Dance competition game

• US 9,358,456 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Inventors: Challinor, Ryan, Boch, Matthew C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US13/828,035
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 463/7
• 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 13/428 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 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• 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 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6009 for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• 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

Abstract

Techniques for use with a game console and a camera system, the techniques include providing a first prompt to a first player to create and perform a dance move, receiving at the game console information from the camera system reflecting a position of the first player in response to the first prompt, generating, using the game console, a target frame using the received information relating to the first player, providing, using the audiovisual system connected to the game console, a second prompt to a second player to perform the dance move created by the first player, receiving at the game console information from the camera system reflecting a position of the second player in response to the second prompt, generating, using the game console, an input frame using the information relating to the second player, and comparing the input frame to the target frame to determine a comparison value.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

display a first prompt to a first player to create and perform a dance move;

receive information from a camera system reflecting a position of the first player in response to the first prompt;

generate a target frame using the received information relating to the first player;

provide an icon that displays a representation of a body in at least one pose representing the position of the first player in response to the first prompt;

display a second prompt to a second player to perform the dance move created by the first player by displaying the provided icon;

receive information from the camera system reflecting a position of the second player in response to the second prompt;

generate, by the machine, an input frame using the information relating to the second player; and

compare, by the machine, the input frame to the target frame to determine a comparison value.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to generate a score based on the comparison value.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to:

generate an image representing a position of the first player after the first prompt; and

provide the second prompt using the image.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to:

provide additional prompts to the first player to perform multiple repetitions of the dance move; and

receive information from the camera system reflecting positions of the first player during the multiple repetitions.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to compare the positions of the first player during at least some of the multiple repetitions to determine an indication of similarity between the repetitions.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to generate the target frame using a subset of the multiple repetitions.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the subset includes a single repetition.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the subset excludes a first one of the multiple repetitions.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to:

provide a first portion of music while providing the first prompt; and

generate the target frame as a function of beats in the first portion of music.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to:

provide a second portion of music while providing the second prompt; and

generate the input frame as a function of the beats in the second portion of music.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first and the second portions of music are substantially similar.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to:

display video feedback to the first player using at least some of the information from the camera system relating to the first player.

13. A method for use with a game console with a camera system, the method comprising:

displaying, using an audiovisual system connected to the game console, a first prompt to a first player to create and perform a dance move;

receiving at the game console information from the camera system reflecting a position of the first player in response to the first prompt;

generating, using the game console, a target frame using the received information relating to the first player;

providing an icon that displays a representation of a body in at least one pose representing the position of the first player in response to the first prompt;

displaying, using the audiovisual system connected to the game console, a second prompt to a second player to perform the dance move created by the first player by displaying the provided icon;

receiving at the game console information from the camera system reflecting a position of the second player in response to the second prompt;

generating, using the game console, an input frame using the information relating to the second player; and

comparing, using the game console, the input frame to the target frame to determine a comparison value.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising generating a score based on the comparison value.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

generating an image, using the game console, representing a position of the first player after the first prompt; and

providing, using the audiovisual system connected to the game console, the second prompt using the image.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing additional prompts to the first player to perform multiple repetitions of the dance move; and

receiving at the game console information from the camera system reflecting positions of the first player during the multiple repetitions.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising comparing, using the game console, the position of the first player during at least some of the multiple repetitions to determine an indication of similarity between the repetitions.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating the target frame using a subset of the multiple repetitions.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the subset includes a single repetition.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the subset excludes a first one of the multiple repetitions.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing, using the game console, a first portion of music while providing the first prompt; and

generating the target frame as function of beats in the first portion of music.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

providing, using the game console, a second portion of music while providing the second prompt; and

generating the input frame as a function of the beats in the second portion of music.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the first and the second portions of music are substantially similar.

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying video feedback to the first player using at least some of the information from the camera system relating to the first player.