TEAM FLOW CONTROL IN A MIXED PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL REALITY ENVIRONMENT

• US 20170285733A1
• Filed: 06/16/2017
• Published: 10/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyper Reality Partners LLC
• Original Assignee: The Void, LLC
• Inventors: Bretschneider, Ken, Hickman, Curtis, Jensen, James
• Granted Patent: US 11,054,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/212 using sensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat or leg activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/323 between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• 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 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/69 by enabling or updating specific game elements, e.g. unlocking hidden features, items, levels or versions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/00 Simulators for teaching or training purposes for the use of weapons F41; computing aspects G06; protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/003 for military purposes and tactics

Abstract

The flow of teams of one or more players is controlled through different geographical areas of a mixed virtual reality and physical experience that takes place on an attraction stage. The geographical areas may include rooms, compartments, or other geographical areas through which a team may progress. Within each geographical area, a team may engage in an experience and accomplish one or more checkpoints. Based on the time to achieve each checkpoint, the experience may be shortened or lengthened, either within the particular geographical area or the experience as a whole, to control the flow of the particular team through the series of geographical areas.

Claims

1. A method for managing flow of players through a combined physical and virtual reality experience, comprising:

detecting, by a computing device, the presence of one or more players from a first team of players within a first geographical area of a plurality of geographical areas;

virtually locking, by an area manager on a server in communication with the computing device, the first geographical area from being accessed by one or more players from a team other than the first team;

initiating a virtual reality experience, by a computing device associated with each player for the first team, for each the one or more players from the first team within the first geographical area; and

automatically adjusting, by a flow manager on the server, the duration of the virtual reality experience for the first team within the first geographical area based on the time taken by the first team to complete one or more checkpoints associated with the first geographical area.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

exiting the first geographical area by the first team; and

virtually unlocking the first geographical area in response to the exit of the first geographical area by the first team.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting the length includes shortening the duration of the virtual reality experience in response to detecting the first team has taken longer than an expected time to complete a checkpoint associated with the first geographical area.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein shortening includes shortening a virtual reality experience in a second geographical area in response to detecting the time spent in the first geographical area has taken longer than an expected time to be spent within the first geographical area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting the length includes extending the duration of the virtual reality experience in response to detecting the first team has taken less than an expected time to complete a checkpoint within the first geographical area.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of geographical areas adjoin at least one other geographical area such that a team may exit one geographical area to enter another geographical area.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that a first team is present in a second geographical area;

extending a virtual reality experience of a second team in a first geographical area connected to the second geographical area until the first team has exited the second geographical area;

resetting a plurality of virtual objects and physical objects in the second geographical area; and

allowing the second team to exit the first geographical area and enter the adjoining second geographical area.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for managing flow of players through a combined physical and virtual reality experience, the method comprising

detecting, by a computing device, the presence of one or more players from a first team of players within a first geographical area of a plurality of geographical areas;

virtually locking, by an area manager on a server in communication with the computing device, the first geographical area from being accessed by one or more players from a team other than the first team;

initiating a virtual reality experience, by a computing device associated with each player for the first team, for each the one or more players from the first team within the first geographical area; and

automatically adjusting, by a flow manager on the server, the duration of the virtual reality experience for the first team within the first geographical area based on the time taken by the first team to complete one or more checkpoints associated with the first geographical area.

9. A system for managing flow of players through a combined physical and virtual reality experience, the system comprising:

a processor;

memory; and

one or more modules stored in memory and executable by the processor to perform operations including;

detecting, by a computing device, the presence of one or more players from a first team of players within a first geographical area of a plurality of geographical areas;

virtually locking, by an area manager on a server in communication with the computing device, the first geographical area from being accessed by one or more players from a team other than the first team;

initiating a virtual reality experience, by a computing device associated with each player for the first team, for each the one or more players from the first team within the first geographical area; and

automatically adjusting, by a flow manager on the server, the duration of the virtual reality experience for the first team within the first geographical area based on the time taken by the first team to complete one or more checkpoints associated with the first geographical area.