System and method for presenting user progress on physical figures

• US 10,176,544 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2017
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellifect Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Intellifect Incorporated
• Inventors: Lundin, John A., Westfall, Daniel A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mazumder, Tapas
• Application Number:
  US15/824,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20180082395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/60 Methods for processing data by generating or executing the game program
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/00 General purpose image data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/004 Annotating, labelling

Abstract

A system, method, and a physical figure for presenting user progress in a virtual space are disclosed. The presented user progress may indicate user advancements in the virtual space and/or user development in the real-world. Based on information indicating such user progress, character representation may be determined to reflect the user progress for presentation on the physical figure. In some implementations, specific location(s) on the physical figure may be determined for presenting specific aspect(s) of user progress in the virtual space. The physical figure may receive the determined character representation information and present the character represent on one or more screens thereon.

Claims

1. A physical figure, comprising:

a head piece;

one or more body pieces connected to the head piece;

at least one display screen; and

one or more processing devices configured to;

receive graphical art configured to alter at least a physical appearance of the physical figure, wherein the graphical art is transmitted to the physical figure as a virtual reward to indicate progress that a user has made towards completing one or more objectives defined in a virtual space, the virtual reward further affecting a physical appearance of a user character in the virtual space; and

render the graphical art on the at least one display screen such that the physical appearance of the physical figure is altered to reflect the physical appearance of the user character in the virtual space.

2. The physical figure recited claim 1, wherein the graphical art has an image quality that depends on a presentation capability associated with the at least one display screen.

3. The physical figure recited claim 1, further comprising one or more speakers, wherein the one or more processing devices are further configured to:

receive audio content configured to alter verbal communications of the physical figure, wherein the audio content is transmitted to the physical figure as a second virtual reward to indicate the progress that the user has made towards completing the one or more objectives defined in the virtual space, the second virtual reward further affecting verbal communications of the user character in the virtual space; and

render the audio content via the one or more speakers such that the verbal communications of the physical figure are altered to further reflect the verbal communications of the user character in the virtual space.

4. The physical figure recited claim 3, wherein the audio content has a sound quality that depends on a presentation capability associated with the one or more speakers.

5. The physical figure recited claim 1, wherein the one or more objectives are defined in the virtual space to facilitate real-world development of the user.

6. The physical figure recited claim 1, wherein the at least one display screen comprises:

a first display screen attached to the head piece; and

at least one second display screen attached to each of the one or more body pieces, wherein the at least one display screen configured to render the graphical art comprises one or more of the first display screen or the at least one second display screen.

7. The physical figure recited claim 1, wherein the graphical art is rendered on one or more of the head piece or the one or more body pieces depending on a type of progress made towards completing the one or more objectives.

8. The physical figure recited claim 7, wherein the type of progress is one or more of a real-world skill acquired by the user, a real-world personality growth by the user, a real-world physical activity performed by the user, a real-world emotional experience by the user, or a real-world social network connection made by the user.

9. The physical figure recited claim 7, wherein a table specifies an association between the type of progress and an aspect of the physical appearance of the physical figure to be altered by the graphical art.

10. A physical figure, comprising:

a head piece;

one or more body pieces connected to the head piece;

one or more speakers; and

one or more processing devices configured to;

receive audio content configured to alter at least verbal communications of the physical figure, wherein the audio content is transmitted to the physical figure as a virtual reward to indicate progress that a user has made towards completing one or more objectives defined in a virtual space, the virtual reward further affecting verbal communications of a user character in the virtual space; and

render the audio content via the one or more speakers such that the verbal communications of the physical figure are altered to reflect the verbal communications of the user character in the virtual space.