System, method and graphical user interface for controlling a game

• US 10,702,777 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2015
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Supercell Oy (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Supercell Oy (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Haussila, Timur, Tahkokallio, Touko, Hokkanen, Mikko
• Primary Examiner(s): Nunez, Jordany
• Application Number:
  US14/606,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20150297995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/493 Resuming a game, e.g. after pausing, malfunction or power failure
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/69 by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 : for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An electronic device includes a display screen, and computing hardware to execute a software product. Executing the software product results in generating and rendering a graphical user interface on the display screen to facilitate user interaction. The graphical user interface, when rendered, presents one or more graphical objects, a pointer object configured to be movable over one or more of the one or more graphical objects, and configured to invoke a menu list containing one or more user selectable options as the pointer object is clicked or tapped over the one or more of the one or more of the graphical objects. A user selectable option is selected the pointer object swipes a touch sensitive object and the software product can maintain an effect corresponding to the selected option to be applied to the graphical objects and enable a change in status of the graphical objects.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating user interaction with a farming game on a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface being generated and rendered on a display of an electronic device by execution of a software product on a computing hardware of the electronic device, the method comprising:

rendering one or more graphical objects representing regions for growing crops within a first area of the graphical user interface;

detect a selection of at least one of the regions for growing crops in the first area of the graphical user interface, the selection being generated by a user interaction with the at least one selected region on the graphical user interface;

render a menu in a second area of the graphical user interface, the menu presenting different user selectable options in the second area, the different user selectable options corresponding to at least one crop growing or crop harvesting function to be applied to the selected region depending on a growing state of the selected region, wherein rendering the menu comprises;

determining the growing state of the selected region;

identifying a set of crop growing tools or crop harvesting tools corresponding to the determined growing state of the selected region; and

presenting the identified set of crop growing tools or crop harvesting tools in the menu rendered in the second area of the graphical user interface;

detect a selection of a crop growing tool or a crop harvesting tool from the set of crop growing tools and crop harvesting tools in the menu;

render an object including an image of the selected crop growing tool or the selected crop harvesting tool in the first area of the graphical user interface;

detecting a user action comprising a selection of the rendered object followed by a swiping action across one or more portions of the selected region, wherein the rendered object moves with the swiping action; and

when the rendered object is the selected crop growing tool apply a crop growing function to the selected region of the graphical user interface comprising updating the one or more portions of the selected region of the graphical user interface to include images of one or more crops with the applied crop growing function as the swiping motion is detected across the one or more portions of the selected region;

or

when the rendered object is the selected crop harvesting tool, apply a crop harvesting function to the one or more portions of the selected region comprising updating the one or more portions of the selected region of the graphical user interface to remove one or more images of crops in the one or more portions of the selected region as the swiping motion is detected across the one or more portions of the selected region; and

when it is detected that the swiping motion is stopped, cause the image of the rendered object to be removed from the graphical user interface and render an updated version of the selected region on the graphical user interface that illustrates the crop growing function or the crop harvesting function applied to the one or more portions of the selected region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the different user selectable options comprise a rendering of crop growing or crop harvesting tools that are used to apply the crop growing tools or the crop harvesting function to be applied to a rendering of a crop in the selected region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the different user selectable options comprise different farming actions corresponding to the crop growing functions or the crop harvesting functions to be applied the selected at least one region.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the different user selectable options further comprise different farming tools for performing different crop growing and crop harvesting function.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising using a mouse to drag the at least one of the user selectable options.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising touching a touch sensitive portion of the display to drag the at least one of the user selectable options.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising terminating the application of the user selectable option to the selected portion upon terminating the dragging of the user selectable option.

8. The method of claim 1, furthering comprising continuously recording and updating a database with the change in status of the selected portion of the selected graphical object and resuming the status of one or more graphical objects to their last updated status in the database, in case of interruptions in the operations of the farming game graphical user interface.

9. A software product recorded on a non-transitory machine readable data storage medium, the software product being executable on computing hardware of a computing device, for implementing the method of claim 1.

10. The software product of claim 9, wherein the computing device comprises a desktop computer, a laptop computer, an iPad, or a wireless phone, including an iPhone®

, an Android®

phone or a Symbian®

phone.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

connecting a plurality of the electronic devices to a server through a network;

generating the farming game graphical user interface temporally concurrently on the displays of the plurality of electronic devices;

coordinating the temporally generated graphical user interfaces through the server, and concurrently updating the temporally generated graphical user interfaces to facilitate multiple users'"'"' interaction and coordination with the graphical user interfaces.

12. An electronic device comprising:

a display; and

a computing hardware which is configured to execute a gaming system software product, wherein executing the software product generates and renders a graphical user interface on the display, the computing hardware being configured to;

present one or more graphical objects representing regions for growing crops in a first area on the graphical user interface; and

detect a selection of at least one of the regions by a movable pointer;

render a menu in a second area of the graphical user interface, the menu presenting different user selectable options in the second area, the different user selectable options corresponding to at least one crop growing or crop harvesting function to be applied to the selected region depending on a growing state of the selected region, wherein rendering the menu comprises;

determining the growing state of the selected region;

identifying a set of crop growing or crop harvesting tools corresponding to the determined growing state of the selected region; and

presenting the identified set of crop growing or crop harvesting tools in the menu rendered in the second area of the graphical user interface;

detect a selection of a crop growing tool or a crop harvesting tool from the set of tools in the menu;

render an object including an image of the selected crop growing tool or the

selected crop harvesting tool in the first area of the graphical user interface;

detect a selection of the object with the moveable pointer and a swiping movement of the moveable pointer across one or more portions of the selected region and cause the object to move with the swiping movement of the moveable pointer; and

when the rendered object is the image of the selected crop growing tool apply a crop growing function to the one or more portions of the selected region by updating the one or more portions of the selected region on the graphical user interface to include one or more updated images of crops with the applied crop growing function;

or

when the rendered object is the image of the selected crop harvesting tool apply a crop harvesting function to the one or more portions of the selected region by removing images of crops from the one or more portions of the selected region on the graphical user interface; and

when it is detected that the swiping motion is stopped, cause the image of the object to be removed from the graphical user interface and render an updated version of the selected region on the graphical user interface after the crop growing function or the crop harvesting function is applied to the one or more portions of the selected region.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the different user selectable options comprise a rendering of different crop growing or crop harvesting tools that are used to apply the crop growing or crop harvesting function for application to the selected crop growing region.

14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the different user selectable options comprise different farming actions corresponding to the crop growing function or the crop harvesting function to be applied to the selected graphical object.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the different user selectable options further comprise different farming tools for performing the different crop growing and crop harvesting function.

16. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the pointing device comprises a mouse.

17. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the pointing device comprises a touch sensitive portion of the display.

18. The electronic device of claim 12, furthering comprising a database for continuously recording and updating the change in status of the selected portion of the selected graphical object and for resuming the status of one or more graphical objects to their last updated status in the database, in case of interruptions in the operations of the farming game graphical user interface.

19. The electronic device of claim 12, comprising a desktop computer, a laptop computer, an iPad, or a wireless phone, including an iPhone®

, an Android®

phone or a Symbian®

phone.

20. The electronic device of claim 12, further comprising:

a plurality of the electronic devices, connected to a server through a network, the graphical user interface being generated temporally concurrently on each of the electronic devices, to facilitate a plurality of users'"'"' interaction with the graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interfaces generated on the plurality of electronic devices are coordinated through the server and updated concurrently on the plurality of electronic devices.