Abstract: A train of coded input picture data carrying moving picture information includes at least one picture data which need to refer to another picture data and at least one coded picture data containing an error.

Abstract: A game apparatus has a vehicle which can display an image matching a background scene of a playing area by synthesizing the image with the background scene. The vehicle moves along a vehicle path provided through the playing area. A player plays a game in the playing area while the player views the background scene of the playing area. An image matching the background scene of the playing area is displayed by a virtual image forming system provided on the vehicle. A scene in which the virtual image is synthesized with the background scene is viewed by the player.

Abstract: A software rental method is disclosed. A specific software and rental term information or permitted accumulative use time information of said specific software are written into a circulating medium. The software retained in the circulating medium is autonomously invalidated at a time point when a desired rental term defined by the rental term information expires or at a time point when an accumulative use period of time exceeds a limit defined by the permitted accumulative use time information. A cartridge used as a circulating medium for a rental software, comprises a counter to be set with a rental term. The counter is counted down in response to the clock signal from a clock generator. Access to a title storing memory unit in the cartridge is prohibited at a time point when the counter value becomes zero.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a fishing game device. The device comprises line take-up means rotatable forward and reverse; a fishing rod, to a distal end of which is fixed a fishing line fed from the line take-up means; a simulated reel attached to a side opposite to the distal end of the fishing rod and including a handle to be rotated by a player and a brake mechanism for applying a load braking force to the movement of the handle; and control means for controlling a magnitude of the load braking force of the braking mechanism in accordance with the rotational state of the line take-up means.

Abstract: Videogame systems and methods are provided to enhance the capability of the videogame system controller and data storage to provide graphic character element storage and processing. A display list technology utilizes an intentionally generated, location-specific vertical interrupt to implement a routine to modify or to alter existing graphical character elements. A second technique involves the definition of a small portion of the graphics map which is displayed differently than the balance of the graphics map because the stored priority bit is expressed in the defined area, but suppressed and replaced in all other areas. The third technique employs a virtual character element library to map the character elements appearing on the display, and recognizes available space within the video random access memory character element storage to provide a dynamic memory space.

Abstract: A power supply control circuit controls power supply to a circuit when an external unit is connected to and/or disconnected from a terminal unit to which the circuit is coupled. The power supply control circuit includes a first sensor for detecting whether or not the external unit is in a first state where the external unit is close to the terminal unit, a second sensor for detecting whether or not external unit which has been already connected to the terminal unit is in a second state, and a control circuit for controlling the power supply to the circuit in accordance with detecting results obtained by the first and second sensors. In addition the above power supply control circuit is applied to a computer game machine having a main circuit coupled to a cartridge slot to which a cartridge is to be connected.

Abstract: A game apparatus offers a game played by a plurality of players. The game apparatus uses an object having means for determining a result of the game, the result of the game being dependent on a movement of the object, a moving process of the object being observed by the players. Magnitude information indicative of a magnitude determined by one of the players is generated and detected in the game apparatus. A driving force is applied to the object so that the object is thrown toward a field defined by the game apparatus. A magnitude of the driving force is controlled in accordance with the magnitude of the hitting force. The object is collected by a collecting member moving on the field from a rear side to a front side. A pair of attracting members are provided on the front side of the field and move in opposite directions. The object is sandwiched between the attracting members and, thus, the object is placed on a throwing plate positioned in the center of the front side of the field.

Abstract: Security is ensured by judging agreement with a specific indication, such as a trademark, whose identity is socially recognizable to effectively expel counterfeits from the market. A game machine in which a CD-ROM 17 is mounted on a game machine 10 to play a game based on program information stored in the CD-ROM 17 comprises a recognition sensor 22 reading a trademark indication region 20 on the exterior surface of the CD-ROM 17, and a judging unit judging whether a specific trademark TM is displayed in a trademark indication region, the game based on the program information being prevented from starting, or if started stopped when the specific trademark TM is not displayed.

Abstract: An apparatus for reproducing data recorded on a disk (10) has a head part (12) for reading data from the disk, storage parts (17, 18) for storing the data read by the head part, and a control part (15) which pre-reads the data from the disk and stores the pre-read data to the storage parts so that the reproducing apparatus can output the data continuously to the outside during the seeking operation of the head part, and controls the outputting of the data from the storage parts to the outside.

Abstract: An information processing system has an arithmetic processing unit and an external memory storage detachably connected to the arithmetic processing unit and, further has the shared data processing function. Further, the information processing system determines an authenticity of the external memory storage without providing any specific processing device. Furthermore, the information processing system has the external memory storage and an arithmetic processing unit, wherein the external storage unit is detachably connected to the arithmetic processing unit, and further has a processing means for processing for the data stored in the external storage unit, having a first processing means provided to the external storage unit and a second processing means provided to the arithmetic processing unit for sharing the function for processing the data.

Abstract: A data security apparatus and method permits programmed data stored in a replaceable external storage medium to be processed by the data processor when it is determined that a security code is stored on the external storage medium and a replacement second external storage medium is available. The data can then be transferred under a controlled process without performing a security check on the second external storage medium. A hardware security apparatus can therefore be disabled to permit authorized game developers to test their games on an actual game system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a game apparatus using a video display device especially a game apparatus that displays an interactive video with a co-driver, particularly a virtual reality video. The game apparatus having a video display device of the present invention comprises, as the basic elements, a plurality of video display devices for displaying a video watched by each of the plurality of players, a plurality of player control units for controlling the video display of the corresponding video display device and an position sensor device for detecting the positions or the movements of the players. Base on the position information of one player detected by the position sensor device, the player control units for the other players control the corresponding video display device to give some change to the displaying video watched by the other players.