Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data
Reexamination Certificate
1997-08-12
2001-05-08
Martin-Wallace, Valencia (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
C463S040000, C703S011000, C706S058000, C446S143000, C446S175000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227966
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a simulation device for fostering a virtual creature by conducting a treatment in response to a call from the virtual creature.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, various electronic game devices for raising a pet such as a dog or a cat in a predetermined screen, have been proposed and sold. There have been known conventional electronic game devices of this kind disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP-A-7-261962 or Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP-A-7-281819.
According to the conventional example disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP-A-7-261962, a light emitting element and a light receiving element are installed in a main body of a device and an infrared ray emitted from the light emitting element is reflected by hand or the like and received by the light receiving element by noncontact operation of a user (a player). Further, data of a plurality of patterns of dog characters and biorhythms of the dog characters are stored in a memory and accordingly, data of the dog characters in correspondence with a number of times of the noncontact operation and biorhythms of the day are selectively read from the memory and are displayed. Thereby, a character image also in correspondence with physical conditions of the dog character can be selectively displayed.
According to the conventional example disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP-A-7-281819 a light emitting element and a light receiving element are installed in a main body of a device and an infrared ray from the light emitting element is reflected by hand or the like and received by the light receiving element by noncontact operation of a user by which a noncontact operation distance is detected. Further, a plurality of kinds of dog character data where motion of a dog is changed such as a looking-back dog or a paw-raising dog or the like and effective sound data are stored in a memory and accordingly, the dog character data are selectively read and displayed in correspondence with the noncontact operation distance and an effective sound thereof is emitted from a speaker. In this way, the character image in compliance with gesticular order by the hand of the user can selectively be displayed.
However, according to both of the above-described conventional examples, an instruction is issued to a character image by a unilateral order from the user and there has been no conventional example where a player responds to a call or a request from the character image.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been devised in view of the above drawbacks and it is an object of the present invention to provide a simulation device for fostering a virtual creature where a player responds to a call or a request from a displayed virtual creature and conducts a treatment in correspondence thereto by which the virtual creature is disciplined or the virtual creature is grown and fostered.
Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simulation device for fostering a virtual creature where the virtual creature is grown and fostered in response to a call from a player.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a simulation device for fostering a virtual creature where the following conditions are provided to achieve the above-described object.
That is, the present invention is constituted by:
(a) provision of inputting means for inputting a treatment for fostering a virtual creature;
(b) provision of a display unit for displaying the virtual creature;
(c) provision of a storing unit for storing control data for fostering the virtual creature;
(d) provision of a control unit whereby when the treatment for fostering the virtual creature is input from the inputting means, the control data corresponding to the treatment is read from the storing unit and a control for fostering the virtual creature is carried out based on the read control data;
(e) provision of detecting means for detecting a call from an external source;
(f) the control unit is provided with concealing means for randomly concealing a display of the virtual creature from the display unit; and
(g) the control unit is provided with releasing means for unconcealing the virtual creature when the call from an external source is detected under a situation where the virtual creature is concealed.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a simulation device for fostering the virtual creature having the following conditions.
That is, the present invention is constituted by:
(a) provision of inputting means for inputting a treatment for fostering a virtual creature:
(b) provision of a storing unit for storing control data for fostering the virtual creature;
(c) provision of a control unit whereby when the treatment for fostering the virtual creature is input from the inputting means, the control data corresponding to the treatment is read from the storing unit and a control for fostering the virtual creature is carried out based on the read control data;
(d) provision of detecting means for detecting a call from an external source;
(e) the control unit is provided with manifesting means for randomly manifesting an influencing creature effecting an adverse influence on growth of the virtual creature;
(f) the control unit is provided with repelling means for repelling the influencing creature when the call from an external source is detected under a situation where the influencing creature is manifested; and
(g) further provision of a display unit for displaying the virtual creature and/or the influencing creature.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a simulation device for fostering a virtual creature having the following conditions.
That is, the present invention is constituted by:
(a) provision of inputting means for inputting a treatment for fostering a virtual creature;
(b) provision of a storing unit for storing control data for fostering the virtual creature;
(c) provision of a control unit whereby when the treatment for fostering the virtual creature is input from the inputting means, the control data corresponding to the treatment is read from the storing unit and a control for fostering the virtual creature is carried out based on the read control data;
(d) provision of detecting means for detecting a call from an external source;
(e) the control unit is provided with operation means for having the virtual creature randomly conduct an action which is different from a normal action;
(f) the control unit is provided with rectifying means whereby when the call from an external source is detected under a situation where the virtual creature conducts the action which is different from the normal action, the virtual creature is rectified to carry out the normal action;
(g) further provision of a display unit for displaying the virtual creature.
Further, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a simulation device for fostering a virtual creature having the following conditions.
That is, the present invention is constituted by the following conditions in addition to the conditions according to the first through the third aspects.
That is, the present invention is constituted by:
(a) the storing unit stores a plurality of kinds of virtual creatures having different appearances;
(b) the control unit is provided with calling means whereby the virtual creature makes a call during a growth procedure;
(c) the inputting means is provided with a means for taking care of the virtual creature and a means for disciplining the virtual creature in response to the call from the virtual creature;
(d) the control unit is provided with selecting means for selecting one virtual creature from the stored plurality of kinds of virtual creatures in accordance with a degree of taking care of the virtual creature and a degree of disciplining the virtual creature during a growth procedu
Baker & McKenzie
Harris Chanda
Kabushiki Kaisha Bandai
Martin-Wallace Valencia
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