Interactive Touch Screen Gaming Metaphors With Haptic Feedback

• US 20110018697A1
• Filed: 07/21/2010
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: BIRNBAUM, David M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,502,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/407.2
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1037 being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/575 for trading virtual items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 : for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 : Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

A game is provided on one or more portable computing device in which a virtual object travels through views of the game displayed on the interfaces of the one or more portable computing devices. Haptic effects corresponding to the travel of the virtual object through the views are provided on the individual portable computing devices. The haptic effects may be determined based on one or more parameters of the travel of the virtual object, one or more parameters of objects and/or features with which the virtual object interacts, and/or other parameters. The haptic effects may include haptic effects to be provided on portable computing devices that are not currently displaying the virtual object corresponding to the haptic effects.

Claims

1. A system configured to provide haptic effects to a first user of a multi-user application, the system comprising:

a first computing platform associated with the first user, the first computing platform comprising;

a first user interface configured to receive control inputs from the first user;

a first haptic interface configured to generate haptic effects perceptible to the first user;

a first set of one or more processors configured;

to execute a first instance of the multi-user application, the multi-user application being configured to interface with an object based on control inputs received from the first user and based on control inputs received from a second user via a second computing platform executing a second instance of the multi-user application; and

to determine haptic effects that are to be generated by the first haptic interface, such haptic effects comprising a first haptic effect conveying information to the first user related to a first control input of the second user to the second computing platform.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the object is a virtual object.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the object is real world object.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing platform comprises a first display, wherein the first set of one or more processors are further configured to control the first display to present selectively present views of the object.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first set of one or more processors are further configured such that the generation of the first haptic effect is responsive to input of the first control input by the second user while the object is not visible in the views presented on the first display.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the first set of one or more processors are configured to control the first display to present views of a first portion of a space through which the object travels.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first set of one or more processors are configured to control the haptic interface to generate the first haptic effect responsive to input of the first control input by the second user to the second computing platform concurrent with the object being present in a second portion of the space through which the object travels, the second portion of the space being a portion of the space that is not visible in the first display but is visible on a display of the second computing device.

8. A system configured to provide haptic effects to a first user of a multi-user application, the system comprising:

a first computing platform associated with the first user, the first computing platform comprising;

a first user interface configured to receive control inputs from the first user;

a first haptic interface configured to generate haptic effects perceptible to the first user;

a first set of one or more processors configured;

to execute a first instance of the multi-user application, the multi-user application being configured to interface with an object based on control inputs received from the first user; and

to determine haptic effects that are to be generated by the first haptic interface; and

a second computing device associated with a second user, the second computing device being in operative communication with the first computing device and comprising;

a second user interface configured to receive control inputs from the second user, the control inputs comprising a first control input; and

a second set of one or more processors configured to execute a second instance of the multi-user application, the multi-user application being further configured to interface with the object based on control inputs received from the second user;

wherein the first set of one or more processors is further configured such that responsive to performance of the first control input by the second user the first haptic interface is controlled to generate a first haptic effect conveying information to the first user related to the first control input performed the second user.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the object is a virtual object.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the object is real world object.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the first computing platform comprises a first display, wherein the first set of one or more processors are further configured to control the first display to present selectively present views of the object.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first set of one or more processors are configured such that the generation of the first haptic effect is further responsive to input of the first control input by the second user while the object is not visible in the views presented on the first display.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the multi-user application is configured such that the first set of one or more processors control the first display to present views of a first portion of a space through which the object travels.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second computing device further comprises a second display, wherein the multi-user application is further configured such that the second set of one or more processors control the second display to present views of a second portion of a space through which the object travels, the second portion of the space being a portion of the space that is not visible in the first display, and wherein the first set of one or more processors are further configured such that generation of the first haptic effect is responsive to performance of the first control input by the second user concurrent with the object being present in a second portion of the space through which the object travels.

15. A computer-implemented method of providing haptic effects to a first user of a multi-user application, the method comprising:

executing a first instance of the multi-user application on a first computing platform associated with the first user, the multi-user application being configured to interface with an object based on control inputs received from the first user and based on control inputs received from a second user via a second computing platform executing a second instance of the multi-user application;

responsive to performance of a first control input by the second user on the second computing platform, generating a first haptic effect for the first user on the first computing platform, the first haptic effect conveying information to the first user about the effect of the firs control input.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the object is a virtual object.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the object is real world object.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising selectively present views of the object to the user on a first display associated with the first computing device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the generation of the first haptic effect is further responsive to input of the first control input by the second user while the object is not visible in the views presented on the first display.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising presenting views of a first portion of a space through which the object travels on a first display associated with the first computing device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the generation of the first haptic effect is further responsive to performance of the first control input by the second user concurrent with the object being present in a second portion of the space through which the object travels, the second portion of the space being a portion of the space that is not visible in the first display but is visible on a display associated with the second computing device.