Graphical user interface, system and method for implementing a game controller on a touch-screen device

• US 8,382,591 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2011
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: OL2 Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Toy, Michael, Adams, Emily, Perlman, Stephen G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B
• Application Number:
  US13/016,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20110300934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 463/37
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• 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 2300/538 for performing operations on behalf of the game client, e.g. rendering
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands

Abstract

A touch-screen apparatus comprises: a touch-screen display for displaying images and receiving user input in response to a user touching the touch screen display; a network interface for establishing a network connection with a gaming server executing a video game in response to user input from the apparatus, the gaming server compressing video output from the video game to generate interactive compressed streaming video, and transmitting the interactive compressed streaming video generated by the video game over the network connection to the touch-screen apparatus; a touch-screen graphical user interface (GUI) comprising: a plurality of user input elements providing user input in response to the user selecting the user input elements on the touch screen display; wherein the user input is transmitted from the touch-screen apparatus to the gaming server to control the execution of the video game.

Claims

1. A touch-screen apparatus comprising:

a touch-screen display for displaying images and receiving user input in response to a user touching the touch screen display;

a network interface for establishing a network connection with a gaming server executing a video game in response to user input from the apparatus, the gaming server compressing video output from the video game to generate interactive compressed streaming video, and transmitting the interactive compressed streaming video generated by the video game over the network connection to the touch-screen apparatus;

a memory for storing program code and a processor for processing the program code to generate a touch-screen graphical user interface (GUI) comprising;

a plurality of user input elements providing user input in response to the user selecting the user input elements on the touch screen display;

wherein the user input is transmitted from the touch-screen apparatus to the gaming server to control the execution of the video game, wherein the user input elements include;

one or more joystick control elements for receiving joystick-based input in response to a user touching the joystick control elements with a finger and dragging the finger along the surface of the touch screen display;

a plurality of user input buttons surrounding the joystick control elements, the user input buttons providing user input in response to the user selecting the user input buttons on the touch screen display;

wherein the joystick-based input and other user input is transmitted from the touch-screen apparatus to the gaming server to control the execution of the video game such that in response to a user touching and dragging one of the joystick control elements, the user input buttons surrounding the selected joystick control element become temporarily deactivated.

2. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the user input buttons become re-activated in response to the user removing a finger from the joystick control element.

3. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein a center point position of a joystick control element is defined by a location on the touch-screen display at which the joystick control element is initially touched by the end user.

4. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein a center point position of a joystick control element is defined in a consistent location on the touch-screen display regardless of the point at which the joystick control element is initially touched by the end user.

5. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein a double-tap on a joystick control element by the end user results in user input indicating that the user has pressed downward on the joystick control element.

6. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the GUI comprises a left joystick control element displayed in a left region of the touch-screen display and a right control element displayed in a right region of the touch screen display.

7. The apparatus as in claim 6 wherein the user input buttons include a left trigger button displayed in the left region of the touch-screen display and a right trigger button displayed in the right region of the touch-screen display.

8. The apparatus as in claim 7 wherein in response to a user selecting the left trigger button or the right trigger button on the touch-screen display with a finger and dragging the finger, the resulting user input indicates that the user has actuated the left trigger button or the right trigger button by an amount proportional to the distance over which the finger is dragged.

9. The apparatus as in claim 8 wherein the GUI comprises a graphical gauge displayed behind or near the right trigger button or left trigger button to indicate to the user the degree of actuation.

10. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the GUI includes a mouse control mode in which, in response to a user touching and dragging at a random location of the touch-screen display, user input is generated to indicate a mouse movement in a direction corresponding to the direction of the dragging motion.

11. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein one of the user input buttons comprises a record button causing the video game server to begin recording the interactive compressed streaming video.

12. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the user input buttons surrounding the joystick control element become dimmed to remind the user that the user input buttons are temporarily deactivated.

13. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in response to the user dragging one of the joystick control elements and then lifting a finger from the touch screen display, the resulting user input is interpreted to cause the joystick control element to remain in its current position prior to the user lifting the finger.

14. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein in response to the user dragging one of the joystick control elements and then lifting a finger from the touch screen display, the resulting user input is interpreted to cause the joystick control element to return to a center position.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having program code stored thereon to be executed on a touch-screen apparatus having a touch-screen display for displaying images and receiving user input in response to a user touching the touch screen display, a network interface for establishing a network connection with a gaming server executing a video game in response to user input from the touch-screen apparatus, the gaming server compressing video output from the video game to generate interactive compressed streaming video, and transmitting the interactive compressed streaming video generated by the video game over the network connection to the touch-screen apparatus, wherein program code is executable by the touch-screen apparatus to cause the apparatus to generate a graphical user interface comprising:

a plurality of user input elements providing user input in response to the user selecting the user input elements on the touch screen display;

wherein the user input is transmitted from the touch-screen apparatus to the gaming server to control the execution of the video game, wherein user input elements include;

one or more joystick control elements for receiving joystick-based input in response to a user touching the joystick control elements with a finger and dragging the finger along the surface of the touch screen display;

a plurality of user input buttons surrounding the joystick control elements, the user input buttons providing user input in response to the user selecting the user input buttons on the touch screen display;

wherein the joystick-based input and other user input is transmitted from the touch-screen apparatus to the gaming server to control the execution of the video game such that in response to a user touching and dragging one of the joystick control elements, the user input buttons surrounding the selected joystick control element become temporarily deactivated.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 15 wherein the user input buttons become re-activated in response to the user removing a finger from the joystick control element.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 15 wherein a center point position of a joystick control element is defined by a location on the touch-screen display at which the joystick control element is initially touched by the end user.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 15 wherein a center point position of a joystick control element is defined in a consistent location on the touch-screen display regardless of the point at which the joystick control element is initially touched by the end user.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 15 wherein a double-tap on a joystick control element by the end user results in user input indicating that the user has pressed downward on the joystick control element.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 15 wherein the GUI comprises a left joystick control element displayed in a left region of the touch-screen display and a right control element displayed in a right region of the touch screen display.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 20 wherein the user input buttons include a left trigger button displayed in the left region of the touch-screen display and a right trigger button displayed in the right region of the touch-screen display.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 21 wherein in response to a user selecting the left trigger button or the right trigger button on the touch-screen display with a finger and dragging the finger, the resulting user input indicates that the user has actuated the left trigger button or the right trigger button by an amount proportional to the distance over which the finger is dragged.

23. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 22 wherein the GUI comprises a graphical gauge displayed behind or near the right trigger button or left trigger button to indicate to the user the degree of actuation.

24. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 15 wherein the GUI includes a mouse control mode in which, in response to a user touching and dragging at a random location of the touch-screen display, user input is generated to indicate a mouse movement in a direction corresponding to the direction of the dragging motion.

25. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 15 wherein one of the user input buttons comprises a record button causing the video game server to begin recording the interactive compressed streaming video.

26. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 15 wherein the user input buttons surrounding the joystick control element become dimmed to remind the user that the user input buttons are temporarily deactivated.

27. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 15 wherein in response to the user dragging one of the joystick control elements and then lifting a finger from the touch screen display, the resulting user input is interpreted to cause the joystick control element to remain in its current position prior to the user lifting the finger.

28. The non-transitory machine-readable medium as in claim 15 wherein in response to the user dragging one of the joystick control elements and then lifting a finger from the touch screen display, the resulting user input is interpreted to cause the joystick control element to return to a center position.