WEARABLE GARMENTS RECOGNITION AND INTEGRATION WITH AN INTERACTIVE GAMING SYSTEM

• US 20170361225A1
• Filed: 06/17/2016
• Published: 12/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: GOSLIN, Michael P., ANKEM, Silpa, GODHANIA, Anila, LEE, Paul J., NOBLE, Joshua M., OLSON, Joseph L., SODHI, Jasjot G.
• Granted Patent: US 10,105,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/002 adapted to accommodate electronic equipment patients' garments for medical monitoring A41D13/1281; luminous ornaments A41D27/085
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 27/085 Luminous ornaments
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/302 specially adapted for receiving control signals not targeted to a display device or game input means, e.g. vibrating driver's seat, scent dispenser
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player

Abstract

Systems, methods and articles of manufacture for managing a wearable garment device. Embodiments include determining an identification credential that uniquely identifies a player within an interactive gaming environment. A gameplay state of the player within the interactive gaming environment is retrieved. The gameplay state includes at least one of a rank of the player, one or more accomplishments of the player and a group to which the player belongs within the interactive gaming environment. Embodiments determine a wearable garment device having a preexisting association with the player within the interactive gaming environment. The wearable garment device is configured with one or more display devices. A graphical depiction of at least a portion of the gameplay state is generated and embodiments cause the generated graphical depiction to be output for display using the one or more display devices of the wearable garment device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining an identification credential that uniquely identifies a player within an interactive gaming environment;

retrieving a gameplay state of the player within the interactive gaming environment, wherein the gameplay state includes at least one of a rank of the player, one or more accomplishments of the player and a group to which the player belongs within the interactive gaming environment;

determining a wearable garment device having a preexisting association with the player within the interactive gaming environment, wherein the wearable garment device is configured with one or more display devices;

generating a graphical depiction of at least one of the rank, the one or more accomplishments and the group of the player specified within the gameplay state; and

causing the generated graphical depiction to be output for display using the one or more display devices of the wearable garment device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated graphical depiction is displayed as a persistent image on the one or more display devices of the wearable garment device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical depiction comprises one or more symbols having a predefined relationship with the rank of the player within the interactive gaming environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the generated graphical depiction to be output for display using the one or more display devices of the wearable garment device further comprises transmitting one or more data packets including a representation of the generated graphical depiction, to a controller embedded in the wearable garment device, using a wireless data communication network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a physical location of the player within the physical environment;

determining one or more known geographical locations within a threshold distance of the physical location of the player;

generating a second graphical depiction corresponding to the one or more known geographical locations; and

causing the generated second graphical depiction to be output for display using the one or more display devices of the wearable garment device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more known geographical locations are selected from a plurality of known geographical locations corresponding to a plurality of attractions at a theme park, wherein each of the plurality of attractions is configured with a respective beacon, and wherein determining the physical location of the player within the physical environment further comprises receiving a signal from the beacon corresponding to a first one of the attractions.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the wearable garment device is further configured with at least one of a speaker device and a haptic feedback device, and further comprising:

determining a current context for the player within the interactive gaming environment;

determining one or more gameplay actions occurring during the current context within the interactive gaming environment;

transmitting an instruction to the wearable garment device, using a wireless data communications network, to perform a determined feedback operation responsive to the one or more gameplay actions occurring during the current context.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the wearable garment device is powered using at least one of a coin cell battery and a flexible battery sewn into a fabric of the wearable garment device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the wearable garment device having the preexisting association with the player within the interactive gaming environment further comprises:

retrieving a tag uniquely identifying a device type of the wearable garment device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the tag is retrieved using at least one of radio frequency (RF) communications, reflected light-emitting diode (LED) light, and one or more camera sensors.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein retrieving the tag further comprises receiving one or more data packets, over a wireless data communications network, specifying the tag uniquely identifying the device type of the wearable garment device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an instruction to an interactive device, specifying an indication of at least a portion of the gameplay state of the player, wherein the interactive device is configured with control logic to perform an analysis of the specified indication, determining one or more device actions to perform based on the analysis, and transmit an instruction to cause the one or more device actions to be performed.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determined one or more device actions are based on a determined relationship between the indication of at least a portion of the gameplay state of the player and predefined attribute information stored on the interactive device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the control logic for the interactive device is configured to access a mapping of attribute relationships to device actions to determine the one or more device actions to be performed.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

each time a determination is made that the wearable garment device is within communications range, repeating the generating of the graphical depiction and the causing the generated graphical depiction to be output for display using the one or more display devices of the wearable garment device.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer program code that, when executed by operation of one or more computer processors, performs an operation comprising:

determining an identification credential that uniquely identifies a player within an interactive gaming environment;

retrieving a gameplay state of the player within the interactive gaming environment, wherein the gameplay state includes at least one of a rank of the player, one or more accomplishments of the player and a group to which the player belongs within the interactive gaming environment;

determining a wearable garment device having a preexisting association with the player within the interactive gaming environment, wherein the wearable garment device is configured with one or more display devices;

generating a graphical depiction of at least one of the rank, the one or more accomplishments and the group of the player specified within the gameplay state; and

causing the generated graphical depiction to be output for display using the one or more display devices of the wearable garment device.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a first interactive device, from a wearable garment device, over a data communications network, one or more data packets specifying a gameplay state of a player within an interactive gaming environment;

retrieving predefined gameplay attribute data, from a memory of the first interactive device;

determining a relationship between the gameplay state of the player and the predefined gameplay attribute data;

accessing a data structure specifying a mapping of relationships to device actions, using the determined relationship, to determine one or more device actions;

transmitting an instruction to one or more output devices of the first interactive device, to perform the determined one or more device actions.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the relationship comprises at least one of belonging to a same group within the interactive gaming environment and belonging to opposing groups within the interactive gaming environment.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the gameplay state includes at least one of a rank of the player, one or more accomplishments of the player and a group to which the player belongs within the interactive gaming environment.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the predefined gameplay attribute data specifies a group within the interactive gaming environment to which the first interactive device has been assigned.