxiliary program transferred from the other game machine. A first processor executes the startup program stored in the program store in response to the event. The first processor executes a program provided by the information storing means according to the startup program when the information storage medium is received by the first receiver, and forwards a transfer request command through the first communication port according to the startup program (thereby storing in the readable/writable store an auxiliary program transferred from the other game machine) and executes the auxili
Kawase Tomohiro
Sawano Takao
Jones Melvin
Nintendo Co. Ltd.
LandOfFree
Portable game machine with download capability does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Portable game machine with download capability, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Portable game machine with download capability will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3047376