Touch screen inputs for a video game system

• US 9,675,876 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2016
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Cho, Wing S., Smith, Darren
• Primary Examiner(s): RENWICK, REGINALD A
• Application Number:
  US15/285,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20170021271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 252 Days
• 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 13/42 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 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/828 Managing virtual sport teams
• 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 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/30 characterized by output arrangements for receiving control signals generated by the game device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6623 for animating a group of characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8052 Ball team management
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

Example systems and methods involve detecting an input to a touchscreen display of a video game apparatus; determining a video game action based on a shape of the input; and determining a timing of the video game action based on a color associated with the input.

Claims

1. A video game apparatus comprising:

a touchscreen display;

memory storing program instructions; and

a computer processor configured to execute the program instructions stored in the memory to control the video game apparatus to at least;

detect an input to the touchscreen display;

determine a video game action based on a shape of the input; and

determine a timing of the video game action based on a color associated with the input.

2. The video game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the computer processor is configured to execute the program instructions stored in the memory to control the video game apparatus to perform the video game action at a first timing when the color associated with the input is a first color and perform the video game action at a second timing different from the first timing when the color associated with the input is a second color different from the first color.

3. The video game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video game action is performed immediately relative to a timing of the input when the color associated with the input is determined to be a predetermined color.

4. The video game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video game action is performed with a delay relative to a timing of the input when the color associated with the input is determined to be a predetermined color.

5. The video game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video game action comprises movement of a video game object.

6. The video game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video game action comprises movement of a video game character.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions which, when executed by a computer processor of a video game apparatus comprising a touchscreen display, control the video game apparatus to perform operations comprising:

detecting an input to the touchscreen display;

determining a video game action based on a shape of the input; and

determining a timing of the video game action based on a color associated with the input.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the program instructions, when executed, control the video game apparatus to perform operations comprising:

controlling the video game apparatus to perform the video game action at a first timing when the color associated with the input is a first color and to perform the video game action at a second timing different from the first timing when the color associated with the input is a second color different from the first color.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the video game action is performed immediately relative to a timing of the input when the color associated with the input is determined to be a predetermined color.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the video game action is performed with a delay relative to a timing of the input when the color associated with the input is determined to be a predetermined color.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the video game action comprises movement of a video game object.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the video game action comprises movement of a video game character.