Apparatus and method for managing user inputs in video games

• US 8,939,837 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steelseries Aps
• Original Assignee: Steelseries Aps
• Inventors: Aronzon, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US13/683,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20130143654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 463 35- 40
• US Class Current: 463/36
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• 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 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/98 Accessories, i.e. detachable arrangements optional for the use of the video game device, e.g. grip supports of game controllers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6063 for sound processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/263 Language identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/04 Details of speech synthesis systems, e.g. synthesiser structure or memory management

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a computing device having a controller to obtain a user input that was inputted into a first accessory operably coupled with the computing device where the first accessory provides a user interface for user interaction with a video game, determine a language of an intended recipient of the user input based on an identity of the intended recipient, access a multi-lingual library comprising a plurality of words associated with the video game, match the user input to one or more words of the plurality of words of the multi-lingual library to generate a translated message in the determined language of the intended recipient, and provide the translated message to a second accessory for presentation to the intended recipient in real-time. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory to store computer instructions; and

a processor coupled with the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the computer instructions performs operations comprising;

receiving a signal generated in response to a user input at a first accessory operably coupled with a first computing device, wherein the first computing device is programmed to present a video game;

identifying matching words between the signal and a plurality of words stored in a multi-lingual library; and

providing an audio signal to a second accessory for presentation to an intended recipient, wherein the audio signal is generated based on the received signal using the identified matching words, and wherein the audio signal is associated with the video game.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second accessory is operably coupled with a second computing device, wherein the first and second computing devices are remote from each other, and wherein the audio signal is received by the second computing device via Internet.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the audio signal is generated by a remote server that is in communication with the first and second computing devices via the Internet.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the user input is non-speech, and wherein the audio signal is generated by the first computing device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining an identity of the intended recipient of the user input; and

determining a language for the intended recipient based on the identity.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second accessories are operably coupled with and in proximity to the first computing device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user input is speech, and wherein the signal is generated based on the speech using speech recognition performed at the first computing device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the second accessory is operably coupled with the first computing device, and wherein the audio signal is presented as synthesized voice content.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second accessory is operably coupled with a second computing device, wherein the first and second computing devices are remote from each other, and wherein the audio signal is generated by one of the first or second computing devices using the multi-lingual library that is remote from the one of the first or second computing devices.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a context of the user input based on the video game, the context being determined based on graphics presented in the video game; and

searching the multi-lingual library for one or more of the matching words using the context.

11. A method comprising:

determining, by a system including a processor, a first language of an intended recipient of user input based on a first identity of the intended recipient;

determining, by the system, a second language of another intended recipient of the user input based on a second identity of the other intended recipient

translating, by the system, the user input into a first translated message of the first language using a multi-lingual library, wherein the user input was inputted into a first accessory operably coupled with a first computing device, wherein the first computing device is programmed to present a video game;

providing, by the system, the first translated message to a second accessory for presentation to the intended recipient;

translating, by the system, the user input into a second translated message of the second language using the multi-lingual library; and

providing, by the system, the second translated message to a third accessory for presentation to the other intended recipient.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, the user input from the first computing device over the Internet, wherein the providing of the first and second translated messages to the second and third accessories is in real-time, and wherein the first and second translated messages are associated with the video game.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first translated message is presented at the second accessory as synthesized voice content.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first translated message is presented at the second accessory as text content.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the second accessory is operably coupled with a second computing device, and wherein the user input is speech.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device, comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

obtaining a user input that was inputted into a first accessory operably coupled with a computing device, wherein the first accessory provides a user interface for user interaction with a video game;

accessing a multi-lingual library comprising a plurality of words associated with the video game;

matching the user input to words of the plurality of words of the multi-lingual library to generate a translated message; and

providing the translated message to a second accessory for presentation to an intended recipient.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise determining a language of the intended recipient of the user input based on an identity of the intended recipient, wherein the providing of the translated message to the second accessory is in real time, wherein the computing device comprises one of a computer, a gaming console, a remote server or a removable adaptor, and wherein the first and second accessories are selected from the group consisting essentially of a keyboard, a gaming pad, a mouse, a gaming console controller, a joystick, a microphone, and a headset with a microphone.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting a graphical user interface (GUI), wherein the GUI receives user actuations of the first accessory; and

generating a macro from the user actuations, wherein the macro represents user words, and wherein the multi-lingual library is populated based at least in part by the user words.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a context of the user input based on graphics presented in the video game when the user input is obtained; and

matching the user input to the words based on the context.