Method for generating a plurality of moving objects on a video display screen

Claim 1

A method for generating a plurality of moving objects on a video raster scan television display screen scanned in successive frames by an image forming beam traversing the screen along a plurality of horizontal lines in response to horizontal and vertical synchronizing signals which also provide horizontal and vertical retrace intervals and where manual control inputs are provided for a plurality of game players said control inputs determining the motion of said objects said method comprising the following steps: storing data indicative of the locations at which the objects are to be displayed on said screen; during a horizontal retrace interval scanning said stored data to determine any locations to be displayed for the next horizontal line to be scanned; temporarily storing information in locations in a random access memory representing said next horizontal line in accordance with said stored location; delivering an output display signal when the position of the beam corresponds to such location; thereafter during the next horizontal retrace interval scanning said stored data to determine any locations to be displayed for the line after said next horizontal line to be scanned; updating said locations in said random access memory with information representing such line after next; and updating said stored data of said first step during vertical retrace in response to a player control input.

Claim 2

A method for generating a plurality of moving objects on a video raster scan television display screen scanned in successive frames by an image forming beam traversing the screen along a plurality of horizontal lines in response to horizontal and vertical synchronizing signals which also provide horizontal and vertical retrace intervals and where manual control inputs are provided for a plurality of game players said control inputs determining the motion of said objects said method comprising the following steps: storing data indicative of the locations at which the objects are to be displayed on said screen; during a horizontal retrace interval scanning said stored data to determine any locations to be displayed for the next horizontal line to be scanned; temporarily storing information in locations in a random access memory representing said next horizontal line in accordance with said stored location; delivering an output display signal when the position of the beam corresponds to such location; thereafter during the next horizontal retrace interval scanning said stored data to determine any locations to be displayed for the line after said next horizontal line to be scanned; updating said locations in said random access memory with information representing such line after next; and updating said stored data of said first step during vertical retrace in response to a player control input.

Claim 7

A method for generating complex fixed objects on a raster scan video display screen around which a plurality of moving objects move including the steps of storing data representative of the shape of segments of said fixed objects which may be displayed in more than one angular orientation, storing binary data with one portion indicative of said shape of said segment and another portion its angular orientation, in response to said one portion of binary data, reading out and displaying said data representative of the shape of a predetermined segment, and rotating such segment, to the proper angular orientation in response to said other portion, and concurrently displaying in contiguous relationship said data representative of the shape of said predetermined segment in a plurality of angular orientations.

Claim 8

A method for generating complex fixed objects on a raster scan video display screen around which a plurality of moving objects move including the steps of storing data representative of the shape of segments of said fixed objects which may be displayed in more than one angular orientation, storing binary data with one portion indicative of said shape of said segment and another portion its angular orientation, in response to said one portion of binary data, reading out and displaying said data representative of the shape of a predetermined segment, and rotating such segment, to the proper angular orientation in response to said other portion, and concurrently displaying in contiguous relationship said data representative of the shape of said predetermined segment in a plurality of angular orientations.