Recording medium, computer and method for selecting computer display items

• US 7,154,484 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2003
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Komata, Nobuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh
• Application Number:
  US10/640,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20040095313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: 345/121, 345173-179, 345/350, 345/901, 345156-159, 345/145, 345/163, 178 1801- 1805
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/218 using pressure sensors, e.g. generating a signal proportional to the pressure applied by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• 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 13/53 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 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1056 involving pressure sensitive buttons
• 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 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/041 having a generally flat operating member depressible at different locations to operate different controls

Abstract

A recording medium, computer and method for displaying a selectable item on a computer display screen. The recording medium has a processing program that sequentially displays a selectable item from a sequence of items at a rate depending on the output from a controller which senses a pushing pressure of a user on a control element of the controller. The computer includes that controller, a display screen; a unit for determining a display rate based on a value of said pressure-sensing output, and a unit for sequentially displaying each of a plurality of items on the display screen as the selectable item at the display rate.

Claims

1. A method of sequentially displaying each of a plurality of items as a selectable item on a screen of a computer, said computer including a controller which has pressure-sensitive means, comprising the steps of:

acquiring a pressure-sensing output from said controller,

determining a display rate for sequentially displaying selectable items on the screen, said display rate being dependent on a value of said pressure-sensing output; and

sequentially displaying each of the plurality of items as the selectable item at the determined display rate;

wherein each of the plurality of items is associated with one of a plurality of ordered pointer values or one of a plurality of ordered index values, and

wherein the step of sequentially displaying each of the plurality of items as the selectable item further comprises the step of;

incrementing a current pointer value or a current index value to identify a next selectable item.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at most one of the plurality of items is displayed on the screen as the selectable item at any point in time.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein more than one of the plurality of items is displayed on the screen at a point in time, and each of the displayed items is sequentially highlighted at the determined display rate as the selectable item.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the selectable item is highlighted by a cursor.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1. wherein said determined display rate is proportional to the value of said pressure-sensing output.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said determined display rate increases with an increase in the value of said pressure-sensing output.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said determined display rate decreases with an increase in the value of said pressure-sensing output.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said determined display rate decreases with a decrease in the value of said pressure-sensing output.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said determined display rate is defined by a number of screen frames per second.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the value of said pressure-sensing output determines an amount of time that a selectable item is displayed on said screen before a next sequentially displayed selectable item is displayed on said screen.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the value of said pressure-sensing output further determines a number of selectable items that are sequentially displayed during a given time period.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the current index value identifies an image to be displayed as the selectable item.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the current pointer identifies a display position for highlighting a selectable item.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the selectable item is highlighted by a cursor.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pressure-sensing output defines a number of pointer values or a number of index values to be incremented during a given time period.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pressure-sensing output determines a last pointer value or a last index value to applied during a given time period.

17. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein each sequentially displayed selectable item is displayed at the same location on the screen.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

selecting a displayed selectable item.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18,

wherein said pressure sensitive means from said controller further comprises a first pressure sensitive member and a second switch member,

wherein said determined display rate is dependent on an output from said first pressure sensitive member, and

wherein said displayed selectable item is selected in response to an output from said second switch member.

23. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

selecting each selectable item makes a connection to a target including one of a program command, file, web address, and mail address; and

each selectable item is associated with a different target than each other selectable item.

20. A recording medium on which is recorded a computer-readable and executable software program that performs processing by taking as instructions an output from a controller of a computer, said controller having pressure-sensitive means for sensing a pushing pressure of a user of the computer on the controller in order to generate the output from said controller, wherein said software program comprises:

a processing program that sequentially displays each of a plurality of items as a selectable item on a screen of The computer by;

acquiring a pressure-sensing output from said controller;

determining a display rate for sequentially displaying selectable items on the screen, said display rate being dependent on said pressure-sensing output; and

sequentially displaying each of the plurality of items as the selectable item at the determined display rate;

wherein each of the plurality of items is associated with one of a plurality of ordered pointer values or one of a plurality of ordered index values, and

wherein the step of sequentially displaying each of the plurality of items as the selectable item further comprises the step of;

incrementing a current pointer value or a current index value to identify a next selectable item.

22. The computer as claimed in claim 20, wherein said pressure sensitive means from said controller includes a first pressure sensitive member and a second switch member, and said means for determining a display rate is dependent on an output from said first pressure sensitive member, the computer further including:

means for detecting an output from said second switch member; and

means for selecting a displayed selectable item by detecting an output from said second switch member.

21. A computer comprising:

a controller having pressure-sensitive means for sensing a pushing pressure of a user on the controller and generating a pressure sensing output;

a display screen;

means for monitoring the pressure-sensing output from the controller;

means for determining a display rate for sequentially displaying selectable items on the display screen, said display rate being dependent on a value of said pressure-sensing output; and

means for sequentially displaying each of the plurality of items on the display screen as the selectable item at the determined display rate;

wherein each of the plurality of items is associated with one of a plurality of ordered pointer values or one of a plurality of ordered index values, and

wherein the step of sequentially displaying each of the plurality of items as the selectable item further comprises the step of;

incrementing a current pointer value or a current index value to identify a next selectable item.