Game machine, data storage medium, data transmission medium, and program

• US 20030096647A1
• Filed: 10/01/2001
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Namco Bandai Games Inc.
• Inventors: Ouchi, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 7,137,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/30
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/30 characterized by output arrangements for receiving control signals generated by the game device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0442 Handling or displaying different aspect ratios, or changing the aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/39 Control of the bit-mapped memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0122 the input and the output signals having different aspect ratios

Abstract

A game apparatus, a storage medium, a transmission medium and a program correspond to a normal screen and a wide screen. An image generation unit 150 comprises a wide image data generation unit 152, an image data conversion unit 160 and a rendering unit 154. At first, the wide image data generation unit 152 generates image data viewed from a predetermined viewpoint in an object space, as image data corresponding to the wide screen. Then, the image data conversion unit 160 performs a processing of generating image data corresponding to the normal screen, on the basis of generated wide image data. The rendering unit 154 performs a rendering processing to the generated wide image data or the generated normal image data, and finally generates an image displayed on a display unit 20.

Claims

1. A game apparatus comprising:

a first generating section for generating game image data corresponding to a wide screen; and

a second generating section for reducing or enlarging the game image data generated by the first generating section, to generate game image data with no distortion corresponding to a normal screen.

6. The game apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:

a switching section for switching between the game image data generated by the first generating section and the game image data generated by the second generating section, to output either the game image data generated by the first generating section or the game image data generated by the second generating section.

7. The game apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the switching section automatically switches the game image data to be outputted, according to a signal outputted from a predetermined display section.

8. The game apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the switching section switches the game image data to be outputted, according to a type or a state of a progress of a game.

9. The game apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising:

an adjusting section for adjusting a brightness of the game image data generated by the second generating section, on the basis of the game image data generated by the first generating section.

10. The game apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising:

an external output section for outputting the game image data generated by the first generating section or the game image data generated by the second generating section, to a predetermined external display section connected to the game apparatus.

2. A game apparatus comprising:

a first generating section for generating game image data corresponding to a wide screen; and

a second generating section for extracting game image data corresponding to a normal section, from the game image data generated by the first generating section, to generate game image data with no distortion corresponding to the normal screen.

3. The game apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second generating section generates the game image data corresponding to the normal screen, from the game image data generated by the first generating section, according to a position, a moving direction or an eyes direction of a character controlled by a player in the game image data generated by the first generating section.

4. The game apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second generating section extracts game data display data from the game image data generated by the first generating section, to generate the game image data corresponding to the normal screen.

5. A game apparatus comprising:

a first generating section for generating game image data in a letter box form corresponding to a normal screen; and

a second generating section for extracting blank image data from the game image data generated by the first generating section, to generate game image data with no distortion corresponding to a wide screen.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having a program recorded thereon, for generating image data, the program comprising:

a first generating program code of generating game image data corresponding to a wide screen; and

a second generating program code of reducing or enlarging the game image data generated by the first generating program code, to generate game image data with no distortion corresponding to a normal screen.

16. The storage medium having the program recorded thereon, as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 15, the program further comprising:

a switching program code of switching between the game image data generated by the first generating program code and the game image data generated by the second generating program code, to output either the game image data generated by the first generating program code or the game image data generated by the second generating program code.

17. The storage medium having the program recorded thereon, as claimed in claim 16, wherein the switching program code comprises a program code of switching the game image data to be outputted, according to a type or a state of a progress of a game.

18. The storage medium having the program recorded thereon, as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 17, the program further comprising:

a program code of adjusting a brightness of the game image data generated by the second generating program code, on the basis of the game image data generated by the first generating program code.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having a program recorded thereon, for generating image data, the program comprising:

a first generating program code of generating game image data corresponding to a wide screen; and

a second generating program code of extracting game image data corresponding to a normal section, from the game image data generated by the first generating program code, to generate game image data with no distortion corresponding to the normal screen.

13. The storage medium having the program recorded thereon, as claimed in claim 12, the program further comprising:

a program code of generating the game image data corresponding to the normal screen, from the game image data generated by the first generating program code, according to a position, a moving direction or an eyes direction of a character controlled by a player in the game image data generated by the first generating program code.

14. The storage medium having the program recorded thereon, as claimed in claim 12, the program further comprising:

a program code of extracting game data display data from the game image data generated by the first generating program code, to generate the game image data corresponding to the normal screen.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having a program recorded thereon, for generating image data, the program comprising:

a first generating program code of generating game image data in a letter box form corresponding to a normal screen; and

a second generating program code of extracting blank image data from the game image data generated by the first generating program code, to generate game image data with no distortion corresponding to a wide screen.

19. A transmission medium transmitting a program for generating image data, the program comprising:

a first generating program code of generating game image data corresponding to a wide screen; and

a second generating program code of reducing or enlarging the game image data generated by the first generating program code, to generate game image data with no distortion corresponding to a normal screen.

20. A transmission medium transmitting a program for generating image data, the program comprising:

a first generating program code of generating game image data corresponding to a wide screen; and

a second generating program code of extracting game image data corresponding to a normal section, from the game image data generated by the first generating program code, to generate game image data with no distortion corresponding to the normal screen.

21. A transmission medium transmitting a program for generating image data, the program comprising:

a first generating program code of generating game image data in a letter box form corresponding to a normal screen; and

a second generating program code of extracting blank image data from the game image data generated by the first generating program code, to generate game image data with no distortion corresponding to a wide screen.

22. A computer program comprising program codes for performing:

a first generating means for generating game image data corresponding to a wide screen; and

a second generating means for reducing or enlarging the game image data generated by the first generating means, to generate game image data with no distortion corresponding to a normal screen.

27. The computer program as claimed in any one of claims 22 to 26, the computer program further comprising a program code for performing:

a switching means for switching between the game image data generated by the first generating means and the game image data generated by the second generating means, to output either the game image data generated by the first generating means or the game image data generated by the second generating means.

28. The computer program as claimed in claim 27, wherein the switching means switches the game image data to be outputted, according to a type or a state of a progress of a game.

29. The computer program as claimed in any one of claims 22 to 28, the computer program further comprising a program code for performing:

an adjusting means for adjusting a brightness of the game image data generated by the second generating means, on the basis of the game image data generated by the first generating means.

23. A computer program comprising program codes for performing:

a first generating means for generating game image data corresponding to a wide screen; and

a second generating means for extracting game image data corresponding to a normal section, from the game image data generated by the first generating means, to generate game image data with no distortion corresponding to the normal screen.

24. The computer program as claimed in claim 23, wherein the second generating means generates the game image data corresponding to the normal screen, from the game image data generated by the first generating means, according to a position, a moving direction or an eyes direction of a character controlled by a player in the game image data generated by the first generating means.

25. The computer program as claimed in claim 23, wherein the second generating means extracts game data display data from the game image data generated by the first generating means, to generate the game image data corresponding to the normal screen.

26. A computer program comprising program codes for performing:

a first generating means for generating game image data in a letter box form corresponding to a normal screen; and

a second generating means for extracting blank image data from the game image data generated by the first generating means, to generate game image data with on distortion corresponding to a wide screen.