Terminal display control method, terminal display system and server apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10850194-B2
Application number	US-201715703352-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2017
Priority date	Jan 31, 2013
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a terminal display control method for using as a controller of a game a terminal device including a touch panel, which is configured to be integral with a display, includes selecting a controller image which is used in the game; setting at least one of a presence/absence of a function, a number, a size, a shape and a position of disposition, with respect to an operation element in the controller image; and making variable, in accordance with a content of the setting, a state of the controller image displayed on the display, and an operation standard of the operation element corresponding to an input on the touch panel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A game system comprising:
a first electronic device including a first display and a touch panel integral with the first display; and
a second electronic device including a second display, the second electronic device being configured to be connected to the first electronic device via a network,
wherein the first electronic device further includes first circuitry configured to:
receive a controller image for use in a game from the second electronic device,
identify a touch operation at the touch panel,
control the first display to display a first operation object and at least one second operation object such that the first operation object and the at least one second operation object accept the touch operation, the first operation object including a first frame indicative of an operation range and a second frame, the second frame being smaller than the first frame and being allowed to move only within the first frame, the first frame of the first operation object and the at least one second operation object being displayed at respective fixed positions while a user is playing the game, the respective fixed positions are determined at least according to the controller image,
detect a moving direction of the touch operation from a first touch position to a second touch position within the first frame,
shift the second frame only within the first frame according to the second touch position, and
notify the second electronic device of the moving direction, and

wherein the second electronic device includes second circuitry configured to control the second display to display a game screen including an object representing a user character, and move the object on the second display according to the moving direction of the touch operation from the first touch position to the second touch position within the first frame, and
wherein, in a case where the first touch position is in close proximity to a touchable limit of the touch panel, the first circuitry is configured to control the first display to display the second frame according to the first touch position and to display the first frame at a position relatively shifted in a direction away from the touchable limit such that the first frame is skewed relative to the first touch position so as to position an entirety of the second frame within the touchable limit of the touch panel, and notify the second electronic device of a direction of the touchable limit viewed from the first touch position such that the second circuitry of the second electronic device is configured to move the object representing the user character in the game screen in a direction from a center of the skewed first frame to a center of the second frame.

2. The game system of claim 1 , wherein the first circuitry of the first electronic device is configured to:
notify the second electronic device of the moving direction in a case the touch operation from the first touch position to the second touch position corresponds to a slide operation; and
erase the first frame in a case the touch operation at the touch panel is not identified.

3. The game system of claim 1 , wherein the first circuitry of the first electronic device is configured to:
detect a moving speed of the touch operation from the first touch position to the second touch position; and
notify the second electronic device of the moving speed.

4. The game system of claim 1 , wherein the first touch position is any arbitrary position within a portion of the touch panel, the portion being determined by controller image, and
wherein, responsive to the first touch position of the touch operation being identified, control the first display to display and fix the first frame at its respective fixed position while the user is playing the game such that the first frame at least surrounds the first touch position of the touch operation, and
wherein the first frame includes a first frame area that is less than the entire area of the touch panel.

5. The game system of claim 4 , wherein the first frame and the second frame are circular, and arranged concentrically according to the first touch position in a case where the first touch position is not in close proximity to a touchable limit of the touch panel.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-program instructions, which when executed by a first electronic device including a first display and a touch panel integral with the first display, cause the first electronic device to:
receive a controller image for use in a game from the second electronic device;
identify a touch operation at the touch panel;
control the first display to display a first operation object and at least one second operation object, the first operation object including a first frame indicative of an operation range and a second frame, the second frame being smaller than the first frame and being allowed to move only within the first frame, the first frame of the first operation object and the at least one second operation object being displayed at respective fixed positions while a user is playing the game, the respective fixed positions are determined at least according to the controller image;
detect a moving direction of the touch operation from a first touch position to a second touch position within the first frame;
shift the second frame only within the first frame according to the second touch position; and
notify a second electronic device of the moving direction of the touch operation from the first touch position to the second touch position within the first frame, and
wherein, in a case where the first touch position is in close proximity to a touchable limit of the touch panel, the computer-program instructions further cause the first electronic device to: control the first display to display the second frame according to the first touch position and to display the first frame at a position relatively shifted in a direction away from the touchable limit such that the first frame is skewed relative to the first touch position so as to position an entirety of the second frame within the touchable limit of the touch panel; and notify the second electronic device of a direction of the touchable limit viewed from the first touch position such that a second circuitry of the second electronic device is configured to move an object representing a user character in a game screen displayed thereon in a direction from a center of the skewed first frame to a center of the second frame.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the computer-program instructions further cause the first electronic device to:
notify the second electronic device of the moving direction in a case the touch operation from the first touch position to the second touch position corresponds to a slide operation; and
erase the first frame in a case the touch operation at the touch panel is not identified.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the computer-program instructions further cause the first electronic device to:
detect a moving speed of the touch operation from the first touch position to the second touch position; and
notify the second electronic device of the moving speed.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the first touch position is any arbitrary position within a portion of the touch panel, the portion being determined by controller image, and
wherein the computer-program instructions further cause the first electronic device to:
responsive to the first touch position of the touch operation being identified, control the first display to display and fix the first frame at its respective fixed position wh

Assignees

• Gree Inc

Inventors

• Takagi Yushi
• Yabe Toshiharu
• Iguchi Kenji
• Kai Takuya

Classifications

• A63F13/26

  having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth · CPC title

• A63F13/843

  involving concurrently two or more players on the same game device, e.g. requiring the use of a plurality of controllers or of a specific view of game data for each player · CPC title

• A63F13/323 Primary

  between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines · CPC title

• A63F13/327

  using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet · CPC title

• A63F13/355

  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 title