Storage medium, input terminal device, control system, and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9126114-B2
Application number	US-201213419697-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2012
Priority date	Nov 9, 2011
Publication date	Sep 8, 2015
Grant date	Sep 8, 2015

Abstract

An input terminal device of one example includes a CPU, and the CPU transmits operation data to a game apparatus executing game processing in response to an operation by a user. Furthermore, when a TV remote control button provided to the input terminal device is operated, the CPU sets a TV control mode capable of operating a television, to thereby display a TV remote controller image on an LCD of the input terminal device. By using this image, the user inputs operation data of the television.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing at least one program for execution by a computer of an input device that is configured to display images on a display screen intergrated with the input device, the program comprising instructions that cause the computer to:
detect input(s) provided to the input device;
in at least an application mode output to the display screen, image(s) generated in accordance with an execution of an application that uses at least some of the input(s) detected by the input device;
while in the application mode determine whether or not a predetermined input is present from the detected input(s);
in response to determination that the predetermined input is present, switch from (1) the application mode in which the image(s) generated from the executing application are being output to (2) an appliance control mode where the computer overlays an appliance control image on the images(s) being output to the display screen; and
in the appliance control mode, receive input and control an appliance, which is separate from the input device, in accordance with the received input while the image(s) are being output to the display screen and overlaid with the appliance control image.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the computer to:
while in the appliance control mode determines whether of not the predetermined input is present from the detected input(s); and
in response to determination that the predetermined input is present while in the appliance control mode, switch from the appliance control mode to the appliance mode.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the computer to:
in the application mode, cause a speaker to output sounds that are based on an audio data provided in accordance with execution of the application; and
cause the sounds based on the audio data and output by the speaker to be output at lower in response to switching to the appliance control mode.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein said application includes a game application.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the input device includes a housing with which the display screen is integrated into, the housing including an infrared emitter configured to emit infrared signals to an infrared receiver associated with the appliance, the instructions further configured to:
control the infrared emitter to emit infrared signal(s) that are determined based on the received input, the emitted infrared signal(s) configured to control the appliance in accordance with reception by the infrared receiver thereof.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein:
the appliance is an electronic device, which is separate from the input device, that outputs a video signal to a remote display screen for display thereon,
the appliance control mode is a remote display control mode for controlling the electronic device, and
the appliance is controlled via wirelessly transmitted control commands that are transmitted from the input device to the electronic device to cause a change in functionality of the electronic device.

7. An control system that is configured to switch between an application mode and an appliance control mode, the control system comprising:
a display device that includes a display screen that is intergrated into a housing;
and input device disposed on/in the housing and configured to detect input provided or caused by a used her the input device;
and infrared emitter configured to emit infrared signals to an infrared receiver of an appliance that is separate from the input device; and
A processing system that includes at least one processor coupled to a memory device, the processing system configured to:
in at least the application mode, output, to the display screen, image(s) that are generated based on execution of an application program that uses input(s) received via the input device;
while in the application mode, determine whether or not a predetermined input is present;
in response to determination that the predetermined input is present, switch from (1) the application mode in which the image(s) based on execution of the application are being output to (2) the appliance control mode capable of controlling the appliance; and
in the appliance control mode, receive input and cause the infrared emitter to emit an infrared signal in accordance with the received input, the emitted infrared signal configured to control the appliance in accordance with reception by the infrared receiver.

8. The control system of claim 7 , wherein the processing system is further configured to, in the appliance control mode, overlay an appliance control image on top of the images that are output based on execution of the application program, where the input is received while the appliance control image is overlaid.

9. The control system of claim 7 , wherein the application program continues to execute while the appliance control image is output to the display screen and images are continually output to the display screen based on the continued execution of the application program while the appliance control image is overlaid.

10. A computer system comprising:
a display screen that is intergrated into a housing that can be moved through the air by a user holding the housing;
a user input control disposed on/in the housing and configured to detect provided input(s); and
at least one processor disposed in the housing and coupled to the display screen and the user input control, the at least one processor configured to:
in at least an application mode, output, to the display screen, image(s) generated in accordance with the execution of an application that uses at least some of the input(s) detected by the user input control;
while in the application mode, determine whether or not a predetermined input has been detected by the user input control;
in response to determination that the predetermined input is present, switch from (1) the application mode, in which the image(s) generated from the executing application are being output to the display screen, to (2) an appliance control mode; and
in the appliance control mode:
overlay an appliance control image on the image(s) being output to the display screen generated due to execution of the application program, and
receive input and control an appliance which is separate from the input device, in accordance with the received input while the image(s) are being output to the display screen and overlaid with the appliance control image.

11. The computer system of claim 10 , further comprising:
a wireless transceiver disposed in/with the housing and coupled to the at least one processor; and
an information processing apparatus that includes another wireless transceiver configured to communicate with the wireless transceiver of the housing,
the at least on processor further configured to:
cause the wireless transceiver disposed in/with the housing to transmit application operation data that is based on the at least some of the input(s) detected by the input device;
generate appliance operation data corresponding to the received input,
wherein the appliance is controlled in accordance with the wireless transmission of the generated appliance operation data to the appliance.

12. The computer system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
generate predetermined dummy operation data

Assignees

• Kuroume Tomoaki
• Sasaki Tetsuya
• Nintendo Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kuroume Tomoaki
• Sasaki Tetsuya

Classifications

• A63F13/26

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

• A63F13/235

  using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet · CPC title

• G06F3/048

  Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] · CPC title

• A63F13/533

  for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu · CPC title

• A63F13/323

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