Patents by Inventor Kentaro Nagayama

Kentaro Nagayama has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6354948
    Abstract: A video game implementing a fishing game employs a fishing line operated by a fisher character under the control of a game player. A take-up amount computing unit performs a cumulative processing to add a predetermined amount of take-up of the fishing line, each time an operation determining unit determines that the state of a take-up button has been changed from off to on state or that the state of tilt of a stick controller has been changed. Therefore, the fishing line is taken up at a high speed when the take-up button is struck at a high frequency or when the stick controller is rotationally operated at a high speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kentaro Nagayama
  • Publication number: 20020003537
    Abstract: A 3D image processing unit for applying a specified image processing to display a model located in a simulated 3D space on a monitor after rendering processing. The 3D image processing unit includes a memory unit for storing a rendered model image as a collection of pixel data and distance information from a viewing point of a simulated camera in correspondence with respect to said pixel data; image processing unit for applying semitransparent processing to each pixel data read from the memory unit; rewriting unit for rewriting the pixel data with said distance information from the viewing point of the simulated camera that is a specified reference value or larger; and control unit for causing the image processing unit and the rewriting unit to repeatedly operate a specified number of times while successively increasing the specified reference value and successively increasing a degree of transparency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2001
    Publication date: January 10, 2002
    Applicant: KONAMI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Higashiyama, Kentaro Nagayama
  • Patent number: 6319128
    Abstract: A video game apparatus implementing a simulating fishing game displays an animation image representing behavior of a fish hooked on a lure. The video game apparatus has a first determining unit determines that a first condition has been met, when a fish is hooked on a lure by the operation of a game procedure controlling unit, or when the fish under the control of the game procedure controlling unit exhibits such a behavior as to apply a strong tension on the fishing line or to jump up above the water surface. An animation display controlling unit causes a monitor to display an animation image which has been stored in a storage medium and which represents a fished hooked on a fishing line, in such a manner as to enable identification of the fisher character who has hit the fish. A switching unit switches the game display screen displayed on the monitor from the fishing image to the animation image, when the first determining unit has determined that the first condition is met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takemasa Miyoshi, Kentaro Nagayama