Shooting toy

• US 8,366,510 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2007
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): RADA, ALEX P
• Application Number:
  US12/521,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20100093255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,867 Days
• Field of Search: 446/175, 446454-456
• US Class Current: 446/456
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/655 by importing photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/243 with other kinds of input
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/28 with a two-dimensional real image
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0291 with a simulated projectile, e.g. an image on a screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/006 Missile-launching means on toy vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/045 shaped as armoured cars, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/004 Means for launching objects from aircraft, e.g. pilot, missiles

Abstract

A shooting toy where players determine whether or not a shot has hit a target based on image recognition is provided. A determination section (43) of a controller (5) determines whether or not the shot has hit the target based on image recognition by comparing a target image to be recognized, acquired by a target image data acquiring section (41) with a reference image stored in a reference image data storing section (45). A game executing section (35) proceeds with the game based on a hit signal outputted from the determination section (43).

Claims

1. A shooting toy comprising:

a controller that generates a control signal; and

a movable toy that is remotely controllable with the control signal,

the movable toy including an image capturing section that captures an image of an object located in an area in which the movable toy exists, and an image signal transmitting section that transmits an image signal outputted from the image capturing section to the controller;

the controller including;

an image signal receiving section that receives the image signal;

an image displaying section that displays an image captured by the image capturing section on a display screen based on the received image signal, the display screen including a first split display screen and a second split display screen;

a game executing section that executes a shooting game using the captured image;

a reference image data storing section that stores reference image data about one or more reference images that are necessary to recognize a target to be shot as an image;

a start shooting command generating section that generates a start shooting command to start shooting based on an operation by a player;

a target image data acquiring section that determines as a target image to be recognized an image displayed on the display screen at the time that the start shooting command is generated, and acquires from the image signal target image data about the target image;

a determination section that determines whether or not the object whose image is displayed as the target image is the target based on the target image data and the reference image data, and outputs a hit signal if the object whose image is displayed as the target image is determined to be the target, and outputs a non-hit signal if the object whose image is displayed as the target image is determined not to be the target; and

a communication section that communicates with a controller of an opponent player'"'"'s shooting toy;

the image displaying section displaying on the first split display screen an image captured by the image capturing section based on the image signal received from the movable toy, and on the second split display screen an image captured by an image capturing section of a movable toy of the opponent player based on an image signal transmitted from a controller of the opponent player;

and

the game executing section proceeding with the shooting game based on the hit signal and non-hit signal.

2. The shooting toy of claim 1, wherein

the game executing section is configured to proceed with the game by validating all the hit signals;

and the controller includes;

a hit notifying section that notifies the opponent player'"'"'s controller via the communication section that the hit signal has been validated once the hit signal has been validated; and

a shot image displaying section that displays an image of being shot on the second split display screen when it is notified from the opponent player'"'"'s controller via the communication section that the hit signal has been validated.

3. The shooting toy of claim 2, wherein the controller includes at least one of a hit image displaying section that displays on the display screen an image allowing the hit shot to be visually confirmed, a sound producing section that produces a sound allowing the hit shot to be aurally confirmed, and a vibration generating section that vibrates the controller to allow the hit shot to be tactually confirmed once the hit signal has been validated.

4. The shooting toy of claim 1, wherein

the start shooting command generating section has a function of generating a validate shooting command with an operation by the player after generating the start shooting command;

the game executing section proceeds with the shooting game by validating the hit signal only if the validate shooting command has been generated within a predetermined time period after the hit signal has been outputted; and

the controller includes;

a hit notifying section that notifies the opponent player'"'"'s controller via the communication section that the hit signal has been validated once the hit signal has been validated; and

a shot image displaying section that displays an image of being shot on the second split display screen when it is notified from the opponent player'"'"'s controller via the communication section that the hit signal has been validated.

5. The shooting toy of claim 4, wherein the controller includes at least one of a hit image displaying section that displays on the display screen an image allowing the hit shot to be visually confirmed, a sound producing section that produces a sound allowing the hit shot to be aurally confirmed, and a vibration generating section that vibrates the controller to allow the hit shot to be tactually confirmed once the hit signal has been validated.

6. The shooting toy of claim 1, wherein

an identification indication formed of a character, a symbol, or a figure is displayed on an outer surface of the object that may become the target;

and

the one or more reference images stored in the reference image data storing section are images of the identification indications.

7. The shooting toy of claim 1, wherein the target image data acquiring section acquires only an image portion of the target image located in a central portion thereof as the target image data.