Electronically interactive location-based multimedia game system and method

• US 6,267,379 B1
• Filed: 12/31/1997
• Issued: 07/31/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Funko Games, LLC (Funko, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Forrest-Pruzan Creative, LLC (Funko, Inc.)
• Inventors: Forrest, Andrew R., Pruzan, Alan J., Carey, Rachel E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARADISO, JOHN ROGER
• Application Number:
  US09/001,739
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: 463/9, 273/430, 273/272, 273/299, 273/429, 273/273, 273/431, 273/432, 434/322
• US Class Current: 273/431
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/183 electric

Abstract

An interactive multimedia game conducted by a live human host is described. The game is played in rounds. In each round, the game poses question to teams of players. Team players select answers to each question posed and input their answers using player terminals. There may be more than one answer to the multimedia question posed, and the team players must pick all of the answers. The multimedia questions may have hints to help the team players arrive at correct multimedia answers. The multimedia questions must be answered within a given amount of time. Once time has expired, the correct multimedia answer(s) are revealed to the team players. The game also provides feedback to the teams as to whether they have selected the correct multimedia answer(s). The game awards points to the teams, with team scores determined according to the point of value of the multimedia question. The game then poses a new question. Play continues until the last question of the last round has been posed, answered, and scored. The game then announces the winning team.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to conduct an interactive multimedia game by:

displaying a first set of at least three possible multimedia answers, wherein at least two of the possible multimedia answers from the first set of possible multimedia answers are correct answers because the combination forms a rebus;

receiving a signal from a first player terminal, where the signal corresponds to selections by one or more players at the first player terminal of at least two of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers; and

determining from the received signal if the multimedia answers selected by the one or more players at the first player terminal are the correct answers that form the rebus.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

identifying to the one or more players at the player terminal which of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers form the rebus, only after receiving the signal from the first player terminal.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

providing an indication of the number of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers that are the correct answers before receiving the signal from the first player terminal.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

providing a multimedia hint prior to displaying the first set of possible multimedia answers.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

displaying a visual indication indicating whether the one or more players at the first player terminal selected each of the correct answers.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

displaying a visual indication indicating whether the one or more players at the first player terminal selected each of the correct answers in a correct order.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein at least one of the possible answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers is incorrect.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

receiving a signal from a second player terminal, where the signal corresponds to selections by one or more players at the second player terminal of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers.

9. A computer readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to conduct an interactive multimedia game by:

displaying a first set of at least three non-identical possible multimedia answers where at least two of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers are related to one another, each of the related possible multimedia answers being a correct answer;

receiving a signal from a first player terminal, where the signal corresponds to selections by one or more players at the first player terminal of at least one of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers; and

determining from the received signal if the multimedia answers selected by the one or more players at the first player terminal are the correct answers that are related.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

providing an indication of the number of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers that are the correct answers before receiving the signal from the first player terminal.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

displaying a multimedia hint prior to displaying the first set of possible multimedia answers.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

displaying a multimedia hint in the form of a category that defines the relation between the correct answers prior to displaying the first set of possible multimedia answers.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

displaying a visual indication indicating the number of the correct answers selected by the one or more players at the first player terminal.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

determining from the received signal if the multimedia answers selected by the one or more players at the first player terminal were selected in a correct order.

15. A computer readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to conduct an interactive multimedia game by:

displaying a first set of at least three non-identical possible multimedia answers where at least two of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers are related to one another, each of the non-related possible multimedia answers being a correct answer;

receiving a signal from a first player terminal, where the signal corresponds to selections by one or more players at the first player terminal of at least one of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers; and

determining from the received signal if the multimedia answers selected by the one or more players at the first player terminal are the correct answers that are not related.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

providing an indication of the number of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers that are the correct answers before receiving the signal from the first player terminal.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

displaying a multimedia hint prior to displaying the first set of possible multimedia answers.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

displaying a multimedia hint in the form of a category prior to displaying the first set of possible multimedia answers.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

displaying a visual indication indicating the number of correct answers selected by the one or more players at the first player terminal.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 whose contents cause the computer system to conduct the interactive multimedia game further by:

determining from the received signal if the multimedia answers selected by the one or more players at the first player terminal were selected in a correct order.

21. A computer readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to conduct an interactive multimedia game by:

displaying a multimedia question;

displaying a first set of at least two non-identical possible multimedia answers where at least one of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers is a graphic representation cognitively associable to a lingual answer to the multimedia question, each of the possible multimedia answers cognitively associable to the lingual answer to the multimedia question being a correct answer;

receiving a signal from a first player terminal, where the signal corresponds to selections by one or more players at the first player terminal of at least one of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers;

providing an indication of the number of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers that are the correct answers, before receiving the signal from the first player terminal; and

determining from the received signal if the multimedia answers selected by the one or more players at the first player terminal are the correct answers that are cognitively associable to the lingual answer to the multimedia question.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein displaying a multimedia question includes displaying a description of a category into which at least one of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers belongs.

23. A method of playing an interactive multimedia game in a location-based entertainment facility, comprising:

displaying a first set of at least two non-identical possible multimedia answers to a plurality of teams where each of the teams includes at least two players;

providing an indication of the number of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers that are correct answers;

receiving from each of the teams within a single determined time period, at least one of the possible multimedia answers selected by the at least two players on the team; and

for each of the teams, determining if the possible multimedia answers selected from the first set of possible multimedia answers are the correct answers.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

providing a multimedia hint prior to displaying the first set of possible multimedia answers.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

automatically preventing each of the teams from selecting more of the possible multimedia answers than the number of correct answers.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein at least two of the possible multimedia answers from the first set of possible multimedia answers are correct answers because the combination of the possible multimedia answers form a rebus.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein at least two of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers are related to one another, each of the related possible multimedia answers being one of the correct answers.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein at least two of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers are related to one another, each of the non-related possible multimedia answers being a correct answer.

29. The method of claim 23 wherein at least one of the possible multimedia answers in the first set of possible multimedia answers is related the multimedia question, each of the related possible multimedia answers being a correct answer.