Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Perceptible output or display
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-04
2002-04-02
Sager, Mark (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Perceptible output or display
C345S629000, C463S043000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06364770
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image creating apparatus for generating images to be displayed on a display unit, a displayed scene switching method for the image creating apparatus, a computer-readable recording medium containing a displayed scene switching program for the image creating apparatus, and a video game machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many game systems have been proposed as display systems for displaying an image on a display unit, such as a system comprised of a home-use game console and a television monitor, a commercial-use game machine, and a system comprised of a personal computer or work station, a display, and a sound output device.
The game systems each include a player-operated controller, a recording medium containing game-program data, a central processing unit (CPU) for performing control for the generation of sound and images based on the game-program data, a processor for generating images, a processor for generating sound, a monitor for displaying images, and a speaker for outputting the generated sound. In many cases, the types of recording medium include a compact-disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), a semiconductor memory, and a cassette having a built-in semiconductor memory.
In the display systems, it is common that a plurality of scenes are displayed on the display unit.
The display systems switch displayed scenes while displaying images. It is expected that the displayed scenes are preferably switched.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image creating apparatus for preferably switching displayed scenes while displaying images, a displayed scene switching method for the image creating apparatus, a computer-readable recording medium containing a displayed scene switching program for the image creating apparatus, and a video game machine.
To this end, according to an aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is achieved through provision of an image creating apparatus for selectively displaying a plurality of scenes on a display unit. The image creating apparatus includes an image-data storage unit including at least three data storage areas in each of which image data of one frame on the display unit are stored, a picture-signal processing unit for generating the image data of one frame and for cyclically storing the generated data in the data storage areas, an image output unit for cyclically reading and successively outputting the image data stored in the data storage areas on the display unit, a switching-designation unit for outputting a signal for designating the switching of each scene displayed on the display unit, and a processing-control unit for switching the scene being displayed on the display unit from an old scene to a new scene when the switching-designation signal is output. The processing-control unit includes an old-scene holding unit for holding the image data of the old scene in any one of the data storage areas in the image-data storage unit, and an instruction-controlling unit for controlling the picture-signal processing unit to use the images of the old and new scenes to generate image data and to cyclically store the generated image data in the other data storage areas.
Preferably, the picture-signal processing unit generates, as the image data, the data of an image viewed from a predetermined viewpoint in a virtual three-dimensional space, and the instruction-controlling unit controls the picture-signal processing unit to generate the image data in a form set so that the image of the old scene has higher or lower priority of display to the image of the new scene and to cyclically store the generated data in the other data storage areas in the image-data storage unit.
The instruction-controlling unit may control the picture-signal processing unit to divide the image of the old scene into a plurality of portions and to generate the image data in a form set so that the portions of the image of the old scene are separated from one another whenever the image data are cyclically stored in the other data storage areas.
The processing-control unit may include a transparency-setting unit which successively changes the degree of transparency of either the image of the old scene or the image of the new scene so that the image of the new scene is displayed in accordance with an elapse of time and which controls the picture-signal processing unit to generate the image data with the changed degree of transparency.
The instruction-controlling unit may control the picture-signal processing unit to generate the image data in a form set so that the image of the old scene has higher priority of display to the image of the new scene, and the transparency-setting unit may successively increase the degree of transparency of the image of the old scene.
The image creating apparatus may further include a switching-terminating unit for terminating the operation of the processing-control unit when the degree of transparency of the image of the old scene reaches a predetermined value.
The old-image holding unit may hold, in a predetermined data storage area as one of the data storage areas in the image-data storage unit, the image data stored in the predetermined data storage area after the switching-designation signal is output.
The image-data storage unit may include first, second, and third data storage areas as the plurality of data storage areas.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is achieved through provision of a displayed scene switching method for an image creating apparatus for selectively displaying a plurality of scenes on a display unit. The displayed scene switching method includes the steps of: generating image data of one frame on the display unit before cyclically storing the generated image data in at least three data storage areas of an image-data storage unit which are each capable of storing the image data of one frame; cyclically reading and successively outputting the image data stored in the data storage areas on the display unit; holding, when a signal for designating the switching of each scene displayed on the display unit is output, the image data of an old scene being displayed on the display unit in any one of the data storage areas of the image-data storage unit; and using the images of the old scene and a new scene to be next displayed to generate image data, and cyclically storing the generated image data in the other data storage areas of the image-data storage unit.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is achieved through provision of a computer-readable recording medium containing a displayed scene switch program for an image creating apparatus that selectively displays a plurality of scenes on a display unit. The displayed scene switch program includes a storage step for generating image data of one frame on the display unit before cyclically storing the generated image data in at least three data storage areas of an image-data storage unit which are each capable of storing the image data of one frame, an output step for cyclically reading and successively outputting the image data stored in the data storage areas on the display unit, a switching-designation step for outputting a signal for designating the switching of each scene displayed on the display unit, a holding step for holding, when the switching-designation signal is output, the image data of an old scene being displayed on the display unit in any one of the data storage areas of the image-data storage unit, and a switching-storage step for using the images of the old scene and a new scene to be next displayed to generate image data and for cyclically storing the generated image data in the other data storage areas of the image-data storage unit.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is achieved through provision of a video game machine including a program storage unit containing a game program
Ashburn Steven
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Konami Co. Ltd.
Sager Mark
LandOfFree
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