USER INTERFACE PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD OF PROCESSING USER INTERFACE, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM EMBODYING COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR PROCESSING USER INTERFACE

• US 20110276879A1
• Filed: 04/25/2011
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: AOYAGI, Hidetoshi, ANDO, Takehiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,517,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• 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 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6027 using adaptive systems learning from user actions, e.g. for skill level adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A user interface processing apparatus is provided. A user interface element such as a virtual controller is displayed on a display screen. When an operation to the displayed user interface element is received from a player, the application is controlled in accordance with the received operation. A learning level of the player is determined in accordance with a control state of the application, such as utilization time of the application and the number of executions of a predetermined function in the application. The transparency is increased in accordance with the determined learning level. In a case where it is detected that an operation state of the user interface element continues for a certain period of time, transparency of the user interface element to increase is determined. The user interface element is displayed with the determined transparency.

Claims

1. A user interface processing apparatus for controlling an application, comprising:

a user interface element display controller that displays a user interface element on a display screen;

an operation receiver that receives an operation to the user interface element displayed on the display screen;

an application controller that controls the application in accordance with the operation received by the operation receiver; and

a transparency determiner that determines transparency of the user interface element,

wherein the user interface element display controller displays the user interface element with the transparency determined by the transparency determiner.

2. The user interface processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a learning level determiner that determines a learning level of a player in accordance with a control state of the application,

wherein the transparency determiner determines the transparency to increase in accordance with the learning level determined by the learning level determiner.

3. The user interface processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the learning level determiner determines the learning level in accordance with the control state of the application including a length of time the application is used and the number of executions of a predetermined function in the application.

4. The user interface processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a continuing operation detector that detects whether an operation state of the user interface element received by the operation receiver continues for a certain period of time,

wherein the transparency determiner determines the transparency to increase in a case where the continuing operation detector detects that the operation state continues for a certain period of time.

5. The user interface processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a touch receiver that receives a touch on the display screen by means of a touch operation on a touch panel by the player;

a touched position detector that detects a touched position on the display screen when the touch receiver receives the touch on the display screen; and

a touch termination determiner that determines, after the touch receiver receives the touch on the display screen, whether a touched state on the display screen is terminated or not,

wherein the user interface element display controller displays the user interface element at a predetermined position according to the touched position detected by the touched position detector in a case where the touch receiver receives the touch on the display screen, and

wherein the user interface element display controller terminates the display of the user interface element in a case where the touch termination determiner determines that the touched state is terminated.

6. The user interface processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the touched position detector continuously detects the touched position until the touched state is terminated after the touch receiver receives the touch on the display screen,

wherein the operation receiver receives a moving direction instruction operation specified based upon a direction from an initial touched position to a current touched position, the initial touched position being a position detected by the touched position detector when the touch receiver first receives the touch on the display screen, the current touched position being a position on the display screen currently detected by the touched position detector after the initial touched position is detected, and

wherein the application controller moves an object in the application in a direction from the initial touched position to the current touched position in accordance with the moving direction instruction operation received by the operation receiver.

7. The user interface processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the user interface element is a virtual controller that includes a controller body formed in a substantially circular shape and an operating section capable of moving in an arbitrary direction from a center position of the controller body, and

wherein the user interface element display controller fixedly displays the controller body at the predetermined position corresponding to the initial touched position, and displays the operating section movably in a direction from the initial touched position to the current touched position using a center position of the controller body as a base point.

8. The user interface processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the operation receiver receives a movement speed instruction operation specified based upon a distance between the initial touched position and the current touched position, and

wherein the application controller moves the object at a speed according to the distance between the initial touched position and the current touched position in accordance with the movement speed instruction operation received by the operation receiver.

9. The user interface processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the user interface element is a virtual controller that includes a controller body formed in a substantially circular shape and an operating section capable of moving in an arbitrary direction from a center position of the controller body, and

wherein the user interface element display controller fixedly displays the controller body at the predetermined position corresponding to the initial touched position, and displays the operating section so as to move away from the initial touched position in a stepwise manner in accordance with the distance between the initial touched position and the current touched position in a direction from the initial touched position to the current touched position using a center position of the controller body as a base point.

10. The user interface processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the user interface element display controller displays the user interface element in a case where the touched state on the display screen continues for a predetermined period of time after the touch receiver first receives the touch on the display screen.

11. The user interface processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user interface processing apparatus is a video game processing apparatus for controlling a progress of a video game as the application.

12. A user interface processing method of controlling an application, comprising:

displaying a user interface element on a display screen;

receiving an operation to the user interface element displayed on the display screen;

controlling the application in accordance with the operation received in the receiving an operation; and

determining transparency of the user interface element,

wherein, in the displaying the user interface element, the user interface element is displayed with the transparency determined in the determining the transparency.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a computer program for processing a user interface so as to control an application, the computer program causing a computer to execute:

displaying a user interface element on a display screen;

receiving an operation to the user interface element displayed on the display screen;

controlling the application in accordance with the operation received by the operation receiver; and

determining transparency of the user interface element,

wherein, in the displaying the user interface element, the user interface element is displayed with the transparency determined in the determining the transparency.