Data processing: artificial intelligence – Neural network – Learning task
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-17
2001-08-21
Powell, Mark (Department: 2122)
Data processing: artificial intelligence
Neural network
Learning task
Reexamination Certificate
active
06278985
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic device for use in electronically growing virtual life in accordance with a program and, in particular, a virtual element selection device and method for selecting a virtual element, such as a part, a constituent, an item, and the like, to grow the virtual life in the electronic device.
Recently, electronic devices, such as personal computers, video game devices, have widely and quickly prevailed in the world. With prevalence of such electronic devices. In addition, users or customers tend to have a taste for more interesting video games and more complicated video games. This brings about a difficulty or complexion of handling or manipulating the electronic devices.
Among new types of such video games, a growing or raising simulation game (will be simply called a growing game) has been proposed in which virtual life is grown in the electronic devices. As known in the art, such a growing game includes a game (will be called a first game) of growing or raising virtual life by battling with an enemy like a role playing game, a game (will be called a second game)of raising virtual life by searching a predetermined treasure or key word in the game, or a game (will be called a third game) of enjoying reaction or activity of virtual life by feeding the virtual life like a pet or by giving a stimulus to the virtual life.
In the first and the second games mentioned above, the growth or variation of the virtual life depends on the number and species of battled enemies and kinds of the key words. on the other hand, the growth or variation of the virtual life relies in the third game on a species or a quantity of foods and a kind of stimuli given to the virtual life.
Alternatively, another type of a growing simulation game has been disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 9-140938, namely, 140938/1997. In this growing simulation game, a virtual baseball player can favorably grow into a successful baseball player by conveniently displaying characters or attributes from a menu and by conveniently and successively opting one of the characters or attributes from the menu. In this event, selecting the characters or attributes from the menu reflects user's or customer's personality, namely, intention.
However, user's personality can not completely be reflected on growing the virtual baseball player because options are previously determined on the menu and are only selected by the user. In other words, user's intention partially or discretely influences the growth and variation of the virtual baseball player when one of the options alone is selected by the user from the menu displayed.
Under the circumstances, when the same or a similar option is selected by the user, the same or similar results are obtained. Stated otherwise, when virtual life is given the same or like stimulus, the growth of the virtual life is uniquely determined whoever grows the virtual life.
In order to provide a variety of options, a great amount of menu information should be stored in a memory to be displayed as a menu and gives rise to a problem in economy. In other words, the memory must be large in memory capacity.
Moreover, the conventional approach mentioned above previously determines a relationship between a given option and the corresponding activity or reaction of the virtual life. This makes it difficult to intuitively know about relationships between each option and the corresponding activity or reaction of the virtual life because neither the activity nor the reaction can be tried in connection with the other options unselected by the user. Furthermore, the user can not know about what kind of a tendency or taste the virtual life has in the game. For example, the user can not give or select an instruction, such as a taste for a resembling matter, a taste for a soft configuration rather than a square configuration. As a result, the conventional approach lacks reality.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a virtual element selection device which is capable of increasing reality in a video game.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a virtual element selection device of the type described, which is capable of widely reflecting a user's intention or personality in the video game.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a virtual element selection device of the type described, which is capable of giving information inherent to the user to the virtual life.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a virtual element selection device of the type described, which is capable of intuitively knowing an influence of an element to the virtual life.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a vide game device which uses the virtual element selection device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording medium which is capable of playing a growing sirwlation game by the use of a neural network.
A virtual element selection device to which is applicable is for use in electronically growing virtual life in an electronic device. According to an aspect of the present invention, the virtual element selection device comprises indication means for providing a visual indication, numerating means for numerating the visual indication into a number data signal, a neural network for classifying the number data signal into a class number which corresponds to the number data signal, a reference table for storing a plurality of elements concerned with growth of the virtual life, an image memory for storing images of the respective elements, and judging means coupled to the neural network, the reference table, and the image memory for judging whether or not the element of the virtual life is modified into a modified element with reference to the class number, and display means for displaying the image of the modified element when the element of the virtual life is modified.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is for use in selecting, in an electronic device, an element of virtual life which grows up in the electronic device and comprises the steps of providing a visual indication in the form of visual information, converting the visual information into a numerical data signal corresponding to the visual information by using a neural network classifying the numerical data signal into a class number, judging in response to the class number whether or not the element of the virtual life is to be modified, preparing an element reference table which stores a plurality of elements, having access to the element reference table on judging that the element of the virtual life is changed at the judging step, to extract a modified element from the element reference table, and visually displaying the modified element on a display device.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, a recording medium stores a program which is for use in growing virtual life in an electronic device to change each element of the virtual life. The program defines the steps of providing a visual indication in the form of visual information, converting the visual information by the use of a neural network into a numerical data signal corresponding to the visual information, classifying the numerical data signal into a class number, judging in response to the class number whether or not the element of the virtual life is to be modified, preparing an element reference table which stores a plurality of elements, having access to the element reference table on judging that the element of the virtual life is changed at the judging step, to extract a modified element from the element reference table, and visually displaying the modified element on a display device.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a video game device is for use in playing a predetermined game by the use of a display device under manipulation of a user. The video game device compri
Foley & Lardner
NEC Corporation
Powell Mark
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