INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA SYSTEM

• US 20090100338A1
• Filed: 03/05/2007
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Discovery Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Link Formazione S.r.l.
• Inventors: Saetti, Ricardo
• Application Number:
  US12/282,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20090100338A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1068 being specially adapted to detect the point of contact of the player on a surface, e.g. floor mat, touch pad
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0334 Foot operated pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention concerns an interactive multimedia system comprising processing electronic means that controls multimedia playing means for playing at least one video and/or audio content, wherein it further comprises detecting means, capable to detect presence of at least one participant within an interaction area (A) having a floor treadable by said at least one participant, connected to the processing electronic means, said at least one video and/or audio content played on the multimedia playing means being conditional on at least one signal received by the processing electronic means from the detecting means.

Claims

1. An interactive multimedia system comprising a processing electronic means that controls multimedia playing means for playing at least one video and/or audio content, the system further comprising a detecting means, capable to detect presence of at least one participant within an interaction area having a floor treadable by said at least one participant, connected to the processing electronic means, said at least one video and/or audio content played on the multimedia playing means being conditional on at least one signal received by the processing electronic means from the detecting means wherein said processing electronic means stores a set of video and/or audio contents and a logic chart, structured according to a logic tree, of at least one sequence of video and/or audio contents belonging to said set which is played on the multimedia playing means, said logic chart comprising one or more branches of said at least one sequence of video and/or audio contents conditional to said at least one signal received by the processing electronic means from the detecting means.

47. A system according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means comprises a photoelectric means capable to generate one or more light beams and to detect interruption of said one or more light beams when they are intersected by an outline of said at least one participant.

48. A system according to claim 47, wherein the photoelectric means comprises one or more photoelectric sensors or photoelectric cells which receive said one or more light beams generated by one or more corresponding light emitters.

49. A system according to claim 48, wherein said one or more photoelectric sensors or photoelectric cells face said one or more corresponding light emitters.

50. A system according to claim 47, wherein at least one portion of said one or more light beams are generated according to at least one direction parallel to the floor of the interaction area.

51. A system according to claim 47, wherein at least one portion of said one or more light beams are generated according to at least one direction orthogonal to the floor of the interaction area.

52. A system according to claim 51, wherein the photoelectric means comprises one or more photoelectric sensors or photoelectric cells which receive said one or more light beams generated by one or more corresponding light emitters, wherein the floor of the interaction area is capable to reflect said one or more light beams and in that said one or more photoelectric sensors or photoelectric cells and said one or more corresponding light emitters are arranged in the same floor or in a ceiling of the interaction area.

53. A system according to claim 47, wherein at least one portion of said one or more light beams delimits at least one portion of a perimeter of the interaction area.

54. A system according to claim 1, wherein the processing electronic means, on the basis of said at least one signal received by the detecting means, is capable to discriminate the direction of passage of said at least one participant through at least one portion of a perimeter of the interaction area, so as to recognise an entry into or an exit from the interaction area by said at least one participant.

55. A system according to claim 54, wherein at least one portion of said one or more light beams delimits at least one portion of a perimeter of the interaction area, wherein said at least one portion of said one or more light beams comprises at least one pair of parallel light beams arranged in correspondence with said at least one portion of the perimeter of the interaction area, the processing electronic means discriminating said direction of passage of said at least one participant through the chronological analysis of interruptions of the pair beams belonging to said at least one pair.

56. A system according to claim 53, wherein said one or more photoelectric sensors or photoelectric cells face said one or more corresponding light emitters, and wherein at least one portion of said one or more light beams are generated according to at least one direction parallel to the floor of the interaction area, wherein said one or more light emitters are arranged along at least one first sensorised post and said one or more corresponding photoelectric cells are arranged along at least one second sensorised post.

57. A system according to claim 56, wherein at least one portion of said one or more light beams delimits at least one portion of a perimeter of the interaction area, wherein said at least one portion of said one or more light beams comprises at least one pair of parallel light beams arranged in correspondence with said at least one portion of the perimeter of the interaction area, the processing electronic means discriminating said direction of passage of said at least one participant through the chronological analysis of interruptions of the pair beams belonging to said at least one pair, wherein said at least one first sensorised post and said at least one second sensorised post are each provided, at different heights above the floor of the interaction area, with pairs of light emitters and pairs of photoelectric cells, in such location as to allow their alignment with the pairs of light emitters and the pairs of photoelectric cells of two respective identical sensorised posts.

58. A system according to claim 56, wherein at least one pair of sensorised posts between which said one or more light beams are generated are rigidly connected through connecting longitudinal members.

59. A system according to claim 1, wherein the processing electronic means, on the basis of said at least one signal received from the detecting means, is capable to discriminate an age range of said at least one participant.

60. A system according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means comprises radar and/or echographic and/or radiofrequency detecting means, preferably for reading transponder devices mounted on objects, and/or magnetic stripe reading means and/or bar code reading means and/or microchip card or smartcard reading means.

61. A system according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means comprises at least one thermal detector or infrared ray volume sensor.

62. A system according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means comprises pressure detecting means, arranged in the floor of the interaction area, capable to detect tread of the floor.

63. A system according to claim 62, wherein the floor of the interaction area comprises one or more tiles provided with said pressure detecting means.

64. A system according to claim 62, wherein said pressure detecting means is capable to detect a body weight, preferably due to said at least one participant, resting on the same.

65. A system according to claim 64, wherein said pressure detecting means comprises weight sensors, preferably mercury sensors.

66. A system according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means comprises presence detecting means, arranged in the floor of the interaction area, capable to detect presence of said at least one participant on the floor.

67. A system according to claim 66, wherein the floor of the interaction area comprises one or more tiles provided with said presence detecting means.

68. A system according to claim 66, wherein said presence detecting means comprises variable inductance sensors.

69. A system according to claim 66, wherein the processing electronic means, on the basis of said at least one signal received from the detecting means, is capable to discriminate a distribution of said at least one participant within the interaction area.

70. A system according to claim 1, wherein said multimedia playing means comprises at least one display and/or one or more audio speakers.

71. A system according to claim 1, wherein it further comprises selection means operatable by said at least one participant, said at least one video and/or audio content played on the multimedia playing means being conditional on at least one signal received by the processing electronic means from the selection means.

72. A system according to claim 71, wherein said selection means includes one or more keys and/or a microphone connected to said processing electronic means that is capable to carry out a speech recognition of selections spoken by said at least one participant.

73. A system according to claim 71, wherein said multimedia playing means comprises at least one display and/or one or more audio speakers, wherein said selection means includes means for detecting presence and position of objects in proximity of said at least one display, connected to said processing electronic means, so that this is capable to recognise a selection by said at least one participant on the basis of at least one signal received from said detectors of presence and position of objects in proximity of said at least one display.

74. A system according to claim 73, wherein said means for detecting presence and position of objects in proximity of said at least one display comprises further photoelectric means capable to generate one or more light beams in proximity of said at least one display and to detect interruption of said one or more light beams when they are intersected by an outline of said objects.

75. A system according to claim 71, wherein said multimedia playing means comprises at least one display and/or one or more audio speakers, wherein the system further comprises means for pointing a graphic cursor moving over said at least one display, that preferably includes at least one mouse and/or at least one gamepad.

76. A system according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means further comprises at least one camera, preferably a digital video camera, that provides said processing electronic means with photogram sequences, preferably from 5 to 25 per second.

77. A system according to claim 76, wherein said at least one camera is flexible, the orientation of which being controlled by said processing electronic means.

78. A system according to claim 76, wherein it further comprises a background panel located so as to be a background of said photograms of said at least one camera.

79. A system according to claim 78, wherein the background panel is of homogeneous colour.

80. A system according to claim 76, wherein said processing electronic means is capable to acquire, before said at least one participant is present within the interaction area, at least one background of said photograms.

81. A system according to claim 76, wherein said processing electronic means is capable to crop an image of said at least one participant.

82. A system according to claim 81, wherein the background panel is of homogeneous colour, wherein said processing electronic means crops the image of said at least one participant through the chrominance filter method (or “

chroma key”

method) applied to the colour of the background panel.

83. A system according to claim 81, wherein said processing electronic means is capable to acquire, before said at least one participant is present within the interaction area, at least one background of said photograms, wherein said processing electronic means crops the image of said at least one participant by recognising differences of said photograms with respect to the preliminarily acquired background.

84. A system according to claim 76, wherein said processing electronic means is capable to detect at least one selection expressed by said at least one participant on the basis of said photogram sequences.

85. A system according to claim 84, wherein said processing electronic means detects said at least one selection through a chromatic analysis of said photograms.

86. A system according to claim 84, wherein said processing electronic means detects said at least one selection by recognising at least one corresponding gesture of said at least one participant.

87. A system according to claim 86, wherein said at least one gesture comprises raising at least one hand above head of said at least one participant, said processing electronic means detecting when said at least one hand surpasses a horizontal line tangent to a top outline of the head.

88. A system according to claim 77, wherein said processing electronic means comprises at least one tracking automatic apparatus, capable to identify an outline of a bosom and/or head of said at least one participant, so as to control said at least one camera in order to follow said at least one participant.

89. A system according to claim 1, wherein said processing electronic means comprises at least one Programmable Logic Controller or PLC device connected to at least one personal computer or PC.

90. A system according to claim 71, wherein said logic chart comprises one or more branches of said at least one sequence of video and/or audio contents conditional to said at least one signal received by the processing electronic means from the selection means.

91. A system according to claim 1, wherein one or more video and/or audio contents of said at least one sequence are randomly selected by said processing electronic means out of a sub-set of video and/or audio contents belonging to said set, said processing electronic means preferably keeping a historical memory of said one or more video and/or audio contents randomly selected out of said sub-set which are played on the multimedia playing means.

2-46. -46. (canceled)