Simulated phenomena interaction game

• US 20070265089A1
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gloventures LLC
• Original Assignee: Consolidated Global Fun Unlimited
• Inventors: Alvarez, Cesar, Robarts, James
• Application Number:
  US11/147,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20070265089A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• 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 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• 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 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video

Abstract

Methods and systems for interacting with simulated phenomena are provided. Example embodiments provide a Simulated Phenomena Interaction System “SPIS,” which enables a user to incorporate simulated phenomena into a real world environment by interacting with the simulated phenomena. In one embodiment, the SPIS comprises a mobile environment (e.g., a mobile device) and a simulation engine. The mobile environment may be configured as a thin client that remotely communicates with the simulation engine, or it may be configured as a fat client that incorporates one or more of the components of the simulation engine into the mobile device. These components cooperate to define the characteristics and behavior of the simulated phenomena and interact with users via mobile devices. The characteristics and behavior of the simulated phenomena are based in part upon values sensed from the real world, thus achieving a more integrated correspondence between the real world and the simulated world.

Claims

1. A method in a location-based computer game environment comprising:

invoking a first interaction with a simulated phenomenon, the first interaction having an associated first range; and

invoking a second interaction with the simulated phenomenon, the second interaction having an associated second range, wherein at least one of the first range and the second range is limited to a dynamically determined value and wherein the first range is not the same as the second range.

2. The method of claim 1, the game environment including a mobile device for playing a game, and wherein at least one of the first interaction range or the second interaction range is based upon a real-world location associated with the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, the game environment including a mobile device for playing a game, further comprising:

automatically determining an initial location of the mobile device that is used to associate the game environment to a real-world locale.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the automatically determined location is based upon a detected real-world location in a physical coordinate system.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the automatically determined location is based upon an associated latitude or longitude value and subsequent changes to location of are determined based upon detected changes in bearing and velocity characteristics associated with the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the automatically determined location is based upon an arbitrary reference point and subsequent changes to location of are determined based upon detected changes in bearing and velocity characteristics associate with the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining an initial position for the simulated phenomenon associated with a location in the real-world based upon the automatically determining an initial location of the mobile device.

8. A mobile computer game, comprising:

a simulated phenomenon; and

a game engine that executes a first interaction with the simulated phenomenon according to a range that is limited and that executes a second interaction with the simulated phenomenon according to a second range, wherein the first and second range are different; and

a presentation component for notification of a result of at least one of the first interaction or the second interaction.

9. The computer game of claim 8 wherein the presentation component presents a notification based upon at least one of visual, audio, or tactile feedback.

10. The computer game of claim 8, wherein the range of the first interaction is limited based upon a real-world location associated with a mobile device used to play the computer game.

11. The computer game of claim 8, wherein the game engine communicates with a mobile device used to play the game in order to automatically fix a game grid associated with the game to a real-world location.

12. The computer game of claim 11 wherein the game grid is explicit or implicit.

13. The computer game of claim 11 wherein the real-world location used to fix the game grid is automatically determined by the mobile device.

14. The computer game of claim 8, wherein the game engine communicates with a mobile device used to play the game in order to automatically fix a game grid associated with the game to an initial position.

15. The computer game of claim 14, wherein actual movement of the mobile device in the real-world is tracked to indicate changes to location relative to the game grid.

16. The computer game of claim 14 wherein the initial position is an associated latitude and longitude position.

17. The computer game of claim 14 wherein detected changes in bearing and velocity characteristics associated with the mobile device are used to track changes to location relative to the game grid.

18. The computer game of claim 14 wherein the initial position is based upon an arbitrary reference point.

19. A computer-readable memory medium whose contents enable a computing device to present a mobile computer game, by performing a method comprising:

automatically establishing an initial game location associated with a real-world location, thereby affixing the game to a real-world environment;

invoking a first interaction with a simulated phenomenon, the first interaction having an associated first range that is limited based upon the real world environment; and

invoking a second interaction with the simulated phenomenon, the second interaction having an associated second range, wherein the first and second ranges are different.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the computer-readable medium is at least a memory of the computing device or a data transmission medium transmitting to the computing device a generated data signal containing the contents.