Information expressing method

• US 20020138853A1
• Filed: 02/06/2002
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kotani, Hiroyuki, Chuuma, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 7,648,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/141
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games

Abstract

A musical rhythm is expressed by the number of the timing marks (for example, three timing marks when in simple triple time); and a musical tempo is expressed by the distance among the timing marks and a timing ball that moves at a fixed speed among those timing marks. Accordingly, a player may easily grasp the tempo of the music and easily determine the rhythm of the music in a sound game.

Claims

1. A method for expressing information, comprising the steps of:

expressing by the number of predetermined objects a structure of repeating periodically changing information; and

expressing the progressing speed of the information by the distance among the predetermined objects and a moving object that moves among the predetermined objects.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein

the moving object moves among the predetermined objects at a fixed speed.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

arranging the predetermined objects in a polygon in response to the number of those objects.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein a cycle that the moving object makes fall circle of the polygon matches the cycle of the changing information.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

setting for each of the predetermined objects a desired parameter of multiple types of parameters used for forming the predetermined objects.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the desired parameter is the display color of the predetermined objects.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

requesting a manipulating input from a user with the timing of the moving object overlapping with one of the predetermined objects.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

requesting the user to input a desired, manipulating input representative of strength with the timing of the moving object overlapping with one of the predetermined objects.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

requesting from the user a desired, manipulating input representative of direction with the timing of the moving object overlapping with one of the predetermined objects.

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

requesting from a user a manipulating input for suspending the progression of information with the timing of the moving object overlapping with one of the predetermined objects.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

arranging near one of the predetermined objects an object representative of the quickness/slowness of the manipulating input from the user, which is carried out with the timing of the moving object overlapping with the one of the predetermined objects.

12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

judging the acceptance or rejection of the manipulating input from the user.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of:

generating notice information in response to the judging of the acceptance/rejection for every cycle that repeats the information changing.

14. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:

setting either a mode specifying the manipulating input or a mode requesting the user to estimate the manipulating input; and

switching between execution and no execution of the request for the manipulating input based upon the set mode.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

a number changing step of changing the number of the predetermined objects with a predetermined timing.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein

the number changing step changes the number of the predetermined objects at one cycle before the timing when repeating cycle of the changing information varies.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

a distance changing step of changing the distance among the predetermined objects with a predetermined timing.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein

the distance changing step changes the distance among the predetermining objects at one cycle before the timing when the progressing speed of the information varies.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the information is musical tone information;

the structure of repeating periodically changing information is the musical rhythm; and

the progressing speed of information is the musical tempo.

20. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein an information-expression processing program to be executed on a computer, the program comprising:

a step of expressing by the number of predetermined objects a structure of repeating periodically changing information; and

a step of expressing the progressing speed of the information by the distance among the predetermined objects and a moving object that moves among the predetermined object.

21. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 20, the program further comprising

a step of controlling in order that the moving object moves among the predetermined objects at a fixed speed.

22. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 20, the program further comprising:

a step of arranging the predetermined objects in a polygon in response to the number of those objects.

23. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 22, the program further comprising:

a step of matching a cycle that he moving object makes full circle of the polygon with the cycle of the changing information.

24. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 20, the program further comprising:

a step of setting for each of the predetermined objects a desired parameter of multiple types of parameters used for forming the predetermined objects.

25. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 24, the program further comprising:

a step of setting the display color of the predetermined objects as the desired parameter.

26. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 20, the program further comprising:

a step of requesting a manipulating input from a user with the timing of the moving object overlapping with one of the predetermined objects.

27. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 26, the program further comprising:

a step of requesting the user to input a desired, manipulating input representative of strength with the timing of the moving object overlapping with one of the predetermined objects.

28. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 26, the program further comprising:

a step of requesting from the user a desired, manipulating input representative of direction With the timing of the moving object overlapping with one of the predetermined objects.

29. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 26, the program further comprising:

a step of requesting from the user a manipulating input for suspending the progression of information with the timing of the moving object overlapping with one of the predetermined objects.

30. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 26, the program further comprising:

a step of arranging near one of the predetermined objects an object representative of the quickness/slowness of the manipulating input from the user, which is carried out with the timing of the moving object overlapping with the one of the predetermined objects.

31. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 26, the program further comprising;

a step of judging the acceptance or rejection of the manipulating input from the user.

32. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 31, the program further comprising:

a step of generating notice information in response to the judging of the acceptance/rejection for every cycle that repeats the information changing.

33. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 26, the program further comprising:

a step of setting either a mode specifying the manipulating input or a mode requesting the user to estimate the manipulating input; and

a step of switching between execution and no execution of the request for the manipulating input based upon the set mode.

34. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 20, the program further comprising:

a number changing step of changing the number of the predetermined objects with a predetermined timing.

35. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information expression processing program according to claim 34, wherein

the number changing step changes the number of the predetermined objects at one cycle before the timing when repeating cycle of the changing information varies.

36. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information-expression processing program according to claim 20, the program further comprising:

a distance changing step of changing the distance among the predetermined objects with a predetermined timing.

37. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information expression processing program according to claim 36, wherein

the distance changing step changes the distance among the predetermined objects at one cycle before the timing when the progressing speed of the information varies.

38. The computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein the information expression processing program according to claim 20, wherein

the information is musical tone information;

the structure of repeating periodically changing information is the musical rhythm; and

the progressing speed of information is the musical tempo.

40. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 39, the program further comprising:

a step of controlling in order that the moving object moves among the predetermined objects at a fixed speed.

41. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 39, the program further comprising;

a step of arranging the predetermined objects in a polygon in response to the number of those objects.

42. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 41, the program further comprising:

a step of matching a cycle that the moving object makes full circle of the polygon with the cycle of the changing information.

43. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 39, the program further comprising:

a step of setting for each of the predetermined objects a desired parameter of multiple types of parameters used for forming the predetermined objects.

44. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 43, the program further comprising:

a step of setting the display color of the predetermined objects as the desired parameter.

45. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 39, the program further comprising:

a step of requesting a manipulating input from a user with the timing of the moving object overlapping with one of the predetermined objects.

46. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 45, the program further comprising:

a step of requesting the user to input a desired, manipulating input representative of strength with the timing of the moving object overlapping with one of the predetermined objects.

47. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 45, the program further comprising:

a step of requesting from the user a desired, manipulating input representative of direction with the timing of the moving object overlapping with one of the predetermined objects.

48. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 45, the program further comprising:

a step of requesting from the user a manipulating input for suspending the progression of information with the timing of the moving object overlapping with one of the predetermined objects.

49. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 45, the program further comprising:

a step of arranging near one of the predetermined objects an object representative of the quickness/slowness of the manipulating input from the user, which is carried out with the timing of the moving object overlapping with the one of the predetermined objects.

50. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 45, the program further comprising:

a step of judging the acceptance or rejection of the manipulating input from the user.

51. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 50, the program further comprising:

a step of generating notice information in response to the judging of the acceptance/rejection for every cycle that repeats the information changing.

52. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 45, the program further comprising:

a step of setting either a mode specifying the manipulating input or a mode requesting the user to estimate the manipulating input; and

a step of switching between execution and no execution of the request for the manipulating input based upon the set mode.

53. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 39, the program further comprising:

a number changing step of changing the number of the predetermined objects with a predetermined timing.

54. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 53, the program further comprising:

the number changing step changes the number of the predetermined objects at one cycle before the timing when repeating cycle of the changing information varies.

55. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 39, the program further comprising:

a distance changing step of changing the distance among the predetermined objects with a predetermined timing.

56. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression-processing program according to claim 55, the program further comprising:

the distance changing step changes the distance among the predetermined objects at one cycle before the timing when the progressing speed of the information varies.

57. The program execution apparatus for executing the information expression processing program according to claim 55, wherein

the information is musical tone information;

the structure of repeating periodically changing information is the musical rhythm; and

the progressing speed of information is the musical tempo.

39. A program execution apparatus for executing an information expression processing program, the program comprising:

a step of expressing by the number of predetermined objects a structure of repeating periodically changing information; and

a step of expressing the progressing speed of the information by the distance among the predetermined objects and a moving object that moves among the predetermined objects.

58. An information-expression processing program to be executed on a computer, comprising:

a step of expressing by the number of predetermined objects a structure of repeating periodically changing information; and

a step of expressing the progressing speed of the information by the distance among the predetermined objects and a moving object that moves among the predetermined objects.