STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING STORED THEREIN DISPLAY CONTROL PROGRAM, DISPLAY CONTROL APPARATUS, DISPLAY CONTROL SYSTEM, AND DISPLAY CONTROL METHOD

• US 20150105150A1
• Filed: 09/10/2014
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2013
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: ARAKI, Hideaki, KATO, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 10,258,891 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• 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 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5378 for displaying an additional top view, e.g. radar screens or maps using two or more virtual cameras concurrently A63F13/5252
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets

Abstract

An input using a pointing device is acquired, and it is determined whether the input using the pointing device is an operation of moving an input position. If it has been determined in the determination of the operation that the input using the pointing device is the operation of moving the input position, an operation direction of the operation of moving the input position is determined. If the determined operation direction corresponds to any one of a plurality of directions determined in advance, a predetermined display target is moved in a direction based on the operation direction, thereby causing the predetermined display target to appear on a display screen. If it has been determined that the operation direction corresponds to any one of the plurality of directions, a common display target is caused to appear, regardless of which one of the plurality of directions the operation direction corresponds to.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a display control program to be executed by a computer included in an apparatus for, in accordance with an operation using a pointing device for inputting an input position on a display screen, displaying an image on the display screen, the display control program causing the computer to execute:

acquiring an input using the pointing device;

determining whether or not the input using the pointing device is an operation of moving the input position;

if it has been determined in the determination of the operation that the input using the pointing device is the operation of moving the input position, determining an operation direction of the operation of moving the input position; and

if the operation direction determined in the determination of the operation direction corresponds to any one of a plurality of directions determined in advance, moving a predetermined display target in a direction based on the operation direction, thereby causing the predetermined display target to appear on the display screen, wherein

in the process of causing the display target to appear, if it has been determined that the operation direction corresponds to any one of the plurality of directions, a common display target is caused to appear, regardless of which one of the plurality of directions the operation direction corresponds to.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 1, the display control program further causing the computer to execute, if an operation in the operation direction corresponding to any one of the plurality of directions has been performed with the display target displayed on the display screen, displaying the display target on the display screen while moving the display target in accordance with the operation direction.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 1, the display control program further causing the computer to execute, if a predetermined operation different from an operation capable of causing the display target to appear has been performed with the display target displayed on the display screen, erasing the display target from the display screen.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 3, wherein

the predetermined operation is an operation of selecting, using the pointing device, a predetermined display area displayed on the display screen.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 1, wherein

in the process of causing the display target to appear,

if the operation direction of the operation of causing the display target to appear has been upward or downward on the display screen, a display target capable of moving to the left or right on the display screen in accordance with an operation using the pointing device is caused to appear, and

if the operation direction of the operation of causing the display target to appear has been to the left or right on the display screen, a display target capable of moving upward or downward on the display screen in accordance with an operation using the pointing device is caused to appear.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 1, the display control program further causing the computer to execute, if the operation direction of the operation of causing the display target to appear has been upward or downward on the display screen and after the display target has been displayed on the display screen, erasing the display target from the display screen in accordance with an operation of which an operation direction is upward or downward on the display screen, and if the operation direction of the operation of causing the display target to appear has been to the left or right on the display screen and after the display target has been displayed on the display screen, erasing the display target from the display screen in accordance with an operation of which an operation direction is to the left or right on the display screen.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of directions determined in advance are two or more of up, down, left, and right directions on the display screen.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 1, wherein

in the process of causing the display target to appear, the display target is displayed on top of at least part of a display image that has been displayed on the display screen before the display target has been caused to appear.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 8, wherein

in the process of causing the display target to appear, the display target is displayed on top of an entirety of a display image that has been displayed on the display screen before the display target has been caused to appear.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 1, wherein

the display target is an information image that describes information regarding a display image that has been displayed on the display screen before the display target has been caused to appear, or information regarding the apparatus.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 1, the display control program further causing the computer to execute displaying on each of a plurality of display screens a display image based on execution of a predetermined application, wherein

in the process of causing the display target to appear, a display target different from the display image is caused to appear on one of the plurality of display screens.

12. A display control apparatus for, in accordance with an operation using a pointing device for inputting an input position on a display screen, displaying an image on the display screen, the display control apparatus comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

acquire an input using the pointing device;

determine whether or not the input using the pointing device is an operation of moving the input position;

if it has been determined in the determination of the operation that the input using the pointing device is the operation of moving the input position, determine an operation direction of the operation of moving the input position;

if the operation direction determined in the determination of the operation direction corresponds to any one of a plurality of directions determined in advance, move a predetermined display target in a direction based on the operation direction, thereby causing the predetermined display target to appear on the display screen, wherein

in the process of causing the display target to appear, if it has been determined that the operation direction corresponds to any one of the plurality of directions, a common display target is caused to appear, regardless of which one of the plurality of directions the operation direction corresponds to.

13. A display control system, including a plurality of apparatuses capable of communicating with each other, for, in accordance with an operation using a pointing device for inputting an input position on a display screen, displaying an image on the display screen, the display control system comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

acquire an input using the pointing device;

determine whether or not the input using the pointing device is an operation of moving the input position;

if it has been determined in the determination of the operation that the input using the pointing device is the operation of moving the input position, determine an operation direction of the operation of moving the input position;

if the operation direction determined in the determination of the operation direction corresponds to any one of a plurality of directions determined in advance, move a predetermined display target in a direction based on the operation direction, thereby causing the predetermined display target to appear on the display screen, wherein

in the process of causing the display target to appear, if it has been determined that the operation direction corresponds to any one of the plurality of directions, a common display target is caused to appear, regardless of which one of the plurality of directions the operation direction corresponds to.

14. A display control method to be executed by a processor or a cooperation of a plurality of processors, the processor or the plurality of processors contained in a system including at least one apparatus for, in accordance with an operation using a pointing device for inputting an input position on a display screen, displaying an image on the display screen, the display control method comprising:

acquiring an input using the pointing device;

determining whether or not the input using the pointing device is an operation of moving the input position;

if it has been determined in the determination of the operation that the input using the pointing device is the operation of moving the input position, determining an operation direction of the operation of moving the input position; and

if the operation direction determined in the determination of the operation direction corresponds to any one of a plurality of directions determined in advance, moving a predetermined display target in a direction based on the operation direction, thereby causing the predetermined display target to appear on the display screen, wherein

in the process of causing the display target to appear, if it has been determined that the operation direction corresponds to any one of the plurality of directions, a common display target is caused to appear, regardless of which one of the plurality of directions the operation direction corresponds to.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a display control program to be executed by a computer included in an apparatus for, in accordance with an operation using a pointing device for inputting an input position on a display screen, displaying an image on the display screen, the display control program causing the computer to execute:

acquiring an input using the pointing device;

determining an operation direction of an operation of moving the input position using the pointing device; and

if the operation direction determined in the determination of the operation direction corresponds to at least either a first direction or a second direction determined in advance, moving a predetermined display target in a direction corresponding to the operation direction, thereby causing the predetermined display target to appear on the display screen, wherein

in the process of causing the display target to appear, a common display target is caused to appear when the operation direction has been determined as corresponding to the first direction and when the operation direction has been determined as corresponding to the second direction.