Live action multi-track skills game

• US 10,507,378 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2014
• Issued: 12/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boda Borg Corp.
• Original Assignee: Boda Borg Corp.
• Inventors: Spigner, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leichliter, Chase E
• Application Number:
  US14/540,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20150069710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 463 1, 463 9, 463 15, 463 42, 273440, 273153 R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00097 Board games with labyrinths, path finding, line forming labyrinths in boxes with small balls A63F7/04; other labyrinth games A63F9/0078
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 7/04 using balls to be shaken or rolled in small boxes , e.g. comprising labyrinths
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0073 Games for obtaining a particular arrangement of playing pieces in a plane or space A63F9/08 takes precedence; ticktacktoe A63F3/00094; three-dimensional chess-like games A63F3/00214
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0078 Labyrinth games A63F3/00097, A63F7/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/18 Question-and-answer games
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 33/00 Devices allowing competitions between several persons, not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A system and method for operation of a game in which teams of players attempt to negotiate through a track of rooms, or several tracts of rooms. Teams attempt to progress through the track by solving problems presented in each room thereby earning access to a following room, until the team completes a track comprising several rooms. A control system is operable to control flow of teams from room to room, and to control presentation of problem solving activities to the teams, and to interpret data from the rooms to assess the performance of the team, and grant access to a following room or to bar access to a following room and/or eject the team from the room to start over on the track.

Claims

1. A system for game play comprising:

a facility comprising at least one track comprising a plurality of task rooms that are each sequentially accessible along the at least one track by at least one team of at least one player;

wherein each task room of the plurality of task rooms has at least one locked door to control the access of the at least one team into each task room of the plurality of task rooms;

wherein each task room of the plurality of task rooms has at least one problem solving activity to be attempted by the at least one team; and

wherein the at least one problem solving activity of each task room of the plurality of task rooms cannot be discerned prior to initial access into its task room;

a token for tracking teams and team actions; and

a control system programmed to control access into each task room and to track team progress within the plurality of task rooms;

wherein access into an attached subsequent task room is permitted by unlocking the at least one locked door of an attached preceding task room of the plurality of task rooms when the team successfully completes the at least one problem solving activity in the attached preceding task room;

wherein access into the attached subsequent task room is barred by the at least one locked door of the attached preceding task room of the plurality of task rooms when the team fails to complete the task in the attached preceding task room;

wherein the control system tracks the team progress and team actions within each task room utilizing the token; and

wherein the control system is further programmed to assess the success of a first team completing the at least one problem solving activity and to reconfigure the at least one problem solving activity in at least one task room of the plurality of task rooms based upon the assessed success of the first team to complete the at least one problem solving activity.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the skill level of the team is assessed in a different task room than the at least one task room.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is further programmed to demand, as part of a solution in a task room of a first track, a token or information that the control system provides in response to successful completion of the at least one problem solving activity in a task room of a second track.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the token for tracking teams further comprises a RFID tag.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a music system programmed to control at least one sound.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one sound further comprises a completion sound upon successful completion of the at least one problem solving activity.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one sound further comprises a failure sound upon failure to complete the at least one problem solving activity.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one sound changes in response to the progress of the at least one problem solving activity by the team.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one sound further comprises a disruption to increase the difficulty of completing the at least one problem solving activity.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one problem solving activity is a stepping sequence and the at least one sound changes in response to a step by the team.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one sound indicates progress has been made in the at least one problem solving activity.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one problem solving activity is assembling parts of a puzzle and the at least one sound indicates a part of the puzzle has been assembled.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is programmed to provide a clue to the team to help solve the task of at least one task room.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the clue is a sound controlled by a sound distribution system.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one problem solving activity of at least one task room of the plurality of task rooms is altered after an ejection from the at least one task room such that the altered challenge cannot be discerned prior to a re-entrance.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein when access into the attached subsequent task room is barred by the at least one locked door of the attached preceding task room due to the team failing to complete the task in the attached preceding task room, an alternative door is opened to allow the team to egress from the attached preceding task room into a common area in order to retry the track having the attached preceding task room or pursue an alternative track.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one locked door is locked with an electromechanical lock.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is further programmed to reconfigure the at least one problem solving activity of at least one task room of the plurality of task rooms prior to entry by a first team when the control system detects that:

at least one member of the first team and at least one member of a second team are within a certain proximity; and

the second team has already accessed the at least one task.

19. A system for game play comprising:

a facility comprising at least one track comprising a plurality of task rooms that are each sequentially accessible along the at least one track by at least one team of at least one player;

wherein each task room of the plurality of task rooms has at least one locked door to control the access of the at least one team into each task room of the plurality of task rooms;

wherein each task room of the plurality of task rooms has at least one problem solving activity to be attempted by the at least one team; and

wherein the at least one problem solving activity of each task room of the plurality of task rooms cannot be discerned prior to initial access into its task room;

a token for tracking teams and team actions; and

a control system programmed to control access into each task room and to track team progress within the plurality of task rooms;

wherein access into an attached subsequent task room is permitted by unlocking the at least one locked door of an attached preceding task room of the plurality of task rooms when the team successfully completes the at least one problem solving activity in the attached preceding task room;

wherein access into the attached subsequent task room is barred by the at least one locked door of the attached preceding task room of the plurality of task rooms when the team fails to complete the task in the attached preceding task room;

wherein the control system tracks the team progress and team actions within each task room utilizing the token;

and wherein the control system is further programmed to demand, as part of a solution in a task room of a first track, a token or information that the control system provides in response to successful completion of the at least one problem solving activity in a task room of a second track.

20. A system for game play comprising:

a facility comprising at least one track comprising a plurality of task rooms that are each sequentially accessible along the at least one track by at least one team of at least one player;

wherein each task room of the plurality of task rooms has at least one locked door to control the access of the at least one team into each task room of the plurality of task rooms;

wherein each task room of the plurality of task rooms has at least one problem solving activity to be attempted by the at least one team; and

wherein the at least one problem solving activity of each task room of the plurality of task rooms cannot be discerned prior to initial access into its task room;

a token for tracking teams and team actions; and

a control system programmed to control access into each task room and to track team progress within the plurality of task rooms;

wherein access into an attached subsequent task room is permitted by unlocking the at least one locked door of an attached preceding task room of the plurality of task rooms when the team successfully completes the at least one problem solving activity in the attached preceding task room;

wherein access into the attached subsequent task room is barred by the at least one locked door of the attached preceding task room of the plurality of task rooms when the team fails to complete the task in the attached preceding task room;

wherein the control system tracks the team progress and team actions within each task room utilizing the token; and

wherein the control system is further programmed to reconfigure the at least one problem solving activity of at least one task room of the plurality of task rooms prior to entry by a first team when the control system detects that;

at least one member of the first team and at least one member of a second team are within a certain proximity; and

the second team has already accessed the at least one task.