Entertainment system, entertainment apparatus, recording medium, and program

• US 6,702,677 B1
• Filed: 10/13/2000
• Issued: 03/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Takeshi, Fujisawa, Takafumi, Tsuda, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Walberg, Teresa
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHERUBIN, YVESTE GILBERTE
• Application Number:
  US09/687,578
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 844/77.R, 846/00, 846/01, 846/35, 846/37, 846/67, 846/09, 846/11, 345/764, 345/716, 345/727, 345/839, 345/978, 463/43, 463/42, 463/30, 463/35, 434/307.A, 434/247, 434/307.R, 434/365, 482/900-903, 381/119
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6063 for sound processing
• 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 2300/8094 Unusual game types, e.g. virtual cooking

Abstract

An entertainment system includes a sound presentation trial processing unit for displaying an object relatively moving on at least one track displayed on a display unit, allowing the user to try to acquire the object with a control input, and outputting a sound assigned to the track on which the object is relatively moving when the acquisition of the object with the control input is detected. The sound presentation trial processing unit includes a program activating unit for activating a control input processing unit to perform a processing depending on a control input from a manual controller, and an image sound output processing means for changing the image of the object when the acquisition of the object is detected and outputting a sound according to a predetermined control action.

Claims

1. An entertainment system comprising:

an entertainment apparatus for executing various programs;

at least one manual controller for entering control requests from a user into said entertainment apparatus;

a display unit for displaying images outputted from said entertainment apparatus; and

sound presentation trial processing means included in said entertainment apparatus for displaying an object relatively moving on at least one track displayed on said display unit, allowing the user to try to acquire the object with a control input entered by the user into one of said at least one manual controller, and outputting a sound assigned to the track on which the object is relatively moving when the acquisition of the object with the control input is detected.

2. An entertainment system according to claim 1, wherein said sound presentation trial processing means comprises:

object displaying means for displaying said object relatively moving on at least one track;

object acquisition determining means for determining whether the object has been acquired with a control input or not; and

sound outputting means for outputting a sound assigned to the track on which the object is relatively moving when said object acquisition determining means determines that the object has been acquired.

3. An entertainment system according to claim 2, wherein said sound presentation trial processing means comprises:

acquiring object displaying means for displaying an acquiring object to acquire the relatively moving object; and

wherein said object acquisition determining means comprises;

means for determining that said object is acquired if the distance between said acquiring object and the relatively moving object falls in a predetermined range when a predetermined control input is entered from said manual controller.

4. An entertainment system according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of tracks are displayed on said display unit, and said object acquisition determining means comprises:

means for determining that said object is acquired if a track on which said acquiring object and a track on which the relatively moving object are the same as each other when said predetermined control input is entered from said manual controller, and also if the distance between said acquiring object and the relatively moving object falls in said predetermined range.

5. An entertainment system according to claim 4, further comprising:

indicator displaying means for displaying an indicator image indicative of one of said tracks on which said object is coming.

6. An entertainment system according to claim 2, wherein a sound pattern assigned to said track is disposed as a bit string indicative of whether the sound is to be outputted or not outputted, on said track, further comprising:

light spot displaying means for displaying a bit string related to the acquired object and indicative of an output state, of the sound pattern disposed on the track on which the acquired object is positioned, in relative motion as an array of light spots; and

wherein said sound outputting means comprises;

means for outputting a sound assigned to a light spot which has reached said acquiring object, of the sound pattern assigned to said track.

7. An entertainment apparatus for connection to a manual controller for outputting a control request from a user and a display unit for displaying images, comprising:

sound presentation trial processing means included in said entertainment apparatus for displaying an object relatively moving on at least one track displayed on said display unit, allowing the user to try to acquire the object with a control input entered by the user into said manual controller, and outputting a sound assigned to the track on which the object is relatively moving when the acquisition of the object with the control input is detected.

8. A recording medium storing a program and data for use in an entertainment system having an entertainment apparatus for executing various programs, at least one manual controller for entering manual control requests from a user into said entertainment apparatus, and a display unit for displaying images outputted from said entertainment apparatus, the program stored in said recording medium comprising the steps of:

displaying an object relatively moving on at least one track displayed on said display unit;

allowing the user to try to acquire the object with a control input; and

outputting a sound assigned to the track on which the object is relatively moving when the acquisition of the object with the control input is detected.

9. A recording medium according to claim 8, wherein said steps include the steps of:

displaying said object relatively moving on at least one track;

determining whether the object has been acquired with a control input or not; and

outputting a sound assigned to the track on which the object is relatively moving when the object is determined as acquired.

10. A recording medium according to claim 9, wherein said steps include the step of:

displaying an acquiring object to acquire the relatively moving object; and

wherein said step of determining whether the object has been acquired with a control input or not comprises the step of;

determining that said object is acquired if the distance between said acquiring object and the relatively moving object falls in a predetermined range when a predetermined control input is entered from said manual controller.

11. A recording medium according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of tracks are displayed on said display unit, and said steps include the step of:

determining that said object is acquired if a track on which said acquiring object and a track on which the relatively moving object are the same as each other when said predetermined control input is entered from said manual controller, and also if the distance between said acquiring object and the relatively moving object falls in said predetermined range.

12. A recording medium according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

displaying an indicator image indicative of one of said tracks on which said object is coming.

13. A recording medium according to claim 9, wherein a sound pattern assigned to said track is disposed as a bit string indicative of whether the sound is to be outputted or not outputted, on said track, further comprising the step of:

displaying a bit string related to the acquired object and indicative of an output state, of the sound pattern disposed on the track on which the acquired object is positioned, in relative motion as an array of light spots; and

wherein said step of outputting a sound comprises the step of;

outputting a sound assigned to a light spot which has reached said acquiring object, of the sound pattern assigned to said track.

14. A program recorded on a storage medium readable and executable by a computer, for use in an entertainment system having an entertainment apparatus for executing various programs, at least one manual controller for entering manual control requests from a user into said entertainment apparatus, and a display unit for displaying images outputted from said entertainment apparatus, said program comprising the steps of:

displaying an object relatively moving on at least one track displayed on said display unit;

allowing the user to try to acquire the object with a control input; and

outputting a sound assigned to the track on which the object is relatively moving when the acquisition of the object with the control input is detected.