Game and home entertainment device remote control

• US 20020097229A1
• Filed: 01/24/2002
• Published: 07/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SMK-Link Electronic Corp. (SMK Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Interlink Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Yates, William A., Rose, Eric P., Segal, Jack A.
• Application Number:
  US10/057,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20020097229A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1056 involving pressure sensitive buttons
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1068 being specially adapted to detect the point of contact of the player on a surface, e.g. floor mat, touch pad
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104

Abstract

Home entertainment devices may be controlled and on-screen games played with a single controller. At least one gesture by a user is made on a touch pad. If the gesture was made for controlling the home entertainment device, at least one control signal is generated for the home entertainment device based on the gesture. If the gesture was made for playing a game, a game activity based on the gesture is performed and the results displayed on a display screen.

Claims

1. A game and home entertainment device remote control system comprising:

a remote control having a touch pad, the touch pad generating a touch pad signal in response to a gesture on the touch pad;

a display screen having a display area; and

a controller in communication with the touch pad and the display screen, the controller operative to;

receive the touch pad signal,

determine whether the touch pad signal is for controlling a game or for controlling a home entertainment device,

if the touch pad signal is for controlling a game, perform a game activity in response to the touch pad signal and cause a result of the game activity to be displayed on the display screen, and

if the touch pad signal is for controlling a home entertainment device, enable a home entertainment device control function.

2. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the display screen is mapped to the touch pad so that the gesture on the touch pad is scaled correspondingly to an appropriate region of the display screen.

3. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the display screen displays a moveable object, the controller further operative to proportionately position the moveable object on the display screen corresponding to a location touched on the touch pad.

4. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the touch pad is logically divided into a plurality of regions, each region corresponding to one of a plurality of selectable items displayed on the display screen.

5. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the touch pad is divided into a plurality of regions, the controller further operative to interpret at least one gesture in one of the plurality of regions differently than the at least one gesture is interpreted in another of the plurality of regions.

6. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the controller is operative to interpret at least one gesture on the touch pad based on at least one parameter programmed by a user of the system.

7. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the controller is further operative to adapt the operation of the touch pad to at least one operator idiosyncrasy.

8. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the system offers a plurality of games, the controller further operative to vary the functioning of the touch pad to fit each of the plurality of games.

9. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the controller is further operative to vary the functioning of the touch pad to fit each of a plurality of scenarios in at least one game.

10. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein at least one gesture associated with at least one game may be taught to the controller by a user of the system.

11. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the controller is further operative to associate a sequence of game control options in at least one game with a gesture on the touch pad.

12. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the controller is further operative to associate at least one gesture with a particular user of the system.

13. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the gesture is one of a plurality of gestures comprising at least one simple linear movement.

14. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the gesture is one of a plurality of gestures comprising at least one free floating input.

15. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the gesture is one of a plurality of gestures comprising at least one gesture that is pad-to-screen mapped.

16. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the gesture is one of a plurality of gestures comprising at least one pressure sensitive gesture.

17. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the gesture is one of a plurality of gestures comprising at least one rotational control gesture.

18. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the gesture is one of a plurality of gestures comprising at least one velocity control gesture.

19. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the gesture is one of a plurality of gestures comprising at least one acceleration control gesture.

20. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the gesture is one of a plurality of gestures comprising at least one alphanumeric character entry gesture.

21. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the gesture is one of a plurality of gestures comprising at least one complex gesture, the complex gesture having at least two elements from a set consisting of straight line movements, taps, holds and circular movements.

22. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the touch pad is physically divided into a plurality of regions.

23. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the controller determines whether the touch pad signal is for controlling a game or for controlling a home entertainment device based on a signal previously received from the remote control.

24. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the display area is mapped to the touch pad.

25. A game and home entertainment device remote control system as in claim 1 wherein the remote control comprises a trigger switch.

30. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 wherein the touch pad is part of a remote control device.

31. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 30 wherein the determination of whether the at least one received gesture was made for controlling the home entertainment device or for playing the game is based on at least one input previously received from the remote control.

32. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising the mapping at least a portion of the display screen to the touch pad so that the at least one gesture received on the touch pad is scaled correspondingly to the at least a portion of the display screen.

33. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising logically dividing the touch pad into a plurality of regions, each region corresponding to one of a plurality of selectable items displayed on the display screen.

34. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising dividing the touch pad into a plurality of regions and interpreting at least one gesture in one of the plurality of regions differently than the at least one gesture is interpreted in another of the plurality of regions.

35. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising interpreting at least one gesture on the touch pad based on at least one parameter programmed by a user of the system.

36. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising adapting the operation of the touch pad to at least one operator idiosyncrasy.

37. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising varying the functioning of the touch pad to fit each of a plurality of games.

38. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising learning at least one gesture associated with the game taught by a user of the touch pad.

39. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising associating at least one gesture with a particular user of the system.

40. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising recognizing at least one of a plurality of gestures on the touch pad as representing simple linear movement.

41. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising recognizing at least one of a plurality of gestures on the touch pad as representing free floating input.

42. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising recognizing at least one of a plurality of gestures on the touch pad as representing pad-to-screen mapping.

43. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising recognizing at least one of a plurality of gestures on the touch pad as representing a pressure sensitive gesture.

44. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising recognizing at least one of a plurality of gestures on the touch pad as representing a rotational control gesture.

45. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising recognizing at least one of a plurality of gestures on the touch pad as representing a velocity control gesture.

46. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising recognizing at least one of a plurality of gestures on the touch pad as representing an acceleration control gesture.

47. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising recognizing at least one of a plurality of gestures on the touch pad as representing an alphanumeric character entry gesture.

48. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device as in claim 29 further comprising recognizing at least one of a plurality of gestures on the touch pad as representing a complex gesture, the complex gesture having at least two elements from a set consisting of straight line movements, taps, holds and circular movements.

26. A remote control for controlling a home entertainment device and for playing on-screen games in conjunction with a display screen, the remote control comprising:

a touch pad generating touch pad signals in response to user contact with the touch pad; and

a controller in communication with the touch pad, the home entertainment device and the display screen, the controller mapping at least a portion of the display screen to a surface area of the touch pad, the controller moving an object on the display screen to a location on the display screen corresponding to a touched location on the touch pad surface area for playing at least one on-screen game, the controller further recognizing gestures for controlling the home entertainment device.

27. A remote control for a home entertainment device comprising:

a touch pad generating touch pad signals in response to user contact with the touch pad; and

a controller in communication with the touch pad, the home entertainment device and the display screen, the controller mapping at least a portion of the display screen to a surface area of the touch pad, the controller moving an object on the display screen to a location on the display screen corresponding to a touched location on the touch pad surface area for playing at least one on-screen game.

28. A remote control for controlling a home entertainment device and for playing on-screen games in conjunction with a display screen, the remote control comprising:

a touch pad generating touch pad signals in response to user contact with the touch pad; and

a controller in communication with the touch pad, the home entertainment device and the display screen, the controller recognizing gestures made on the touch pad for playing at least one game and displaying results of recognizing each gesture on the display screen, the controller further recognizing gestures made on the touch pad for controlling the home entertainment device.

29. A method of remotely controlling a home entertainment device comprising:

receiving at least one gesture on a touch pad, the touch pad remote from the home entertainment device;

determining whether the at least one received gesture was made for controlling the home entertainment device or for playing a game;

if the at least one gesture was made for controlling the home entertainment device, generating at least one control signal for the home entertainment device based on the at least one received gesture; and

if the at least one gesture was made for playing a game, performing a game activity based on the at least one received gesture and displaying the results of the performed game activity on a display screen.