METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SIMULATING INTERACTIVE SPINNING BAR GYMNASTICS ON A 3D DISPLAY

• US 20070265083A1
• Filed: 08/14/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Software Technology Corporation (Nintendo Company Limited)
• Inventors: SHIMURA, Yukimi, PETOFALVI, Steven, LEE, Yoonjoon, IKEBATA, Yoshihito
• Granted Patent: US 7,682,250 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/816 Athletics, e.g. track-and-field sports
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8005 Athletics

Abstract

The video or other computer graphics display shows, on a touch screen, a spinnable bar having a control wheel affixed to an end thereof. Strokes of a stylus applied to the surface of the wheel controls the direction and/or rate of spin of the wheel and bar. An animated game character holding on to the spinning bar may spin with the bar and perform acrobatic acts in response to other touch screen or other types of control inputs.

Claims

1. A method of simulating a rotating object on a graphical display comprising:

detecting stroke inputs from a touch-sensitive surface;

determining whether the detected stroke inputs simulate the imparting of rotational motion to a rotatable object;

animating said rotatable object to appear to spin in response to detected stroke inputs simulating the imparting of rotational motion; and

using animation to impart motion to a further object in contact with said rotatable object in response to other detected stroke inputs.

2. A method for modeling a gymnastic exercise comprising:

displaying an animated game character holding on to a spinning elongated object;

using animation to make the animated game character appear to spin with the spinning object;

detecting a control input; and

changing the rate of the spin in response at least in part to the detected control input.

3. The method as in claim 2 further including skipping animation frames to impart the appearance of a more rapid spin in response to at least a predetermined number of control inputs occurring within a certain time period.

4. The method as in claim 3 further including calculating a rotation index in response to a stroke count, and using the rotation index to determine when to switch to a next animation frame.

5. The method as in claim 2 including calculating a rotation index based at least in part on a stroke count.

6. The method as in claim 2 wherein said detecting includes detecting stroke inputs on a touch screen.

7. A method of simulating gymnastic exercise comprising:

displaying, on a 3D computer graphics display, a representation of an elongated object having first and second ends and a wheel affixed axially to said first end thereof;

detecting touch screen stroke inputs applied to said wheel and, in response thereto, controlling the rate of spin of said wheel and the affixed elongated object;

animating, on said display, an avatar holding on to said elongated object and spinning with said elongated object; and

detecting other touch screen inputs and, in response thereto, controlling said avatar to perform acrobatic acts on said spinning elongated object.