Graphical user interface for a gaming system

• US 8,636,594 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Supercell Oy (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Supercell Oy (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Derome, John Nicholas, Leppinen, Lassi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Masud
• Application Number:
  US13/714,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20130316829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• Field of Search: 463 31- 42, 463/30, 715/702, 715/769
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• 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 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8029 Fighting without shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means

Abstract

A graphical user interface on a touch screen device detects, in a first region of the touch screen device, a selection of an option corresponding to a resource to be deployed to a second region of the touch screen device. The graphical user interface detects a selection of two or more areas of the second region by a selection device by determining that the selection includes a selection of multiple individual areas in the second region, a multi-point touch, or a swipe including a selection of multiple areas of the second region. The selected resource is then deployed to the selected areas in the second region.

Claims

1. A method of playing a game executed on a touch screen device, comprising:

detecting, in a first region of the touchscreen device, a selection of a resource to be deployed to a second region of the touch screen device, the resource comprising a game piece;

detecting a selection of two or more areas of the second region by a selection device by;

determining that the selection comprises selection of multiple individual areas in the second region;

determining that the selection comprises a multi-point touch, the multi-point touch comprising the substantially simultaneous selection of two or more areas in the second region;

or

determining that the selection comprises a swipe, the swipe comprising a selection of multiple areas of the second region along a substantially continuous path; and

deploying an instance of the selected resource to each of the two or more selected areas in the second region, the second region including a target game element and the instances of the selected resource being presented in the second region in proximity to the target game element; and

determining a number of the instances of the selected resource to be deployed to the second region by;

detecting a pressure on the touch screen device associated with the detected selection of the two or more areas and instantiating a number of the selected resource based on the detected pressure, wherein detecting a higher pressure corresponds to a greater number of instances of the selected resource being presented in the second region.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

detecting a selection of another resource in the first region;

detecting a selection of at least one other area in the second region; and

deploying an instance of the second selected resource to the at least one other area in the second region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected selection of the two or more areas is one of the multi-point selection or the swipe, and detecting the pressure comprises detecting a first pressure at one point of contact in the second region and detecting a second pressure different from the first pressure at an other point of contact in the second region, wherein the number of resources instantiated at the one point of contact is different from a number of resources at the other point of contact based on a difference between the detected first pressure and detected second pressure.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising when the detected selection of the two or more areas comprises the swipe:

detecting a path of the swipe in the second region to determine points in the second region to which instances of the selected resource are to be deployed;

detecting a pressure of the swipe on the touch screen and along the path to determine a number of the instances of the selected resource to be deployed along different points of the path, wherein a higher pressure corresponds to a higher number of instances;

detecting a time duration of the swipe; and

deploying instances of the selected resource along the path only if the time duration of the swipe is greater than a pre-determined time duration.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein one portion of the path can have more instances of the selected resource deployed than another portion of the path.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

deploying an instance of the selected resource to the two or more areas in the second region only if a time duration of the detected selection of the two or more areas of the second region exceeds a predetermined time period.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining that the detected selection of the two or more areas of the second region comprises the swipe;

detecting a time duration of the swipe;

determining that the time duration exceeds a predetermined time duration; and

determining a time for deploying the instances of the selected resource in the second region based on the time duration of the swipe, wherein a short time duration results in a different deployment of each instance of the selected resource in the second region that a longer time duration.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining, after deployment of the instance of the selected resource, a continued selection of an area corresponding to the deployed instance of the selected resource; and

executing an action on a target game element in the second region associated with the deployed instance of the selected resource, wherein each deployed instance of the selected resource executes the action.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second region comprises an instantiation of a battlefield and the game pieces in the first region comprise objects to perform an action on a target in the battlefield.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein fingers of a user are used to select the two or more areas.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a number of instances of the selected resource to be deployed in the second graphical region comprises:

determining a location of the selected individual areas in the second graphical region corresponding to the swipe;

or

determining a location of the two or more areas corresponding to the multi-point touch; and

deploying an instance of the selected resource to each of the determined locations.

18. The method of claim 7, comprising determining a number of instances of each selected resource to be deployed along the path of the swipe based on the time duration of the swipe, wherein the short time duration of the swipe generates a greater number of instances than the longer time duration.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising determining a position of each instance along the path of the swipe based on the time duration of the swipe, wherein for the short time duration the instances are closely spaced relative to one another and for the longer time duration the instances are spaced apart.

11. An electronic device for playing a game, comprising:

a touch sensitive display;

a graphical user interface embodied on the display;

a plurality of graphical regions on the graphical user interface, a first graphical region including at least one user selectable option associated therewith, each selectable option being associated with a resource for performing an operation in one or more of the graphical regions; and

a processor comprising computer readable instructions that when executed on a computing device are configured to;

detect, in the first graphical region, a selection of a resource to be deployed to a second graphical region, the resource comprising a game piece;

detect a selection of multiple areas in the second graphical region by a touch device by;

detecting a selection of multiple individual areas in the second graphical region;

detecting a substantially simultaneous selection of two areas in the second graphical region;

or

detecting a selection of areas of the second graphical region along a substantially continuous path;

deploy an instance of the selected resource to the selected multiple areas in the second graphical region, the second graphical region including a target game element and the instances of the selected resource being presented in the second graphical region in proximity to the target game element; and

determine a number of resources to be deployed to the second graphical region by detecting a pressure associated with the selection of the multiple areas and instantiating a number of the selected resources based on the detected pressure, wherein detecting a higher pressure corresponds to a greater number of the selected resources being instantiated.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to:

detect a time duration of the selection; and

deploy the resources to the selected multiple areas only if the detected time duration exceeds a predetermined time.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine that the selection of multiple areas of the second graphical region is along a substantially continuous path;

detect a time duration of the selection of multiple areas of the second graphical region along the substantially continuous path; and

determine a time for deploying the selected resource in the second graphical region based on the time duration of the selection of multiple areas of the second graphical region along the substantially continuous path, wherein a short time duration results in a faster deployment of the selected resource in the second graphical region than a longer time duration.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to:

detect a continued selection of an area corresponding to the deployed resource after deployment of the resource;

detect a time period of the continued selection; and

execute an action associated with the deployed resource if the time period of the continued selection exceeds a pre-determined time.

15. A graphical user interface for a gaming device comprising computer readable code means, the computer readable code means, when executed in a processing device, being configured to:

detect, in a first graphical region of the graphical user interface, a selection of an option corresponding to a resource to be deployed to a second graphical region of the graphical user interface;

detect a selection of multiple areas in the second graphical region by a touch device; and

deploy the selected resource to the selected multiple areas in the second graphical region, the second graphical region including a target game element and wherein the selected resource is presented in the second graphical region in proximity to the target game element;

wherein detecting the selection of multiple areas in the second graphical region comprises one of;

detecting a selection of multiple individual areas in the second graphical region;

detecting a substantially simultaneous selection of two areas in the second graphical region;

or

detecting a selection of areas of the second graphical region, along a substantially continuous path; and

determining a number of instances of the selected resource to be deployed to the second graphical region by detecting a pressure on the touch screen device associated with the detected selection of the multiple areas and instantiating a number of the selected resource based on the detected pressure, wherein detecting a higher pressure corresponds to a greater number of instances of the selected recourse being presented in the second graphical region.

16. The graphical user interface for a gaming device of claim 15, wherein the gaming device comprises a portable electronic device.