SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CREATING PHYSICAL OBJECTS USED WITH VIDEOGAMES

• US 20170080333A1
• Filed: 09/23/2015
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Activion Publishing Incorporated
• Inventors: Reiche, Paul, Leyland, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 10,349,250 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A user may create a customized virtual game character and the customized virtual game character may be physically substantiated. In some embodiments the virtual game character is physically substantiated by printing a representation of the virtual game character on a card, which in some embodiments has computer readable information regarding the virtual game character. In some embodiments the virtual game character is physically substantiated by making a toy in the form of the virtual game character, which in some embodiments has computer readable information regarding the virtual game character. In some embodiments the toy is made by way of 3-D printing, with for example character information uploaded from a user'"'"'s game machine to a 3-D printing facility, which may also receive additional detailed information about parts of the character from a third party server.

Claims

1. A method for creating and using a physical representation of a videogame character, comprising:

receiving selections of videogame character physical attributes from a game device;

substantiating the videogame character in a physical object;

storing information relating to the videogame character in a creation vessel;

and

providing for videogame play which includes game player control of the videogame character.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical object is a three dimensional toy.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein substantiating the videogame character in the three dimensional toy comprises printing the three dimensional toy by a 3-D printer.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein substantiating the videogame character in the three dimensional toy comprises:

transmitting over a network, by the game device, information relating to the videogame character;

receiving, by a first computer, the information relating to the videogame character; and

printing, by a 3-D printer coupled to the first computer, the three dimensional toy.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the information relating to the videogame character defines a visual appearance of the videogame character.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the information relating to the videogame character is identification information which identifies various parts of the videogame character;

and wherein substantiating the videogame character further comprises;

transmitting over the network, by the first computer, the identification information to a second computer; and

receiving over the network, by the first computer, information relating to the videogame character that defines a visual appearance of the videogame character.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving selections of the videogame character capabilities from the game device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising writing information relating to the videogame character to a memory of an RFID chip.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein substantiating the videogame character in the physical object comprises printing a representation of the videogame character on a card.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the card includes an RFID chip.

11. A method useful for videogame play, comprising:

customizing a game character using a game device;

storing information relating to the game character in a creation vessel;

determining whether an order is placed for a toy associated with the customized game character;

if the order is placed for the toy associated with the customized game character, creating the toy associated with the customized game character;

determining whether communication with the toy is successful;

if the communication with the toy is successful, displaying a representation of the customized game character associated with the toy; and

conducting gameplay involving the representation of the customized game character.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the customizing the game character includes selecting an appearance for the game character, selecting powers for the game character, selecting a name for the game character, and selecting a phrase for the game character.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising generating data associated with the customized game character and uploading the data to a server.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the creating the toy associated with the customized game character is performed by a 3D printer.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the toy associated with the customized game character includes a radio frequency identifier (RFID) circuit, the RFID circuit including memory to store information related to the customized game character.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising choosing a pre-customized game character.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining whether communication with the toy is successful is performed by a toy reader having RFID reader circuitry for communication with the toy.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the data includes three dimensional data relating to the customized game character.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising uploading the customized game character for display in a virtual showcase.

20. A method useful for videogame play involving videogame character customization, comprising:

determining whether to customize a videogame character;

if a videogame character is to be customized, creating a customized videogame character;

creating a game card having information of the customized videogame character;

retrieving the information of the customized videogame character from the game card;

displaying a representation of the customized videogame character based on the information of the customized videogame character received from the game card; and

providing play of the videogame using the representation of the customized videogame character.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising, if the videogame character is not to be customized, receiving a selection of a pre-customized videogame character from a plurality of pre-customized videogame characters.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the retrieving the information of the customized videogame character from the game card is performed by a reader.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the information of the customized videogame character includes an appearance, powers, a name, and a catch phrase.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the appearance of the customized videogame character includes a head, a torso, arms, legs, and scales of the customized videogame character.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the powers of the customized videogame character include primary and secondary powers.

26. The method of claim 20 further comprising uploading the information of the customized videogame character to a server.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the information includes geometric information of shapes and sizes of the customized videogame character.

28. The method of claim 20 further comprising sharing the customized videogame character with online game players.

29. A method of substantiating a videogame character, comprising:

receiving information, over a network, of a videogame character from a game device, the information of the videogame character including information relating to the videogame character;

transmitting over the network to a server at least some of the information relating to the videogame character;

receiving over the network from the server information of physical attributes of the videogame character; and

printing a three dimensional form of the videogame character using the information of the physical attributes of the videogame character.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

for a plurality of further videogame characters, receiving information, over a network, of the plurality of further videogame characters, the information received from different game devices for each of the plurality of further videogame characters, the information of the plurality of videogame characters including information relating to the videogame characters;

transmitting over the network to the server at least some of the information relating to the plurality of videogame characters;

receiving over the network from the server information of physical attributes of the plurality of videogame characters; and

printing three dimensional forms of the plurality of videogame characters using the information of the physical attributes of the plurality of videogame characters.