Electronic Game Device and Method of Using the Same

• US 20100311485A1
• Filed: 08/18/2010
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Barri, Darin Marshal, Sanchez, Jorge Castro, Yu, Brian M., Ritter, Janice E., Grzesek, Robert John, Callies, Tadd L., Ginkel, E. Ernst
• Granted Patent: US 8,651,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/9
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/90 Constructional details or arrangements of video game devices not provided for in groups A63F13/20 or A63F13/25, e.g. housing, wiring, connections or cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8064 Quiz

Abstract

An electronic question and answer game device in accordance with the present invention comprises a housing that has several side walls or surfaces. A display screen is disposed on one of the sides. The display screen is configured to present a question to the user of the electronic device. The electronic game device includes several mechanisms that vary the methods in which a user can play the game.

Claims

1. An electronic device for playing a game, comprising:

a housing having an output device that can present a question to a user, the question having a correct answer, the housing defining a first axis and a second axis orthogonal to the first axis, the housing being movable about the first axis and movable about the second axis;

a motion detector disposed in the housing, the motion detector detecting movement of the housing about the first axis or the second axis; and

a control mechanism disposed in the housing and connected to the motion detector, the control mechanism determining whether the user has moved the housing about the first axis or the second axis, determining an answer to the question based on the detected movement of the housing about the first axis and/or the second axis, comparing the answer based on the detected movement of the housing, and providing an output based on whether the answer based on the detected movement is the correct answer to the question.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein movement of the housing about the first axis results in a different input than movement of the housing about the second axis.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein movement of the housing about the first axis involves moving the housing back and forth about the first axis.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein movement of the housing about the first axis a certain number of times results in a different input with a different value than movement of the housing about the second axis the certain number of times.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein movement of the housing once about the first axis creates a value of one and movement of the housing once about the second axis creates a value larger than one.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

an input mechanism coupled to the housing and connected to the control mechanism, the user actuating the input mechanism to select a particular answer after moving the housing about at least one of the first axis or the second axis.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the collective quantity of movements about the first axis and movements about the second axis can be selected by actuating the input mechanism.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the input mechanism includes a switch that is actuated by the application of a force to the housing.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the question requires the input of a number as an answer to the question, and each movement of the housing about the first axis adds a first value to a potential answer and each movement of the housing about the second axis adds a second value to the potential answer, the first value being different than the second value.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein movement of the housing about the first axis once counts by a different number than movement of the housing about the second axis once.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein movement of the housing about the first axis counts numbers at a first rate per movement, and movement of the housing about the second axis counts numbers at a second rate per movement, the second rate being different than the first rate.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the correct answer to the question requires that a user move the housing a certain number of times about the first axis.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the correct answer to the question requires that a user move the housing at least once about the first axis and at least once about the second axis.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the output device is a display that is configured to display the question to the user.

15. An electronic device for playing a game, comprising:

a housing having an output device that can present a question to a user, the question having a correct answer, the housing defining a first axis and a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, the housing being movable about the first axis and movable about the second axis;

a motion detector disposed in the housing, the motion detector determining movement of the housing about the first axis or the second axis; and

a control mechanism disposed in the housing and connected to the motion detector, the control mechanism maintaining a first value assigned to the movement of the housing about the first axis and maintaining a second valued assigned to the movement of the housing about the second axis, the control mechanism determining a collective value corresponding to movements of the housing relative to the first axis or the second axis based on the collective detected movements of the housing about the first axis and/or the second axis detected by the motion detector in response to the question, the control mechanism comparing the collective value to the correct answer, determining whether the collective value corresponds to the correct answer, and generating an output indicative of whether the collective value corresponds to the correct answer.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein each movement of the housing about the first axis has a different value than each movement of the housing about the second axis.

17. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the correct answer to the question requires that a user move the housing at least once about the first axis and at least once about the second axis.

18. A method of playing a game on an electronic device that includes a housing, a motion detector that determines movement of the housing, and a control mechanism for controlling outputs from the housing based in part on the detected movements of the housing, the method comprising:

receiving a question from the housing, the question having a correct answer;

determining a proposed answer to the question;

manipulating the housing about at least one of a first axis to count by a first increment for each movement about the first axis or a second axis to count by a second increment for each movement about the second axis to count to the proposed answer, the second increment being larger than the first increment; and

receiving an output from the housing that indicates whether the proposed answer corresponds to the correct answer.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

imparting a force to the housing to select the proposed answer.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein manipulating the housing to count to the proposed answer includes movement of the housing about the first axis at least once and movement of the housing about the second axis at least once.