Patents Assigned to Konami Co., Ltd.
  • Patent number: 6607446
    Abstract: Disclosed is a music game system in which the attraction of a game is increased by effectively using limited music data. The music game system comprises an input device 4 for outputting signals in correspondence with the operation states of push-switches 5; a ROM 30a in which are stored music data for reproducing multiple tunes, and timing data of each tune defining a procedure for operating the push-switches 5 in correspondence with the tune reproduced based on music data; display devices 24,3 for displaying game screens; music reproduction devices for 26, 32 reproducing the music data; and a CPU for reproducing a predetermined tune by the music reproduction devices and for guiding the player in operation procedures of the input device 4 in correspondence with the reproduced tune, a medley tune comprising parts of the multiple tunes linked together being reproduced, and the operation procedure of the input device being guided in correspondence with the medley tune.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Shimomura, Masayuki Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6606104
    Abstract: A video game device in which a competition is developed between a main character and an enemy character by giving instructions to move the main character operated by an operation unit in a game space displayed on a display screen. The video game device comprises: a character processing unit for displaying an area mark belonging to one of the main character and the enemy character and having a specified size, a judging unit for judging whether the other character has continued to be inside the area mark for a predetermined time, and a game result output unit for obtaining a result of the competition when the other character continued to be inside the area mark for the predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2003
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Kondo, Eiji Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 6599195
    Abstract: A background-sound switching method and apparatus is provided for switching of background-music data. A partitioning code represents an end position of a phrase of background sounds outputted through a speaker. A switching instruction device outputs a switching-instruction signal which causes switching from the background-sound data being outputted to a D/A converter to other background-sound data. Following output of the switching-instruction signal, a data-number controller stores in RAM a data number which defines a next background-sound data to be outputted to the D/A converter. A code detector detects the partitioning code of the background-sound data being outputted. At each time the partitioning code is detected, a switching controller determines whether or not the data number is stored in the RAM and, if the data number is stored in the RAM, the background-sound data being outputted is switched to the other background-sound data defined by the data number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignees: Konami Co., Ltd., Kabushiki Kaisha Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka
    Inventors: Shigeru Araki, Hideto Inoue, Kazuhiko Uehara
  • Patent number: 6595850
    Abstract: A video game machine includes a display unit for displaying a game screen based on a video game in which a leading character fights to attack enemy characters, a display control unit for displaying the leading character and enemy characters on the game screen, an operation unit for outputting operation signals in accordance with external operations, an attack control unit for controlling the leading character on the game screen so that the leading character uses weapon items in accordance with the operation signals to attack the enemy characters, and an enemy-character generating unit for newly generating the enemy characters at a predetermined position in accordance with an elapsed time. The attack control unit controls the leading character so as to damage the enemy characters without using any of the weapon items until a predetermined time elapses from the generation of the enemy characters at the predetermined position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yukiko Yamaki
  • Patent number: 6589117
    Abstract: A fishing game system is designed to sufficiently reproduce a feeling of actual fishing with a simple mechanism. A fishing game system includes a display device for displaying an image, an input device from which a signal is outputted in response to operation by a player, and a game control device for referring to the signal outputted from the input device to perform a fishing game on a screen of the display device in accordance with a predetermined procedure. The input device includes an operation lever operable in a lateral direction as well as a forward-backward direction to the player, and a handle arranged on the operation lever rotatably operable about an axial line in the lateral direction. The operation of the operation lever in the forward-backward direction corresponds to the up and down operation of an actual fishing rod, while the operation of the operation lever in the lateral direction corresponds to the lateral-directional operation of the fishing rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Moritome, Hajime Kawashima, Eiji Yokoi
  • Patent number: 6585600
    Abstract: A competition video game device for displaying a plurality of simulated games played between an own team and an enemy team on a display means by causing n (≧1) player characters to participate and play in the games, comprises a first storage means for storing m (>n) player characters belonging to the own team, a player selection control means for selecting at least n player characters to participate in the simulated game from the m player characters before each simulated game, and a condition setting means for setting the player character whose consecutive non-participating game number up to the last simulated game is equal to or larger than a specified number in the game sense reduced condition, in which his movements are sluggish when he participates in the simulated game, at a specified probability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiji Nakagawa, Tetsuya Kondo
  • Patent number: 6582309
    Abstract: A game system has a display monitor for displaying a game image, a plurality of control buttons manually operable by a game player, and a memory for storing data representing timings to operate the control buttons, respectively. The game system has a control operation indicating function for displaying in the game image an image for indicating the timings to operate the control buttons based on the data stored in the memory, and an obstructing function for generating an obstructive effect in the image for indicating the timings to operate the control buttons, to obstruct an attempt of the game player to grasp the timings to operate the control buttons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Higurashi, Kiyoshi Mizuki, Shintaro Mukai, Masato Akiyama, Hiroshi Takeyasu, Ryo Komatsu, Hiroshi Naraoka
  • Patent number: 6561901
    Abstract: A game system includes: a manipulating unit to be manipulated by a player; a storage unit for storing program and data required to execute a game; an executing unit for executing the game based on a manipulation of the manipulating unit and storage contents in the storage unit; an interrupting unit for interrupting a progress of the game when the game being executed reaches a predetermined progress level; an requesting unit for requesting the player to input information to release the interruption of the game in response to the interruption of the game by the interrupting unit; and a managing unit for comparing the manipulation of the manipulating unit responsive to the request by the requesting unit with a releasing condition of the interruption which is stored in the storage unit in advance, for permitting the progress of the game ahead of the point of the interruption if the manipulation satisfying the releasing condition is performed and for inhibiting the progress of the game ahead of the point of the in
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Konami, Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasumi Takase
  • Patent number: 6554711
    Abstract: In a musical game system, there is a corresponding relationship between a game executed in a main body game device and a game executed in a portable game device functioning as an auxiliary memory apparatus of the main body game device. Data for music reproduction for reproducing a plurality of tunes and timing data specifying a series of manipulations of input apparatus provided in correspondence with the plurality of tunes are stored in memory apparatus of first and second game devices. In the games of each game device, a tune is selected from the plurality of tunes, a series of manipulations of the input apparatus based on the timing data corresponding to the selected tune is displayed to the player, and the selected tune is reproduced based on the data for music reproduction corresponding to the selected tune.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasushi Kawasaki, Sadaharu Katori
  • Patent number: 6544122
    Abstract: A background-sound control apparatus, a background-sound control method, readable recording medium containing a background-sound control program, and a video game apparatus improve effectiveness of background-sound data provided over a predetermined number of channels. When background sounds are produced through a speaker, a sound-level controller controls output ratios for sound levels defined in background-sound data on a channel basis and uses a sound-level control function to perform crossfading sound-level control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignees: Konami Co., Ltd., Kabushi Kaisha Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka
    Inventors: Shigeru Araki, Hideto Inoue, Kazuhiko Uehara
  • Patent number: 6540611
    Abstract: A portable game machine has an input unit and a display which are accommodated in a portable housing. Gauges are composed of a plurality of small areas sequentially arranged in predetermined directions. In the housing, a game processor is provided which selects one of a plurality of preset game elements based on an operation input by a game player and which displays information on game progress on at least one of the gauges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akihiko Nagata
  • Patent number: 6539266
    Abstract: A computer system for detecting alteration of programs in which a plurality of check program portions are read from a storage medium which carries computer programs including the check program portions. Each check program portion is executed to detect alteration of at least one other check program portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignees: Konami Co., Ltd., Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirotaka Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 6520858
    Abstract: A video game apparatus, method and medium increases simulation realism of a jump action by using an operation stick bendable from its upright position. A controller-operation detection unit detects values of the x-coordinate and the y-coordinate which correspond to a bend direction and a bend angle of an operation stick; jump control unit starts a run-up action when an A-button is turned on, in which if the operation stick is not bent towards the back end, processing immediately shifts to a jump action process; and jump conditions are determined on the basis of a changed information regarding the values of the x-coordinate and the y-coordinate at the time when the stick is bent from the back end to the upright position and the position of a ski-jumping competitor corresponding to a takeoff of a ski-jumping hill at the time of the operation of the operation stick.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanori Matsui, Hideyuki Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 6500065
    Abstract: In a game device for use in displaying an image on a display device to play a video basketball game in response to an operation of a user, a shot image which takes a shot at a goal by a character is displayed on the display device while manipulation timing of the user is monitored to determine whether the shot succeeds or not. On the display device, a gauge is displayed which has a shot success zone and a movable cursor and which is used to determine whether the movable cursor is placed within the shot success zone at the manipulation timing. The gauge is helpful to determine success or failure of the shot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahiro Sato
  • Patent number: 6483520
    Abstract: In an image creating apparatus, a liquid-object model is realistically represented by using a simple liquid-object model consisting of a plurality of polygons. A ROM stores wave-swell polygon data and texture data representing the swell of waves. The swell of a wave is formed of N liquid-object polygon sets. Each of the polygon sets consists of a plurality of hexagonal polygons. The lateral surfaces, i.e., the longitudinal dimensions, of the polygons are arranged orthogonal to the Z axis. The polygon sets are sequentially arranged in the Z-axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Uchi, Hidekazu Shimizu
  • Patent number: 6471584
    Abstract: A simulation game machine relatively moves a virtual character displayed on a monitor in a game space in accordance with control by a player using an operation unit. The simulation game machine includes a pair of dummy skis, jump switches for instructing the character to initiate jumping, and a jump controller for controlling the character to jump in accordance with an instruction from the jump switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Wada, Yasuyuki Nagatomo
  • Patent number: 6468161
    Abstract: The video game device which may display 2D images and pseudo 3D images without need to rewrite data in a frame buffer for a long time in a game. The frame buffer includes a display area storing images directly transferred to the monitor and a non-display area storing images used to produce the image transferred to the monitor. Only the changing parts of the images continuously displayed on the monitor are stored as small sized area in the non-display area and only the changing parts are put on the image to be displayed at a desired timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satoshi Shimomura
  • Patent number: 6462720
    Abstract: There is provided a light-emitting display device which is resistive to shock and vibration and a display switching method comprising: a forward transparent plate 322a having a light scattering portion for a predetermined design pattern relative to a surface direction thereof, a backward transparent plate 322b having a light scattering portion for a predetermined design pattern relative to a surface direction in which the second-mentioned design pattern is different from the first-mentioned design pattern of the light scattering portion of the forward transparent plate, a light source 324 for the forward transparent plate for supplying incidence of light into the forward transparent plate from an end surface of the forward transparent plate, and an other light source 325 for the backward transparent plate for supplying incidence of light into the backward transparent plate from an end surface of the backward transparent plate, so that switching is made from and to emitting and quenching of the backward transp
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Assignee: Konami Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihisa Yamashita, Kojiro Minami, Hirofumi Fujimoto, Katsunori Hirasawa, Masatoshi Mukai, Yutaka Tsuji
  • Patent number: 6461239
    Abstract: The music action game machine comprises: a main body; an operation input device disposed on a front side of the main body so as to be adjacent to hands of a player facing the front side of the main body, the operation input device having a plurality of operation members; a storage device for storing data of a musical composition and data of a performance procedure associated with the musical composition; a music play device for playing the musical composition based on the data stored in the storage device; an operation instructing device for giving the player a visual instruction to operate the operation members in accordance with progress of a play of the musical composition based on the data stored in the storage device; an effect producing device for producing a performance effect in response to a performance operation performed by the player to each of the operation members; an estimation device for estimating the performance operation of the player based on a relationship between the performance procedur
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichiro Sagawa, Kiyoshi Mizuki, Hideki Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 6450888
    Abstract: Disclosed is a game system which matches a player's tastes. In a game system operating in time with music, it is possible to select an edit mode for editing timing data which define timings of operations. In the edit mode, an edit window having a predetermined display range is displayed on a screen of a display device in correspondence with information representing a position in a tune. Images in the edit window are scrolled so that the position of a target to be edited set inside the edit window moves forward and backward through the tune. When an operation is performed to provide marks, timing data for showing an operation timing of a control member provided in correspondence with the operation is provided at the position of the edit object in the edit window, and in addition, the timing data during editing is updated so that the position in the tune corresponding to the position of the edit object is defined as a operation timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignees: Konami Co., Ltd., Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasumi Takase, Kei Nagaoka, Yumi Yoshida