Methods and apparatus to emulate a toy

• US 10,108,924 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2014
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wane, Ismaila
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper, Tramar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US14/275,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20150087427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,625 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/323 between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/71 using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to emulate a toy are disclosed. An example method includes identifying a toy to be emulated by a mobile communication device. A request to obtain toy-identifying data associated with the toy is transmitted to a remote storage. The toy-identifying data is received from the remote storage at the mobile communication device. The toy-identifying data is stored in a secure element of the mobile communication device. The toy-identifying data is transmitted, through a wireless radio of the mobile communication device, to a gaming console.

Claims

1. A method of emulating a toy that sends toy-identifying data to a game console through a wireless interface, the method comprising:

identifying the toy to be emulated by a mobile communication device;

transmitting a request to obtain toy-identifying data associated with the toy to a remote storage;

receiving the toy-identifying data from the remote storage at the mobile communication device;

determining an access key to be used when accessing a secure element of the mobile communication device, the access key set in the secure element by the remote storage;

storing the toy-identifying data in the secure element of the mobile communication device by interacting with a toy processor installed in the secure element by the remote storage, the toy processor to allow interaction when the access key is provided; and

transmitting, from a wireless radio of the mobile communication device, the toy-identifying data to a reader of the gaming console, the mobile communication device separate from the game console, the mobile communication device separate from the reader.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the gaming console is a video game console.

3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the wireless interface is a Near Field Communication (NFC) interface.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device is a cellular phone.

5. The method as described in claim 1, further including, if the access key to access the secure element is not known, transmitting an access key request to a toy server.

6. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the remote storage includes a toy server, and the request causes the toy server to transmit the toy-identifying data to the secure element.

7. The method as described in claim 6, wherein the mobile communication device is to obtain the toy-identifying data via a tag proxy of the mobile communication device.

8. The method as described in claim 6, wherein the mobile communication device is to obtain the toy-identifying data via an over-the-air protocol.

9. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the request is a request to purchase the toy, and the identifying of the toy includes receiving a selection of the toy to be purchased.

10. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the toy is a first toy and further including reading, via the wireless radio, a tag embedded in a second toy.

11. The method as described in claim 10, wherein the second toy is a physical toy.

12. The method as described in claim 10, wherein the remote storage includes a toy server, and further including transmitting a confirmation code associated with the second toy to the toy server, the mobile communication device to obtain the toy-identifying data only when the confirmation code is valid.

13. A mobile communication device comprising:

a processor;

a secure storage;

a wireless radio; and

a memory including machine readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including;

transmitting a request to obtain toy-identifying data associated with a toy to be emulated to a remote storage;

determining an access key to be used when accessing the secure storage of the mobile communication device, the access key set in the secure storage by the remote storage;

storing toy-identifying data received from the remote storage in the secure storage by interacting with a toy processer installed in the secure storage by the remote storage, the toy processor to allow interaction when the access key is provided; and

transmitting, from the wireless radio, the toy-identifying data stored in the secure storage, to a gaming console via a reader, the gaming console and the reader separate from the mobile communication device.

14. The mobile communication device as described in claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to, if the access key to access the secure storage is not known, transmit an access key request to a toy server.

15. The mobile communication device as described in claim 13, wherein the remote storage includes a toy server, and the request is to cause the toy server to transmit the toy-identifying data to the secure storage.

16. The mobile communication device as described in claim 13, wherein the request is a request to purchase the toy, and the machine readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to identify the toy based on a selection of the toy to be purchased.

17. The mobile communication device as described in claim 13, wherein the toy is a first toy and the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to read, via the wireless radio, a tag embedded in a second toy.

18. A tangible machine readable storage medium including instructions which, when executed, cause a processor of a mobile communication device to perform operations comprising:

transmitting a request to a remote storage, the request to obtain toy-identifying data associated with a toy to be emulated by the mobile communication device;

determining an access key to be used when accessing a secure element of the mobile communication device, the access key set in the secure element by the remote storage;

storing the toy-identifying data received from the remote storage in the secure element of the mobile communication device by interacting with a toy processor installed in the secure element by the remote storage, the toy processor to allow interaction when the access key is provided; and

causing a wireless radio of the mobile communication device to transmit the toy-identifying data to a gaming console via a reader, the gaming console and the reader separate from the mobile communication device.

19. The tangible machine readable storage medium as described in claim 18, wherein the toy is a first toy and the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to identify the first toy to be emulated by activating the wireless radio to read a tag embedded in a second toy.

20. The tangible machine readable storage medium as described in claim 18, wherein the remote storage includes a toy server, and the machine readable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to transmit a confirmation code associated with a second toy to the toy server, the processor to obtain the toy-identifying data only when the confirmation code is valid.