# US 10,864,442 B2 · System and method for controlling technical processes

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- Number: US 10,864,442 B2
- Document ID: US10864442B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/258,913
- Filed: 2019-01-28
- Published: 2020-01-02
- Granted: 2020-12-15
- Earliest claimed: 2012-04-12
- Assignees: Supercell Oy
- Applicants: Supercell Oy
- Inventors: Timur Haussila; Touko Tahkokallio; Mikko Hokkanen; John Nicholas Derome; Lassi Leppinen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864442B2

## CPC

- A63F 13/533: for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
- A63F 13/2145: the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
- A63F 13/218: using pressure sensors, e.g. generating a signal proportional to the pressure applied by the player
- A63F 13/42: by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
- A63F 13/44: involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
- A63F 13/493: Resuming a game, e.g. after pausing, malfunction or power failure
- A63F 13/822: Strategy games; Role-playing games (A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence)
- G06F 3/0481: based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
- G06F 3/04842: Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence)
- G06F 3/04847: Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
- G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
- G06F 3/04883: for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
- A63F 13/22: Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
- A63F 13/35: Details of game servers
- A63F 13/92: Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
- A63F 2003/00996: {Board games available as video games}
- A63F 2009/241: {Touch screen}
- A63F 2300/1075: using a touch screen
- A63F 2300/308: Details of the user interface
- A63F 2300/807: Role playing or strategy games
- A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

In a method and a system for improving a user's experience with a graphical user interface corresponding to a gaming or simulation environment on an electronic device, the interface renders multiple graphical objects and user selectable options corresponding to the graphical object. The user selects one or more selectable option, and performs a touching or a swiping operation through multiple points on the display screen. The touching or swiping operation leads to deploying of multiple resources corresponding to the selected option, at different locations on the interface. For controlling the different deployed resources, the user can swipe through different regions of the display screen. The number of resources deployed at the different locations on the screen depends on certain parameters, including the pressure applied by the user on the screen. Results of the simulation can be employed to control real technical systems, for example for food production.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic device comprising:
a display screen; and
a computing hardware configured to execute a software product, wherein executing the software product generates and renders a graphical user interface on the display screen, the graphical user interface being configured to facilitate user interaction, the computing hardware, graphical user interface and the software product being implemented on a gaming system, the computer hardware being configured to:
present one or more selectable graphical objects on the graphical user interface;
enable a selection of one or more of the selectable graphical objects;
determine a current state of the selected one or more graphical objects and generate a menu list on the graphical user interface that includes one or more selectable options that correspond to a next possible state of the selected one or more graphical objects;
detect a selection of one of the selectable options from the menu list;
detect a swipe motion along a path on the graphical user interface to cause a selection of areas along the path;
execute an action corresponding to the selected option in each area along the path that corresponds to the selected option from the menu list, the executed action configured to change a state of each area from the current state to the next possible state, the next possible state corresponding to a result of the executed action; and
wherein the gaming system comprises a farming game, the selectable graphical objects of the graphical user interface comprise different spatial regions of a farming environment in which one or more crops are grown, and wherein the selectable options in the menu list are different farming tools.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein detecting the substantially continuous selection comprises detecting a track of a cursor over the graphical user interface.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a user input interface rendered over the graphical user interface, the user input interface being configured to detect an input corresponding to moving a pointer object, clicking or tapping the pointer object, or swiping a touch sensitive object over the graphical user interface.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, the computing hardware being configured to continuously apply the selected option to a portion of a graphical object in each area along the path in response to detecting a swipe action of a touch sensitive object over the portion of the graphical object.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the computing hardware is configured to detect an end of the substantially continuous selection, terminate the action, and remove a visual indicator of the selected option from the graphical user interface.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the computing hardware is configured to detect a speed of the substantially continuous selection of the one or more areas along the path; and
execute the action corresponding to the selected option at a rapidity that is dependent at least partially on the speed of the substantially continuous selection of the one or more areas along the path.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is a touch-sensitive screen, and a user interface is implemented on the touch-sensitive screen as a tactile surface of the touch-sensitive screen.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the computing hardware is configured to disable the execution of the action corresponding to the selected option, in response to detecting a termination of the substantially continuous selection of one or more areas along a path on the graphical user interface.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, comprising a database for continuously recording and updating the change in status of the one or more graphical objects, the software product being coupled to the database and being configured to resume the status of the one or more graphical objects to their last updated status in the database, in case of interruptions in the operable state of the graphical user interface.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is connected to a server through a network, the graphical user interface being generated temporally concurrently on a plurality of electronic devices to facilitate a plurality of users' interaction with the graphical user interface, wherein each of the graphical user interfaces generated on the plurality of electronic devices are coordinated through the server and updated concurrently on the plurality of electronic devices with time.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a desktop computer, a laptop computer, an iPad, or a smart phone, including an iPhone®, an Android® phone or a Symbian® phone.

### Claim 12

A method of facilitating user interactions with a graphical user interface, the graphical interface being generated and rendered on the display of an electronic device, by executing a software product on a computing hardware of the electronic device, the computing hardware, graphical user interface and the software product being implemented on a gaming system, the method comprising:
rendering one or graphical objects within the graphical user interface;
detecting a selection of one or more of the one or more graphical object;
determining a current state of the selected one or more graphical objects and rendering a menu list containing a set of selectable options corresponding to a next possible state of the selected one or more graphical objects, each selectable option corresponding to an effect to be applied to a portion of a specific graphical object, or to one or more of the one or more graphical objects;
detecting a selection of one of the selectable options;
detecting a continuous selection of areas of the graphical user interface along a path by detecting a swipe motion over the graphical user interface; and
applying the effect corresponding to the selected option to a portion of a specific graphical object, or to one or more graphical objects corresponding to the path, the effect configured to change a state of each area from the current state to the next possible state, the next possible state corresponding to a result of the effect; wherein the gaming system comprises a farming game, the selectable graphical objects of the graphical user interface comprise different spatial regions of a farming environment in which one or more crops are grown, and wherein the selectable options in the menu list are different farming tools.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, comprising configuring the graphical user interface to continue to apply the effect corresponding to the selected option during a time of detection of the substantially continuous selection of areas of the graphical user interface along the path to remove the selected option when the substantial continuous selection is terminated.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, comprising continuously recording and updating a change in status of the one or more graphical objects, coupling the software product to a database, and resuming the status of one or more graphical objects to their last updated status in the database, in case of interruptions in the operations of the graphical user interface.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, comprising:
connecting a plurality of electronic devices to a server through a network;
generating the graphical user interface temporally concurrently on the displays of each of the electronic devices;
coordinating a plurality of graphical user interfaces through the server, and updating them concurrently with time, to facilitate multiple users' interaction and coordination with the graphical user interfaces.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the graphical user intefaces comprises a gaming system, the method being implemented to facilitate an online multiplayer gaming system.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

A software product recorded on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the software product being executable on the computing hardware of a computing device, for implementing the method according to claim 12.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the computer hardware is further configured to provide a different menu list for different ones of the one or more graphical objects.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the computer hardware is further configured to provide a different menu list for different states of the one or more graphical objects.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The method according to claim 12, the method further comprising providing a different menu list for different ones of the one or more graphical objects and different states of the one or more graphical objects.