Patents Assigned to Nintendo Co., Ltd.
  • Patent number: 11925865
    Abstract: A non-limiting example game system includes a processor incorporated in a main body apparatus, and the processor makes a first index image move toward an upper end from a lower end in a movement gauge in a parameter determination screen when a player starts a second parameter determination operation. When the first index image is stopped according to an operation of the player, a hitting power for a ball is determined based on the stopped position. Moreover, if the first index image is stopped, a second index image is moved up to a position that the first index image is stopped from the lower end in the movement gauge. The player performs a direction input during a direction input period that is a period of time that the second index image is being moved. Then, a trajectory after the ball starts moving is changed in a direction based on the direction input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Yamamura, Kodai Matsumoto, Shinya Saito, Hiroyuki Takahashi, Shugo Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11918905
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes controlling movement of any of first objects arranged on a field, controlling movement of a second object fed to any of the first objects, and carrying out control such that a first object satisfying prescribed proximity relation with the second object among the first objects acquires the second object. The controlling movement of a second object includes ejecting the second object to the field from a prescribed position in a direction determined based on an accepted first user operation input and moving the second object over the field in accordance with an accepted second user operation input. The controlling movement of any of the first objects moves any of the first objects toward the second object ejected to the field and moves any of the first objects toward the second object that moves over the field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Mizuki, Shigeru Miyamoto, Tatsuo Nomura
  • Patent number: 11918899
    Abstract: A computer system is provided that generates images based on execution of an application program such as a video game. When required, images are generated by blending the image data of two successively generated images, with one of the images (e.g., the current or previous image) having a blend factor applied thereto. After a threshold number of images has been blended in this manner, the process switches to applying the blend factor to the other one of the images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Laurent Hiriart
  • Patent number: 11918907
    Abstract: A first game process that proceeds independently of a second game process related to opponents for a user is performed. State data indicating a second game state of the second game process related to each of a plurality of the opponents is sequentially acquired, and a display image including a first image reflecting a first game state of the first game process and a plurality of second images reflecting the second game states indicated by the state data is sequentially generated. The display image is sequentially generated such that the first image is arranged in a first area located at a center of the display image, a second area is located at a position at each of right and left sides of the first area, and the second images are arranged in the respective second areas at the right and left sides. An instruction that changes a game state of the target is made if a game state of the user satisfies a predetermined condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuichi Nakada, Kuniaki Ito
  • Patent number: 11921939
    Abstract: This information processing system includes: a controller including an operation element to be displaced from an initial position by user's operation, a restoring force imparting section applying a restoring force for returning the displaced operation element to the initial position, a resistance section using a magnetorheological fluid whose viscosity changes with a magnetic-field intensity and which becomes resistance when the operation element is displaced from/to the initial position, and a magnetic field generation section which provides the magnetic field to the magnetorheological fluid; and a circuit capable of controlling the magnetic field generation section. The circuit controls a magnetic-field intensity so that the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid periodically changes at least between a first viscosity state and a second viscosity state in which the viscosity is lower than in the first viscosity state so that the operation element returns to the initial position by the restoring force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takafumi Aoki, Takanori Okamura
  • Patent number: 11924623
    Abstract: A 3D sound spatializer provides delay-compensated HRTF interpolation techniques and efficient cross-fading between current and delayed HRTF filter results to mitigate artifacts caused by interpolation between HRTF filters and the use of time-varying HRTF filters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jeff Thompson
  • Patent number: 11915555
    Abstract: A first lottery section performs a first lottery for specifying at least one presentation element among a plurality of presentation elements respectively associated with a plurality of content groups. A presentation section presents the presentation element specified by the first lottery, to a user. A second lottery section performs, in accordance with a user's instruction, a second lottery for specifying at least one content from the content group associated with the presentation element presented by the presentation section. A providing section provides the content drawn by the second lottery, to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignees: NINTENDO CO., LTD., DeNA Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Sensui, Masaki Yasuhara, Ai Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 11911700
    Abstract: A player character is moved based on an operation performed on a direction input device, the position of a virtual camera is controlled based on the position of the player character, and a swing direction in which an operation device has been swung is determined based on data from an inertial sensor, and causes the player character to perform a swing action of swinging in a direction according to the swing direction. Then, a moving object is moved based on collision determination between the swing action and the moving object, thereby controlling a sport game using the moving object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kenji Iwata
  • Patent number: 11914421
    Abstract: A device holder 1 holds a portable electronic device having a display. The device holder has: a main body for holding the device in a state with the device placed with one side surface downward; and, a swivel block attached to the main body to be able to swivel. The main body has a main body connector connected to a device connector provided at the side surface of the device. The swivel block has, at one side surface thereof, an external connector for video output. The swivel block can swivel between a first swivel position where the side surface, with which the external connector is provided, faces a first side surface side of the main body and a second swivel position where the side surface, with which the external connector is provided, faces a second side surface side at an opposite side to the first side surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hideaki Kamata
  • Patent number: 11902195
    Abstract: A communication system includes a first communication device that configures a first wireless network together with another peripheral device or a plurality of other peripheral devices by using a first BSSID and a second communication device that configures a second wireless network together with another peripheral device or a plurality of other peripheral devices by using a second BSSID. The first communication device is configured to transmit a first frame in which a first identification value has been designated as a BSSID. The first communication device and the second communication device are configured to perform reception processing of a frame in which the first identification value has been designated as the BSSID, as a valid frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takumi Kanaya, Yoshitaka Imura, Takayuki Shibata, Sho Kurose, Weiwei Yan
  • Patent number: 11890543
    Abstract: An example of an information processing system controls an action by a player character object in a virtual space in response to an action instruction based on an operation input. When the player character object performs the action, the information processing system defines a hit detection area used for defining whether the action has hit another object other than the player character object at a position that is determined based on the position and the orientation of the player character object in the virtual space, and expands the hit detection area in the depth direction of a virtual camera. If the expanded hit detection area is in contact with the other object, the information processing system performs a process based on the action against the other object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignees: Nintendo Co., Ltd., HAL LABORATORY, INC.
    Inventors: Katsuyoshi Sumitomo, Tatsuya Kamiyama
  • Patent number: 11890546
    Abstract: An exemplary information processing system is configured to create a route formed by arranging, in a virtual space, a plurality of route parts each associated with a design; determine whether the route created by the user contains a forbidden symbol or a forbidden word. When the route created by the user contains a forbidden symbol or a forbidden word, uploading of the route created by the user to the server is prohibited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuhei Ariyama, Fumiya Nakano
  • Publication number: 20240037695
    Abstract: An exemplary image processing system first writes normal line information and color information into the G buffer and depth information into the depth buffer for a first object. Next, at a time of writing the normal line information into the G buffer for a second object, the exemplary image processing system calculates a difference between the depth information of a first object and the depth information of the second object, and blends the normal line information of the first object with the normal line information of the second object based on the difference, and writes the blended normal line information into the G buffer. The exemplary image processing system then renders an image in a frame buffer based on information stored in the G buffer and light source information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Applicants: Nintendo Co., Ltd., HAL Laboratory, Inc.
    Inventor: Ayumu KATO
  • Patent number: 11878247
    Abstract: In a virtual space of an own apparatus, the movement speed of a movement object is reduced on the basis of a reduction value according to a communication delay time with respect to an opponent apparatus. The reduction value is adjusted such that the movement speed of the movement object is reduced in accordance with the time having elapsed from start of movement of the movement object. The opponent character object is caused to perform an action on the movement object, on the basis of data received from the opponent apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideyuki Tatsuta, Takafumi Masaoka, Kazuhiro Yoshikawa, Ryosuke Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11872477
    Abstract: At a position including coordinates of an input start possible point on a first display, an image indicating the input start possible point is displayed, and at a position including coordinates of an input target point on a second display, an image indicating the input target point is displayed. Then, if a coordinate input to the first display includes an input to a position including the coordinates of the input start possible point, and a coordinate input to the second display includes an input to a position including the coordinates of the input target point, based on trajectories of coordinates of the coordinate inputs to the first display and the second display, a positional relationship between the first display and the second display is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Suzuki, Yoshinori Tsuchiyama, Izumi Fukuda
  • Patent number: 11872475
    Abstract: A game system that is a non-limiting example information processing system comprises a main body apparatus, and this main body apparatus is provided with a left controller and a right controller in a attachable and detachable manner. Each of the left controller and the right controller comprises a plurality of operation buttons and an analog stick. In a first operation mode, action of a player character is controlled according to an operation of a player. In a second operation mode, a sub-character appears, and action of the sub-character is automatically controlled except for a case where the sub-character attacks an enemy character according to depression of a ZL-button. In a third operation mode, movement of the player character and movement of the sub-character are respectively controlled according to an operation of the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahisa Taura, Kaori Ando, Makoto Okazaki
  • Patent number: 11871206
    Abstract: In a case where a virtual microphone has moved to an extent greater than a predetermined reference in a virtual space, during a predetermined period from the movement of the virtual microphone, first interpolation for changing from a relative distance before the movement to a relative distance after the movement over the predetermined period, and second interpolation for changing from a relative direction before the movement to a relative direction after the movement over the predetermined period, are each performed. Then, the volume and the balance of sounds to be outputted are set on the basis of the relative distance by the first interpolation and the relative direction by the second interpolation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Taniwa
  • Patent number: 11865462
    Abstract: Exemplary communication system 1 includes game devices 10, communication terminals 20, and game support server 30. Game devices 10 enable users to perform a multi-play activity. Each of communication terminals 20 runs an application associated with corresponding game device 10. Game support server 30 divides communication terminals 20 into separate communication groups in accordance with a situation of the multi-play activity performed by game devices 10 so that communication terminals 20 belonging to a same communication group can communicate with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: NINTENDO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Daisuke Nakamura, Masashi Seiki, Yosuke Fujino, Miki Murakami, Hideaki Tanabe, Sho Onuma, Naoya Hirota, Kojiro Taguchi, Daisuke Tsujimura
  • Patent number: 11871530
    Abstract: An electronic device includes: a housing; a display provided at a front side thereof; and a stand provided at a back side thereof. The housing has a transition wall between back and bottom walls, which extends further to the front as further downwardly separated from the back wall. The transition wall has a recessed part and a ventilation hole communicated with the recessed part. The stand is attached to the housing so that the stand can move between a closed state where the stand approaches the back wall and an open state where a bottom end part of the stand is separated away from the back wall so that the stand can support the housing at an angle from a placement surface. The stand is configured so that the bottom end part of the stand covers part of the recessed part when the stand is in the closed state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junichiro Miyatake, Yuya Okazaki, Takafumi Nishida
  • Patent number: 11865454
    Abstract: An example of an information processing apparatus acquires action data based on an output of a sensor according to a fitness action performed by a player, and executes a game event. In the game event, the information processing apparatus designates at least one type of fitness event from among a plurality of types of fitness events. Each fitness event causes the player to perform a fitness action. During the game event, the information processing apparatus executes a fitness event that causes the player to perform a fitness action corresponding to the designated fitness event until an ending condition is satisfied. The information processing apparatus determines whether or not the achievement condition has been satisfied, based on the action data acquired during the fitness event. The information processing apparatus repeats designation and execution of the fitness event until it is determined that the achievement condition has been satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryosuke Suzuki, Masaki Wada