Method and apparatus for controlling user character for playing game within virtual environment

• US 9,904,463 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2014
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sulake Corporation Oy
• Original Assignee: Sulake Corporation Oy
• Inventors: Hamara, Antti, Iso-Markku, Juho
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US14/493,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20160085437A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• 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 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• 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 13/67 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 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607

Abstract

A method for controlling a user character for playing a game within a virtual environment, including providing a user character and virtual environment information on the touch sensitive display to a user; detecting a touch gesture via a touch sensitive gesture input device, the touch gesture formed by a continuous sweep touching at least two touch sensitive elements arranged in the pre-defined array; comparing the detected touch gesture to reference gestures of the user character for playing the game within the virtual environment; and generating an action for the user character within the virtual environment in response to finding a matching reference gesture based on comparison.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a user character for playing a game within a virtual environment, comprising:

a touch sensitive display for displaying a user character and virtual environment information to a user;

a touch sensitive gesture input device comprising a plurality of touch sensitive elements arranged in a pre-defined array, wherein the touch sensitive gesture input device is integrated to the touch sensitive display;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

provide the user character and the virtual environment information via the touch sensitive display;

maintain reference gestures as multipart reference gestures, wherein at least one multipart reference gesture comprising a first reference part defined by a continuous sweep from a first touch sensitive element to a second touch sensitive element, and a second reference part defined by the continuous sweep from the second touch sensitive element to a third touch sensitive element, wherein the first reference part and the second reference part define a continuous sweep comprising the first and the second reference part;

detect a touch gesture as a multipart gesture via the touch sensitive gesture input device, the multipart gesture comprising a first part defined by a continuous sweep from a first touch sensitive element to a second touch sensitive element, and a second part defined by the continuous sweep from the second touch sensitive element to a third touch sensitive element, wherein the first part and the second part define a continuous sweep comprising the first and the second part;

compare the detected first part of the multipart gesture to first reference parts of the multipart reference gestures of the user character for playing the game within the virtual environment;

generate first feedback information to the user during the continuous sweep in response to finding a matching first reference part based on the comparison; and

generate an action for the user character within the virtual environment in response to finding a matching reference gesture to the detected touch gesture.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive gesture input device is discrete from the touch sensitive display.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch sensitive elements are arranged in a pre-defined array comprising at least two rows of touch sensitive elements and at least two columns of touch sensitive elements.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code being further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

determine a code for each touch sensitive element; and

provide the code on the touch sensitive gesture input device labeling the touch sensitive element associated with the code.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code being further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

generate an action for the character in response to finding a matching reference gesture using a plurality of codes based on comparison of the detected touch gesture of the plurality of codes to reference codes.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code being further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

determine each code to comprise an alphabet;

maintain reference gesture with corresponding action represented by a code word comprising a plurality of alphabets; and

detect the code word as a continuous sweep gesture using a plurality of touch sensitive elements.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code being further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

compare the detected first part of the multipart gesture to first reference parts of the multipart reference gestures; and

generate second feedback information to the user in response to not finding a matching first reference part based on comparison.

8. A computer-implemented method for controlling a user character for playing a game within a virtual environment, comprising:

providing a user character and virtual environment information via a touch sensitive display to a user;

maintaining reference gestures as multipart reference gestures, wherein at least one multipart reference gesture comprising a first reference part defined by a continuous sweep from a first touch sensitive element to a second touch sensitive element, and a second reference part defined by the continuous sweep from the second touch sensitive element to a third touch sensitive element, wherein the first reference part and the second reference part define a continuous sweep comprising the first and the second reference part;

detecting a touch gesture as a multipart gesture via the touch sensitive gesture input device, the multipart gesture comprising a first part defined by a continuous sweep from a first touch sensitive element to a second touch sensitive element, and a second part defined by the continuous sweep from the second touch sensitive element to a third touch sensitive element, wherein the first part and the second part define a continuous sweep comprising the first and the second part;

comparing the detected first part of the multipart gesture to first reference parts of the multipart reference gestures of the user character for playing the game within the virtual environment;

generating first feedback information to the user during the continuous sweep in response to finding a matching first reference part based on the comparison; and

generating an action for the user character within the virtual environment in response to finding a matching reference gesture to the detected touch gesture.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

generating first feedback information to the user by changing color information of at least one touch sensitive element.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

comparing the detected first part of the gesture to first reference parts of the multipart reference gestures; and

generating second feedback information to the user in response to not finding a matching first reference part based on comparison.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating second feedback information to the user by changing color information of at least one touch sensitive element.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first feedback information to the user comprising at least one of the following:

changed color information of at least one touch sensitive element;

changed color information of a line provided for connecting at least two touch sensitive elements;

sound information; and

tactile feedback information.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the second feedback information to the user comprising at least one of the following:

changed color information of at least one touch sensitive element;

changed color information of a line provided for connecting at least two touch sensitive elements;

sound information; and

tactile feedback information.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving reference gesture information from a user, the reference gesture information comprising a reference gesture of the user character for playing the game within the virtual environment, and action information defining an action for the user character within the virtual environment corresponding to the reference gesture information;

approving the received reference gesture information by an administrator of the virtual environment; and

maintaining the received reference gesture and corresponding action to be used by at least one user for playing the game within the virtual environment in response to approving.

15. A computer program embodied on a computer readable non-transitory medium comprising computer executable program code, which code, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, causes the apparatus to:

provide a user character and virtual environment information via the touch sensitive display to a user;

maintain reference gestures as multipart reference gestures, wherein at least one multipart reference gesture comprising a first reference part defined by a continuous sweep from a first touch sensitive element to a second touch sensitive element, and a second reference part defined by the continuous sweep from the second touch sensitive element to a third touch sensitive element, wherein the first reference part and the second reference part define a continuous sweep comprising the first and the second reference part;

detect a touch gesture as a multipart gesture via the touch sensitive gesture input device, the multipart gesture comprising a first part defined by a continuous sweep from a first touch sensitive element to a second touch sensitive element, and a second part defined by the continuous sweep from the second touch sensitive element to a third touch sensitive element, wherein the first part and the second part define a continuous sweep comprising the first and the second part

compare the detected first part of the multipart gesture to first reference parts of the multipart reference gestures of the user character for playing the game within the virtual environment;

generate first feedback information to the user during the continuous sweep in response to finding a matching first reference part based on the comparison; and

generate an action for the user character within the virtual environment in response to finding a matching reference gesture to the detected touch gesture.