Gaming apparatus and method of controlling image display of gaming apparatus

• US 20080102948A1
• Filed: 07/09/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aruze Corp.
• Inventors: Kogo, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 10,580,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means

Abstract

A gaming apparatus includes a display, a touch panel, and a controller. The touch panel is disposed so as to cover a display screen of the display, and outputs a position signal corresponding to a position touched by a player. The controller displays an image on the display, and moves the image based on the position signal on either one of conditions that the position signal is continuously received from the touch panel for a predetermined period of time and that the position signal is received from the touch panel a predetermined number of times.

Claims

1. A gaming apparatus comprising:

a display;

a touch panel that is disposed so as to cover a display screen of the display and outputs a position signal corresponding to a position touched by a player; and

a controller that displays an image on the display, and moves the image based on the position signal on either one of conditions that the position signal is continuously received from the touch panel for a predetermined period of time and that the position signal is received from the touch panel a predetermined number of times.

2. The gaming apparatus according to claim 1,

further comprising a memory in which stored are a first coordinate data item that is associated with the position signal and a second coordinate data item that indicates a position of an image displayed on the display,

wherein:

when the position signal is received from the touch panel, the controller acquires from the memory the first coordinate data item associated with the position signal;

the controller determines whether the first coordinate data item thus acquired is identical to the second coordinate data item stored in the memory or not; and

when they are not identical, the controller moves the image so as to make the second coordinate data item identical to the acquired first coordinate data item.

3. The gaming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when the image is moved, the controller updates the second coordinate data item stored in the memory.

4. A gaming apparatus comprising:

a display;

a touch panel that is disposed so as to cover a display screen of the display and outputs a position signal corresponding to a position touched by a player;

an image display controller that displays an image on the display;

a timer that measures a length of time during which the position signal is received from the touch panel;

a first determiner that determines whether a length of time measured by the timer has reached a predetermined period of time or not; and

an image movement controller that, when the first determiner determines that a length of time measured by the timer has reached the predetermined period of time, moves the image based on the position signal.

5. The gaming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a memory in which stored are a first coordinate data item that is associated with the position signal and a second coordinate data item that indicates a position of an image displayed on the display; and

a second determiner that, when the position signal is received from the touch panel, acquires from the memory the first coordinate data item associated with the position signal, and then determines whether the first coordinate data item thus acquired is identical to the second coordinate data item stored in the memory or not,

wherein, when the second determiner determines that the first coordinate data item is not identical to the second coordinate data item, the image movement controller moves the image so as to make the second coordinate data item identical to the acquired first coordinate data item.

6. The gaming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an updater that, when the image movement controller moves the image, updates the second coordinate data item stored in the memory.

7. A method of controlling image display of a gaming apparatus, wherein, while an image is being displayed on a display, the image is moved based on a position signal on either one of conditions that a controller keeps receiving the position signal for a predetermined period of time and that the controller receives the position signal a predetermined number of times, the position signal being outputted from a touch panel when a player touches the touch panel, the touch panel being disposed so as to cover a display screen of the display.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the image is moved to a position on the touch panel touched by a player.

9. A method of controlling image display of a gaming apparatus, comprising the steps of:

displaying an image on a display whose display screen is covered with a touch panel;

receiving a position signal from the touch panel; and

moving the image based on the position signal on either one of conditions that the position signal is continuously received from the touch panel for a predetermined period of time and that the position signal is received from the touch panel a predetermined number of times.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

acquiring a position corresponding to the position signal when the position signal is received from the touch panel;

determining whether the position corresponding to the position signal and a position where the image is displayed are identical or not; and

moving the image to the position corresponding to the position signal when they are not identical.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the image is moved to a position on the touch panel touched by a player.

12. A method of controlling image display of a gaming apparatus, comprising the steps of:

displaying an image on a display;

receiving a position signal from a touch panel that is disposed so as to cover a display screen of the display and outputs a position signal corresponding to a position touched by a player;

determining whether the position signal has been continuously received from the touch panel for a predetermined period of time or not; and

moving the image based on the position signal when the position signal has been continuously received from the touch panel for the predetermined period of time.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

acquiring a position corresponding to the position signal when the position signal is received from the touch panel;

determining whether the position corresponding to the position signal and a position where the image is displayed are identical or not; and

moving the image to the position corresponding to the position signal when they are not identical.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the image is moved to a position on the touch panel touched by a player.