Game controller on mobile touch-enabled devices

• US 9,174,124 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2014
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hammontree, Monty Lee, Gibson, Tyler Edward, Athans, Emmanuel John
• Primary Examiner(s): D'Agostino, Paul A
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUFFY, DAVID W
• Application Number:
  US14/173,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20140155165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• 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 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• 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 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• 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 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Various technologies described herein pertain to controlling a game with a mobile touch-enabled device. A thumbstick and a mode selection button can be rendered on a display of the mobile touch-enabled device. The thumbstick can be rendered on a reassignable area of the display and the mode selection button can be rendered on a mode selection area of the display. A touch (e.g., drag) from the mode selection area to the reassignable area can be detected, and an operation in the game can be controlled with the thumbstick represented as being at a depressed height in response to the touch in the reassignable area while the touch is detected without discontinuity of contact from starting the drag. Further, upon detecting discontinuation of the touch, a different operation in the game can be controlled with the thumbstick represented as being at a default height in response to a subsequent touch.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a game with a mobile touch-enabled device, comprising:

rendering a trigger button on a display of the mobile touch-enabled device;

receiving first data from a sensor of the mobile touch-enabled device indicative of an amount of tilt of a corner of the mobile touch-enabled device relative to a predetermined plane;

controlling a first operation in the game as a function of the amount of the tilt of the corner of the mobile touch-enabled device; and

rendering an amount of depression of the trigger button on the display of the mobile touch-enabled device as a function of the amount of the tilt of the corner of the mobile touch-enabled device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of tilt of the corner of the mobile touch-enabled device maps to analog input information for the game, and a level of the analog input information for the game remains constant when the amount of the tilt of the corner of the mobile touch-enabled device remains constant relative to the predetermined plane.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering the trigger button on a layer above game data on the display of the mobile touch-enabled device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rendering a second trigger button on the display of the mobile touch-enabled device;

receiving second data from the sensor of the mobile touch-enabled device indicative of a second amount of tilt of a second corner of the mobile touch-enabled device relative to the predetermined plane;

controlling a second operation in the game as a function of the second amount of the tilt of the second corner of the mobile touch-enabled device; and

rendering depression of the second trigger button on the display of the mobile touch-enabled device as a function of the second amount of the tilt of the second corner of the mobile touch-enabled device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rendering a bumper on the display of the mobile touch-enabled device;

receiving second data from at least one of the sensor or a disparate sensor of the mobile touch-enabled device, the second data indicative of rotation of the mobile touch-enabled device in a plane defined by a surface of the display relative to a rest pose;

controlling a second operation in the game as a function of the rotation of the mobile touch-enabled device, wherein the rotation of the mobile touch-enabled device maps to discrete input information for the game; and

rendering visual feedback related to the bumper on the display of the mobile touch-enabled device as a function of the rotation of the mobile touch-enabled device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein one of clockwise rotation or counterclockwise rotation of the mobile touch-enabled device is mapped to the second operation in the game, and wherein the other one of clockwise rotation or counterclockwise rotation of the mobile touch-enabled device is mapped to a third operation in the game.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a series of images from a camera coupled with the mobile touch-enabled device;

tracking movement of a hand of a user from the series of images; and

controlling a second operation in the game as a function of the movement of the hand of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a rest pose of the mobile touch-enabled device, wherein a surface of the display of the mobile touch-enabled device in the rest pose defines the predetermined plane.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the rest pose is identified as at least one of a preset orientation of the mobile touch-enabled device, an orientation of the mobile touch-enabled device at a time of powering on the mobile touch-enabled device, an orientation of the mobile touch-enabled device at a time of starting the game, or an orientation of the mobile touch-enabled device after a predetermined amount of time has lapsed without tilting the mobile touch-enabled device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rendering a thumbstick on a reassignable area of the display of the mobile touch-enabled device;

rendering a mode selection button on a mode selection area of the display of the mobile touch-enabled device, wherein the reassignable area and the mode selection area are non-overlapping; and

switching the thumbstick from being represented at a default height to being represented at a depressed height in response to a first touch, wherein the first touch is a drag from the mode selection area of the display to the reassignable area of the display.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising controlling a second operation in the game with the thumbstick represented at the depressed height in response to a second touch, wherein the second touch is detected within the reassignable area of the display, and wherein the first touch and the second touch are detected without discontinuity of contact.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising controlling a second operation in the game with the thumbstick represented at the default height in response to a third touch, wherein the third touch is detected within the reassignable area of the display, and wherein the discontinuity of the contact is detected between the first touch and the third touch.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising rendering movement of the thumbstick within the reassignable area of the display of the mobile touch-enabled device responsive to a second touch detected within the reassignable area of the display.

14. A mobile touch-enabled device, comprising:

a display;

a sensor; and

a graphical user interface rendered on the display responsive to touch related data received from the display and data from the sensor, the graphical user interface comprising;

visual information related to a game; and

a trigger button on a trigger area of the display, wherein the trigger button is rendered above the visual information related to the game on the display;

wherein the sensor detects an amount of tilt of the mobile touch-enabled device;

wherein a first operation in the game is manipulated as a function of the amount of the tilt of the mobile touch-enabled device; and

wherein an amount of depression of the trigger button is depicted as a function of the amount of the tilt of the mobile touch-enabled device.

15. The mobile touch-enabled device of claim 14, the graphical user interface further comprising:

a thumbstick on a reassignable area of the display, wherein the thumbstick is rendered above the visual information related to the game on the display; and

a mode selection button on a mode selection area of the display, wherein the mode selection button is rendered above the visual information related to the game on the display, and wherein the reassignable area and the mode selection area are non-overlapping;

wherein the thumbstick switches from being represented at a default height to being represented at a depressed height in response to a drag from the mode selection area of the display to the reassignable area of the display.

16. The mobile touch-enabled device of claim 15, the graphical user interface further comprising:

a toggle button on a toggle area of the display, wherein the toggle button is rendered above the visual information related to the game on the display; and

a directional pad on the reassignable area, wherein the directional pad is rendered above the visual information related to the game on the display;

wherein the graphical user interface switches between the directional pad on the reassignable area and the thumbstick on the reassignable area in response to a touch within the toggle area of the display.

17. The mobile touch-enabled device of claim 15, wherein the thumbstick switches from being represented at the depressed height to being represented at the default height in response to a discontinuation of contact subsequent to the drag.

18. The mobile touch-enabled device of claim 15, wherein differing operations in the game are manipulated in response to a touch in the reassignable area depending upon whether the thumbstick is represented at the default height or at the depressed height.

19. A computer-readable storage medium including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts including:

rendering a trigger button on a display of a mobile touch-enabled device;

receiving data from a sensor of the mobile touch-enabled device indicative of an amount of tilt of the mobile touch-enabled device relative to a predetermined plane;

controlling a first operation in the game as a function of the amount of the tilt of the mobile touch-enabled device; and

rendering an amount of depression of the trigger button on the display of the mobile touch-enabled device as a function of the amount of the corner of the mobile touch-enabled device.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform acts including:

rendering a thumbstick on a reassignable area of the display of the mobile touch-enabled device, wherein the thumbstick is represented at a default height;

rendering a mode selection button on a mode selection area of the display of the mobile touch-enabled device, wherein the reassignable area and the mode selection area are non-overlapping;

switching the thumbstick from being represented at the default height to being represented at a depressed height in response to a drag from the mode selection area of the display to the reassignable area of the display; and

switching the thumbstick from being represented at the depressed height to being represented at the default height in response to a discontinuation of contact subsequent to the drag.