Automatically generating a book describing a user's videogame performance

• US 8,425,325 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2009
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hope, Eric James
• Primary Examiner(s): Richards, N Drew
• Assistant Examiner(s): SINGAL, ANKUSH K
• Application Number:
  US12/367,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20100203970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• Field of Search: 715202-234, 715/769, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/554 by saving game or status data
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6018 where the game content is authored by the player, e.g. level editor or by game device at runtime, e.g. level is created from music data on CD
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8094 Unusual game types, e.g. virtual cooking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that record data in a videogame, such as a user'"'"'s character and performance in the videogame, and generate a book, e-book, or comic book based on the recorded data. A narrative data structure generated from the recorded data may include pregenerated text and images, and may provide for insertion of the recorded data into the narrative data structure. The recorded data may be converted into natural-language text for insertion into the narrative data structure. In some embodiments, the system may record screenshots of the videogame and insert the screenshots into the narrative data structure as illustrations. The narrative data structure may be provided to a location for printing as a book or other publication or may be electronically formatted and provided as an e-book.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

recording data from a user'"'"'s experience of playing a video game on an electronic device; and

generating a narrative data structure, further comprising;

using the recorded data as a basis to automatically select narrative text that is separate from and narrative of the recorded data; and

inserting one or more portions of the recorded data into the narrative data structure; and

inserting one or more portions of the narrative text into the narrative data structure.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising generating a book, an e-book, or a combination thereof from the narrative data structure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the recorded data comprises dialogue from the videogame.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the recorded data comprises results of a user'"'"'s interaction with the video game.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the recorded data comprises information of one or more characters of the video game.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recorded data comprises screenshots of the video game.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting one or more portions of the recorded data comprises converting one or more portions of the recorded data into natural-language text.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the narrative data structure comprises a plurality of placeholders, wherein one more portions of the recorded data are inserted into one or more of the plurality of placeholders.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving data at a server from an electronic device over a network coupled to the electronic device, wherein the data comprises data recorded from a user'"'"'s play of a video game;

converting the recorded data to natural-language text;

generating a narrative data structure by using the natural-language text to automatically select narrative text that is separate from and narrative of the recorded data; and

inserting one or more portions of the natural-language text into the narrative data structure; and

inserting one or more portions of the narrative text into the narrative data structure.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising printing a book from the narrative data structure.

11. The method of claim 9, comprising generating an e-book from the narrative data structure on the server.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising sending an e-book based on the narrative data structure to the electronic device over the network.

13. The method of claim 9, comprising sending the book to a user of the electronic device.

14. A system, comprising:

an electronic device configured to;

record dialogue, character information, a user'"'"'s performance, screenshots, or a combination thereof, from the user'"'"'s play of a videogame;

automatically select narrative text that is separate from and narrative of the recorded dialogue, character information, a user'"'"'s performance, screenshots, or combinations thereof; and

combine the recorded dialogue, character information, a user'"'"'s performance, screenshots, or combinations thereof with the narrative text into a narrative data structure.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the electronic device comprises a mobile phone, a videogame console, or a personal computer.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the electronic device is configured to generate an e-book based on the narrative data structure.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the electronic device is further configured to send the narrative data structure to a server over a network coupled to the electronic device.

18. The system of claim 14, comprising a server configured to print a book based on the narrative data structure.

19. The system of claim 14, comprising an e-book, book, or comic book generated from the narrative data structure.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the electronic device is further configured to send the book to a user.

21. A method, comprising:

recording dialogue, character information, screenshots, and a user'"'"'s performance from a videogame, wherein the dialogue, character information, screenshots, and user'"'"'s performance are based on a user'"'"'s interaction with the video game;

automatically selecting narrative text that is separate from and narrative of the recorded dialogue, character information, a user'"'"'s performance, screenshots, or combinations thereof;

combining the recorded dialogue, character information, a user'"'"'s performance, screenshots, or combinations thereof with the narrative text into a narrative data structure

generating an e-book from the narrative data structure.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising:

sending the recorded character information, screenshots, and the user'"'"'s performance over a network to a server at a remote location.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising converting the recorded dialogue, character information, and the user'"'"'s performance to natural language text.

24. A method, comprising:

recording data pertaining to a user'"'"'s interactions with a videogame, wherein the data comprises character dialogue, character information, screenshots, and user'"'"'s performance;

converting at least a portion of the recorded data to natural-language text;

generating a narrative data structure, further comprising;

using the recorded data, the natural language text as a basis to automatically select a narrative illustration that is separate from and narrative of the recorded data; and

inserting the narrative illustration into the narrative data structure; and

generating a book, a comic book, or an e-book from the narrative data structure.

25. The method of claim 24, comprising:

sending the recorded data over a network to a server at a remote location.