Object image print service system

• US 20050122541A1
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Published: 06/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Tanimura, Masayoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,466,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.160
• 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 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/203 Image generating hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00291 with receiver circuitry television receiver circuitry per se H04N5/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00294 for printing images at a television receiver

Abstract

In a three-dimensional object image print service system capable of printing out a desired three-dimensional object image, a three-dimensional image display apparatus includes a three-dimensional object image generator for generating a three-dimensional object image, based on instructions from an input device operated by a user and a three-dimensional object image generation program previously provided. The three-dimensional image display device further includes a selector for selecting arbitrary part of the three-dimensional object image generated based on instructions from the user, and a transition information generator for generating transition information of a three-dimensional object image representing the selected arbitrary part of the three-dimensional object image. The three-dimensional object image arbitrarily selected by the user can be reproduced based on the transition information and the three-dimensional object image generation program.

Claims

1. A television game apparatus for displaying a game image of a virtual world, comprising:

a game image generator for generating the game image by executing a game image generation program according to a game progression as dictated by a user playing the game;

a selector for selecting an arbitrary part of said generated game image, according to instructions from said user;

a transition information generator for generating transition information when said game image is selected; and

a transition information storage for storing said transition information, wherein

the game image arbitrarily selected by said user is recoverable at a future time according to the transition information stored in said transition information storage and said game image generation program.

2. The television game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said game image generation program is stored in ROM, and

said transition information storage is a rewritable non-volatile memory.

3. The television game apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein

said ROM and said rewritable non-volatile memory are accommodated in a device which is removable from a body of the television game apparatus.

4. The television game apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein

said ROM and said rewritable non-volatile memory are separately removable from a body of the television game apparatus.

5. The television game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a recovery program for recovering the game image arbitrarily selected by said user using the transition information stored in said transition information storage as an operational parameter.

6. The television game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said game image generator generates the game image according to progress of a game which varies in response to instructions from the user.

7. The television game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said game image is a two-dimensional image.

8. The television game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said game image is a three-dimensional image.

9. The television game apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein

said transition information includes coordinates and direction of an object and coordinates and direction of a viewpoint.

10. The object image display apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein

said transition information is game progress information in a game.

11. A television game system for printing a game image of a virtual world, comprising:

a game image processing apparatus for processing said game image; and

a printer for printing the game image processed by said game image processing apparatus,

said game image processing apparatus

generating said game image by executing a game image generation program according to a game progression dictated by a user playing a game;

selecting an arbitrary part of said generated game image, according to instructions from said user;

generating transition information of a game image representing said selected arbitrary part of the game image; and

recovering the game image arbitrarily selected by said user by operating said game image generation program using said transition information as an operational parameter, and

said printer printing said recovered game image.

13. The television game print system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a display for displaying a plurality of game images recovered using said transition information as an operational parameter, as recovered game images; and

a recovered image selector for selecting an arbitrary recovered game image from the recovered game images displayed on said display according to instructions by the user, wherein

said printer is operable to print the selected recovered game image.

12. A television game system for printing a game image, comprising:

a game image generator for generating the game image to be displayed and recovery data for the game image to be printed;

a recovery device for recovering the game image to be printed based on the recovery data supplied from said game image generator; and

a printer for printing the game image recovered by said recovery device,

said game image generator

generating the game image to be displayed by executing a game image generation program, according to a game progression as dictated by instructions from a user playing the game;

selecting an arbitrary part of said generated game image, according to instructions from said user; and

generating transition information of a game image representing said selected arbitrary part of the game image as said recovery data,

said recovery device, with a program identical to said game image generation program stored therein, recovering the arbitrary game image selected by said user by operating the program identical to the game image generation program using said transition information as an operational parameter, and

said printer printing said recovered game image.

14. A method of printing a game image of a virtual world image in a television game, comprising the steps of:

generating a game image by executing a game image generation program according to a game progression dictated by a user playing the game;

selecting an arbitrary part of said generated game image according to instructions from said user;

generating transition information of a game image representing said selected arbitrary part of the game image;

recovering the game image arbitrarily selected by said user using said transition information as an operational parameter; and

printing said recovered game image.

15. The television game print method as claimed in claim 14, wherein

a plurality of game images recovered by executing the game object image generation program are displayed using said transition information as the operational parameter, as recovered game images;

an arbitrary recovered game image is selected from the recovered game images displayed on said display, according to instructions by the user; and

said selected recovered game image is printed.

16. A recording medium with an executable computer program recorded thereon to control a game image generator for generating a game of a virtual world image in a television game,

said computer program causing said game image generator to execute the steps of:

generating a game image by executing a game image generation program according to a game progression as dictated by a user playing the game;

selecting an arbitrary part of said generated game image, according to instructions from said user; and

generating transition information of a game image representing the arbitrary part of said selected game image, wherein

the game image arbitrarily selected by said user can be recovered at a future time according to the transition information stored in said transition information storage and said game image generation program.

17. The recording medium as claimed in claim 16, wherein

said computer program further causes said game image generator to execute the steps of:

recovering the game image arbitrarily selected using the transition information as an operational parameter; and

printing out said recovered game image.

18. The recording medium as claimed in claim 16, wherein

said computer program further causes said game image generator to execute the steps of:

displaying a plurality of game images recovered by operating said game image generation program using said transition information as an operational parameter, as recovered game images;

selecting an arbitrary recovered game image from the recovered game images displayed on said display, according to instructions by the user; and

printing out said selected recovered game image.

19. The recording medium as claimed in claim 17, wherein

said game image generator generates the game image according to progress of a game which varies in response to instructions from the user, based on said computer program.

20. A television game apparatus for displaying a game image of a virtual world, comprising:

a game image generator for generating the game image by executing a game image generation program according to a game progression as dictated by a user playing the game;

a selector for selecting an arbitrary part of said generated game image according to instructions from the user;

a transition information generator for generating transition information when said game image is selected; and

a transition information storage for storing said transition information, wherein

the game image arbitrarily selected by said user is recoverable after said game image generation program ends, according to the transition information stored in said transition information storage and said game image generation program.