WO2001077982A1

WO2001077982A1 - Toy with operating system

Info

Publication number: WO2001077982A1
Application number: PCT/KR2000/000332
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joo-Han Yu
Original assignee: PICOSOFT CO Ltd
Current assignee: PICOSOFT CO Ltd
Priority date: 2000-04-11
Filing date: 2000-04-11
Publication date: 2001-10-18
Anticipated expiration: 2002-10-11

Abstract

A patent is concerned with a gaming method whereby a character in a multiplayer online game and an off-line character toy (so-called 'OS TOY') equipped with a personal digital assistant are synchronized. Under the patent, since it is created, each and every character, appearing in the multiplayer on-line game, has its own personality, independent will and intelligence. It also participates in the game and develops with the manipulation of the player. Such development of the character in the game is synchronized with the off-line OS TOY via cordless telecommunication, cable or infrared rays, and an off-line OS TOY interacts with other off-line OS TOYs, depending on the relationship among them, via cable or infrared rays. This gaming method, therefore, has its features in that the game is a half-interactive one where the character, possessing its own independent will, interacts with the player and that it is proceeded by the synchronization between the on-line character and the off-line character toy and by the interaction among the character toys themselves.

Description

Toy with Operating System

Technical Field

By activating both various characters in multi-player online game ("MOG") and

OSTOY, an offline character toy, equipped in a personal digital assistant ("PDA"), this invention is concerned with a gaming method combining online and offline features.

Background Art

In the current MOG, characters have been formed and developed only by players, and their activity has been limited in the sphere of online. The typical example of such MOG is Lineage game.¹ Lineage game is based upon a hypothetical kingdom in the Middle Ages. The story of the game is that a player as a lord competes with other lords and battles with monsters to finally become a king. There appear four classes of lord, knight, nymph and wizard in the game, and each class has various characters, too. Each character possesses its own characteristics and features by obtaining six distinct abilities such as strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom and charisma, depending on the player's option. Upon the player's manipulation, these characters participate in the game as the level of their activity increases by way of many combats and practices. That is,

Lineage game is such that only players, by their option and manipulation, can create and develop characters by which they can participate in the game.

For more reference, see httpJ/www. lineage. co.kr. Disclosure of Invention

The technical task at which this invention aims is to overcome the shortcoming of the

current MOG that is dependent upon its player's unilateral manipulation. Accordingly, this invention focuses on a half-interactive gaming method where each character possesses its own will and ability and, interacting with the player, participates in the game. It also focuses on combination of online and offline games by allowing online characters to motivate with offline characters and by allowing offline characters to interact with each other.

To resolve the task, this invention first sets up a plot of MOG where various characters appear. The plot is mainly composed of stories of several tribes living on a planet, Drahken, and its three satellites, Juberre, Dodon, Onacius. And, various characters of different personality and appearance from each tribe participate in the game.

The story goes so much like a human's one that each character is born, learns, grows up and creates social relationship and its own domain, thus making history. During the course, some characters may die a natuπl death or may be killed in the combat. In such event, the dead character can be born again with its personality from a previous life after staying at posthumous world for a certain period of time.

Meanwhile, on offline, toys will be made, embodying the same characters appearing

in the game. Each toy will be equipped with a small computer, PDA. PDA, with a basic operating system and several application programs, has certain functions and capacities including cordless communication, sound identification and effecting, and motion instruction controlled by an artificial intelligence that enable the toy to speak, understand, judge and calculate independently In addition, the toy can improve its own ability by

communicating with its player or by participating in the game Because the toy is equipped with a computer operating system, it is called OSTOY

Each OSTOY has its own distinct personality and appearance, depending on its

character The personality of each OSTOY is determined at the stage of manufacture when certain data influencing the personality are inputted into the database in OSTOY together with its registration number The OSTOY database also stores information about MOG where the OSTOY's character appears as well as information about the OSTOY's growth and development

Depending on its character, each OSTOY will be given a different registration number and different personality by its manufacturer Players who want to participate in the OSTOY MOG should purchase an OSTOY and connect to an internet site, namely OSTOY World, where OSTOY MUG is played And then, they should download database program for game playing and register their OSTOY character by entering its registration number provided by the manufacturer OSTOY World is a cyberspace where OSTOY MOG is played and maintains a database for game playing to which information about OSTOY characters and how to play the game is entered

The OSTOY World game is basically a game where each character acts according to the player's instruction Partly, however, it is a half-interactive game where characters themselves participate in the game and even characters and players interact Therefore,

The plavers can not only sit down and watch a character play the game up to its own will and personality without giving instruction to the registered character, but also can exchange opinion with characters about the game. Moreover, characters can refuse to follow the instruction of the player when the instruction is inconsistent with its own will and personality. Even when the player is not connected to OSTOY World, characters can improve their ability by playing a game of its own initiative.

All new information about OSTOY characters created in accordance with the progress of game in OSTOY World is stored in OSTOY World database. When a player is connected to OSTOY World via computer, OSTOY World database and OSTOY database in the computer are synchronized.

In the meantime, on offline, the player can enter schedules and policy about the game into OSTOY, play games such as Chines- chess, Chinese checkers, Omok, chess, othello, diamond using programs stored in OSTOY, and improve OSTOY's ability and store related information by communicating with it. The player can synchronize OSTOY database as well as OSTOY World database by connecting to OSTOY World using the cordless communication function of OSTOY. OSTOY database and OSTOY World database can also be synchronized by using infrared rays or cable connection.

In addition, when an OSTOY meets other players' OSTOYs on offline, infrared rays or cable connection allows them to recognize the relationship among them by activating each other's database. In this event, if the relationship is found amicable as in-between spouses, friends, close acquaintances, OSTOYs show goodwill to each other and, through cable connection, they can play games such as Chinese chess, Chinese checkers, Omok,

chess, othello, diamond mentioned above using programs stored in OSTOY. But, if they are competitors or enemies to each other, they show hostility. When an OSTOY meets a competitor or an enemy, they can fight against each other, and the winner will gain more ability and the loser will lose its ability.

As a result, this invention has improved the current unilateral relationship between a MOG player and its character into an interactive one. Also, it successfully provides a combined gaming method of online and offline by creating a real toy embodying its online counterpart character, thus making the game more interesting and enjoyable.

Brief Description of Drawings

Figure 1 : General View

No. 1 represents OSTOY's buyer and game player.

No. 2 represents OSTOY.

No. 3 represents computer that the game player uses.

No. 4 represents OSTOY World.

Figure 2: Description of OSTOY game on offline

No. 5 represents OSTOY.

No. 6 represents OSTOY.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Below is the more detailed description of how to carry out the invention according to the attached drawings.

First, a game player (1) purchases an OSTOY (2). Then, the player downloads database program for playing a game (16) after connecting (15, 17) to OSTOY World (4) via a computer (3). Upon finding a registration number given to the OSTOY, the player

registers its matching OSTOY character in OSTOY World by entering its registration number and participates in the game (17).

As described above, the game in OSTOY World is a half-interactive game in that characters themselves can participate in the game independently without player's instruction or even without being connected to OSTOY World. They can also interact with their players by suggesting their own opinion about the game or even by acting alone without obeying to the player's instruction.

The player can communicate with an offline OSTOY and improve the ability of the OSTOY by playing a game such as Chinese chess, Chinese checkers, Omok. The player can store all information about such change of ability ( 1 1 , 12). The player can also enter schedules and policy about the OSTOY World game into OSTOY database ( 1 1). The player can enjoy all information about on and off line OSTOY characters when the player synchronizes both OSTOY database and OSTOY World database by connecting to OSTOY World using the cordless communication function of OSTOY ( 13). At this

moment, the pre-stored information about schedules and policy and the information reflecting the changed ability of OSTOY will be delivered to the online character, and in return, any changed information in the online OSTOY following the player's instruction or participation in the game will be delivered to the offline character (13). The player, by connecting his or her computer to the OSTOY via infrared rays or cable, can synchronize both OSTOY database and OSTOY database in the computer (14). OSTOY will report to the player about the game played in OSTOY World and request the player to instruct about a new game (1 1 ).

Meanwhile, when two different OSTOYs (5, 6) meet on offline and their databases are synchronized via infrared rays or cable, they can recognize the mutual relationship between them and, depending on their relationship, show different reactions (18). If they are found amicable to each other, each OSTOY will show its friendly attitude and reaction and can play a game such as Chinese chess, Chinese checkers, chess with each other independently from the player with its own decision.

Industrial Applicability

The inventor can commercialize this invent by manufacturing and distributing the OSTOY, a real toy, having the same character as the online character in OSTOY World and by obtaining user's fees when players participate in the OSTOY games.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1 . A gaming method whereby an OSTOY manufacturer-distributor sells OSTOYs of various characters, each having a different personality and a different registration number, and a player who purchases the OSTOY participates in OSTOY World game after he or she connects to an internet site named OSTOY World and registers the registration number of the OSTOY.

2. A gaming method related to Article 1 above whereby the player can opt to only watch a character play a game up to its own will and personality with being instructed from the player or to exchange opinion with the character about the game and whereby the character can refuse to obey the player's instruction inconsistent with its own will and personality and/or increase its ability by playing a game of its own initiative even when the player is not connected to OSTOY World.

3. A storing method related to Article 2 above whereby any information reflecting the growing-up and development of the characters as a game is played is stored to OSTOY World database.

4. A storing method whereby th player enters schedules and policy about game into OSTOY and stores information reflecting the increased ability of OSTOY following the communication between the player and the OSTOY and participation in a game such as Chinese chess, Chinese checkers, Omok, chess, othello. diamond using programs stored in OSTOY.

5 A synchronizing method related to Articles 3 and/or 4 whereby the player synchronizes OSTOY database and OSTOY World database by connecting to OSTOY World using the cordless communication function of OSTOY.

6. A synchronizing method related to Article 4 whereby the player synchronizes OSTOY database and OSTOY database in his or her computer via infrared rays.

7 A synchronizing method related Article 4 whereby the player synchronizes OSTOY database and OSTOY database in his or her computer by connecting his or her computer to OSTOY via cable.

8. A synchronizing method related Articles 6 and/or 7 whereby the player synchronizes OSTOY World database and OSTOY database in his or her computer when he or she connects to OSTOY World using his or her computer.

9. A synchronizing method whereby the database of each OSTOY is synchronized via infrared rays when an OSTOY belonging to a player meets another OSTOY belonging to a different player on offline.

10. A synchronizing method whereby the database of each OSTOY is synchronized via cable connection when an OSTOY belonging to a player meets another OSTOY belonging to a different player on offline.

1 1. A gaming method related to articles 9 and/or 10 whereby the OSTOY shows friendly attitude to another OSTOY that is its spouse, friend or close acquaintance, and shows hostility when it meets a competitor or an enemy.

12. A gaming method related to Article 10 whereby, when the OSTOY meets a competitor or an enemy, they fight against each other, and the winner gains more ability and the loser lose its ability.

13. A gaming method related to Article 10 whereby the OSTOY meets a friendly OSTOY, they play a game such as Chinese chess, Chinese checkers, Omok, chess, othello, diamond using programs stored in OSTOY via cable connection.