Game unit with motion and orientation sensing controller

• US 7,874,918 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2006
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Osnato, Jeffrey, Howard, Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Hotaling, II; John M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): D'AGOSTINO, PAUL ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US11/592,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20070111779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 463/36
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• 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 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• 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 13/55 Controlling game characters or game objects based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/833 Hand-to-hand fighting, e.g. martial arts competition A63F13/837 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1031 using a wireless connection, e.g. Bluetooth, infrared connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1068 being specially adapted to detect the point of contact of the player on a surface, e.g. floor mat, touch pad
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8029 Fighting without shooting

Abstract

An electronic game apparatus for providing a game activity on a monitor device. The electronic game apparatus may include a contacting member and a signal-emitting member that are each adapted to be manipulated by a user. The signal-emitting member may include a kinetic sensor adapted to produce a kinetic control signal representative of at least an orientation of the signal-emitting member. The signal-emitting member may also include at least one contact sensor adapted to be actuated by the user pressing the contacting member against the signal-emitting member to produce a contact control signal. A processor may be responsive to the kinetic control signal and the contact control signal and adapted to determine the game activity corresponding thereto. An audio-video processor adapted to produce and transmit audio-video output signals representative of the game activity to the monitor device may be coupled to the processor.

Claims

1. An electronic game apparatus for providing a game activity on a monitor device, comprising:

a contacting member adapted to be manipulated by a first hand of a user;

a signal-emitting member adapted to be manipulated by a second hand of the user, the signal-emitting member including one or more kinetic sensors each adapted to produce a kinetic control signal representative of at least an orientation of the signal-emitting member, the signal-emitting member further including at least one contact sensor adapted to be actuated by the user bringing the contacting member into contact with the signal-emitting member to produce a contact control signal;

a processor responsive to the one or more kinetic control signals and the contact control signal and adapted to determine the game activity corresponding to the one or more kinetic control signals and the contact control signal; and

an audio-video processor coupled to the processor and adapted to produce and transmit audio-video output signals representative of the game activity to the monitor device.

2. The electronic game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the game activity includes actions of a player character based upon at least one of the one or more kinetic control signals and the contact control signal, actions of an opponent character, and interactions of the player character with the opponent character.

3. The electronic game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output signals are representative of a depiction of the signal-emitting member in an orientation that corresponds to the orientation of the signal-emitting member.

4. The electronic game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal-emitting member transmits the one or more kinetic signals to the processor through a wireless connection.

5. The electronic game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal-emitting member is elongate and extends from a first end to a second end, and wherein the contact sensor is disposed at a position that is between the first end and the second end.

6. The electronic game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal-emitting member includes a handle that is adapted to be grasped in a hand of the user.

7. The electronic game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal-emitting member has a side that is positioned facing the user when the user grasps the signal-emitting member, and wherein the contact sensor is disposed on the side.

8. The electronic game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal-emitting member further includes a touch sensor that is adapted to be actuated manually to produce a touch control signal, and wherein the processor is adapted to determine the game activity based at least in part on the touch control signal.

9. The electronic game apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is adapted to determine a first game activity in response to receiving the touch control signal when the kinetic control signals represent a first orientation value, and to determine a second game activity in response to receiving the touch control signal when the kinetic control signals represent a second orientation value.

10. The electronic game apparatus of claim 9,

wherein the first game activity includes actions of a player character based upon at least one of the kinetic control signals and the contact control signal, actions of an opponent character, and interactions of the opponent character with the player character;

and

wherein the second game activity includes actions of a player character based upon at least one of the kinetic control signals and the contact control signal, actions of an opponent character, actions of a partner character, and interactions of the opponent character with a team formed by the player character and the partner character.

11. A method of operating an electronic game apparatus, comprising:

manipulating a signal-emitting member using a first hand;

producing at least one kinetic control signal cumulatively representative of at least an orientation of the signal-emitting member;

transmitting from the signal-emitting member the at least one kinetic control signal;

receiving the at least one kinetic control signal at a processor remote from the signal-emitting member;

manipulating a contacting member using a second hand to bring the contacting member into contact with the signal-emitting member;

producing a contact control signal representative of the contact of the contacting member with the signal-emitting member;

transmitting from the signal-emitting member the contact control signal;

receiving the contact control signal at the processor;

determining a game activity based at least in part upon the at least one of the at least one kinetic control signal and the contact control signal; and

transmitting output signals representative of the game activity to a monitor device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining a game activity includes determining a game activity that includes actions of a player character based upon one or more of the at least one kinetic control signal and the contact control signal, actions of an opponent character, and interactions of the opponent character and the player character.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting output signals includes transmitting output signals that are representative of a depiction of the signal-emitting member in an orientation that corresponds to the orientation of the signal-emitting member.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the at least one kinetic control signal and receiving the contact control signal each include receiving the at least one kinetic control signal and the contact control signal via one or more wireless connections.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein manipulating a contacting member includes manipulating the contacting member to actuate a contact sensor included with the signal-emitting member.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

actuating a touch sensor on the signal-emitting member;

transmitting from the signal-emitting member a touch control signal in response to actuation of the touch sensor; and

receiving the touch control signal at the processor, and

wherein determining a game activity includes;

determining a first game activity when the orientation represents a first orientation value, and

determining a second game activity when the orientation represents a second orientation value.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the signal-emitting member is elongate and extends from a first end to a second end, and wherein the contact sensor is disposed at a location between the first end and the second end.

18. The method of claim 15,

wherein the signal-emitting member includes a side on which contact sensor is mounted;

wherein the method further includes facing the side toward user when the user holds the signal-emitting member; and

wherein manipulating a contacting member includes manipulating the contacting member to contact the side.

19. The method of claim 16,

wherein determining a first game activity includes determining a first game activity that includes actions of a player character based upon one or more of the at least one kinetic control signal and the contact control signal, actions of an opponent character, and interactions of the opponent character and the player character;

and

wherein determining a second game activity includes determining a second game activity including actions of a player character based upon the one or more of the at least one kinetic control signal and the contact control signal, actions of an opponent character, actions of a partner character, and the interactions of the opponent character and a team formed by the player character and the partner character.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more sequences of instructions to play an electronic game, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to:

receive a plurality of control signals including at least one or more kinetic control signals, a contact control signal, and a touch control signal, wherein the one or more kinetic control signals cumulatively correspond to an orientation of a signal-emitting member using a first hand, and the contact control signal corresponds to bringing a contacting member into contact with the signal-emitting member with a second hand of the user to produce a contact control signal;

determine a game activity based upon and in response to the one or more kinetic control signals including;

determining, when the one or more kinetic control signals represent a first kinetic control signal value, a first game activity including actions of a player character based upon the one or more kinetic control signals, actions of an opponent character, and interactions of the opponent character and the player character, and

determining, when the one or more kinetic control signals represent a second kinetic control signal value, a second game activity including actions of a player character based upon the one or more kinetic control signals, actions of a partner character, actions of an opponent character, interactions of the opponent character and a team formed by the player character and the partner character; and

transmit one or more output signals representative of the game activity to a monitor device.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the output signals include a depiction of the signal-emitting member that corresponds to the orientation of the signal-emitting member.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the game activity is also based upon and in response to the contact control signal.