Method for operating a video game with backfeeding a video image of a player, and a video game arranged for practicing the method

• US 6,994,626 B1
• Filed: 02/11/1998
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: D'Achard Van Enschut, Johannes F. M.
• Primary Examiner(s): COBURN, CORBETT B
• Application Number:
  US09/022,132
• Time in Patent Office: 2,918 Days
• Field of Search: 463/6, 463 30- 34, 463 40- 42, 348 13- 20
• US Class Current: 463/31
• 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 13/30 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 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/655 by importing photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/695 Imported photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying

Abstract

In a video gaming environment, a player is enabled to interact with the environment. Further, a score and/or performance of the player in a particular session is machine detected and fed fed back into the gaming environment and a representation of said score and/or performance is displayed in visual form through an item that identifies the player in question. In particular, the method automatically takes up a video image of the player in question as said representation for subsequent video display in said gaming environment.

Claims

1. A method for operating a multi-player video game, the method comprising:

enabling each player of multiple players to interact with a gaming environment,

machine-detecting a score and/or performance of each player in a particular session of the video game,

backfeeding into the gaming environment a video image of a currently high-scoring player, and

displaying the gaming environment, and the video image of the currently high-scoring player of the multiple players in a predefined field that is set off and less than the entire playing field, the predefined field associated with the gaming environment that is configured to contain the video image of the currently high-scoring player during the particular session of the video game.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, furthermore comprising

ranking high-scoring players in respectively successive playing sessions, and

providing a representation of one or more of the high-ranking players for display in subsequent playing sessions, based on the ranking.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, for use in a multiple player environment, wherein the video image of select players of the multiple players is selectively cross-wise fed back to the multiple players.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the video image of select players of the multiple players is made part of a composite image with one or more selected items taken from memory.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, further allowing the player to suppress during the session a presentation of the actual score, performance and/or video image to the backfeeding.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the image of the currently high scoring player includes

displaying the image of the currently high scoring player persistently during the particular session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined field is located in a prominent location relative to the gaming environment.

8. A video game system being arranged for running a multi-player video gaming environment, comprising

a user interface that is configured to enable each player of multiple players to interact with the gaming environment,

a detector that is configured to detect a score and/or performance of each player during a particular session of the video game,

a backfeeding device that is configured to:

backfeed into the gaming environment a video image of a currently high-scoring player of the multiple players, and

a display that is configured to display the gaming environment, and the video image of the currently high-scoring player, wherein the image of the currently high scoring player is displayed in a predefined field that is set off and less than the entire playing field, the predefined field is associated with the gaming environment and is configured to contain the image of the currently high scoring player during the particular session of the video game, and

one or more cameras that are configured to provide the video image of each player.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8, furthermore comprising ranking means for relatively ranking players in respectively successive playing sessions, and control means fed by the ranking means for providing video images of the high-ranking players to subsequent playing sessions.

10. A system as claimed in claim 8, arranged for implementing a multiple player gaming environment, and having cross-wise communication means for selectively cross-wise backfeeding the video image to multiple players.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein

the display is configured to display the image of the currently high scoring player in the predefined field persistently during the particular session.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the predefined field is located in a prominent location relative to the gaming environment.

13. A method for operating a multi-player video game where each player of multiple players interacts with a gaming environment, the method comprising:

defining a field of a display that is set off and less than the entire gaming environment and that is configured to contain an image of a highest performing player,

determining a current performance level of each player during a particular session of the video game, and

displaying a video image of one of the multiple players that has the currently highest performance level of the multiple players in the field of the display together with the gaming environment during the particular session of the video game.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, comprising:

ranking high-scoring players in respectively successive playing sessions, and

providing a representation of one or more of the high-ranking players for display in subsequent playing sessions, based on the ranking.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13, comprising backfeeding a video image of select players of the multiple players cross-wise back to the multiple players.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, comprising enabling a player to suppress during the particular session at least one of a presentation of an actual present score, performance and video image of the player to the backfeeding.

17. A method as claimed in claim 13, comprising displaying a video image of select players of the multiple players as a part of a composite image with one or more selected items taken from memory.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein displaying the video image of the currently high scoring player includes

displaying the image of the currently high scoring player persistently during the particular session.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the predefined field is located in a prominent location relative to the gaming environment.