Simulation of writing on game consoles through the use of motion-sensing technology

• US 8,184,092 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2008
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cox, Jason Alan, Do, Lydia Mai
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Steinberg, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US12/125,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20090289892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 715863-866, 345/156, 345/165, 345/175, 345/186, 382/103, 463/37
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883

Abstract

A method and system of utilizing a game console with motion sensing technology is provided. The present invention, in various implementations, provides for a method for generating one or more symbols in response to one or more gestures using an input device of a gaming system. The method comprises providing the input device being capable of generating one or more gesture signals in response to one or more gestures and being operable to select a mode of one or more operational states. The method also provides for generating one or more gesture signals corresponding to the one or more gestures, respectively; mapping the one or more generated gesture signals in relation to one or more symbols, respectively; and, transmitting the one or more symbols corresponding to the respective one or more gesture signals to an output.

Claims

1. A method for generating one or more gesture symbols in response to one or more physical movements of an electronic input device used in a gaming system, the device being capable of generating one or more gesture signals in one or more operational states being one of a gaming environment, a non-gaming environment and a mixed environment, comprising:

while in a first operational state of the gaming system, initiating a second operational state using a first gaming controller input device of the gaming system, wherein the second operational state includes a semi-transparent set of characters overlayed onto a view of the first operational state, wherein the first operational state is not suspended during the second operational state, and wherein the first gaming controller input device is able to detect motion displacement, detect movement, or a combination thereof, wherein the first operational state is a gaming state and wherein the second operational state is a non-gaming state;

gesturing one or more writing symbols using a second gaming controller input device of the gaming system, wherein the second gaming controller input device is able to detect motion displacement, detect movement, or a combination thereof;

generating one or more gesture signals in response to the gestured one or more writing symbols in relation to respective physical movements of the device corresponding for each gestured writing symbol to one or more of;

detected motion displacement and detected movement of the device;

transmitting the one or more gesture signals to a receiver of the gaming system;

mapping the one or more received gesture signals with a gesture symbol database to determine a gesture symbol for each of the one or more gesture signals;

transmitting the one or more determined gesture symbols to facilitate communication associated with the first operational state;

generating the one or more gesture symbols as an output corresponding to the first operational state; and

suspending the second operational state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the input device is at least one of a device having a mechanism for determining movement and motion;

wherein the input device is a gaming controller, a gaming remote, a gaming peripheral or a controlling device, any of which are operable with the gaming system; and

is able to detect one or more of motion displacement, movement, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operational state is a gaming state, and wherein the second operational state is one of a non-gaming state and a mixed state.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the mixed state includes an in-game or outside of game play portion such that a separate display, sub-display, segmented display or other display area is visible concurrent with a game display area.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first operational state is selected followed by the second operational state is selected, whereby a mode of a selected operational state is not dependent necessarily on a characteristic of time, and that an operational state may have both a gaming and a non-gaming aspects to such state.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the gestures and symbols may portray one or more of movements and motions which may traverse three dimensions when using the input device, and may further form a shape of alphanumerics, foreign language characters, symbols shapes, smileys, keystrokes shapes, letters, indicia and other predetermined characters intended to further include and not be limited to, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping further comprises identifying one or more gesture symbols for each respective gesture signal by comparing one or more of position, movement and motion information from a gesture signal with a pre-populated database of gesture symbols and determining the one or more gesture symbols corresponding to the respective gesture signal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the one or more symbols on a display of the gaming system in relation to the selected mode.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the displayed one or more symbols are displayed in relation to the selected mode and are further defined by writing character throughput and spatial movement aspects.

10. A computer program product for mapping one or more gesture signals to one or more gesture symbols for association with physical movements of an input device and its respective output of one or more gesture symbols, for a gaming system including a computer, a storage medium, and a processor, the input device being capable of generating one or more gesture signals in response to one or more gestures, capable of transmitting one or more gesture signals, and being operable to select a mode of one or more operational states, and a console being capable of receiving one or more transmitted gesture signals and generating one or more symbols;

the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having program instructions for;

while in a first operational state of the gaming system, initiating a second operational state using a first gaming controller input device of the gaming system, wherein the second operational state includes a semi-transparent set of characters overlayed onto a view of the first operational state, wherein the first operational state is not suspended during the second operational state, and wherein the first gaming controller input device is able to detect motion displacement, detect movement, or a combination thereof, wherein the first operational state is a gaming state and wherein the second operational state is a non-gaming state;

generating one or more gesture signals in response to one or more writing symbols gestured by a second gaming controller input device of the gaming system in relation to respective physical movements of the second gaming controller input device determined by detecting one or more of motion displacement and movement of the second gaming controller input device during gesturing, wherein the second gaming controller input device is able to detect motion displacement, detect movement, or a combination thereof;

transmitting the one or more gesture signals from the second gaming controller input device to a receiver of the gaming system;

mapping the one or more received gesture signals with a pre-populated gesture symbol database to determine a gesture symbol for each of the one or more gesture signals;

transmitting the one or more determined gesture symbols to facilitate communication associated with the first operational state; and

suspending the second operational state.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the input device is at least one of a device having a mechanism for determining movement and motion;

wherein the input device is a gaming controller, a gaming remote, a gaming peripheral or a controlling device, any of which are operable with the gaming system; and

is able to detect one or more of displacement, movement, or a combination thereof.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the first operational state is a gaming state, and wherein the second operational state is one of a non-gaming state and a mixed state.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the mixed state includes an in-game or outside of game play portion such that a separate display, sub-display, segmented display or other display area is visible concurrent with a game display area.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the first operational state is selected followed by the second operational state is selected, whereby a mode of a selected operational state is not dependent necessarily on a characteristic of time, and that an operational state may have both a gaming and a non-gaming aspects to such state.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the gestures and symbols may portray one or more of movements and motions which may traverse three dimensions when using the input device, and may further form a shape of alphanumerics, foreign language characters, symbols shapes, smileys, keystrokes shapes, letters, indicia and other predetermined characters intended to further include and not be limited to, and combinations thereof.

16. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the mapping further comprises identifying one or more gesture symbols for each respective gesture signal by comparing one or more of position, movement and motion information from a gesture signal with a pre-populated database of gesture symbols and determining the one or more gesture symbols corresponding to the respective gesture signal.

17. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising displaying the one or more symbols on a display of the gaming system in relation to the selected mode.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the displayed one or more symbols are displayed in relation to the selected mode and are further defined by writing character throughput and spatial movement aspects.

19. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising the step of displaying the symbols.