Method and apparatus for creating and playing soundtracks in a gaming system

• US 20050026686A1
• Filed: 02/12/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Victor Keith Blanco
• Inventors: Blanco, Victor Keith
• Granted Patent: US 6,981,918 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/35
• 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 13/493 Resuming a game, e.g. after pausing, malfunction or power failure
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6063 for sound processing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video

Abstract

A gaming system includes a game console that executes an application that creates and plays soundtracks through the gaming system. The application allows a user to create soundtracks by copying audio tracks from one or more audio sources. A user-created soundtrack can be associated with a particular game such that the user-created soundtrack is played during execution of the game instead of the game'"'"'s default soundtrack.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request to launch a game in a gaming system;

determining whether the game has a user-associated soundtrack;

if the game has a user-associated soundtrack;

launching the game; and

playing the user-associated soundtrack;

if the game does not have a user-associated soundtrack;

allowing a user of the gaming system to select a soundtrack to play while the game is executed; and

playing a default soundtrack if the user of the gaming system does not select a soundtrack.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the default soundtrack is provided by the game developer.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the default soundtrack is provided on a game disc.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the default soundtrack and the game are stored on a game disc installed in the gaming system.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein playing the user-associated soundtrack includes retrieving the user-associated soundtrack from a hard disk drive in the gaming system.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein playing the user-associated soundtrack occurs while a game disc is installed in the gaming system.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the default soundtrack is stored on the hard disk drive in the gaming system.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein allowing a user of the gaming system to select a soundtrack includes associating the selected soundtrack with the game.

9. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform the method as recited in claim 1.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a request to play a game in a gaming system;

determining whether the game has a user-associated soundtrack;

launching the game and playing the user-associated soundtrack if the game has a user-associated soundtrack; and

launching the game and playing a default soundtrack if the game does not have a user-associated soundtrack.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein the default soundtrack is stored on a hard disk drive in the gaming system.

12. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein the user-associated soundtrack includes a plurality of audio tracks retrieved from a plurality of audio sources.

13. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein the user-associated soundtrack is associated with a plurality of games.

14. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform the method as recited in claim 10.

15. A method comprising:

receiving a request to play a game in a gaming system;

determining whether the game has a user-associated soundtrack;

if the game has a user-associated soundtrack;

launching the game; and

playing the user-associated soundtrack;

if the game does not have a user-associated soundtrack;

allowing a user of the gaming system to select a soundtrack to play while the game is executed.

16. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein allowing a user of the gaming system to select a soundtrack includes allowing the user to select between a default game soundtrack and other soundtracks stored in the gaming system.

17. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein allowing a user of the gaming system to select a soundtrack includes associating the selected soundtrack with the game if the selected soundtrack is stored in the gaming system.

18. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein allowing a user of the gaming system to select a soundtrack includes associating the selected soundtrack with the game if the selected soundtrack is not the default game soundtrack.

19. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform the method as recited in claim 15.

20. A computer-readable medium for a game console comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct the game console to:

determine whether an identified game has a user-associated soundtrack;

execute the identified game while playing the user-associated soundtrack if the identified game has a user-associated soundtrack; and

display an option to select a soundtrack to play while the game is executed if the identified game does not have a user-associated soundtrack.

21. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20 wherein the user-associated soundtrack is played while a game disc is installed in the game console.

22. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20 further comprising retrieving the user-associated soundtrack from a storage device in the game console if the identified game has a user-associated soundtrack.

23. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20 wherein the user-associated soundtrack is stored on a hard disk drive in the game console.

24. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20 wherein the user-associated soundtrack includes a plurality of audio tracks retrieved from a plurality of audio sources.