INTELLIGENT GAME SYSTEM FOR PUTTING INTELLIGENCE INTO BOARD AND TABLETOP GAMES INCLUDING MINIATURES

• US 20100004062A1
• Filed: 06/02/2009
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2008
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Tweedletech, LLC
• Original Assignee: Tweedletech, LLC
• Inventors: Maharbiz, Michel Martin, Jaqua, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 10,265,609 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/36
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00662 with an electric sensor for playing pieces A63F2009/2444 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00668 using hall effect
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2419 Optical
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/242 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2467 of a slide
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/247 audible, e.g. using a loudspeaker
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2486 the computer being an accessory to a board game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2489 by radio transmitters, e.g. using RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00643 Electric board games; Electric features of board games electric word or number games A63F3/0421; computer chess G06F; electric raffle games A63F3/081

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for intelligent game systems for putting intelligence into board and tabletop games including miniatures are disclosed. An intelligent game system comprises one or more sensors, a controller, and a projector, the sensors each having an identifier. The sensors obtain object information from intelligent game piece objects and transfer the object information to a controller where it is associated with a sensor identifier and the sensor identifier is associated with a corresponding portion of an image. The controller interacts with the intelligent game piece objects, for managing game play, and for preparing and transferring a changing image to a projector. Intelligent game piece object features are disclosed, as well as methods of initializing a system for use with the intelligent game piece objects.

Claims

1. An intelligent game system comprising:

a. one or more sensor modules to obtain object information from an object; and

b. a controller coupled to receive the object information.

2. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each sensor module has an address.

3. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each sensor module has a unique name.

4. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each sensor module has a unique time slot.

5. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each sensor module is mapped to an input port of the controller.

6. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each sensor module is associated with a portion of an image.

7. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising interface electronics coupled to receive the object information from each sensor module, and the controller is coupled to the interface electronics to receive the object information.

8. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a computer readable media, programmed with instructions for implementing a game, and configured to be read by the controller.

9. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the object information is a unique identifier.

10. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a projector coupled to receive image information from the controller, wherein the controller processes the object information and the sensor address of each sensor module to update a changing image, and the controller transmits image information to the projector.

11. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the sensor modules comprise a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader and the unique identifier comprises an RFID.

12. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the sensor modules comprise a bar code reader and the unique identifier comprises a bar code.

13. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor modules comprise one or more of:

an opto-detector, a Hall-effect sensor, a switch, or a circuit made or broken.

14. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the object information comprises a property of an object at the sensor.

15. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each sensor module further comprises a plurality of electrical supply points.

16. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a payment interface for receiving payment for use of the intelligent game system.

17. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intelligent game system further comprises sound reproduction equipment, and wherein the controller is configured to transmit audio to the sound reproduction equipment.

18. The intelligent game system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a communications device operably coupled to the controller for communicating with one or more remote game systems.

19. A game piece comprising object information capable of being read by a sensor on an intelligent game system, wherein the object information is an identifier.

20. A game piece as claimed in claim 19, wherein the identifier is a unique identifier.

21. A game piece as claimed in claim 20, wherein the unique identifier is an RFID tag or a bar code.

22. A game piece as claimed in claim 19, further comprising a power source.

23. A game piece as claimed in claim 22, further comprising a light emitting source and light transmission equipment.

24. A game piece as claimed in claim 22, further comprising an audio processor and audio distribution equipment.

25. A method of updating image information and projecting a changing image using one or more sensors to obtain object information from one or more movable objects comprising:

a. reading the object information from one or more of the one or more sensors;

b. associating the object information with a portion of an image;

c. performing application specific processing using the object information;

d. updating image information; and

e. transmitting image information to a projector.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein each sensor corresponds to a portion of an image.

27. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein each sensor has an address and each address corresponds to a portion of an image.

28. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein reading the object information from a sensor is conditioned on the presence of an object at the sensor.

29. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the object is a game piece and the information is a unique identifier.

30. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the unique identifier is a RFID.

31. A method of obtaining object information using one or more sensors, each sensor having a state indicating the presence of an object, the method comprising:

a. for each sensor;

i. reading the sensor state from the sensor; and

ii. if the sensor state reading indicates the presence of an object, then;

initiating a transmission of the object'"'"'s object information to a receiver.

32. The method of obtaining object information as claimed in claim 31, further comprising:

initializing a memory for storing the state of each sensor to indicate that no object is present at the sensor, before reading each sensor for the first time;

comparing the sensor state reading with the sensor state stored in the memory, after reading the sensor state from the sensor;

the receiver receiving the object information if the sensor state reading indicates that an object is present at the sensor;

updating the sensor state stored in the memory with the sensor state reading.

33. The method of obtaining object information as claimed in claim 31, wherein initiating the transfer of the object'"'"'s object information to a receiver and the receiver receiving the object information are executed only when the sensor state changes to indicate the presence of an object.

34. A method of playing an intelligent game comprising:

a. initializing intelligent game system components and software;

b. associating one or more first objects with a first player;

c. placing one or more of the first objects onto a surface comprising one or more sensors, each sensor corresponding to a portion of an image;

d. obtaining object information for the first objects using the sensors, for each of the first objects placed onto the surface;

e. processing the object information for at least one first object using an application software;

f. updating a changing image;

g. transmitting image information to an image projector; and

h. storing the game state information, if the game is terminated, and the game is to be resumed later.

35. The method as claimed in claim 34 further comprising:

a. associating one or more second objects with a second player;

b. associating the one or more second objects with second object information and associating the second object information with a portion of an image; and

c. processing the object information for at least one second object using an application software.

36. The method as claimed in claim 35 wherein the one or more second objects comprise one or more virtual second objects.

37. An intelligent game system comprising:

a. one or more sensor modules to obtain object information from an object;

b. interface electronics coupled to receive the object information from each sensor module;

c. a controller coupled to receive the object information of each sensor module from the interface electronics, and to associate the object information with a portion of an image;

d. a computer readable media, programmed with instructions for implementing a game, and configured to be read by the controller;

e. a projector, coupled to receive image information from the controller, wherein the projector receives image information from the controller and projects an image onto the surface of the sensors based on the image information received from the controller; and

f. a game piece comprising object information capable of being read by a sensor module, wherein the object information is an identifier.

38. The intelligent game system of claim 37 wherein each sensor module has an address and each sensor address is associated with a portion of an image.

39. The intelligent game system of claim 37 wherein each sensor module corresponds to a portion of an image.