System, method and graphical user interface for controlling a game

• US 8,954,890 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Supercell Oy (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Supercell Oy (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Haussila, Timur, Tahkokallio, Touko, Hokkanen, Mikko
• Primary Examiner(s): Nunez, Jordany
• Application Number:
  US13/445,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20130275868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 715/834, 715/702, 715/769, 715/810, 715/863, 345/173
• US Class Current: 715/834
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/493 Resuming a game, e.g. after pausing, malfunction or power failure
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/69 by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• 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 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 : for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An electronic device includes a display screen, and computing hardware to execute a software product. Executing the software product results in generating and rendering a graphical user interface on the display screen to facilitate user interaction. The graphical user interface, when rendered, presents one or more graphical objects, a pointer object configured to be movable over one or more of the one or more graphical objects, and configured to invoke a menu list containing one or more user selectable options as the pointer object is clicked or tapped over the one or more of the one or more of the graphical objects. A user selectable option is selected the pointer object swipes a touch sensitive object and the software product can maintain an effect corresponding to the selected option to be applied to the graphical objects and enable a change in status of the graphical objects.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a display screen; and

a computing hardware which is operable to execute a software product, wherein executing the software product results in generating and rendering a graphical user interface on the display screen, the graphical user interface being configured to facilitate user interaction;

the graphical user interface, when rendered, presenting;

one or more graphical objects;

a pointer object configured to be movable over one or more of the one or more graphical objects, and configured to invoke a menu list containing one or more user selectable options as the pointer object is clicked or tapped over one or more of the one or more graphical objects, wherein;

on selecting a user selectable option from the menu list, and performing one of a dragging of the pointer object and swiping a touch sensitive object over the graphical user interface, through one or more graphical objects, or through a portion of a specific graphical object, the software product is configured to maintain an effect corresponding to the selected option to be continuously applied to the one or more graphical objects, or to the portion of the specific graphical object, respectively, thereby enabling a change in status of the one or more graphical objects, or the portion of the specific graphical object, respectively;

wherein the graphical user interface is configured to continuously apply the user selectable option to the portion of the specific graphical object, or to the one or more graphical objects, in response to a user'"'"'s swiping the touch sensitive object over the portion of the specific graphical object, or to the one or more graphical objects, respectively; and

wherein the graphical user interface and the software product corresponding to a gaming system, the gaming system corresponding to a farming game, the graphical objects of the graphical user interface correspondinq to different spatial regions of a farming environment in which one or more crops are to be grown, and wherein the user selectable options in the menu list correspond to different farming tools.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a user input interface rendered over the graphical user interface, the user input interface being configured to obtain and interpret an input corresponding to moving the pointer object, clicking or tapping the pointer object, or swiping the touch sensitive object over the graphical user interface.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to facilitate termination of the effect corresponding to the selected option, and facilitate disappearing of the selected option, on termination of the dragging of the pointer object or the swiping of the touch sensitive object.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the rapidity of application of the effect corresponding to the selected option, over the portion of the graphical object, or over the one or graphical objects, is dependent at least partially on the speed of performing the dragging operation of the pointer, or the swiping operation of the display sensitive object.

5. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the graphical user interface is a touch-sensitive screen, and the user interface is implemented as a tactile surface of the touch-sensitive screen.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to disable the application of the effect corresponding to the selected option, to the portion of the specific graphical object, or to the one or more graphical objects, in response to termination of the dragging of the pointer object, or the swiping of the display sensitive object.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, including a database for continuously recording and updating the change in status of the one or more graphical objects, the software product being coupled to the database and being configured to resume the status of the one or more graphical objects to their last updated status in the database, in case of interruptions in the operable state of the graphical user interface.

8. A plurality of electronic devices of claim 1, connected to a server through a network, the graphical user interface being generated temporally concurrently on each of the electronic devices, to facilitate a plurality of users'"'"' interaction with the graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interfaces generated on the plurality of electronic devices are coordinated through the server and updated concurrently on the plurality of electronic devices with time.

9. An electronic device of claim 1, the device being a desktop computer, a laptop computer, an iPad, or a smart phone, including an iPhone®

, an Android®

phone or a Symbian®

phone.

10. A method of facilitating user interactions with a graphical user interface, the graphical interface being generated and rendered on the display of an electronic device, by executing a software product on a computing hardware of the electronic device, the method comprising:

rendering one or graphical objects within the graphical user interface;

clicking or tapping one or more of the one or more graphical objects through a pointer object, to invoke a menu list containing a set of user selectable options, the user selectable options corresponding to an effect to be applied to a portion of a specific graphical object, or to one or more of the one or more graphical objects;

selecting a specific user selectable option, and applying the effect corresponding to the selected option, to a portion of a specific graphical object, or to one or more graphical objects, by performing one of a dragging operation of the pointer object and a swiping operation of a display sensitive item, over the specific portion of the graphical object, or over the one or more graphical objects, respectively, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to continuously apply the user selectable option to the portion of the specific graphical object, or to the one or more graphical objects, in response to detecting a swiping of the touch sensitive object over the portion of the specific graphical object, or to the one or one graphical objects, respectively; and

wherein the software product corresponds to a gaming system and the gaming system corresponds to a farming game, the graphical objects corresponding to the spatial regions of a farming environment, and the user selectable options correspond to different farming tools.

11. A method of claim 10, wherein the method includes configuring the graphical user interface to keep the effect corresponding to the selected user selectable option active, until the time the dragging operation or the swiping operation is performed, and configuring the graphical user interface to enable disappearing of the selected option when the dragging or the swiping operation is terminated.

12. The method of claim 10, furthering comprising continuously recording and updating the change in status of the one or more graphical objects, coupling the software product to the database, and resuming the status of one or more graphical objects to their last updated status in the database, in case of interruptions in the operations of the graphical user interface.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

connecting a plurality of the electronic devices to a server through a network;

generating the graphical user interface temporally concurrently on the displays of the different electronic devices;

coordinating the plurality of graphical user interfaces through the server, and updating them concurrently with time, to facilitate multiple users interaction and coordination with the graphical user interfaces.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the graphical user intefaces corresponds to a gaming system, and the method being implemented to facilitate an online multiplayer gaming system.

15. A software product recorded on a machine readable data storage medium, the software product being executable on the computing hardware of a computing device, for implementing a method of claim 10.