Talking video games

• US 5,393,073 A
• Filed: 05/25/1993
• Issued: 02/28/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert M. Best
• Original Assignee: Robert M. Best
• Inventors: Best, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): HARRISON, JESSICA
• Application Number:
  US08/066,204
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 273/434, 273/435, 273/437, 273/438, 273/DIG. 28, 273/85 G
• US Class Current: 463/35
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/323 between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/47 involving branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible scenarios at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/843 involving concurrently two or more players on the same game device, e.g. requiring the use of a plurality of controllers or of a specific view of game data for each player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/403 Connection between platform and handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6072 of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/632 by branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible story developments at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8088 involving concurrently several players in a non-networked game, e.g. on the same game console
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/04 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying a further explanation
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 17/005 Programmed access to indexed parts of tracks of operating discs, by guiding the disc
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/00 Driving, starting, stopping record carriers not specifically of filamentary or web form, or of supports therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function ; Driving both disc and head
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 : Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 : Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 : CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 : of operating discs

Abstract

Talking video games can provide simulated voice dialog between human players and animated characters on a TV screen. Two or more players can take turns responding to animated characters and two or more animated characters can respond to each player and to each other, thereby providing three-way or four-way conversations. Pictures and voices are generated from digital data separately stored on a laser-readable disk such as a CD-ROM in compressed form. As the game is played each animated character talks to the human game players and waits for a response. Each player has a hand-held controller that displays two or more phrases or sentences and a player responds by pressing a button next to a selected phrase. An animated character then responds to the selected phrase as if it had been spoken by the human player. Speech recognition is not required. Each scene branches to two or more subsequent scenes. But within each scene there are several branching dialog sequences, thereby providing a large variety of possible dialogs. Human game players are thus given an illusion of having dialogs with interesting people, either living, historical or imaginary and with animal-like characters on a TV screen as an active participant in adventures and dramas with these characters.

Claims

1. An electronic system for simulating voice conversions between animated video characters, the system comprising:

(a) means for digitally storing voice sound data representing a plurality of sentences, phrases, word segments or phonemes for two or more talking animated characters;

(b) means for digitally storing a preprogrammed branching dialog between said animated characters, each branch comprising a plurality of alternative verbal expressions;

(c) means for generating a video or RF signal representing images of said animated characters for display on a video screen;

(d) cable means for sending to a hand-held portable game apparatus variable menus of alternatively selectable verbal expressions, each expression corresponding to a branch in said dialog;

(e) cable means for receiving from said hand-held portable game apparatus a manually initiated signal representing a selected verbal expression in a menu of said verbal expressions, thereby selecting a branch in the dialog;

(f) means for digitally reading from said catalog of voices voice sound data that corresponds to said selected verbal expression for the voice of one of said characters;

(g) means for generating an audio signal from said voice sound data representing the voice of a character speaking said selected verbal expression; and

(h) said hand-held portable game apparatus comprising;

(1) two or more manually operatable push buttons;

(2) a liquid crystal display positioned near said push buttons for displaying said variable menu of verbal expressions;

(3) a ROM program cartridge storing a program of instructions for performing the following sequence of steps in said portable game system;

a. reading said variable menu of verbal expressions from said cable;

b. displaying said menu on said liquid crystal display;

c. receiving from one of said push buttons a manually initiated selection signal; and

d. transmitting said manually initiated selection signal on said cable;

thereby selecting from said digital storing means the next branch of the branching dialog and voice sound data corresponding to the manually selected menu expression.

2. A method of electronically simulating voice conversations between an on-screen talking animated character and an offscreen talking character, the words of the characters being selected by two corresponding human players, comprising the steps of:

(a) digitally storing a catalog of distinctive voices for at least two talking characters, each in the form of voice sound data representing a plurality of sentences, phrases, word segments or phonemes;

(b) digitally storing a preprogrammed branching dialog between the on-screen character and the off-screen character, each branch comprising a plurality of alternative verbal expressions;

(c) generating a video signal representing an image of said on-screen character for display on a video screen;

(d) displaying on a first hand-held controller apparatus a first set of alternatively selectable verbal expressions, each corresponding to a branch in said dialog;

(e) receiving from said first hand-held controller a manually initiated signal representing a first selected verbal expression in said first set of verbal expressions, thereby selecting a branch in the dialog;

(f) digitally reading from said catalog of voices first voice sound data that corresponds to said first selected verbal expression for the voice of said on-screen character;

(g) generating an audio signal from said first voice sound data representing the voice of said on-screen character speaking said first selected verbal expression;

(h) displaying on a second hand-held controller apparatus a second set of alternatively selectable verbal expressions that follows next for said off-screen character in the selected branch of the dialog;

(i) receiving from said second hand-held controller a manually initiated signal representing a second selected verbal expression in said second set of verbal expressions, thereby selecting a next branch in the dialog;

(j) digitally reading from said catalog of voices second voice sound data that corresponds to said second selected verbal expression for the voice of said off-screen character; and

(k) generating an audio signal from said second voice sound data representing the voice of said off-screen character speaking said second selected verbal expression.

3. A method of electronically simulating voice conversations between at least two on-screen talking animated characters and an off-screen talking character, comprising the steps of:

(a) digitally storing a catalog of distinctive voices for at least three talking characters, each in the form of voice sound data representing a plurality of sentences, phrases, word segments or phonemes;

(b) digitally storing a preprogrammed branching dialog between a first on-screen character and a second on-screen character and an off-screen character, each branch comprising a plurality of alternative verbal expressions;

(c) generating a video signal representing an image of said first and second on-screen characters for display on a video screen;

(d) displaying on a first hand-held controller apparatus a first set of alternatively selectable verbal expressions, each corresponding to a branch in said dialog;

(e) receiving from said first hand-held controller a manually initiated signal representing a first selected verbal expression in said first set of verbal expressions, thereby selecting a branch in the dialog;

(f) digitally reading from said catalog of voices first voice sound data that corresponds to said first selected verbal expression for the voice of said off-screen character;

(g) generating an audio signal from said first voice sound data representing the voice of said off-screen character speaking said first selected verbal expression;

(h) digitally reading from said catalog of voices second voice sound data for the voice of said first on-screen character speaking the verbal expression that follows next in the selected branch of the dialog;

generating an audio signal from said second voice sound data representing the voice of said first on-screen character;

(j) displaying on a second hand-held controller apparatus a second set of alternatively selectable verbal expressions that follows next for said second on-screen character in the selected branch of the dialog;

(k) receiving from said second hand-held controller a manually initiated signal representing a second selected verbal expression in said second set of verbal expressions, thereby selecting a next branch in the dialog;

(l) digitally reading from said catalog of voices third voice sound data that corresponds to said second selected verbal expression for the voice of said second on-screen character; and

(m) generating an audio signal from said third voice sound data representing the voice of said second on-screen character speaking said second selected verbal expression.

4. A method of electronically simulating voice conversations between at least two talking characters, comprising the steps of:

(a) digitally storing a catalog of distinctive voices for at least two talking characters, each in the form of voice sound data representing a plurality of sentences, phrases, word segments or phonemes;

(b) digitally storing a preprogrammed branching dialog between a first animated character and a second animated character, each branch comprising a plurality of alternative verbal expressions;

(c) generating a video signal representing an image of said first and second characters for display on a video screen;

(d) displaying on a first hand-held controller apparatus a first set of alternatively selectable verbal expressions, each corresponding to a branch in said dialog;

(e) receiving from said first hand-held controller a manually initiated signal representing a first selected verbal expression in said first set of verbal expressions, thereby selecting a branch in the dialog;

(f) digitally reading from said catalog of voices first voice sound data that corresponds to said first selected verbal expression for the voice of said first character;

(g) generating an audio signal from said first voice sound data representing the voice of said first character speaking said first selected verbal expression;

(h) digitally reading from said catalog of voices second voice sound data for the voice of said second character speaking the verbal expression that follows next in the selected branch of the dialog;

(i) generating an audio signal from said second voice sound data representing the voice of said second character;

(j) displaying on a second hand-held controller apparatus a second set of alternatively selectable verbal expressions that follows next for said second character in the selected branch of the dialog;

(k) receiving from said second hand-held controller a manually initiated signal representing a second selected verbal expression in said second set of verbal expressions, thereby selecting a next branch in the dialog;

(l) digitally reading from said catalog of voices third voice sound data that corresponds to said second selected verbal expression for the voice of said second character; and

(m) generating an audio signal from said third voice sound data representing the voice of said second character speaking said second selected verbal expression.