Computer controlled amusement structure

• US 5,320,362 A
• Filed: 09/07/1993
• Issued: 06/14/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Jordan, Thomas Bear
• Original Assignee: Robert Jordan, Thomas Bear
• Inventors: Jordan, Robert, Bear, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Grieb, William H.
• Application Number:
  US08/116,507
• Time in Patent Office: 280 Days
• Field of Search: 273/440, 273/311, 273/313, 273/444, 273/445, 273/446, 273/454, 273/460, 273/310, 472/62
• US Class Current: 463/5
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0291 with a simulated projectile, e.g. an image on a screen

Abstract

An amusement system for use by one or more participants includes weapons which may be carried, aimed and triggered by the participants to fire objects, such as paint balls, or electromagnetic energy, such as laser light. The participants wear sensors which generate signals upon participant being "hit" by an emission. The system includes a structure having a series of elongated passageways. Each passageway is divided by a central wall into a pair of trackways which lead from common entrance area at one end to a gaming area at the opposite end. Viewing areas in which the activities of the participants in the gaming area may be observed are disposed adjacent to the gaming area. Sensors are disposed along the passageways and in the gaming areas to detect the positions and activities of the participants to provide the signals to a central computer. The computer controls active displays disposed along the passageway and in the gaming area which simulate weapons and special sound and visual effects such as explosions and the like and displays which provide information to the participants as to their scores. The computer generates scores based on signals from the sensors to evaluate the players.

Claims

1. An amusement structure, comprising:

an elongated passageway;

a central divider wall separating said passageway into a pair of trackways;

a common entrance area having access to said pair of trackways;

a common gaming area connecting to the two trackways at their opposite ends;

means to observe activities in said gaming area from externally of the gaming area;

a plurality of sensors disposed along said trackway and in the gaming area and operative to generate electrical signals related to the positions and activities of participants in the passageway and gaming area;

sensory signal generators disposed along said trackway and in said gaming area; and

a central computer connected to said sensors so as to receive signals from said sensors and connected to said sensory signal generators so as to control their operation; and

said computer being operative to control the operation of the sensory signal generators as a function of the signals generated by said sensors.

2. The amusement structure of claim 1 wherein said sensory signal generators include displays and said central computer includes means for scoring the performance of the participants based on the outputs of said sensory signal generators and communicates the performance to the participants through the displays.

3. The amusement structure of claim 1 including:

a second elongated passageway;

a second central divider wall separating said second passageway into a second pair of trackways, one end of both of said second pairs of trackways being exposed adjacent to and connected to said common gaming area; and

a second common gaming area connected to said second two trackways at their opposite ends.

4. The amusement structure of claim 1 wherein said plurality of sensors includes receivers for electromagnetic energy from transmitters carried by said participants.

5. The amusement structure of claim 4, further including directional electromagnetic transmitters adapted to be carried by the participants and electromagnetic receivers adapted to be carried by the participants, and said sensors include means for determining the receipt of a signal from an electromagnetic transmitter carried by one participant which is picked up by an electromagnetic receiver carried by a second participant.

6. The amusement structure of claim 1 wherein at least certain of said secondary signal generators include displays controlled by the central computer to simulate an adversary of participants.

7. The amusement structure of claim 1 in which certain of said sensors include transmitters of electromagnetic energy and receivers of reflected electromagnetic energy.

8. The amusement structure of claim 1 in which said means to observe activities in said gaming area from externally of the gaming area comprises a viewing room disposed immediately adjacent to the gaming area and including windows to allow the observation of activities within the gaming area from the viewing room.

9. An amusement gaming system adapted to be used by one or more participants, comprising:

weapons adapted to be carried by the participants, the weapons including trigger means for energizing the weapons to generate a directional emission from the weapons;

sensors adapted to be carried by the participants adapted to detect the receipt by the participant of an emission from the weapon of another participant;

an elongated passageway;

a central divider wall separating said passageway into a pair of trackways;

a plurality of sensors operative to generate electrical signals related to the positions and/or activities of participants;

displays disposed along said trackway; and

a central computer connected to said sensors so as to receive signals from said sensors and connected to said displays so as to control their operation, said central computer including means for evaluating the performance of participants based on signals from said sensors and controlling the displays to provide information to the participants as to their performance.

10. The amusement gaming system of claim 9 further including a common gaming area connected to the two trackways at one of their ends;

and

a plurality of sensors and displays disposed in the gaming area.

11. The amusement gaming system of claim 10 further including means for observing activities in the gaming area from an area remote from said gaming area.

12. The amusement system of claim 11 wherein said means for observing activities in the gaming area from an area remote from said gaming area includes a viewing room disposed immediately adjacent said gaming area and having windows to allow the observation of activities within the gaming area from the viewing room.