Voice-to-text chat conversion for remote video game play

• US 20060025214A1
• Filed: 07/29/2004
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo of America, Inc. (Nintendo Company Limited)
• Inventors: Smith, Darren C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,785,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/30
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between 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 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1081 Input via voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images

Abstract

A multi-player networked video game playing system including for example video game consoles analyzes speech to vary the font size and/or color of associated text displayed to other users. If the amplitude of the voice is high, the text displayed to other users is displayed in a larger than normal font. If the voice sounds stressed or is aggressive words are used, the text displayed to other users is displayed using a special font such as red color. Other analysis may be performed on the speech in context to vary the font size, color, font type and/or other display attributes.

Claims

1. A multi-player video game playing method comprising:

converting a player'"'"'s speech to text;

analyzing said speech and/or said text for at least one predetermined characteristic; and

displaying, to at least one other video game player, at least a portion of said text including a distinctive indication responsive to said analysis.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said indication comprises a display format.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said indication includes font size.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the indication includes font color.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the indication includes punctuation.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the indication includes font style.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the characteristic comprises amplitude.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the characteristic comprises the use of predetermined stress words.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the characteristic comprises emotion.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the characteristic comprises a threat.

11. Video game playing equipment comprising:

a computing device executing video game play instructions;

a microphone that, in use, receives speech from at least one human game player;

a speech-to-text converter that converts said received speech into text;

an analyzer that analyzes said speech and/or text to determine whether at least one predetermined characteristic is present; and

a text formatter that formats said text for display at least in part in response to said analyzer determination.

12. A digital storage medium comprising:

a first program instruction storage area storing video game play instructions;

a second instruction storage area storing instructions for converting speech into text;

a third instruction storage area storing instructions that analyze said speech and/or text to determine whether a predetermined characteristic is present; and

a fourth instruction storage area that stores display format instructions that format said text for display based at least in part on said analysis performed by said analyzing instructions.

13. A video game chat system comprising:

a plurality of video game play sites, each said site including a user input device and a display, said display providing interactive video game play in response to user inputs said user input device provides, wherein at least one of said sites further includes an audio transducer that picks up speech;

a speech recognizer coupled to said audio transducer, said speech recognizer converting said speech into displayable indicia and further analyzing said speech to determine whether a predetermined characteristic is present therein; and

a display formatter that displays said displayable indicia on at least one said displays, said display formatter formatting said display at least in part in response to whether said predetermined characteristic is present.