Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
1996-11-27
2001-01-16
O'Neill, Michael (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
With communication link
Reexamination Certificate
active
06174236
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a video game system having a host and a plurality of terminal devices each connected to the host through a transmission line and having a plurality of video game units.
Of various video game units installed in an amusement facility, some have memory devices such as a RAM and ROM wherein a video game program played on the game unit is stored. By setting another memory device, or by changing the program stored therein, various games can be played on the same unit.
Some of these game units are adapted to show points scored by the player on displays thereof. For example, in a case of a racing game, a lap time taken to drive a circuit of the race course is shown.
In the conventional game unit, the player is informed only of the point he had just scored. Namely, although there may be a plurality of game units on which the same video game can be played, the players cannot compete against one another and compare the scores. Moreover, it is impossible for the player in one amusement facility to have knowledge of the scores of other players in other facilities and the position of his score among them.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a video game system wherein points of particular game program scored on various game units provided at various locations and the order thereof are shown on each game unit.
According to the present invention, there is provided a video game system having a host and a plurality of terminal devices connected to the host through respective transmission lines and having a plurality of game units, comprising a first memory provided in the host wherein a plurality of video game programs are stored, first transmitting means for deriving a video game program from the first memory and for transmitting the program to the terminal device, a second memory provided in each of the terminal devices for storing the video game programs transmitted from the host, a display provided on each of the game units for displaying the video game program stored in the second memory, and operating means for operating the game unit.
Second transmitting means is provided in each of the terminal devices for transmitting to the host information on points of the video game program scored on each game unit, determining means is provided in the host for determining the order of the points based on the point information.
The first transmitting means is provided to transmit each order of the point determined by the determining means to the corresponding game unit to indicate the order on the display of the game unit.
The other objects and features of this invention will become understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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Tsuda Yoichiro
Watanabe Kazuhiro
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
O'Neill Michael
Pioneer Electronic Corporation
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