STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING INPUT PROCESSING PROGRAM STORED THEREON AND INPUT PROCESSING DEVICE

• US 20090135138A1
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: AJIOKA, Yoshitaka, EBISAWA, Yasushi, MIZUKI, Kiyoshi, KONNO, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 8,284,159 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An input processing device comprises a display screen and a pointing device for inputting corresponding 2-dimensional coordinates on the display screen. A 3-dimensional space is displayed on the display screen and the 2-dimensional coordinates inputted from the pointing device are detected. Next, shift amounts, per unit of time, of the detected 2-dimensional coordinates are calculated based on a predetermined calculation start condition. And the calculated shift amounts are converted to 3-dimensional coordinate shift amounts in the 3-dimensional space.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon an input processing program to be executed by a computer in an input processing device including a display screen and a pointing device for inputting corresponding coordinates on the display screen, the computer being operable to execute:

a display control step of displaying a virtual 3-dimensional space on the display screen;

an input coordinate detection step of detecting input coordinates from the pointing device;

an on-virtual-plane moving step of, when inputting from the pointing device is continuously performed, moving an object on a predetermined virtual plane based on the input coordinates detected in the input coordinate detection step; and

an in 3-dimensional-space moving step of, when a state where inputting from the pointing device is continuously performed shifts to a state where inputting from the pointing device is not performed, causing the object to leave the virtual plane and to move in the virtual 3-dimensional space.

2. The computer-readable storage medium, according to claim 1, having stored thereon the input processing program, the computer being operable to further execute an immediately-before-input-change-value-calculation step, when the state where inputting from the pointing device is continuously performed shifts to the state where inputting from the pointing device is not performed, of calculating values of change of the input coordinates detected in the input coordinate detection step immediately before the state where inputting from the pointing device is continuously performed shifts to the state where inputting from the pointing device is not performed, wherein

the in-3-dimentional-space moving step moves the object in the virtual 3-dimensional space based on the values of change detected immediately before the state where inputting from the pointing device is continuously performed shifts to the state where inputting from the pointing device is not performed.

3. The computer-readable storage medium, according to claim 2, having stored thereon the input processing program, wherein based on the values of change detected immediately before the state where inputting from the pointing device is continuously performed shifts to the state where inputting from the pointing device is not performed, the in-3-dimentional-space moving step determines a direction in which the object moves in the virtual 3-dimensional space.

4. The computer-readable storage medium, according to claim 2, having stored thereon the input processing program, wherein based on the values of change detected immediately before the state where inputting from the pointing device is continuously performed shifts to the state where inputting from the pointing device is not performed, the in-3-dimentional-space moving step determines a velocity at which the object moves in the virtual 3-dimensional space.

5. The computer-readable storage medium, according to claim 2, having stored thereon the input processing program, wherein based on values of change with respect to a first direction and a second direction on the virtual plane, calculated in the immediately-before-input-change-value-calculation step, the in-3-dimensional-space moving step calculates valves of change with respect to a third direction perpendicular to the virtual plane and moves the object in the virtual 3-dimensional space based on the respective values of change with respect to the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction.

6. The computer-readable storage medium, according to claim 2, having stored thereon the input processing program wherein based on the input coordinates, the in-3-dimentional-space moving step determines a direction in which the object moves in the virtual 3-dimensional space.

7. An input processing device, comprising:

a display screen;

a pointing device for inputting corresponding coordinates on the display screen;

display control means for displaying a virtual 3-dimensional space on the display screen;

input coordinate detection means for detecting input coordinates from the pointing device;

on-virtual-plane moving means for, when inputting from the pointing device is continuously performed, moving an object on a predetermined virtual plane based on the input coordinates detected by the input coordinate detection means; and

in-3-dimensional-space moving means for, when a state where inputting from the pointing device is continuously performed shifts to a state where inputting from the pointing device is not performed, causing the object to leave the virtual plane and to move in the virtual 3-dimensional space.

8. The input processing device according to claim 7, further comprising immediately-before-input-change-value-calculation means for, when the state where inputting from the pointing device is continuously performed shifts to the state where inputting from the pointing device is not performed, calculating values of change of the input coordinates detected by the input coordinate detection means immediately before the state where inputting from the pointing device is continuously performed shifts to the state where inputting from the pointing device is not performed, wherein the in-3-dimensional-space moving means moves the object in the virtual 3-dimensional space based on the values of change detected immediately before the state where inputting from the pointing device is continuously performed shifts to the state where inputting from the pointing device is not performed.

9. The input processing device according to claim 8, wherein based on the values of change detected immediately before the state where inputting from the pointing device is continuously performed shifts to the state where inputting from the pointing device is not performed, the in-3-dimentional-space moving means determines a direction in which the object moves in the virtual 3-dimensional space.

10. The input processing device according to claim 8, wherein based on the values of change detected immediately before the state where inputting from the pointing device is continuously performed shifts to the state where inputting from the pointing device is not performed, the in-3-dimentional-space moving means determines a velocity at which the object moves in the virtual 3-dimensional space.

11. The input processing device according to claim 8, wherein based on values of change with respect to a first direction and a second direction on the virtual plane, calculated by the immediately before input change value calculation means, the in 3-dimensional space moving means calculates values of change with respect to a third direction perpendicular to the virtual plane and moves the object in the virtual 3-dimensional space based on the respective values of change with respect to the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction.

12. The input processing device according to claim 8, wherein based on the input coordinates, the in 3-dimentional-space moving means determines a direction in which the object moves in the virtual 3-dimensional space.

13. An input processing method comprising;

a coordinate input step of inputting corresponding coordinates on a display screen;

a display control step of displaying a virtual 3-dimensional space on the display screen;

an input coordinate detection step of detecting the input coordinates inputted in the coordinate input step;

an on-virtual-plane moving step of, when inputting in the coordinate input step is continuously performed, moving an object on a predetermined virtual plane based on the input coordinates detected in the input coordinate detection step; and

an in-3-dimentional-space moving step of, when a state where inputting in the coordinate input step is continuously performed shifts to a state where inputting in the coordinate input step is not performed, causing the object to leave the virtual plane and to move in the virtual 3-dimensional space.