Summary:
U.S. Patent 9,358,456 (the '456 Patent) describes a method for a dance competition game using a motion camera. Previous dance games, like Dance Dance Revolution, required a mat or pad that had nine squares. Eight of the squares feature an arrow pointing in a particular direction. The game would display similar arrows in time with the music, and the user had to step on the corresponding arrow to earn points. The '456 Patent describes a dance rhythm game utilizes Microsoft's Kinect or Sony's PlayStation Eye instead of a dance mat. A user stands in front of the camera and mimics the movements of an avatar being displayed on the television. The camera evaluates the users movements and scores each movement on how closely it resembles the avatar's movements. Harmonix utilized the '456 Patent to develop the Dance Central franchise.

Abstract:
Techniques for use with a game console and a camera system, the techniques include providing a first prompt to a first player to create and perform a dance move, receiving at the game console information from the camera system reflecting a position of the first player in response to the first prompt, generating, using the game console, a target frame using the received information relating to the first player, providing, using the audiovisual system connected to the game console, a second prompt to a second player to perform the dance move created by the first player, receiving at the game console information from the camera system reflecting a position of the second player in response to the second prompt, generating, using the game console, an input frame using the information relating to the second player, and comparing the input frame to the target frame to determine a comparison value.


Illustrative Claim: 
1. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to: display a first prompt to a first player to create and perform a dance move; receive information from a camera system reflecting a position of the first player in response to the first prompt; generate a target frame using the received information relating to the first player; provide an icon that displays a representation of a body in at least one pose representing the position of the first player in response to the first prompt; display a second prompt to a second player to perform the dance move created by the first player by displaying the provided icon; receive information from the camera system reflecting a position of the second player in response to the second prompt; generate, by the machine, an input frame using the information relating to the second player; and compare, by the machine, the input frame to the target frame to determine a comparison value.


Researched By: Andrew F. Thomas