Game apparatus

• US 9,700,800 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Inventors: Tokita, Takashi, Soken, Masayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US13/688,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20130184074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,685 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• 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 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/209 characterized by low level software layer, relating to hardware management, e.g. Operating System, Application Programming Interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• 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 2300/695 Imported photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera

Abstract

A game apparatus is provided which has a convenience where another function such as photo taking by a camera can be used while playing a game by causing a game program and another application program to work together and which increases interest of the game by relating a result of execution of the application program to the contents of the game. When a camera icon displayed on a display section is selected by an operation of a touch panel, an application for controlling a camera function launches, and an image can be captured at an arbitrary timing. The captured image is converted according to a predetermined condition. The converted image is displayed on a display screen and image data is stored in a flash memory.

Claims

1. A game apparatus, comprising:

a memory that stores a game program and another application program different from the game program;

a program launcher that launches the application program stored by the memory while the game program is being executed;

a central processor that executes the application program launched by the program launcher, the application program obtaining data comprising an image, the data of the application program being converted according to a predetermined condition, the data being converted by replacing image data within the image of the application program with image data of the game program; and

a graphics processor that displays the image of the application program, including the converted data, on a display screen,

wherein the image data within the image of the application program is converted according to at least one of a category of the game program and a progress of the game program.

2. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the graphics processor displays an icon for launching the application program on the display screen,

the game apparatus further comprises an input that receives a selection of the icon by an operation instruction by a player, and

the program launcher launches the application program when the selection of the icon is received by the input.

3. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the data of the application program which is converted according to the predetermined condition includes less than all image data of the image of the application program.

4. The game apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the data of the application program which is converted according to the predetermined condition includes a face of a subject person identified by using face recognition.

5. The game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the face of the subject person is replaced by an image of a predetermined character of the game program.

6. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the data of the application program which is converted according to the predetermined condition includes all image data of the image of the application program.

7. The game apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

all the image data of the image of the application program which is converted according to the predetermined includes converting the image data from a color image to a monochrome image.

8. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a number of images to be converted varies according to a progress of the game program.

9. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the application program controls a camera function of the game apparatus.

10. The game apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a photographic lens which captures the image of the application program.

11. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the game program includes a display screen configured to represent a smartphone display, the display screen including a current date, a current time, a browser icon, a mail icon, and an icon for launching the application program.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including a game program executed by a computer apparatus in which another application program different from the game program is stored, the game program causing the computer apparatus to execute:

launching the application program while the game program is being executed;

executing, by a processor, the application program launched by the launching;

obtaining, by the application program, data comprising an image;

converting the data which is obtained by the application program, according to a predetermined condition, the data being converted by replacing image data within the image of the application program with image data of the game program; and

displaying, by a graphics processor, the image of the application program, including the converted data, on a display screen,

wherein the image data within the image of the application program is converted according to at least one of a category of the game program and a progress of the game program.