CREATING INTERACTIVE ZONES

• US 20130073681A1
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Jie, Jiang, Xiaofan, Zhao, Feng, Hsu, Jeff, Liu, Caiquan, Liang, Chieh-Jan Mike
• Application Number:
  US13/235,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073681A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/609 for unlocking hidden game elements, e.g. features, items, levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]

Abstract

Some implementations disclosed herein provide techniques and arrangements to enable interactive zones. For example, some implementations detect that a user has entered a zone associated with a physical object, where the zone is created via magnetic induction. In response to detecting that the user has entered the zone, some implementations send a virtual object representation of the physical object to a user device (e.g., a wireless phone) associated with the user. The user may interact with the virtual object, including selecting a command associated with the virtual object. Selecting the command may cause the physical object to perform one or more actions. In some implementations, a result of the physical object performing the one or more actions is sent to the user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a notification that a user has entered a zone associated with a physical object, the zone created via magnetic inductance;

sending, to a computing device associated with the user, a virtual object representation of the physical object;

receiving a command for the physical object from the computing device; and

in response to receiving the command, sending an instruction that causes the physical object to perform one or more actions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a result of causing the physical object to perform the one or more actions; and

sending the result to the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an event subscription request for an event associated with the physical object; and

associating the user device with the event.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, in response to detecting that the event associated with the physical object has occurred, sending an event notification to the user device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a discovery handshake with the user device after detecting that the user has entered the zone.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending at least a portion of an internet protocol address to the user device after detecting that the user has entered the zone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device is a wireless computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual object representation includes properties associated with the physical object.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the properties include metadata identifying one or more a state associated with the physical object, a command associated with the physical object, or an event associated with the physical object.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual object representation includes data identifying a hierarchical relationship between the physical object and one or more additional objects that are associated with the physical object.

11. A user device comprising:

one or more processors; and

computer-readable storage media including instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a server, a virtual object corresponding to a physical object, the virtual object including properties associated with the virtual object;

providing the virtual object for display at a display device, the virtual object having interactive properties;

receiving a selection identifying a first command based on the interactive properties;

sending the first command to the server; and

receiving, from the server, a result of performing the first command.

12. The computer-readable media of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

before receiving the virtual object, receiving an object discovery notification identifying the physical object;

providing an indication to the user that the physical object has been identified; and

receiving an instruction from the user to enable interaction with the physical object.

13. The computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the virtual object includes one or more states associated with the physical object.

14. The computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the virtual object includes one or more events associated with the physical object.

15. The computer-readable media of claim 14, the operations further comprising:

receiving a second selection from the user identifying a particular event of the one or more events; and

sending an event subscription request to a zone device associated with the physical object, the event subscription request identifying the particular event.

16. The computer-readable media of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

receiving a notification that the particular event has occurred; and

sending a second command of the plurality of commands to the zone device associated with the physical object.

17. A system comprising:

a zone device including a processor and a memory to store instructions, the instructions executable by the processor to perform operations comprising;

detecting, via a magnetic inductance antenna, that a user has entered a zone associated with a physical object;

sending, via a radio transceiver, a notification to a server that the user has entered the zone associated with the physical object; and

receiving a command via a radio antenna, the command including one or more actions that the physical object is capable of performing.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise determining a location of the user in three dimensional space.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise instructing the physical object to perform the one or more actions based on the location of the user and based on the command.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein, after detecting that the user has entered the zone, the operations further comprise automatically instructing the physical object to perform one or more actions.