Summary:

The ‘237 patent describes a music game console where the player strikes a surface in time with notes on the screen to produce musical sounds. The musical sounds change in the game depending on the timing of the player. The pitch of the musical sound is controlled by the location of the player’s strike and the strength of the strike. Pitches are lowest at the bottom of the strike zone and are quieter when the player strikes the surface softly.

Abstract:

Indication objects are displayed on a television monitor at the intervals in agreement with the rhythm of music, such that the player can generate musical tones in synchronization with music by striking the strike surface of a music game console in the appropriate timing as indicated by indication objects. In this case, the tone quality of the strike sound changes in the progress of music on the basis of strike sound indicating information.

Illustrative Claim:

1. A music game console comprising; a plurality of strike surfaces to be struck by a player; a plurality of detection circuits that correspond respectively to said strike surfaces; a plurality of vibration transmission plates that correspond respectively to said detection circuits; a plurality of resilient members that correspond respectively to said vibration transmission plates; and a support structure that supports said vibration transmission plates, wherein each of said vibration transmission plates is supported by said support structure through the corresponding resilient members, wherein said support structure is fixed inside of a housing such that each of said vibration transmission plates is located to face a rear surface of said corresponding strike surface, wherein said detection circuits are located to face said support structure, each of said detection circuits being attached to a corresponding one of said vibration transmission plates, wherein said vibration transmission plates are supported by said support structure so as not to contact with each other, wherein each of said detection circuits detects a striking strength and outputs strike information indicative of the striking strength, and wherein each of the resilient members comprises a rubber or a spring, wherein said support structure is provided with a plurality of holes that correspond respectively to said vibration transmission plates, wherein each of said vibration transmission plates is provided at a lower surface thereof with a guide, wherein each of said guides is inserted into a corresponding hole of said support structure though said corresponding resilient member, and wherein each of the guides does not contract an inner surface of the corresponding hole.