Apparatus for displaying images of living things to show growing and/or moving of the living things

• US 5,572,646 A
• Filed: 08/09/1994
• Issued: 11/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Yuichi, Sato, Shinichiro, Kawai, Yoshio, Oshima, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Jankus, Almis R.
• Application Number:
  US08/287,850
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 395/141, 395/152-154, 395/155, 395/161, 345/156, 345/157, 345/158
• US Class Current: 345/501
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/21 characterised by their sensors, purposes or types
• 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 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/825 Fostering virtual characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8058 Virtual breeding, e.g. tamagotchi
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0283 for data storage and retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/60 of natural phenomena, e.g. rain, snow, water or plants
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51

Abstract

An image displaying apparatus stores plural image data and displays one of the image data, which image data represent a growing plant (animal) or represent a series of motions of an animal. The apparatus further stores plural element data for growing the plant (animal). When one of the element data is selected, another image data of the plant (animal) is displayed in place of the previously displayed imaged data to show how the plant (animal) grew up responsive to the selected element data. The apparatus is provided with a sensor for detecting motion of a user. Detecting the motion of the user, the apparatus displays new image data representing a motion of the animal in place of the previously displayed image data to show how the animal reacts to the user'"'"'s motion.

Claims

1. An image displaying apparatus for successively displaying images of a living thing to show how the living thing is growing up with a growing element applied thereto, comprising:

image-data storing means for storing plural image data of a living thing in the order of growth of the living thing, the plural image data of the living thing representing predetermined growing levels in a growing process of the living thing, respectively;

image-data displaying means for displaying one of the plural image data of the living thing stored in said image-data storing means;

element displaying means for displaying element data representative of growing elements for growing the living thing;

an externally operable switch adapted to be operated to apply the growing element to the living thing to grow same; and

display controlling means for reading out, upon operation of said externally operable switch, from among the plural image data of the living thing stored in said image-data storing means, image data of the living thing which is representative of a growing level next to the growing level represented by the image data that is displayed at present on said image-data displaying means, and for controlling said image-data displaying means to display the read out image data of the living thing in place of the image data previously displayed thereon, whereby it is shown on said image-data displaying means how the living thing grows with the growing elements applied upon operation of said externally operable switch.

2. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said element displaying means displays plural element data for each of plural kinds of growing elements.

3. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said element displaying means displays plural element data for the same growing element and representing different amounts of the growing element, respectively.

4. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the living thing is a plant, and said element displaying means displays element data for at least one of water, nourishment and light.

5. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the living thing is an animal and said element displaying means displays plural element data representing food to be given to the animal.

6. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

element-data storing means for storing plural element data of growing elements, which plural element data are to be displayed on said element displaying means;

element selecting means for selecting one of the plural element data for different kinds of growing elements stored in said element-data storing means; and

image-data selecting means for reading out from said image-data storing means image data of the living thing in accordance with the element data selected by said element selecting means, which image data is different from the image data that is displayed on said image-data displaying means controlled by said display controlling means, and for displaying the read out image data of the living thing on said image-data displaying means.

7. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

element-data storing means for storing plural element data for the same kind of growing element and representing different amounts of the growing element respectively, which plural element data are to be displayed on said element displaying means;

element selecting means for selecting one of the plural element data for the growing element stored in said element-data storing means; and

image-data selecting means for reading out from said image-data storing means image data of the living thing in accordance with the element data selected by said element selecting means, which image data is different in the growing process from the image data that is displayed on said image data displaying means controlled by said display controlling means, and for displaying the read out image data of the living thing on said image-data displaying means.

8. An image displaying apparatus for successively displaying images of a living thing to show how the living thing is growing up, comprising:

image-data storing means for storing plural image data of the living thing, the plural image data representing images of the living thing at various levels in a growing process thereof, respectively;

image-data displaying means for displaying one of the plural image data of the living thing stored in said image data storing means;

sensing means for successively detecting environment conditions around said image displaying apparatus every predetermined time intervals to output environment data representing the detected environment conditions;

environment-data storing means for storing environment data output from said sensing means; and

display control means for reading out from said image data displaying means, based on the environment data stored in the environment-data storing means, image data representing the living thing at a level different from the image data of the living thing displayed on said image-data displaying means, and for displaying the read out image data of the living thing in place of the image data displayed previously thereon, whereby the image data of the living thing which is at various levels in the growing process are successively displayed on the image-data displaying means in accordance with the environment conditions detected by the sensing means.

9. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 8 wherein:

the living thing is a plant, and the environment data represents one of temperature, humidity and illuminance.

10. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the living thing is an animal, and the environment data represents one of temperature, humidity and illuminance.

11. An image displaying apparatus for displaying image data of a living thing, comprising:

non-contact switching means operable by a user without a contacting manipulation, for inputting a switching signal;

input-operation data storing means in which plural input operation data corresponding respectively to switching operations of said non-contact switching means are previously stored;

image-data storing means for storing plural image data of the living thing corresponding respectively to the plural input operation data stored in said input-operation data storing means, the plural image data of the living thing representing predetermined different states of the living thing respectively;

judging means for, when the user operates said non-contact switching means, searching through the plural input operation data stored in said input-operation data storing means to find out an input operation data corresponding to the switching operation executed by said non-contact switching means; and

image-data displaying means for reading out from said image-data storing means the image data of the living thing corresponding to the input operation data found out by said judging means, and for displaying the read out image data of the living thing.

12. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said non-contact switching means comprises:

infrared ray generating means for generating an infrared ray; and

photo sensor means for receiving the infrared ray generated by said infrared ray generating means to output a switching signal.

13. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

the plural input operation data stored previously in said input-operation data storing means each correspond to a number of times that the switching operations of said non-contact switching means are executed in a predetermined time duration.

14. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

the plural input operation data stored previously in said input-operation data storing means each correspond to a making time duration of the switching operation of said non-contact switching means.

15. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

voice-data storing means for storing plural different voice data corresponding respectively to the plural image data stored in said image-data storing means; and

sounding means for reading out from said voice-data storing means voice data corresponding to the image data displayed on said image-data displaying means, and for audibly outputting the read out voice data.