US20060252544A1

US20060252544A1 - Implementation method for playing game

Info

Publication number: US20060252544A1
Application number: US11/382,274
Authority: US
Inventors: Ying Liu; Shih-Kuang Tsai; Dai-Shui Ho
Original assignee: Inventec Appliances Corp
Current assignee: Inventec Appliances Corp
Priority date: 2005-05-09
Filing date: 2006-05-09
Publication date: 2006-11-09
Also published as: TWI274492B; TW200640194A

Abstract

An implementation method for interactively playing a game in a mobile communication apparatus includes installing a game program in the mobile communication apparatus for compiling and decompiling a signal representing information for playing a game, providing a server for receiving the signal, transmitting a signal through a communication protocol between the mobile communication apparatus and the server, and providing a game platform in the server for executing the decompiled signal in the server. The game program is installed for compiling and decompiling the signal in the mobile communication apparatus. The server is provided for receiving the signal. The game platform is provided for executing the game program in the server.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an implementation method for playing a game, and more specifically, to an implementation method for playing a game by transmitting a game signal through a communication protocol between a mobile communication apparatus and a server.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Mobile communication apparatuses, such as cellular phones and personal digital assistants (PDA's), have become indispensable communication products in daily life. Besides the communication functions of apparatuses, young people also show great interest in the distinctive designs of apparatuses. In addition, translating, Internet browsing, scheduling, and calculating are also provided as additional functions of the mobile communication apparatuses. With the development of technology, interactive games have already become an additional function of the mobile communication apparatuses. Compared with personal computers, the mobile communication apparatuses are much more portable. Therefore, through using the mobile communication apparatuses for playing a multi-player interactive game, people can have fun with each other at any time.
Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting a method for interactively playing games in a mobile communication apparatus according to a prior art. A user can use a mobile communication apparatus 11 to play an interactive game with other people through infrared transmission or Bluetooth data transmission. However, both the infrared transmission and the Bluetooth data transmission are limited to a short distance. Additionally, the infrared transmission works only when an infrared port 111 is aimed at another one within a very short distance.
Please refer to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting a method for interactively playing games through a network according to a prior art. A personal computer 21 is coupled to a server 23 through a network 22. In such a way, a user can play a game with many other users in so-called multi-player interactive games. However, it is still inconvenient to take a personal computer along.
Please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram depicting the architecture of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) transmission 31 according to a prior art. The GPRS transmission architecture 31 comprises a GPRS tunneling protocol (GTP) 311 for exchanging packet signals in a Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) through a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) 312 and in the Internet through a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) 313.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, an implementation method for interactively playing a game in a mobile communication apparatus comprises installing a game program in the mobile communication apparatus for compiling and decompiling a signal representing information for playing a game, providing a server for receiving the signal, transmitting the signal through a communication protocol between the mobile communication apparatus and the server, and providing a game platform in the server for executing the decompiled signal in the server.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting a method for interactively playing games in a mobile communication apparatus according to a prior art.
FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting a method for interactively playing games through a network according to a prior art.
FIG. 3 is a diagram depicting the architecture of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) transmission 31 according to a prior art.
FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting a method for interactively playing games through a network according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for transmitting a game signal according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for implementing a multi-player game according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for playing a game according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Please refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting a method for interactively playing games through a network according to the present invention. The implementation method for playing the game through the network comprises the architecture of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) transmission 31, a plurality of mobile communication apparatuses 11, and a server 21, and may comprise a network 22, and a plurality of personal computers 23. The GPRS transmission architecture 31 comprises a GTP 311, an SGSN 312, and a GGSN 313. The mobile communication apparatus 11 transmits a game signal to the SGSN 312 in the GPRS transmission architecture 31 and the game signal is then transmitted to the server 21 through the GGSN 313. Conversely, the server 21 transmits game signals to the mobile communication apparatus 11 through the GGSN 313 and the SGSN 312 utilizing the GPRS Tunneling Protocol 311. In the meanwhile, the personal computers 23 may be connected to the server 21 through the network 22. Therefore, mobile communication apparatus users and personal computer users can login the server to play the game at the same time.
Please refer to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for transmitting a game signal according to the present invention. The method comprises the following steps.
Step 51: start.
Step 52: compile an operation command and a game state to a packet signal.
Step 53: generate a header structure which comprises an address of a transmitter and an address of a receiver through a SGSN in the GPRS transmission architecture.
Step 54: transmit the packet signal and the header structure to a server through a GGSN in the GPRS transmission architecture.
Step 55: decompile the packet signal and the header structure by a game program in a game platform of the server.
Step 56: execute the operation command and updating a game state in the game platform of the server.
Step 57: end.
In the same manner, when an updated game state is transmitted to another mobile communication apparatus from the server, a compiled packet signal and a header structure will be transmitted reversely to the mobile communication apparatus through the GPRS transmission architecture. If a receiver is a personal computer, then the compiled packet signal and the header structure will be transmitted to the personal computer through an Internet.
It should be noted that throughout this application and appended claims, the word compile and its various forms are intended to mean to collect, accumulate, generate, encode, and/or edit data and/or commands and/or other game-related information into signal form, while the word decompile and its various forms are intended to mean extracting or decoding the compiled data and/or commands from a received signal. Thus, Step 52 assembles predetermined data and/or commands and/or other game-related information into a packet signal and Step 55 extracts the assembled data and/or commands and/or other game-related information from the packet signal. It should also be noted that in at least one embodiment of the present invention, the server comprising the game platform may be a mobile communication device, as long as the GPRS tunneling protocol is utilized to transmit and receive game information.
Please refer to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for implementing a multi-player game according to the present invention. The method comprises the following steps.
Step 61: start.
Step 62: connect a mobile communication apparatus to a GPRS transmission architecture or a personal computer to the Internet.
Step 63: a player chooses a game in a game platform of a server to join.
Step 64: determine whether there are enough players in the game platform. If so, go to Step 65. If not, go to Step 66.
Step 65: transmit a packet signal which comprises a game state and a header structure from the server to every player and then starting the game.
Step 66: not starting the game until there are enough players in the game platform.
The game platform may comprise a user login system, which may require a user to enter a set of user ID and password before being able to choose or play a game. Similar login systems are well known and need not be explored in depth here. However, the present login system may implement a one-user interface, a two-user interface, a three-user interface, a four-user interface, or another fixed-quantity-of-user interface to control the number of users playing a specific game at the same time. For example, the game platform may require exactly two players for a chess game and exactly four players for a hearts game.
Please refer to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for playing a game according to the present invention. The method comprises the following steps.
Step 71: start a game.
Step 72: a player chooses which move to make or which playing card he or she should show.
Step 73: count the time that the player takes for making a move or showing a playing card. At the same time, the player can decide to or not to give up. If so, go to Step 78. If not, go to Step 74.
Step 74: urge the player when the player does not make a move or show a playing card in a certain time.
Step 75: determine if the player makes a move or shows a playing card. If so, go back to Step 72 and then start another players' turn. If not, go to Step 76.
Step 76: determine that the player gives up and loses the game. Then go to Step 77.
Step 77: determine whether the game is over. If so, go to Step 78. If not, go back to Step 66 in FIG. 6.
Step 78: end the game.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An interactive game method used in a mobile communication apparatus, the method comprising:

installing a game program in the mobile communication apparatus for compiling and decompiling a signal representing information for playing a game;

providing a server for receiving the signal, said game program being installed in the server and for compiling and decompiling the signal;

transmitting the signal through a communication protocol between the mobile communication apparatus and the server; and

providing a game platform in the server for executing the decompiled signal in the server.

2. The interactive game method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication apparatus is a cellular phone.

3. The interactive game method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication apparatus is a personal digital assistant (PDA).

4. The interactive game method of claim 1, wherein the game program is a chess game software.

5. The interactive game method of claim 1, wherein the signal is a packet signal.

6. The interactive game method of claim 1, wherein the server is a computer device.

7. The interactive game method of claim 1, wherein the game platform comprises at least one-user login interface restricting that there is a predetermined number of players joining the game.

8. The interactive game method of claim 7, wherein the user login interface is a two-way login interface.

9. The interactive game method of claim 7, wherein the user login interface is a three-way login interface.

10. The interactive game method of claim 7, wherein the user login interface is a four-way login interface.

11. The interactive game method of claim 1, wherein the communication protocol is General Packet Radio Service (GPRS).

12. The interactive game method of claim 11, wherein the server is a mobile communication device.