SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING A TOUCHSCREEN AS AN INTERFACE FOR MUSIC-BASED GAMEPLAY

• US 20080280680A1
• Filed: 05/08/2007
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Dutilly, Derek T., Ingeneri, Nikolaus Paul, Monroe, Shannon Richard, Browne, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 8,961,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/36
• 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 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/10 characterized by input arrangements for converting player-generated signals into game device control signals
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1068 being specially adapted to detect the point of contact of the player on a surface, e.g. floor mat, touch pad
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/091 Graphical user interface [GUI] specifically adapted for electrophonic musical instruments, e.g. interactive musical displays, musical instrument icons or menus; Details of user interactions therewith GUI in general G06F3/048
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/096 using a touch screen touch screen note input, e.g. using a displayed keyboard G10H2220/241; personal digital assistant [PDA] G10H2230/015
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/155 User input interfaces for electrophonic musical instruments graphical user interfaces specifically adapted for electrophonic musical instruments G10H2220/091; input means in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/241 on touchscreens, i.e. keys, frets, strings, tablature or staff displayed on a touchscreen display for note input purposes

Abstract

An interactive computerized game system including a visual display, one or more user input devices, and a processor executing software that interacts with the display and input device(s) is disclosed. The software displays images of musical targets on the visual display, the musical targets possibly corresponding to a pre-recorded source of music. At least one of the user input devices is a touchscreen arranged to simulate a portion of a musical instrument. During gameplay, the gameplayer must touch the touchscreen at the appropriate time and/or in the appropriate location in response to the displayed images of musical targets. The system provides a positive indication if the player'"'"'s input matches the attributes of the displayed musical targets.

Claims

1. An interactive computerized game system comprising:

a visual display configured to display an image of at least one musical target, the musical target having at least one attribute, at least a portion of the visual display comprising a touchscreen configured to receive user input in response to the displayed image of a musical target; and

a processor executing software configured to generate a sound corresponding to the musical target if the received user input matches the at least one attribute of the displayed image of a musical target.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the visual display comprises a plurality of visually separate portions.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the visual display is configured to present a view of at least a portion of a simulated instrument.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the simulated instrument is a guitar.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user input device configured to receive user input in response to the displayed image of a musical target, the user input device being configured to control a selection of musical target choices.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the musical target choices comprise chords.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the displayed image of a musical target comprises a representation of the user input device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the displayed image of a musical target is a moving image.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the musical target comprises a chord.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the displayed image of the musical target comprises a chord fingering.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the displayed image of the musical target comprises musical notation.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a source of at least one music track, the displayed image of a musical target corresponding to a musical element of the music track.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the attributes include tonality, timing, and location.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the tonality attribute corresponds to a chord.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the tonality attribute corresponds to a note.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the location attribute corresponds to a location on the touchscreen.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the software is configured to provide an error indication if the user input to the first and second user input devices does not match the at least one attribute of the displayed image of a musical target.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the error indication comprises generating a sound indicative of an error.

19. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed, cause a computing device to perform a method of simulating a musical instrument, the method comprising:

(a) displaying one or more musical targets, each musical target having at least one attribute;

(b) receiving user input from one or more user input devices, at least one of the user input devices comprising a touchscreen; and

(c) generating a sound corresponding to the musical target if the user input matches the at least one attribute of the musical target.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the musical instrument comprises a guitar.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the musical target comprises a chord.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the attributes comprise timing, location, and tonality.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the musical target is a moving target.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein (c) further comprises generating a sound indicative of an error if the user input does not match the at least one attribute of the musical target.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises repeating steps (a) through (c) a plurality of times and scoring the user input.

26. A method of simulating a musical instrument, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a plurality of musical targets, each musical target having at least one attribute;

(b) receiving user input from one or more user input devices, at least one of the user input devices comprising a touchscreen; and

(c) generating a sound corresponding to each musical target if the user input matches the at least one attribute of the musical target.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the plurality of musical targets corresponds to a music track.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising (d) generating background music corresponding to the music track.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the musical target comprises a chord.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the attributes comprise timing, location, and tonality.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the musical target is a moving target.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein (c) further comprises generating a sound indicative of an error if the user input does not match the at least one attribute of the musical target.

33. The method of claim 26, further comprising repeating steps (a) through (c) a plurality of times and scoring the user input.

34. An interactive computerized game system comprising:

a visual display configured to display a series of musical targets, each musical target in the series corresponding to an element of a music track, at least a portion of the visual display comprising a touchscreen configured to receive user input in response to each displayed musical target, at least a portion of the visual display being configured to present a view of at least a portion of a simulated instrument, each musical target having a location attribute corresponding to a defined region of the touchscreen; and

a processor executing software configured to generate sounds corresponding to the elements of the music track if the received user input matches the at least one attribute of each musical target in the series of musical targets.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the simulated instrument is a guitar.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein each musical target is a moving target.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the sounds are generated when the touchscreen input and the moving targets are at the same location on the visual display.

38. The system of claim 34, wherein the musical targets and the simulated instrument are located in different regions of the visual display.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the musical targets are not located in the touchscreen portion of the visual display.

40. The system of claim 34, wherein the user input comprises tapping the touchscreen.

41. The system of claim 34, wherein the user input comprises dragging a stylus across a portion of the touchscreen.