INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, STORAGE MEDIUM AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20120166790A1
• Filed: 03/21/2011
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: KITASE, Hirotake, OSHIMA, Yoichi
• Application Number:
  US13/052,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20120166790A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/100
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5252 using two or more virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character changes room or displaying a rear-mirror view in a car-driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images

Abstract

A game apparatus as an information processing apparatus includes a CPU, and the CPU counts step counts on the basis of an acceleration signal from an acceleration sensor when cover closing information is received from a microcomputer in a state that the power source is turned on. Step count data corresponding to the step counts is stored in a memory within the microcomputer in a cluster for every first predetermined time (one hour). Furthermore, in a case that a first mode is set in a state that the power source of the game apparatus is turned on, the step count data stored in the memory is automatically saved in a NAND-type flash memory every time that a second predetermined time has elapsed before the first mode switches to a second mode, or before the power source of the game apparatus is turned off.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a step count detector which detects step counts;

a step count storage which stores step count data corresponding to the step counts detected by said step count detector in a first memory; and

a saver which automatically reads the step count data stored in said first memory at a predetermined timing and saves the same in a second memory different from said first memory.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a state switcher which switches said information processing apparatus between an unused state and a used state, wherein

said step count detector detects step counts at least in said unused state, and

said saver automatically reads the step count data stored in said first memory at the predetermined timing and stores the same in said second memory at least in said unused state.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said step count detector detects step counts in said unused state, and does not detect step counts in said used state.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said state switcher switches between a power saving mode and a normal mode,

said step count detector detects step counts at least in said power saving mode, and

said saver automatically reads the step count data stored in said first memory and saves the same in said second memory after a temporary switch to said normal mode at a predetermined timing during said power saving mode.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said step count detector detects step counts in said power saving mode, and does not detects step counts in said normal mode.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said saver automatically reads the step count data stored in said first memory at the predetermined timing and saves the same in said second memory in said normal mode.

7. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said state switcher switches said saver between an activated state and an inactivated state,

said step count detector detects step counts when said saver is at least in said inactivated state, and

said saver automatically reads the step count data stored in said first memory and saves the same in said second memory after a temporary switch to said activated state by said state switcher at the predetermined timing during said inactivated state.

8. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said step count detector detects steps counts when said saver is in the inactivated state, and does not detect step counts when said saver is in the activated state.

9. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said saver automatically reads the step count data stored in said first memory at the predetermined timing and saves the same in said second memory when it is in said activated state.

10. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said predetermined timing is every lapse of a predetermined time.

11. An information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

a first predetermined timing is when said predetermined time has elapsed from a time being a reference.

12. An information processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a selector which selects between a power-off and a reboot, wherein

said predetermined timing is a timing when a power-off or a reboot is selected by said selector.

13. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said first memory has a memory area for storing step count data for a short time, and

said second memory has a memory area of a high capacity capable of recording step count data for a longer time than the memory area of said first memory.

14. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a mode switcher which switches a first mode for executing a program for said information processing apparatus and a second mode for executing a program for another information processing apparatus, wherein

said saver automatically reads the step count data stored in said first memory at said predetermined timing and stores the same in said second memory in said first mode, and does not save the step count data stored in said first memory in said second memory in said second mode.

15. An information processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

said saver saves step count data that is stored in said first memory in said second mode in said second memory at said predetermined timing after said second mode switches to said first mode by said mode switcher.

16. A storage medium storing an information processing program, said information processing program causes a computer to function as:

a step count detector which detects step counts;

a step count storage which stores step count data corresponding to the step counts detected by said step count detector in a first memory; and

a saver which automatically reads the step count data stored in said first memory at a predetermined timing and saves the same in a second memory different from said first memory.

17. An information processing method, wherein

a computer

(a) detects step counts,

(b) stores step count data corresponding to the step counts detected by said step (a) in a first memory, and

(c) automatically reads the step count data stored in said first memory at a predetermined timing and saves the same in a second memory different from said first memory.

18. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a microcomputer which detects step counts and stores step count data corresponding to the detected step counts in a first memory; and

a CPU which reads the step count data stored in said first memory and saves the same in a second memory different from said first memory;

wherein

the CPU automatically reads the step count data stored in the first memory at a predetermined timing and saves the same in the second memory and stops in response to a request from the microcomputer during running, and boots up in response to a request from the microcomputer, reads the step count data stored in the first memory and saves the same in the second memory during a stop.

19. A information processing method of an information processing apparatus, comprising:

a microcomputer which detects step counts and stores step count data corresponding to the detected step counts in a first memory; and

a CPU which reads the step count data stored in said first memory and saves the same in a second memory different from said first memory;

wherein

wherein the CPU automatically reads the step count data stored in the first memory at a predetermined timing and saves the same in the second memory and stops in response to a request from the microcomputer during running, and boots up in response to a request from the microcomputer, reads the step count data stored in the first memory and saves the same in the second memory during a stop.