Physical pieces for interactive application using touch screen devices

• US 10,293,247 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2011
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Heatherly, Christopher W., Ong, Kenlip, Mkrtchyan, Armen, Backer, Jonathan, White, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Pappas, Claire X
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham Lu, Ngan T
• Application Number:
  US13/135,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20120007817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,875 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/241 Touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00643 Electric board games; Electric features of board games electric word or number games A63F3/0421; computer chess G06F; electric raffle games A63F3/081
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

There are provided systems and methods for facilitating an interaction with a first peripheral device using a touch-sensitive system having a processor and a touch surface. An example method includes detecting, using the processor, the first peripheral device touching the touch surface of the touch-sensitive system, identifying, using the processor, the first peripheral device touching the touch surface of the touch-sensitive system, and determining, using the processor, that the first peripheral device has an accessory attached thereto. A method may include determining, using the processor, transformation of the first peripheral device. Another method may include determining, using the processor, a position of the first peripheral device with respect to digital elements displayed on the touch surface, and interacting with the first peripheral device based on the position of the first peripheral device with respect to the digital elements displayed on the touch surface.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating an interaction with a physical toy using a touch-sensitive system having a processor and a touch surface, the physical toy having a receiving part for attaching a physical accessory thereto and detaching the physical accessory therefrom, the method comprising:

running, using the processor, an interactive software on touch-sensitive system;

displaying, using the processor, digital elements on a screen display of the touch surface;

detecting, using the touch surface and the processor, the physical toy using a plurality of touch points of the physical toy touching the touch surface of the touch-sensitive system when the physical accessory is not attached to the physical toy;

determining, using the processor, a position of the physical toy with respect to the digital elements displayed on the touch surface;

determining, using the processor, that the physical accessory is attached to the physical toy by detecting, using the touch surface, one of the plurality of touch points of the physical toy, wherein the one of the plurality of touch points is activated in response to attaching the physical accessory to the receiving part of the physical toy; and

interacting with the physical toy based on the physical accessory attached to the physical toy and the position of the physical toy with respect to the digital elements displayed on the touch surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive software is a video game, and the digital elements are images displayed by the video game on the screen display.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive software is an educational software, and the digital elements are images displayed by the educational software on the screen display.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining an orientation of the physical toy, and wherein the interacting with the physical toy includes interacting with the physical toy based on the orientation of the physical toy.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the physical accessory is attached to the physical toy is performed using the touch surface of the touch-sensitive system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical toy has a figure of a person, and the receiving part of is a hand.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical accessory is a gun.

8. A touch-sensitive system facilitating an interaction with a physical toy having a receiving part for attaching a physical accessory thereto and detaching the physical accessory therefrom, the touch-sensitive system comprising:

a touch surface; and

a processor configured to run an interactive software for;

displaying digital elements on a screen display of the touch surface;

detecting, using the touch surface, the physical toy using a plurality of touch points of the physical toy touching the touch surface when the physical accessory is not attached to the physical toy;

determining a position of the physical toy with respect to the digital elements displayed on the touch surface;

determine that the physical accessory is attached to the physical toy by detecting, using the touch surface, one of the plurality of touch points of the physical toy, wherein the one of the plurality of touch points is activated in response to attaching the physical accessory to the receiving part of the physical toy; and

interacting with the physical toy based on the physical accessory attached to the physical toy and the position of the physical toy with respect to the digital elements displayed on the touch surface.

9. The touch-sensitive system of claim 8, wherein the interactive software is a video game, and the digital elements are images displayed by the video game on the screen display.

10. The touch-sensitive system of claim 8, wherein the interactive software is an educational software, and the digital elements are images displayed by the educational software on the screen display.

11. The touch-sensitive system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to run the interactive software for:

determining an orientation of the physical toy, and wherein the interacting with the physical toy includes interacting with the physical toy based on the orientation of the physical toy.

12. The touch-sensitive system of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to determine that the physical accessory is attached to the physical toy using the touch surface of the touch-sensitive system.

13. The touch-sensitive system of claim 8, wherein the physical toy has a figure of a person, and the receiving part of is a hand.

14. The touch-sensitive system of claim 8, wherein the physical accessory is a gun.