Game scrapbook system, game scrapbook method, and computer readable recording medium recording program for implementing the method

• US 9,242,173 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2006
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NHN Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: NHN Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Kwon, Mi Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US11/908,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20080113812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,602 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/205, 709/219, 463/42, 463/43
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• 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 13/49 Saving the game status; Pausing or ending the game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/497 Partially or entirely replaying previous game actions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/245 visual
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2488 Remotely playable
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/203 Image generating hardware
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• 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 2300/634 for replaying partially or entirely the game actions since the beginning of the game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 : Ball
• 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

Abstract

A game scrap system associated with a game progress includes: a data table setting setup information by recording at least one game environment associated with a generation of a predetermined event signal; an event signal generation unit generating the event signal when a game environment according to a game progress corresponds to at least a portion of the setup information; an image capturing unit, in response to the event signal, capturing a game image to generate game image information; and an image transmission unit transmitting the generated game image information to a remote location in a network using a network address.

Claims

1. A game scrapbook system, comprising:

an image database;

an image processing unit configured to continuously process playing images and generate game image information from the processed playing images during continuous play of a video game by respective gamers, wherein the image processing unit is further configured to store the game image information in the image database;

an image extraction unit configured to extract the game image information from the image database in response to detection of an event signal generated in response to occurrence of a preset condition during the continuous play of the video game, the preset condition being associated with one gamer of the respective gamers;

an image editor configured to filter unit game image information via selecting a portion of the game image information extracted by the image extraction unit, the selected portion of the game image information being adjacent to a point in time of the event signal; and

an image transmission unit configured to, during the continuous play of the video game, transmit the unit game image information to a remote location configured to store the unit game image information, and notify the one gamer that the unit game image information has been transmitted to the remote location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the image editor is further configured to:

divide the game image information extracted by the image extraction unit into a plurality of unit playing image sessions according to a time interval; and

generate unit game image information by selecting a number of the unit playing image sessions in response to detection of the event signal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the image editor is further configured to edit the game image information to display a portion of the game image information.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a data table configured to store setup information, the setup information comprising information corresponding to the preset condition; and

an event generation unit configured to generate the event signal in response to detection of occurrence of a game event associated with the stored setup information while the one gamer is playing the video game.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the event signal is generated in response to detection of a request for generating the event signal from the one gamer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the image processing unit is configured to store the game image information based on a game progress time, a total capacity for maintaining information, a game stage, or any combination thereof.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the image processing unit is further configured to determine a maximum capacity of the game image information that can be stored in the image database according to one of the game process time, the total capacity for maintaining information, and/or the game stage, and in response to detection of the game image information exceeding the determined maximum capacity, the image processing unit is further configured to update the game image information in the image database based on a first-in first-out method.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the image editor is further configured to edit the unit game image information; and

the edited unit game image information is sorted according to a form and provided to the one gamer with the sorted unit game image information.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the unit game image information is transmitted to the remote location via a network using a network address stored in association with the present condition; and

the network address comprises information to identify a web server associated with at least one of a blog service, a homepage service, and a community service associated with the respective gamers.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the unit game image information is stored via the remote location according to properties of the video game.

11. A game scrap booking method using a processor, the method comprising:

continuously processing game play images with respect to respective gamers continuously playing a video game;

generating game image information from the processed game play images;

storing the game image information in an image database;

extracting the game image information from the image database in response to detecting an event signal, the event signal being generated in response to occurrence of a preset condition during the continuous play of the video game, the preset condition being associated with one gamer of the respective gamers; and

filtering unit game image information via selecting a portion of the extracted game image information, the selected portion of the extracted game image information being adjacent to a point in time of the event signal;

transmitting, during the continuous play of the video game, the unit game image information to a remote location configured to store the unit game information; and

notifying the one gamer that the unit game information has been transmitted to the remote location.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

transmitting the unit game image information to the remote location is performed via a network using a network address; and

the network address comprises information to identify a web server associated with at least one of a blog service, a homepage service, and a community service associated with the respective gamers.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the filtering comprises:

dividing the extracted game image information into a plurality of unit playing image sessions according to a time interval; and

selecting a number of the unit playing image sessions in response to detection of the event signal.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

segmenting the selected portion of the extracted game image information into a plurality of cells; and

selecting a number of cells, from the plurality of cells, which comprise or are adjacent to a virtual object of the respective video games,

wherein the selected number of cells are utilized to generate the unit game image information.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising an executable program, that when executed by a processor, performs the method recited in claim 11.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

editing the selected portion of the extracted game image information.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

editing the selected portion of the game image information to display a portion of the game image information,

wherein a virtual area near a virtual object to be recorded is displayed.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the unit game image information is stored via the remote location according to properties of the video game.