Combiner method for altering game gearing

• US 9,682,319 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zalewski, Gary M., Marks, Richard, Mao, Xiadong
• Primary Examiner(s): GARNER, WERNER G
• Application Number:
  US11/768,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20080009348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,648 Days
• Field of Search: 463 36- 38
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• 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 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1018 Calibration; Key and button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

Computer implemented methods, apparatus and systems for enabling interactive interfacing with a computer game program are provided. One method provides an input device to accept and transmit user input to the computer game program. The input device enables activation of one or more gearing parameters associated with interactive components of the computer game program. In another operation, the method identifies an interactive component of the computer game program. The interactive component used to receive the transmitted user input to enable the interactive interfacing. In yet another operation the method detects user input to apply one of the gearing parameters to the interactive component if so dictated by the transmitted user input. The applied gearing parameter used to define a scaling ratio between the user input and a rate at which the interactive component reacts during execution of the computer game program.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for enabling interactive interfacing with a computer game program executed by a processor, comprising:

providing an input device for accepting user input and wirelessly transmitting the user input to the computer game program, the input device being hand-held and enabling activation of one or more gearing parameters associated with interactive components of the computer game program;

identifying an interactive component of the computer game program, the interactive component receiving the transmitted user input to enable the interactive interfacing; and

detecting the user input at the input device to apply one of the one or more gearing parameters to the interactive component if the transmitted user input dictates, the applied gearing parameter defining a scaling ratio between the user input and a rate at which the interactive component reacts during execution of the computer game program, the application of the rate at which the interactive component reacts being defined for events occurring during the execution of the computer game program,

wherein the scaling ratio for the gearing parameter that is applied is configured to additionally change in response to particular events occurring during execution of the computer game program without additional user command to change the gearing parameter.

2. The computer implemented method for enabling interactive interfacing with the computer game program as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring the user input to determine if a change in the applied gearing parameter has occurred; and

applying an updated gearing parameter when the change in the applied gearing parameter has occurred, the updated gearing parameter defining a new scaling ratio.

3. The computer implemented method for enabling interactive interfacing with the computer game program as recited in claim 2, wherein repetition of the user input cycles between a plurality of updated gearing parameters.

4. The computer implemented method for enabling interactive interfacing with the computer game program as recited in claim 3, wherein a different user input applies a particular gearing parameter, the particular gearing parameter associated with the different user input.

5. The computer implemented method for enabling interactive interfacing with the computer game program as recited in claim 1, wherein the input device accepts the user input based on motion sensors capable of detecting translational and rotational movement in three orthogonal axes.

6. The computer implemented method for enabling interactive interfacing with the computer game program as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

detecting sound;

processing the sound to determine if the sound should be mapped to the user input; and

if the sound is determined to be mapped to the user input, applying the user input to apply one of the gearing parameters during execution of the computer game program.

7. The computer implemented method for enabling interactive interfacing with the computer game program as recited in claim 1, wherein the applied gearing parameter includes one of a plurality of different scaling ratios to be applied to different interactive components of the computer game program.

8. The computer implemented method for enabling interactive interfacing with the computer game program as recited in claim 1, wherein the applied gearing parameter is configurable using a graphical user interface.

9. A computer implemented method for enabling user controlled application of gearing parameters to interactive components of a computer program executing on a computer having a processor, comprising:

providing an input device for accepting user input and wirelessly transmitting the user input to a computer system that is at least partially executing the computer program, the input device being hand-held and enabling application of one or more gearing ratios associated with the interactive components of the computer program;

receiving a gearing trigger at the computer from the input device, the gearing trigger being a particular type of the user input;

looking up a gearing parameter associated with the gearing trigger, the gearing parameter stored in a first memory associated with the computer system and defining a scaling ratio between the user input and a rate at which the interactive component reacts during execution of the computer program, the application of the rate at which the interactive component reacts being defined for events occurring during the execution of the computer program, and the scaling ratio for the gearing parameter is configured to additionally change in response to particular events occurring during execution of the computer program without additional user command to change the gearing parameter;

copying the gearing parameter from a first memory to a second memory, the second memory for storing an applied gearing parameter; and

executing the computer program using the applied gearing parameter obtained from the second memory so that subsequent user input responds according to the scaling ratio and changes to the scaling ratio in response to the particular events occurring during execution of the computer program.

10. The computer implemented method as recited in claim 9, wherein the input device is capable of detecting, and the computer program is responsive to, translational and rotational movements of the input device in three orthogonal axes.

11. The computer implemented method as recited in claim 9 wherein the computer system is part of a computer network and the computer program allows interaction between other users of the computer network.

12. The computer implemented method as recited in claim 11, wherein execution of the computer program can be shared between computer systems connected to the computer network.

13. A computer implemented method for changing responses of interactive components of a computer game program that executes on a processor of a game console, comprising:

at an input device that is hand-held, detecting user input and wirelessly transmitting the user input to the game console;

executing the computer game program at the game console;

during execution of the computer game program, detecting the user input to include an instruction to change a gearing parameter from a first state to a second state;

applying the change in the gearing parameter to the second state during the execution of the computer game program, the gearing parameter defining a scaling ratio between the user input and a rate at which an interactive component of the computer game program reacts during execution of the computer game program, wherein the scaling ratio of the gearing parameter, when in the second state, is configured to additionally change based on specific in-game events without requiring additional user command to change the gearing parameter; and

continuing interaction with the user input device in the second state until an additional instruction based on the user input is detected to cause a change in the gearing parameter from the second state to the first state or to another state;

wherein the changes in the gearing parameter are interactively set during interaction with the interactive component.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the user input is derived from detected translational and rotational movements of the input device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the user input is providing by selecting a button on the input device or pointing the input device toward an object on a video display that is in communication with the game console.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising,

detecting a position of the input device and movements of the input device through an image capture device that is interfaced with the game console;

the detected position and movements used as a factor to determine if a change in the gearing parameter is to be applied.