U.S. Pat. No. 8,137,202

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring toFIGS. 1˜3, an integrated electronic game system100in accordance with the present invention is shown comprising a plurality of game controllers10, a plurality of game consoles20, a central control server30, a driver40and a physical card-opening device50.

Each game controller10comprises a control unit11and a display unit12, and has installed therein a plurality of different player-end game software programs13(for example, player-end game software program A, player-end game software program B and player-end game software program C). The player can use the game controllers10to input instructions including switching and executing the related player-end game software programs13.

Each game console20has installed therein at least one, for example, but not limited to, one server-end game software program21. The server-end game software programs21of the game consoles20are different. According to the present preferred embodiment, server-end game software programs A, B and C are respectively installed in the game consoles20. Further, the game consoles20are put in communication with one another subject to TCP/IP communication protocol. The communication content includes the information of the current progress of the server-end game software program21running in each game console20. This information is well stored so that the game consoles20can know from one another the respective progress. Thus, the player can know, through the respective game controllers10, the progress of every server-end game software program21running in each of the game consoles20, and can send a card-opening signal to the driver40one after another subject to the current progress every server-end game software program21running in each of the game consoles20(this part will be described further). With respect to equipment, it simply needs to establish connection among the game consoles20by means of conventional technology, and therefore the invention saves the cost. It is to be understood that the main point of the present invention is let the game consoles20be in communication with one another. As the communication connection technique and the related data transmission and recording methods are of the known art, no any further detailed description in this regard is necessary.

The central control server30is connected between the game controllers10and the game consoles20. According to the present preferred embodiment, the central control server30comprises a two-way transmission program31and a processing unit32. The two-way transmission program31is capable of receiving a switching instruction from one of the game controllers10and then connecting the respective player-end game software program13to the respective server-end game software program21, for example, connecting the player-end game software program B to the server-end game software program B shown inFIG. 1for enabling the player to play the game B. If the game B involves any common information shared by the game A and the game C during playing of the game (such as the points to be deducted or added to the player), the common information will be calculated and recorded by the processing unit32of the central control server30, reducing the burden of the game consoles20and the cost resulted from the installation of complicated connection equipment.

Based on the aforesaid architecture, the invention achieves the function that the player can operate the respective game controller10to switch among multiple games that are running at the same time. However, the aforesaid architecture may be alternated by other configurations; for example, multiple different game software programs can be respectively stored in multiple game consoles, and every game controller can be connected to the respective game console through the central control server to receive and output the game information transmitted from the game software program of the respective game console, i.e., it is not necessary to install any game software program in every game controller. It is to be understood that the aforesaid architecture is simply an example for illustration but not to be used as a limitation.

By means of a switching operation, every game controller10can share multiple game consoles20. The following will describe how the game consoles20share one physical card-opening device50.

The technique measure of the present invention is to connect the driver40to the game consoles20for enabling the driver40to receive a card-opening signal from each of the game consoles20and to output an operation instruction to the connected physical card-opening device50(for example, mechanical arm; mechanical arm is not a limitation, the physical card-opening device can be a lottery machine or any of a variety of other automatic gambling devices) upon receipt of the card-opening signal. Further, the operation instruction outputted by the driver40contains the information of the source game console that issued the card-opening signal (for example, the game console20that carries the server-end game software program A). Subject to the operation instruction from the driver40, the physical card-opening device50starts the card-opening operation of the game A. Thus, all the games A˜C can share the physical card-opening device50commonly without confliction.

The game operation flow of the present invention subject to the use of the game controllers10and the game consoles20that carry the games A˜C is described hereinafter:

At first, when the physical card-opening device50is running the card-opening operation of the game A, the player using one game controller10can switch to the game B, i.e., the player can operate the respective game controller10to send a switching instruction through the control unit11to the central control server30, causing the central control server30to connect the player-end game software program B of the respective game controller10to the game console20carrying the server-end game software program B (seeFIG. 1), so that the respective server-end game software program21control running of the respective player-end game software program13via the central control server30, at the same time, the player can control the control unit11to run the player-end game software program13in playing the game B and to give a response or issue an instruction to the game console20carrying the server-end game software program B via the central control server30.

At the same time, the game consoles20carrying the server-end game software programs A and C keep running the respective server-end game software programs A and C and sending the respective progress information to the game console20carrying the server-end game software program B. At this time, the game controller10carrying the player-end game software program B is connected to the game console20carrying the server-end game software program B through the central control server30to fetch the progress information of the server-end game software programs A and C for output through the display unit12thereof, as shown inFIG. 2. Thus, the player can know the progress of every of the games A˜C.

Further, after the physical card-opening device50finished the card-opening operation of the game A, the game console20carrying the server-end game software program A will inform the game consoles20carrying the server-end game software programs B and C. At this time, subject to the current progress, one of the other two game consoles, for example, the game consoles20carrying the server-end game software program B will send a card-opening signal, causing the physical card-opening device50to start the card-opening operation of the game B without delay, thereby improving game system utilization.

In conclusion, by means of the application of the integrated electronic game system of the present invention, every game controller carrying multiple player-end game software programs allows the player to play different games at the same time by means of a switching operation, and these different games can communicate with one another to share one common physical card-opening device without confliction. Thus, the player can switch among different games without waiting, thereby improving game system utilization, raising the player's overall interest and reducing equipment costs.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.