Intelligent gameplay photo capture

• US 9,848,106 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Scavezze, Mike, Tomlin, Arthur, Markovic, Relja, Latta, Stephen, Geisner, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): McCulloch, Jr., William H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEICHLITER, CHASE E
• Application Number:
  US12/975,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20120157200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,555 Days
• Field of Search: 463 1, 463 31, 463 35, 463 43, 396312, 396429, 348 61, 348 64
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/20 Input arrangements for video game devices
• 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 13/219 for aiming at specific areas on the display, e.g. light-guns
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/655 by importing photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/695 Imported photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof

Abstract

Implementations for identifying, capturing, and presenting high-quality photo-representations of acts occurring during play of a game that employs motion tracking input technology are disclosed. As one example, a method is disclosed that includes capturing via an optical interface, a plurality of photographs of a player in a capture volume during play of the electronic game. The method further includes for each captured photograph of the plurality of captured photographs, comparing an event-based scoring parameter to an event depicted by or corresponding to the captured photograph. The method further includes assigning respective scores to the plurality of captured photographs based, at least in part, on the comparison to the even-based scoring parameter. The method further includes associating the captured photographs at an electronic storage media with the respective scores assigned to the captured photographs.

Claims

1. A method of processing photographs of a player obtained during play of an electronic game via an optical interface, the method comprising:

capturing, via the optical interface, a plurality of photographs of the player in a capture volume during play of the electronic game;

for each captured photograph of the plurality of captured photographs, programmatically assessing, via instructions executable by a computing device, a photographic characteristic value of one or more photographic characteristics for each of a plurality of different photographic regions of that captured photograph including a body region of the player and a background region of the capture volume, the one or more photographic characteristics including one or more of blur, sharpness, exposure, brightness, contrast, hue, temperature, and saturation;

for each captured photograph of the plurality of captured photographs, assigning, via the instructions executable by the computing device, a score based on comparing the assessed photographic characteristic value of that captured photograph with a photographic characteristic baseline of the one or more photographic characteristics, and wherein the photographic characteristic value of the body region is weighted more heavily in the score than the photographic characteristic values of other photographic regions including the background region of the captured photograph; and

visually presenting, via a display, one or more of the captured photographs based on the score of the one or more captured photographs.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing criteria that define one or more predefined player movements or poses within the capture volume;

where the score is assigned further for each captured photograph based on comparing an event depicted by that photograph with the established criteria that define one or more predefined player movements or poses within the capture volume.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing audio via an audio interface at moments corresponding to the captured photographs;

where the score is assigned further for each captured photograph based on comparing a sound level of audio captured during an event depicted by that photograph with a sound level threshold or a model audio signature.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing criteria that define one or more predefined movements or poses of an animated avatar character representative of the player within the electronic game;

where the score is assigned further for each captured photograph based on comparing a movement or pose of the animated avatar character when that photograph is captured with the established criteria that define the one or more predefined movements or poses of the animated avatar character within the electronic game.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

filtering the captured photographs based, at least in part, on the respective scores assigned to the captured photographs; and

varying presentation of the captured photographs to the player responsive to said filtering.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

filtering the captured photographs based, at least in part, on the respective scores assigned to the captured photographs;

presenting the respective scores to the player; and

prompting the player to save or share one or more of the captured photographs after presenting the respective scores to the player.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a trigger event during play of the electronic game;

initiating said capturing of the plurality of photographs responsive to identifying the trigger event.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

capturing audio via an audio interface during play of the electronic game;

wherein the trigger event includes the captured audio exceeding a sound level threshold or exhibiting a model audio signature.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

establishing criteria that define one or more moments of interest which correspond to predefined movements or poses of the player occurring within the capture volume or of an avatar representative of the player within the electronic game; and

wherein the trigger event includes the player or avatar representative of the player assuming a movement or pose that approximates the established criteria that define the one or more moments of interest.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying one or more of the captured photographs shared by the player with one or more other players within a social network, and wherein the scoring is further based, at least in part, on whether one or more of the captured photographs were shared by the player within the social network.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying one or more player ratings assigned to a photograph of the captured photographs, and wherein the scoring is further based, at least in part, on the one or more player ratings of the photograph.

12. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a storage device having instructions stored thereon executable by the one or more processors to;

capture via an optical interface, a plurality of photographs of a player in a capture volume during play of an electronic game;

for each captured photograph of the plurality of captured photographs, assess a photographic characteristic value of one or more photographic characteristics for each of a plurality of different photographic regions of that captured photograph including a body region of the player and a background region of the capture volume, the one or more photographic characteristics including one or more of blur, sharpness, exposure, brightness, contrast, hue, temperature, and saturation;

for each captured photograph of the plurality of captured photographs, assign a score based on comparing the assessed photographic characteristic value of that captured photograph with a photographic characteristic baseline of the one or more photographic characteristics, and wherein the photographic characteristic value of the body region is weighted more heavily in the score than the photographic characteristic values of other photographic regions including the background region of the captured photograph; and

visually present, via a display, one or more of the captured photographs based on the score of the one or more captured photographs.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the storage device holds instructions executable by the one or more processors to prompt the player to share one or more of the captured photographs with another player via a computer network after visually presenting the one or more captured photographs.

14. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the storage device holds instructions executable by the one or more processors to establish criteria that define one or more predefined player movements or poses within the capture volume;

where the score is assigned further for each captured photograph based on comparing an event depicted by that photograph with the established criteria that define one or more predefined player movements or poses within the capture volume.

15. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the storage device holds instructions executable by the one or more processors to capture audio via an audio interface at moments corresponding to the captured photographs;

where the score is assigned further for each captured photograph based on comparing a sound level of audio captured during an event depicted by that photograph with a sound level threshold or a model audio signature.

16. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the storage device holds instructions executable by the one or more processors to establish criteria that define one or more predefined movements or poses of an animated avatar character representative of the player within the electronic game;

where the score is assigned further for each captured photograph based on comparing a movement or pose of the animated avatar character when that photograph is captured with the established criteria that define the one or more predefined movements or poses of the animated avatar character within the electronic game.

17. A method of identifying, capturing, and presenting high-quality photo-representations of acts of a player occurring during play of a game that employs motion tracking input technology, comprising:

capturing a baseline photograph;

adjusting exposure and/or recording parameters in response to the baseline photograph to establish a blur baseline;

establishing criteria that define one or more moments of interest which correspond to predefined player movements or positions occurring in a capture volume;

capturing a plurality of photographs of the player during a moment of interest in the game;

assessing a blur value for each of a plurality of different photographic regions of each of the captured photographs;

assigning a respective score to each of the captured photographs based on comparing the blur value of that captured photograph to the blur baseline and further comparing the player'"'"'s position in that captured photograph with the predefined player movements or positions of the established criteria, and wherein the photographic characteristic value of a designated photographic region is weighted more heavily in the score than the photographic characteristic values of other photographic regions of the captured photograph; and

visually presenting, via a display, a photograph having a highest score to the player.

18. The method of claim 17, where a photograph that captures the player'"'"'s position that most closely matches the predefined player movements or positions of the established criteria with a lowest blur value is assigned the highest score.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the designated photographic region corresponds to a face and the other photographic regions corresponds to other content that is not a face.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the designated photographic region is different for different captured photographs.