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

• US 20080045337A1
• Filed: 05/10/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Blanco, Victor
• Granted Patent: US 9,636,585 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 game console, comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory; and

a console application stored in the memory and executable on the processor, the console application configured to allow selection of a plurality of stored audio tracks by a user of the game console, wherein the game console is further configured to create one or more soundtracks containing the selected audio tracks and associate each of the one or more soundtracks with one or more particular games such that a particular soundtrack is played when the particular game is launched.

2. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the memory comprises a hard disk drive.

3. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the console application is further configured to play soundtracks through the game console.

4. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the console application retrieves audio tracks from an audio CD in the game console.

5. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the console application retrieves audio tracks from an audio DVD in the game console.

6. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the console application retrieves audio tracks from a game disc in the game console.

7. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the console application retrieves audio tracks from an online source coupled to the game console.

8. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the console application stores the soundtrack in the memory.

9. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the console application stores the soundtrack in the memory as a windows media audio WMA file.

10. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the console application retrieves audio tracks from a plurality of audio sources.

11. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the console application is further configured to allow a user to associate a name with the created soundtrack.

12. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the console application is further configured to associate the soundtrack with a particular user of the game console.

13. A game console as recited in claim 1 wherein the console application is further configured to display a listing of all soundtracks available for playback by the game console.

14. A game console, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to present a first user interface to facilitate selection of stored audio tracks used to create a soundtrack containing the selected audio tracks, the processor further configured to present a second user interface to facilitate playback of created soundtracks stored in the memory.

15. A game console as recited in claim 14 wherein the second user interface is further to facilitate the associating of a selected soundtrack with a particular game such that the selected soundtrack is played when the particular game is launched.

16. A game console as recited in claim 14 wherein the second user interface further facilitates the associating of a selected soundtrack with a particular user of the game console.

17. A game console as recited in claim 14 wherein the audio tracks are retrieved from a plurality of audio sources.

18. A game console as recited in claim 14 wherein the audio tracks are retrieved from a single audio source.

19. A game console as recited in claim 14 wherein the first user interface facilitates creation of a soundtrack by presenting a list of audio sources from which to select audio tracks.

20. A game console as recited in claim 14 wherein the first user interface facilitates creation of a soundtrack by presenting a list of audio tracks available from a selected audio source, the first user interface further facilitating selection of an audio track from the audio source for including in the soundtrack.