In-theatre interactive entertainment system

• US 20050039210A1
• Filed: 08/11/2003
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Donald C. Miffitt, Joel Kaplan, Mark Rowntree, Stephen S. Richardson, Thomas Dusenberry, Yeasah G. Pell
• Original Assignee: Donald C. Miffitt, Joel Kaplan, Mark Rowntree, Stephen S. Richardson, Thomas Dusenberry, Yeasah G. Pell
• Inventors: Miffitt, Donald C., Dusenberry, Thomas, Richardson, Stephen S., Pell, Yeasah G., Kaplan, Joel, Rowntree, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/81
• 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 13/27 characterised by a large display in a public venue, e.g. in a movie theatre, stadium or game arena
• 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 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8023 the game being played by multiple players at a common site, e.g. in an arena, theatre, shopping mall using a large public display

Abstract

In-theater interactive entertainment system. A game server generates video content in digital form and is displayed on a digital display in a theater. A telephony system is connected to the game server enabling a group of individual game participants in the theater to exchange data wirelessly with the game server so that the game participants can interact with video content on the display. It is preferred that at the display is a reflective screen illuminated by a digital projector.

Claims

1. In-theater interactive entertainment system comprising:

a game server to generate video content in digital form;

a digital display in a theater for displaying the video content from the game server; and

the game server connected to a telephony system enabling a plurality of individual game participants in the theater to exchange data wirelessly with the game server, wherein software running on the game server and telephony system enable game participants to interact with the video content on the display.

2. The entertainment system of claim 1 wherein the display is a screen illuminated by a digital projector.

3. The entertainment system of claim 1 wherein the telephony system comprises a cellular telephone network interacting with a telephony server, the telephony server connected to exchange data with the game server.

4. The entertainment system of claim 1 wherein the telephony system is connected to the game server through a private network.

5. The entertainment system of claim 1 wherein the telephony system is connected to the game server through the internet.

6. The entertainment system of claim 3 wherein the individual game participants receive audio information from the telephony server.

7. The entertainment system of claim 1 further including at least a second theater having the in-theater entertainment system and connected to other theaters.

8. The entertainment system of claim 1 wherein the telephony system comprises a telephony server program for receiving telephone calls from the game participants and for exchanging data in near real-time with the game server.

9. The entertainment system of claim 8 wherein the telephony server accepts inputs from the game participants via DTMF signals.

10. The entertainment system of claim 8 wherein the telephony server includes speech recognition capability and accepts inputs from the game participants via game participant speech.

11. The entertainment system of claim 8 wherein the telephony system comprises telephony hardware to connect the telephony server to a plurality of telephone lines.

12. The entertainment system of claim 3 wherein the individual game participants use cellular telephones to access the cellular telephone network.

13. In-theater interactive entertainment system comprising:

a game server to generate video content in digital form;

a digital display in a theater for displaying the video content from the game server; and

a radio system interacting with the game server enabling a plurality of individual game participants in the theater to exchange data wirelessly with the game server, wherein software running on the game server enables game participants to interact with the video content on the display.

14. The entertainment system of claim 13 wherein the radio system includes wireless PDA'"'"'s or wireless hand-held video game devices used by the individual game participants in the theater to exchange data with the game server.

15. In-theater interactive entertainment system comprising:

a game server to generate video content in digital form;

a digital display in a theater for displaying the video content from the game server; and

means for enabling a plurality of individual game participants in the theater to exchange data wirelessly with the game server wherein the game participants interact with the video content on the display.