On Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 10:54:24AM +0000, Sam Morris wrote: > On Sat, 11 Apr 2009 17:51:09 +0200, Evgeni Golov wrote: >> So now I'd like to ask you, what you think about the idea to add some >> (small) games, so users can relax while D-I is fetching packages etc. > I thought it was a great idea, but ISTR reading somewhere that the idea > was patented. Unfortunately I have not found a reference after some quick > Googling, so perhaps it is not the case. :) This is thread necromancy, I know, but... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loading_screen#Minigames Namco owns the US Patent for the use of minigames during loading screens,[3] and have included variations of their old arcade games (Galaxian or Rally-X for example) as loading screens when first booting up many of their early PlayStation releases. Even to this day, their PlayStation 2 games, like Tekken 5, still use the games to keep people busy while the game initially boots up. [3] http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=5718632.PN.&OS=PN/5718632&RS=PN/5718632 I haven't looked at the patent, so I have no idea how applicable it is. -- ----------------------------------------------------------- Paul "TBBle" Hampson, B.Sc, LPI, MCSE Very-later-year Asian Studies student, ANU The Boss, Bubblesworth Pty Ltd (ABN: 51 095 284 361) Paul.Hampson@Pobox.com Of course Pacman didn't influence us as kids. If it did, we'd be running around in darkened rooms, popping pills and listening to repetitive music. -- Marcus Brigstocke http://www.marcusbrigstocke.com/pacman.asp License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/ -----------------------------------------------------------
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