System and method for video-on -demand based gaming

• US 20040025190A1
• Filed: 07/31/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bluestreak Technology (Canada), Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Bluestreak Technology (Canada), Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Inventors: DʼAoust, Yves, McCalla, John
• Application Number:
  US10/631,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20040025190A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/133
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6009 for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/20 Servers specifically adapted for the distribution of content, e.g. VOD servers; Operations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; tracking of instant messages H04L51/234; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43074 of additional data with content streams on the same device, e.g. of EPG data or interactive icon with a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4349 by extracting from data carousels, e.g. extraction of software modules from a DVB carousel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 : End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 : for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 : using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 : Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4886 : for displaying a ticker, e.g. scrolling banner for news, stock exchange, weather data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 : Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 : involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 : End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 : Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 : using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 : involving timestamps for synchronizing content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

In accordance with an embodiment, a system and method for playing a game using video content as the game environment is disclosed. The video content may be provided from a video-on-demand system or using broadcast video signals. Depending on the object of the game, the player may try to hit, shoot or avoid specific objects in the video content environment. Those objects are identified at the time of authoring the game. During the game, a game application knows about the objects and can evaluate the performance of the player. Use of on-demand or live broadcast video source as the context environment for a game is disclosed. The game application is synchronized with the video content.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium for interactive game playing having stored thereon an instruction set to be executed, the instruction set, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the steps of:

receiving at least a portion of a video content for a game environment over a network;

receiving at least a portion of a game application comprising of one or more interactive elements for said game playing; and

synchronizing the received video content with the received game application to present said one or more interactive elements in said game environment.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further causing the processor to perform the step of storing said at least a portion of said game application in an interactive television device.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more interactive elements comprise at least one action for execution in response to any input of a user made in connection with a frame of said received video content.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said at least a portion of said video content is received on-demand from a remote server in response to a request for said video content by a user.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said at least a portion of said video content is received live from one or more broadcast channels in response to a request for said video content by a user.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further causing the processor to perform the step of determining whether a synchronizing trigger is associated with a current frame of said video content.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, further causing the processor to perform the step of examining said at least a portion of said game application to determine whether a synchronizing trigger is associated with said current frame.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, further causing the processor to perform the step of determining whether said current frame is a starting frame for said synchronizing trigger.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, further causing the processor to perform the step of activating an interactive element of said one or more interactive elements in response to said current frame being a starting frame for said synchronizing trigger, wherein said activated interactive element is associated with said synchronizing trigger.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further causing the processor to perform the step of displaying a representation of said activated interactive element and said current frame on a display device.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, further causing the processor to perform the step of determining whether said current frame is a terminating frame for said synchronizing trigger.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, further causing the processor to perform the step of deactivating an interactive element of said one or more interactive elements in response to said current frame being a terminating frame for said synchronizing trigger, wherein said deactivated interactive element is associated with said synchronizing trigger.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further causing the processor to perform the step of displaying said current frame on a display device without a representation of said interactive element.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, further causing the processor to perform the step of displaying said current frame on a display device.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further causing the processor to perform the step of receiving a selection from a user.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further causing the processor to perform the step of determining whether said selection is associated with an interactive element of said one or more interactive elements.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further causing the processor to perform the step of determining whether a pointer associated with said game application is in a predetermined relationship with respect to an interactive element of said one or more interactive elements.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further causing the processor to perform the step of executing a predetermined action associated with said interactive element in response to said selection being associated with said interactive element.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over an interactive television network.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over an interactive television network using an RF signal.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over a video-on-demand system.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over a satellite system.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over a cable system.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said at least a portion of said game. application is received over a broadcast system.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over a data network.

26. An apparatus for interactive game playing, comprising:

a device, comprising;

a processor; and

a memory having stored thereon an instruction set to be executed, the instruction set, when executed by said processor, causes the processor to perform the steps of;

receiving at least a portion of a video content for a game environment over a network;

receiving at least a portion of a game application comprising of one or more interactive elements for said game playing; and

synchronizing the received video content with the received game application to present said one or more interactive elements in said game environment.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further causing the processor to perform the step of storing said at least a portion of said game application in an interactive television device.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the one or more interactive elements comprise at least one action for execution in response to any input of a user made in connection with a frame of said received video content.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said at least a portion of said video content is received on-demand from a remote server in response to a request for said video content by a user.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said at least a portion of said video content is received live from a broadcast channel in response to a request for said video content by a user.

31. The apparatus of claim 26, further causing the processor to perform the step of determining whether a synchronizing trigger is associated with a current frame of said video content.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, further causing the processor to perform the step of examining said at least a portion of said game application to determine whether a synchronizing trigger is associated with said current frame.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, further causing the processor to perform the step of determining whether said current frame is a starting frame for said synchronizing trigger.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, further causing the processor to perform the step of activating an interactive element of said one or more interactive elements in response to said current frame being a starting frame for said synchronizing trigger, wherein said activated interactive element is associated with said synchronizing trigger.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, further causing the processor to perform the step of displaying a representation of said activated interactive element and said current frame on a display device.

36. The apparatus of claim 31, further causing the processor to perform the step of determining whether said current frame is a terminating frame for said synchronizing trigger.

37. The apparatus of claim 31, further causing the processor to perform the step of deactivating an interactive element of said one or more interactive elements in response to said current frame being a terminating frame for said synchronizing trigger, wherein said deactivated interactive element is associated with said synchronizing trigger.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, further causing the processor to perform the step of displaying said current frame on a display device without a representation of said interactive element.

39. The apparatus of claim 32, further causing the processor to perform the step of displaying said current frame on a display device.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, further causing the processor to perform the step of receiving a selection from a user.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, further causing the processor to perform the step of determining whether said selection is associated with an interactive element of said one or more interactive elements.

42. The apparatus of claim 40, further causing the processor to perform the step of determining whether a pointer associated with said game application is in a predetermined relationship with respect to an interactive element of said one or more interactive elements.

43. The apparatus of claim 41, further causing the processor to perform the step of executing a predetermined action associated with said interactive element in response to said selection being associated with said interactive element.

44. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over an interactive television network.

45. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over an interactive television network using an RF signal.

46. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over a video-on-demand system.

47. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over a satellite system.

48. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over a cable system.

49. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over a broadcast system.

50. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over a data network.

51. A method for interactive game playing, comprising:

receiving at least a portion of a video content for a game environment over a network;

receiving at least a portion of a game application comprising of one or more interactive elements for said game playing; and

synchronizing the received video content with the received game application to present said one or more interactive elements in said game environment.

52. The method of claim 51, further comprising storing said at least a portion of said game application in an interactive television device.

53. The method of claim 51, wherein the one or more interactive elements comprise at least one action for execution in response to any input of a user made in connection with a frame of said received video content.

54. The method of claim 51, wherein said at least a portion of said video content is received on-demand from a remote server in response to a request for said video content by a user.

55. The method of claim 51, wherein said at least a portion of said video content is received live from a broadcast channel in response to a request for said video content by a user.

56. The method of claim 51, further comprising determining whether a synchronizing trigger is associated with a current frame of said video content.

57. The method of claim 56, further comprising examining said at least a portion of said game application to determine whether a synchronizing trigger is associated with said current frame.

58. The method of claim 56, further comprising determining whether said current frame is a starting frame for said synchronizing trigger.

59. The method of claim 56, further comprising activating an interactive element of said one or more interactive elements in response to said current frame being a starting frame for said synchronizing trigger, wherein said activated interactive element is associated with said synchronizing trigger.

60. The method of claim 59, further comprising displaying a representation of said activated interactive element and said current frame on a display device.

61. The method of claim 56, further comprising determining whether said current frame is a terminating frame for said synchronizing trigger.

62. The method of claim 56, further comprising deactivating an interactive element of said one or more interactive elements in response to said current frame being a terminating frame for said synchronizing trigger, wherein said deactivated interactive element is associated with said synchronizing trigger.

63. The method of claim 62, further comprising displaying said current frame on a display device without a representation of said interactive element.

64. The method of claim 57, further comprising displaying said current frame on a display device.

65. The method of claim 64, further comprising receiving a selection from a user.

66. The method of claim 65, further comprising determining whether said selection is associated with an interactive element of said one or more interactive elements.

67. The method of claim 65, further comprising determining whether a pointer associated with said game application is in a predetermined relationship with respect to an interactive element of said one or more interactive elements.

68. The method of claim 66, further comprising executing a predetermined action associated with said interactive element in response to said selection being associated with said interactive element.

69. The method of claim 51, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over an interactive television network.

70. The method of claim 51, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over an interactive television network using an RF signal.

71. The method of claim 51, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over a video-on-demand system.

72. The method of claim 51, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over a satellite system.

73. The method of claim 51, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over a cable system.

74. The method of claim 51, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over a broadcast system.

75. The method of claim 51, wherein said at least a portion of said game application is received over a data network.