Game processing

• US 20070059670A1
• Filed: 08/31/2005
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yates, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,674,181 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/107
• 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 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1081 Input via voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6072 of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/361 Recording/reproducing of accompaniment for use with an external source, e.g. karaoke systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/071 for rhythm pattern analysis or rhythm style recognition rhythm pattern per se G10H2210/341
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/091 for performance evaluation, i.e. judging, grading or scoring the musical qualities or faithfulness of a performance, e.g. with respect to pitch, tempo or other timings of a reference performance
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/141 Games on or about music, i.e. based on musical knowledge, e.g. musical multimedia quizzes teaching of music per se G09B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/90 Pitch determination of speech signals

Abstract

Game processing apparatus comprising: an indication generator operable to generate an indication of a sequence of target actions to be executed by a user; a detector operable to detect user actions executed by said user; comparison logic operable to compare said target actions with said user actions to determine whether said target actions have been successfully completed by said user actions; and scoring logic operable, when in a non-scoring mode, to detect a first pattern of target actions that have been successfully completed with respect to target actions that have not been successfully completed, as determined by said comparison logic, said scoring logic entering a scoring mode upon detection of said first pattern, said scoring logic operable, when in said scoring mode, to detect a second pattern of target actions that have been successfully completed with respect to target actions that have not been successfully completed, as determined by said comparison logic, said scoring logic entering said non-scoring mode upon detection of said second pattern, said scoring logic operable to generate a score for said user when said scoring logic is in said scoring mode, said score being dependent upon said determination by said comparison logic.

Claims

1. Game processing apparatus comprising:

an indication generator operable to generate an indication of a sequence of target actions to be executed by a user;

a detector operable to detect user actions executed by said user;

comparison logic operable to compare said target actions with said user actions to determine whether said target actions have been successfully completed by said user actions; and

scoring logic operable, when in a non-scoring mode, to detect a first pattern of target actions that have been successfully completed with respect to target actions that have not been successfully completed, as determined by said comparison logic, said scoring logic entering a scoring mode upon detection of said first pattern, said scoring logic operable, when in said scoring mode, to detect a second pattern of target actions that have been successfully completed with respect to target actions that have not been successfully completed, as determined by said comparison logic, said scoring logic entering said non-scoring mode upon detection of said second pattern, said scoring logic operable to generate a score for said user in respect of user actions when said scoring logic is in said scoring mode, said score being dependent upon said determination by said comparison logic.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said first pattern comprises a first predetermined threshold number of successive target actions that have been successfully completed and said second pattern comprises a second predetermined threshold number of successive target actions that have not been successfully completed.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, in which said first predetermined threshold is greater than said second predetermined threshold.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which:

said target actions comprise said user making and/or not making target sounds;

said user actions comprise said user making and/or not making sounds; and

said detector comprises a microphone.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, in which said indication comprises an indication of one or more words to be spoken by said user, said words corresponding to said target sounds.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4, in which one or more of said target sounds comprises a fricative sound and/or a glottal sound.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said target actions have associated target time periods of execution, said comparison logic determining whether one of said target actions has been successfully completed by one of said user actions in dependence upon whether said one of said user actions is detected within said target time period associated with said one of said target actions.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, operable to vary said predetermined time period in dependence upon a game level.

9. Apparatus according to claim 2, operable to vary said first predetermined threshold and/or said second predetermined threshold in dependence upon a game level.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a reader operable to read data stored on a storage medium when said storage medium is associated with said reader, said data defining said target actions.

12. Computer software having program code for carrying out said method according to claim 10.

13. A machine readable medium by which computer software according to claim 12 is provided.

14. A medium according to claim 13, said medium being a transmission medium.

15. A medium according to claim 13, said medium being a storage medium.

16. A medium according to claim 13, said medium providing data defining said target actions.

11. A method of game processing comprising:

an indication generating step to generate an indication of a sequence of target actions to be executed by a user;

a detection step to detect user actions executed by said user;

a comparison step to compare said target actions with said user actions to determine whether said target actions have been successfully completed by said user actions; and

a scoring step to detect, when in a non-scoring mode, a first pattern of target actions that have been successfully completed with respect to target actions that have not been successfully completed, as determined by said comparison step, and to enter a scoring mode upon detection of said first pattern, and, when in said scoring mode, to detect a second pattern of target actions that have been successfully completed with respect to target actions that have not been successfully completed, as determined by said comparison step, and to enter said non-scoring mode upon detection of said second pattern, said scoring step generating a score for said user in respect of user actions when said scoring step is in said scoring mode, said score being dependent upon said determination by said comparison step.