Wirelessly networked gaming system having true targeting capability

• US 20070049313A1
• Filed: 08/31/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mahajan, Manish, Brinkerhoff, Ryan, Grams, Richard, Rinsema, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,313 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/517
• 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 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• 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 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6063 for sound processing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization

Abstract

A first mobile station (102) can be wirelessly linked to a second mobile station (104). A physical location of the second mobile station with respect to a physical location of the first mobile station can be determined. A first player (112) using the first mobile station can be presented an icon (402) representing a second player using the second mobile station. The icon can be presented from a perspective of an eye level view. At least one targeting icon (410) can be presented to the first player to facilitate targeting of the second player. A physical stimuli can be generated from the first mobile station and/or the second mobile station in response to a simulated weapon activation on the first mobile station. The physical stimuli can be a narrowly focused ultrasound beam (302) modulated to generate an audible sound when a propagation of the ultrasound beam is disrupted by a physical object.

Claims

1. A mobile station comprising:

a wireless adapter which communicatively links the mobile station (first mobile station) to at least a second mobile station;

a targeting display which presents to a first player using the first mobile station an icon representing at least a second player using the second mobile station and at least one targeting icon, the targeting icon being useable by the first player to target the second player based on a physical location of the second mobile station with respect to a physical location of the first mobile station;

wherein the first mobile station and the second mobile station are each communicatively linked to a positioning system which determines the physical location of the second mobile station with respect to the physical location of the first mobile station.

2. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the first mobile station or the second mobile station comprises a sensory output device which is responsive to a simulated weapon activation on the first mobile station.

3. The mobile station of claim 2, wherein the sensory output device generates physical stimuli when the simulated weapon activation occurs while the targeting icon is at least partially aligned with the icon representing the second player.

4. The mobile station of claim 3, wherein an intensity of the physical stimuli correlates to a degree of alignment of the targeting icon and the icon representing the second player.

5. The mobile station of claim 3, wherein an intensity of the physical stimuli correlates to a type of weapon being simulated.

6. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the first mobile station comprises an ultrasound transducer that generates at least one narrowly focused ultrasound beam in response to a simulated weapon activation on the first mobile station.

7. The mobile station of claim 6, wherein the ultrasound transducer modulates the ultrasound beam to generate an audible sound when a propagation of the ultrasound beam is disrupted by a physical object.

8. The mobile station of claim 7, wherein the audible sound communicates a user selectable message.

9. The mobile station of claim 6, wherein at least one acoustic parameter of the ultrasound beam is a frequency or an intensity, and the acoustic parameter is selectively controlled based on the determined physical location of the second mobile station with respect to an aiming of the first mobile station or a location of the first mobile station.

10. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the first mobile station and the second mobile station are communicatively linked via a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular communications network or a direct wireless communications network.

11. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the targeting display presents the icon representing the second player from a perspective of an eye level view.

12. A gaming system comprising at least a first mobile station, the first mobile station comprising:

a wireless adapter which communicatively links the first mobile station to at least a second mobile station;

a targeting display which presents to a first player using the first mobile station an icon representing at least a second player using the second mobile station, and at least one targeting icon, the at least one targeting icon being useable by the first player to target the second player based on a physical location of the second station with respect to a physical location of the first station;

wherein the first mobile station and the second mobile station are each communicatively linked to a positioning system which determines the physical location of the second mobile station with respect to the physical location of the first mobile station.

13. A machine readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

wirelessly linking a first mobile station and at least a second mobile station;

determining a physical location of the at least a second mobile station with respect to a physical location of the first mobile station;

presenting to a first player using the first mobile station an icon representing at least a second player using the at least a second mobile station; and

presenting at least one targeting icon, the at least one targeting icon being useable by the first player to target the at least a second player based on the determined physical location.

14. The machine readable storage of claim 13, further causing the machine to generate a physical stimuli from the first mobile station or the second mobile station in response to a simulated weapon activation on the first mobile station.

15. The machine readable storage of claim 14, wherein generating a physical stimuli comprises generating the physical stimuli only if the simulated weapon activation occurs while the targeting icon is at least partially aligned with the icon representing the at least a second player.

16. The machine readable storage of claim 14, further causing the machine to select an intensity of the physical stimuli to correlate to a type of weapon being simulated.

17. The machine readable storage of claim 13, further causing the machine to generate at least one narrowly focused ultrasound beam from the first mobile station in response to a simulated weapon activation on the first mobile station.

18. The machine readable storage of claim 17, wherein generating the narrowly focused ultrasound beam comprises modulating the ultrasound beam to generate an audible sound when a propagation of the ultrasound beam is disrupted by a physical object.

19. The machine readable storage of claim 13, wherein presenting to a first player using the first mobile station an icon representing at least a second player comprises presenting the icon from a perspective of an eye level view.

20. A method of supporting interactive gaming among a plurality of mobile stations, comprising:

receiving location information identifying a location a second mobile station;

transmitting the location information to a first mobile station;

receiving a hit or miss identifier from the first mobile station in response to a simulated weapon activation on the first mobile station, the hit or miss identifier being selected at least in part based on the transmitted location information; and

transmitting the hit or miss identifier to the second mobile station.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

selecting a level of physical stimuli at least in part based on the location information; and

transmitting to the second mobile station physical stimuli information correlating to the selected level of physical stimuli.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein selecting a level of physical stimuli occurs in response to the simulated weapon activation occurring while a targeting icon on a display of the first mobile station is at least partially aligned with an icon representing at least a second player associated with the second mobile station.