Patents Assigned to Namco, Ltd.
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Patent number: 8168435Abstract: An apparatus, method and recording medium for controlling a game where a battle occurs in virtual space between one or more player characters acting according to manipulation of a player and one or more enemy characters acting independently of the manipulation of the player, including a command information storage for storing command information sets which includes a command to a player character and a plurality of numerical values, a card display for displaying a card showing a command included in the command information set or symbols related with the numerical values, and a command input acceptance unit to accept an input which selects the card displayed as well as one of the numerical values or symbols attached to the card.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 2004Date of Patent: May 1, 2012Assignee: Namco Ltd.Inventors: Shinji Noguchi, Yasuyuki Honne, Hiroya Hatsushiba
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Patent number: 7264547Abstract: There are disclosed a game apparatus, game image preparation method and information storage medium that when a player character moves in a three-dimensional game space, sets a plurality of viewpoints in the field of view in which this character is included and prepares a plurality of two-dimensional images with different contents corresponding to their respective viewpoints.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2000Date of Patent: September 4, 2007Assignee: Namco Ltd.Inventor: Satoshi Norimatsu
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Publication number: 20070015588Abstract: Game information for causing an apparatus similar to a computer to function, the apparatus connected to an input system, the input system comprising: a tablet using an electromagnetic induction method; and a formed object incorporating a coil for performing predetermined communication using an electromagnetic induction method when placed on the tablet, and a memory for storing identification information on the formed object, so that, when the formed object is placed on the tablet, the apparatus obtains from the input system a placed position and direction on the tablet, and identification information on the formed object, wherein the apparatus is caused to function as: a change detecting unit for detecting a change of the placed position and the direction obtained from the input system; a selecting unit for selecting character information corresponding to the identification information obtained from the input system out of a plurality of character information, each of which includes image information on a chaType: ApplicationFiled: May 19, 2004Publication date: January 18, 2007Applicant: NAMCO LTD.Inventors: Shingo Matsumoto, Takanobu Unakami
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Publication number: 20060209018Abstract: An image generation system includes: a flash image generation section which generates a flash image which increases luminance of scan light for detecting an indication position of a pointing device including a photosensor which detects scan light from a display section; a luminance adjustment processing section which displays a luminance adjustment screen for adjusting luminance of the flash image in the display section, and sets luminance adjustment information of the flash image by luminance adjustment using the luminance adjustment screen; and an image generation section which generates an image displayed in the display section. The flash image generation section generates the flash image at a luminance set by the luminance adjustment information.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 29, 2005Publication date: September 21, 2006Applicant: NAMCO LTD.Inventors: Hiroshi Watanabe, Daisuke Kise
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Patent number: 7106324Abstract: An image generating system and a program enabling scissoring of a polygon in a three-dimensional stage to prevent display failure of a polygon on a screen end or at a short distance from the viewpoint with a reduced computation load. The system performs scissoring processing for a polygon in a three-dimensional stage and generates an image of an object including a new vertex generated by the scissoring. A polygon which is at a short distance from a view point, displaying of which is likely to be missed, is scissored on side surfaces of a quadrangular pyramid forming a view volume, to prevent the display failure of the polygon existing at a short distance from the end of a screen. A polygon arranged in the three-dimensional space is subjected to coordinate transformation into a screen coordinate system, to detect an undrawable vertex, and a polygon containing the detected vertex is scissored at a portion containing the detected vertex, in a predetermined plane.Type: GrantFiled: September 1, 2000Date of Patent: September 12, 2006Assignee: Namco Ltd.Inventor: Kazuya Takahashi
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Patent number: 7101283Abstract: A game machine is disclosed in which a visual point position is automatically changed after an elapse of a fixed time if an object exists between a player character and a visual point position as the player character is seen from the visual point position in a three-dimensional virtual space.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2001Date of Patent: September 5, 2006Assignee: Namco Ltd.Inventors: Shinichiro Okamoto, Jun Toyoda, Hiroshi Watanabe
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Patent number: 7064753Abstract: An image generating method for producing a pictorial image at higher speed when a three-dimensional object is arranged in an object space. The image generating method has: operating a normal line to a surface of a three-dimensional object; setting a plurality of sampling points within a rendering region on which the three-dimensional object is projected on the basis of a predetermined viewpoint; and rendering the three-dimensional object by performing processing for determining an arrangement angle of a predetermined brush image on the basis of the normal line at a position on the surface of the three-dimensional object, corresponding to each of the plurality of sampling points, and arranging the predetermined brush image at the arrangement angle at the position corresponding to each of the plurality of sampling points in the rendering buffer.Type: GrantFiled: September 15, 2003Date of Patent: June 20, 2006Assignee: Namco Ltd.Inventors: Yasuo Ohba, Akinari Kaneko, Hiroki Nagaoka
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Patent number: 7046242Abstract: An object is to provide a game system, program and image generating method which can effectively generate an image having an edge line of higher quality. The image of an edge line EDL of an object OB is changed depending on a distance between the object and the viewpoint or the size of the perspectively transformed object OB. As the distance between the object and the viewpoint increases or as the size of the perspectively transformed object decreases, the color of the edge line of the object gradually becomes the second color. The color of the edge line begins to become the second color at a threshold value VTN. The color of the edge line is set to the second color at another threshold value VTF. As the distance between the object and the viewpoint increase or as the size of the perspectively transformed object decreases, the image of the edge line of the object is made more transparent.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2001Date of Patent: May 16, 2006Assignee: Namco Ltd.Inventor: Shigeru Kitsutaka
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Patent number: 7042463Abstract: It is an object to provide an image generating system and program which can generate such an image as in the real world with reduced processing load. The alpha-value for each pixel in the original image is set to a value corresponding to its Z-value. The set alpha-value is used to perform alpha-blending between the original image and a defocused image. As the difference between the Z-value of the focus and the depth value increases, the synthesis ratio of the defocused image is increased. The range of depth of field and defocusing effect are controlled by varying the corresponding relationship between the Z-value and the alpha-value. The alpha-value is set such that the alpha-value for an pixel located in an area AR1 between Z1 and Z2 will be set to ?1, the alpha-value for an pixel located in an area AR2 between Z2 and Z3 will be set to ?2 and so forth. The alpha-value is set by updating the alpha-value of a pixel located farther from an object when the object is drawn in a frame buffer.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2000Date of Patent: May 9, 2006Assignee: Namco Ltd.Inventor: Shigeru Kitsutaka
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Publication number: 20060073862Abstract: An image generation system includes a display control section which controls display of images displayed in a touch panel display and a display, a movement control section which controls movement of a moving object, a game calculation section which performs processing of calculating a game parameter which changes as a result of game play using the moving object, and a movement permission condition determination section which determines whether or not a condition for permitting movement of the moving object from a game field G1 to a game field G2 has been satisfied based on the game parameter which changes as a result of game play in the game field G1. The movement control section performs control of moving the moving object from the game field G1 to the game field G2 when the movement permission condition has been satisfied.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 29, 2005Publication date: April 6, 2006Applicant: NAMCO LTD.Inventors: Tetsuya Shinoda, Takeshi Ono, Hideo Yoshizawa
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Patent number: 7017904Abstract: A token-operated game machine enabling continuous insertion of tokens without stop of a game such that a player can enjoy the game without troublesome motions such as crouching or reaching out. A game is played by inserting a token into a token entrance, and a token is paid out based on the game result. The token-operated game machine 10 has a token receiving section for receiving paid-out tokens, and a entryway 40 for slidably moving tokens from the token receiving section to the token entrance.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 2004Date of Patent: March 28, 2006Assignee: Namco Ltd.Inventors: Toshiya Ohara, Kiyotaka Maeno, Hideyuki Kaneko, Keizo Wada
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Publication number: 20060061567Abstract: A program for making a computer generate a space image including a moving body moving in a virtual 3D space based on a visual point, makes the computer function as: a visual point control unit controlling the visual point according to movement of the moving body so that the moving body is arranged at a predetermined position in the space image; a background image generation unit generating an image in the 3D space except for the moving body as a background image based on the visual point; a blur processing unit performing predetermined blur processing to the generated background image to generate a background blur image; a moving body image generation unit generating a moving body image based on the visual point; and a space image generation unit synthesizing the generated moving body image and the background blur image generated by the blur processing unit to generate the space image.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 16, 2005Publication date: March 23, 2006Applicant: NAMCO LTD.Inventor: Satoru Ouchi
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Patent number: 7014562Abstract: An after-image of a ball is displayed on traces of the ball so that each gamer recognizes in which direction and at which speed the shot ball flies. A real ball 30 really exists in a virtual space on a screen and flies from the left to the right in the figure. After-images 311 to 314 of the real ball 30 are displayed at the back of the real ball 30. The after-image 312 is displayed at a position of the real ball 30 before one interval (corresponding to 1/60 sec), the after-image 312 is displayed at a position of the real ball 30 before two intervals, the after-image 313 is displayed at a position of the real ball 30 before three intervals, and the after-image 314 is displayed at a position of the real ball 30 before four intervals. As the after-image is more apart from the real ball 30, the degree of transparency is higher.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2000Date of Patent: March 21, 2006Assignee: Namco Ltd.Inventor: Keisuke Nishimura
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Patent number: 7015908Abstract: There are provided an image generation system and information storage medium which can generate an image of a simple object with reduced processing load, the brightness of the simple object being variable according to the amount of light sent from a light source and received by the simple object. The image generation system comprises a light-source simple processing section (114) for performing a light-source simple processing relative to the simple object. The light-source simple processing section (114) performs computation for information relating to at least one of the brightness and color on primitive surfaces constructing the simple object, based on an angle difference between a line-of-sight vector of a virtual camera and a light vector from the light source.Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 2000Date of Patent: March 21, 2006Assignee: Namco Ltd.Inventors: Jun Nakagawa, Kazuya Takahashi, Hideki Nakamura, Masato Kanno
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Patent number: 7011582Abstract: A game apparatus for causing a player's character controlled by a player to fight against an enemy character within a predetermined game space. The game apparatus includes a storage section for storing data of items held by the respective characters, an item computing section and a character reviving section for reviving a defeated character within the game space under a predetermined condition. The item computing section selects prize items from items held by the defeated character in accordance with a predetermined rule and displays the prize items on a display means. The item computing section adds the prize items to items held by a character who acquires said prize item, subtracts the prize items from items held by the defeated character in accordance with a predetermined rule, and updating the data of items in the storage section according to the results of addition and subtraction.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 1999Date of Patent: March 14, 2006Assignee: NAMCO Ltd.Inventor: Takeyasu Yamamoto
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Patent number: 7008323Abstract: An objective is to provide an image generation system and program which can implement a realistic image with less processing load and without giving any unnatural feel to a player. It is determined whether or not any obstruction OB intervenes between an enemy character controlled by a computer and a viewpoint VP (or player's character) (or whether or not the obstruction OB exists on a line connecting an enemy character to a viewpoint The present invention is particularly effective when the motion of the enemy character C1 is generated in real time through the physical simulation.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 2000Date of Patent: March 7, 2006Assignee: Namco Ltd.Inventor: Atsushi Hayashi
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Publication number: 20060013080Abstract: A portable telephone is configured to include a storage section which includes a protected area and a user area, an encryption processing section which encrypts arbitrary data to generate encrypted data, a separation processing section which divides the encrypted data at an arbitrary position, stores first divided data which is a piece of the divided data and division position information indicating the division position in the protected area, and stores second divided data which is the remaining piece of the divided data in the user area, a recovery processing section which recovers the encrypted data based on the first and second divided data and the division position information when a use request for the arbitrary data has been issued, and a decryption processing section which decrypts the recovered encrypted data.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 7, 2005Publication date: January 19, 2006Applicant: Namco Ltd.Inventor: Hideyuki Shibata
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Patent number: 6982717Abstract: A game apparatus, a storage medium and a computer program, capable of easily and effectively reducing strange images caused by a restriction of a resolution or a refresh rate of a display unit of the game apparatus. The game apparatus comprises: an image generation section (250) for generating a space image of an object space, viewed from a virtual camera; a blurring section (250) for blurring an object first image of a predetermined object (10) of objects in the object space, according to a distance from a predetermined position to the predetermined object in the object space, to generate a blurred object second image; and an execution section (210) for executing a predetermined game by displaying the space image including the blurred object second image on a display section.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 2004Date of Patent: January 3, 2006Assignee: Namco Ltd.Inventors: Yozo Sakagami, Taku Izumizawa, Kiyotake Fujii
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Publication number: 20050270309Abstract: When the occurrence of an effect event in which an effect object is generated is determined, it is determined whether or not a virtual camera exists within an effect range set based on an occurrence position of the effect event. When the existence of the virtual camera within the effect range is determined, at least the effect object positioned outside a field of view of the virtual camera is moved and positioned within the field of view of the virtual camera.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 29, 2005Publication date: December 8, 2005Applicant: NAMCO LTD.Inventor: Shigeto Murata
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Patent number: 6967650Abstract: Am image generating system and program which can generate an image in which the change of state in an object propagate with less amount of data and reduced load in computation is provided. The image generating system generates an aggregate object (600) which is formed by a plurality of elemental objects. Each of the elemental objects (610-1 to 610-9) has means (620-1 to 620-9) for holding its own state in its own state buffer (622-1 to 622-9), means (640-1 to 640-9) for monitoring the other elemental objects belonging to the same aggregate object, and means (650-1 to 650-9) for changing the state of that elemental object when the states of the other elemental objects having a predetermined relationship relative to the elemental object are changed.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2000Date of Patent: November 22, 2005Assignee: Namco Ltd.Inventors: Naohito Hanai, Masahide Kawakami