Electronic interactive gaming apparatus, system and methodology

• US 6,508,706 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2001
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Elite Gaming Tech LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: David Howard Sitrick, Thomas Arthur Freeburg
• Inventors: Sitrick, David Howard, Freeburg, Thomas Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Esquivel, Denise L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones, Melvin
• Application Number:
  US09/886,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20020198032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/7, 463/9, 463/43, 463/44, 273/250-255, 273/266
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character

Abstract

It is a method of communicating amongst a network of networked computing entities to provide feedback to a user representative of a group social behavior comprising and providing a uniform data structure for each said computing entity which defines group social behavior simulation and the data structure comprising interaction rules and initial conditions. The interaction rules are comprised of fixed and variable elements. The initial conditions are comprised of fixed, variable and random elements—modifying the variable elements of the interaction rules and the initial conditions responsive to interaction of the networked computing entities and exhibiting feedback of the group social behavior simulation to the user of at least one of the computing entities.

Claims

1. An interactive computing device exhibiting a behavior, for use by a player in a system of a plurality of the computing devices, each computing device comprising:

a) a feature controller for selecting from a defined set of features to define a computing device persona, wherein each device has a unique persona that is initially set to an initial family value;

wherein the persona is comprised of several elements, with each of the elements comprising several variables;

wherein each said variable has an initial value;

b) a communications interface for communicating with other ones of the computing devices;

c) a user interface for communicating with the player;

d) logic for determining behavior in response to at least one of communications from other ones of the devices and from the player; and

e) a display for providing a presentation of the behavior responsive to the respective computing device persona.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the display includes structural elements capable of physical mechanical motion.

3. The device as in claim 1, wherein the display provides at least one of a visual and an audible presentation.

4. The devices as in claim 1, wherein the associated initial values are reassigned a unique value upon each initialization of the device.

5. The device as in claim 1, wherein a plurality of the devices are associated as members of a same family, wherein the members of the same family have the same initial family values.

6. The device as in claim 5, wherein members of the same family are further characterized in that the initial family value is modified by a factor to create a unique persona for each device.

7. The device as in claim 1, wherein the behavior of the device is modified responsive to communications with at least one of the other ones of the devices.

8. The device as in claim 1, wherein the feature controller is responsive to voice commands from the player to define the device persona.

9. The device as in claim 1, wherein the communications interface is an acoustic interface.

10. The device as in claim 9, wherein the acoustic interface provides inter-device audio communication within human range of hearing.

11. The device as in claim 9, wherein the acoustic interface further provides for response to human voice commands.

12. The device as in claim 1, further comprising:

an interface to a control apparatus for providing means for the player to interface with the device.

13. The device as in claim 1, further comprising:

a filter for selectively filtering communications received from the other ones of the computing devices.

14. The device as in claim 13, wherein the filtering selectively modifies the communications received from the other ones of the computing devices.

15. The device as in claim 1, further comprising means for receiving communications from a first one of the other ones of the devices and for forwarding the communications to a second one of the other ones of the devices.

16. The device as in claim 15, further comprising:

a filter for selectively filtering the communications from the first one of the other ones of the devices prior to forwarding to the second one of the other ones of the devices.

17. The device as in claim 1, wherein the feature controller is responsive to a defined set of rules for selecting from the defined set of features.

18. The device as in claim 17, wherein the feature controller is programmable to define the rules.

19. The device as in claim 18, wherein the rules are at least in part learned from the player use of the device.

20. The device as in claim 1,

wherein the persona is comprised of “

personality;

wherein the personality is comprised of a plurality of variables each having an associated starting value that is initially assigned based upon a family value and a pseudo-random individual family member value, wherein the values of the variables are further modified thereafter responsive to experiences representative of at least one of communications with other ones of the devices and with the player, wherein the range of change of the values is limited to a defined set of thresholds.

21. The device as in claim 1,

wherein the persona is further comprised of possessions;

wherein the possessions comprise a plurality of variables each of which has an initial value which is thereafter continually modified responsive to at least one of the communications with at least one of the other devices and the player.

22. The device as in claim 21,wherein the initial value for the variables for the possessions is at least one of a fixed value, a random number, assigned at manufacture, and assigned upon initialization.

23. The device as in claim 1, wherein the persona is comprised of appearance;

wherein appearance is comprised of a plurality of variables each of which has an initial value which is thereafter continually modified responsive to at least one of the communications with at least one of the other devices and the player.

24. The device as in claim 1, wherein the persona is comprised of society;

wherein society is comprised of a plurality of variables that have no initial value, but are defined by the interaction that each of the devices undergoes with at least one of other ones of the devices and with the player.

25. The device as in claim 1, wherein the user interface and the communications interface are multiplexed.

26. The device as in claim 1, wherein the behavior as exhibited includes changes to the appearance of the device.

27. The device as in claim 2, wherein the motion is comprised of movement of a portion of the device to create a gesture.

28. The system as in claim 1, wherein the initial value of each of the variables is selectively further modified by an additional factor unique to the respective device, resulting in a unique persona for the device.

29. The device as in claim 28, wherein the additional factor is a random number.

30. The device as in claim 1, wherein selected ones of the variables are further modified responsive to experience comprising communications and interaction of the respective device with at least one other one of the devices and the player.

31. The device as in claim 1, wherein the persona is comprised of the elements of personality, possessions, appearance, and society.

32. The device as in claim 20, wherein the variables for personality are further comprised of at least one element of a family name, an individual name, a character, a caste, a rank, aggressiveness, garrulousness, self-centeredness, altruism, openness, truthfulness, strength, intelligence, amenability, hostility, gender, sexual orientation, sexuality drive, sexual availability, and sexual monogamy.

33. The device as in claim 21, wherein the variables for the possessions are comprised of elements of at least one of wealth, rank, health, wisdom, and sex.

34. The device as in claim 23, wherein the variables for the appearance are comprised of elements of at least one of character caste, character rank, gender, beauty, and stature.

35. The device as in claim 24, wherein the variables for the society arc comprised of elements of other ones of the devices which share a common value of one of the variables with the respective device, and in communication with the respective device, a player in communication with the respective device, and communication with other ones of the devices which do not share a common value of one of the variables with the respective device.

36. The device as in claim 1, wherein at least two selected ones of the devices interact in a role-playing game responsive to the logic which is responsive to stored game rules and data.

37. The device as in claim 1, wherein the player can masquerade as a device, substituting for defined game rules and data to appear as a selected one of the devices in the role-playing game.

38. The device as in claim 36, wherein play of the role-playing game is comprised of a series of conversation interactions among the selected ones of the devices.

39. The device as in claim 38, wherein the interaction among the selected ones of the devices occurs in a hierarchical order directly based on relative proximity of the selected devices to one another.

40. The device as in claim 38, wherein the conversation interactions is comprised of an introductory conversation from a first one of the devices and a reply response providing information on the variables of the persona of the second one of the devices.

41. The device as in claim 40, wherein the first one of the devices communicates via the second one of the devices to indirectly communicate with a third one of the devices.

42. The device as in claim 40, wherein the second one of the devices provides an additional response of an introductory conversation to the first one of the devices, wherein the first one of the devices responds to the additional response of the introductory conversation by providing an additional reply response to the second one of the devices.

43. The device as in claim 40, wherein the reply response results in a transfer of at least a portion of the value of a selected one of the variables from the second one of the devices to the first one of the devices.

44. The device as in claim 43, wherein the transfer results in a change to the value of the respective variables of both the devices in the transfer.

45. The devices as in claim 43, wherein the transfer results in a change to the value of the respective variable in only one of the devices in the transfer.

46. The device as in claim 43, wherein the transfer of the value for the respective variable is governed by predefined rules associated with the respective variable.

47. The device as in claim 1, wherein the device communicates with at least one of the player and another one of the devices.

48. The device as in claim 1, wherein the device communicates with multiple players.

49. The device as in claim 1, wherein the device communicates with a plurality of other ones of the devices.

50. The device as in claim 49, wherein the device communicates at any given time with only one of the other ones of the devices.

51. The device as in claim 1, wherein the device provides an active game with an associated display.

52. The device as in claim 51, wherein the active game is divided into phases comprising a discovery phase and an active play phase.

53. An electronic trading card apparatus comprising:

a processing subsystem having a processing logic section, memory for storing behavior rules, and a communications interface for interacting with other ones of the electronic trading card apparatus;

user input apparatus for use by a player;

wherein the processing subsystem provides programmed functionality which in combination form a persona, and responsive to the behavior rules, the user input apparatus and the communications interface;

a display providing for a display presentation to the player responsive to the persona formed by the processing subsystem.

54. The apparatus as in claim 53, further comprising the electronic trading card apparatus within a system comprising a plurality of other ones of electronic trading card apparatus;

wherein the player utilizes the user input apparatus to provide initial variable values for a predefined set of user adjustable values of variables, wherein thereafter the display provides a display presentation responsive to the communication interface coupling of interaction with the other ones of the electronic trading card apparatus.

55. The apparatus as in claim 54, wherein after the initial setting of values of the predefined set of values of variables, the system operates independent of further interaction by the player.

56. The apparatus as in claim 53, further characterized as being a part of a system comprised of a plurality of electronic trading card apparatus communicating interaction via the respective communications interfaces, wherein the operation of each of the respective electronic trading cards of the plurality are affected by communications interaction with other ones of the electronic trading card apparatus and with the player, wherein the display presentation of each of the respective electronic trading card apparatus is determined by the communications interaction of the system as a whole.

57. The apparatus as in claim 56, wherein the plurality of the totality of electronic trading card apparatus within the system form a community comprised of the player and the plurality of associated electronic trading card apparatus.

58. The apparatus as in claim 56, further characterized in that there are a plurality of communities, each comprising a respective one of the players and a respective plurality of associated electronic trading card apparatus, wherein all of the electronic trading card apparatus within a respective community communicate and interact consistently with respect to at least one of the stored behavior rules, so as to act consistently with respect to that one said behavior rule with respect to communication and interaction with the electronic trading card apparatus of other one of the communities within the system.

59. The apparatus as in claim 57, wherein the community is further comprised of at least one additional player, wherein the display presentation for the electronic trading card apparatus within the community is responsive to the interaction of the respective electronic trading card apparatus with all of the players and other ones of the electronic trading card apparatus.

60. The system as in claim 53, wherein the display is at least one of visual, audible, smell and other human perceivable stimuli.

61. The system as in claim 53, housed within an otherwise non-interactive apparatus.

62. A method of communicating amongst a network of networked computing entities to provide feedback to a user representative of a group social behavior comprising:

(a) providing a uniform data structure for each said computing entity which defines group social behavior simulation;

the data structure, comprising;

(1) interaction rules and

(2) initial conditions, wherein the interaction rules are comprised of fixed and variable elements, and wherein the initial conditions are comprised of fixed, variable and random elements;

(b) modifying the variable elements of the interaction rules and the initial conditions responsive to interaction of the networked computing entities; and

(c) exhibiting feedback of the group social behavior simulation to the user of at least one of the computing entities.

63. The method as in claim 62, further comprising:

modifying the variable elements of the interaction rules and initial conditions responsive to the user interaction with at least one of the computing entities.