Electronic throw-and-catch game

• US 8,047,936 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2006
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Go! Products Incorporated, Prototoy LLC
• Original Assignee: Go! Products Incorporated, Prototoy LLC
• Inventors: DuFlon, Raymond H., Neal, Phillip H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): RADA, ALEX P
• Application Number:
  US11/308,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20060183577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,058 Days
• Field of Search: 473570-571, 473614-615, 473/569, 273444-446, 273454-455, 463/7, 463 35- 38
• US Class Current: 473/570
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/002 with special configuration, e.g. non-spherical discs for throwing A63B65/10
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/02 with a handle
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/06 with illuminating devices ; with reflective surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 67/002 Games using balls, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0053 Apparatus generating random stimulus signals for reaction-time training involving a substantial physical effort

Abstract

An electronic catch-and-throw game is disclosed that requires physical skill, logical thought, and advancing complexity in order to challenge players of all skill levels and hold their interest.

Claims

1. A catch-and-throw apparatus, comprising:

a housing;

one or more grip areas along said housing configured for being gripped;

one or more sensors in said housing and associated with said one or more grip areas for sensing when said one or more grip areas is gripped;

a microprocessor for communicating to an indicator system in said housing for indicating one or more of said one or more grip areas after detecting said housing has been thrown; and

the microprocessor for operating said indicator system to perceivably indicate one or more of said one or more grip areas, for receiving feedback from said one or more sensors relating to which of said one or more grip areas is gripped, and for perceivably indicating whether said one or more grip areas that is gripped corresponds to said one or more grip areas that is indicated.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said housing is substantially tubular and one of a single axis, two axis and three axis configuration.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said one or more grip areas comprise three grip areas.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said one or more sensors are capable of sensing electrical conductivity.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said one or more sensors are one of capacitive sensors, electric field sensors, optical sensors, and actuation force switches.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said indicator system includes non-visual directives identifying said one or more of said one or more grip areas.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said non-visual directives includes voice directives.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said non-visual directives includes sound effect audio directives.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said microprocessor varies a number and/or location of said one or more grip areas indicated by said indicator system between a first time when said one or more grip areas are gripped and a second time when said one or more grip areas are gripped.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a switch for allowing selection of varying complexity levels with which a number and/or a location of said one or more grip areas are indicated by said indicator system.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said microprocessor is located within said housing.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said microprocessor is located remotely from said housing and signals are transferred between said microprocessor and said indicator system and sensors via wireless protocols.

13. A method of operating a catch-and-throw system, the system including a device having a housing, one or more grip areas along the housing and an audio indicator system, the method comprising:

a) throwing the housing;

b) a processor system communicating to the indicator system for indicating one or more of the grip areas by the indicators;

c) catching the housing at the one or more grip areas indicated in said step b) after it has been thrown and detected to be thrown by the processor; and

d) indicating whether the housing was caught in step c) at the one or more grip areas indicated in said step b).

14. The system operating method of claim 13, further comprising:

e) repeating step a) through step d) until step d) indicates that the housing was not caught at the one or more grip areas indicated in said step b).

15. The system operating method of claim 14, further comprising:

f) varying a pattern of the one or more grip areas indicated in said step b) upon repetition in said step e).

16. The system operating method of claim 14, further comprising step (f) of varying the complexity of the pattern of the one or more grip areas indicated in said step (b) upon repetition in said step (e).

17. The system operating method of claim 13, the grip areas including a left grip area, a center grip area and a right grip area, wherein said step (b) of indicating one or more of the grip areas by the indicators comprises indicating one of:

(i) the left grip area, (ii) the right grip area, (iii) the center grip area, (iv) the left grip area and center grip area, (v) the center grip area and right grip area, (vi) the left grip area and right grip area, (vii) the left grip area, the center grip area and the right grip area.

18. The system operating method of claim 17, wherein said step (b) of indicating one or more of the grip areas by the indicators comprises the step of illuminating at least a portion of the indicated grip area.

19. The system operating method of claim 13 wherein said one or more grip indicating step includes providing non-visual directives identifying said one or more of the one or more grip areas.

20. The system operating method of claim 19 wherein said non-visual directives includes voice directives.

21. The system operating method of claim 19 wherein said non-visual directives includes sound effect audio directives.

22. A method of operating a catch-and-throw system, the system including a device having a housing, grip areas along the housing, sensors associated with the grip areas, indicators associated with the grip areas, a microprocessor and switches for determining the game mode, the method comprising:

(a) selecting a game mode via one or more of the switches;

(b) monitoring the sensors by the microprocessor after said step (a) to determine whether the device has been thrown;

(c) selecting a pattern of grip areas to be indicated by the indicators when it is determined in said step (b) that the device has been thrown;

(d) indicating the pattern of grip areas selected in said step (c) by the indicators;

(e) catching the device and receiving feedback from the sensors to determine which grip areas are being held after said steps (c) and (d);

(f) comparing which grip areas are held against which grip areas were indicated by the indicators;

(g) providing a first perceivable feedback when the grip areas held in said step (f) match the pattern of grip areas selected in said step (c); and

(h) providing a second perceivable feedback, different than the first perceivable feedback, when the grip areas held in said step (f) do not match the pattern of grip areas selected in said step (c).

23. The system operating method of claim 22, further comprising step (i) of repeating said steps (b) through (h) if the comparison of said step (f) indicates the grip areas held match the pattern of grip areas selected.

24. The system operating method of claim 23, further comprising step (j) of varying the pattern of the one or more grip areas selected in said step (c) upon repetition of said steps (b) through (h) in said step (i).

25. The system operating method of claim 23, further comprising step (j) of varying a complexity of the pattern of the one or more grip areas selected in said step (c) upon repetition of said steps (b) through (h) in said step (i).

26. The system operating method of claim 22, the grip areas including a left grip area, a center-grip area and a right grip area, wherein said step (c) of selecting one or more of the grip areas by the indicators comprises selecting one of:

(i) the left grip area, Op the right grip area, (iii) the center grip area, (iv) the left grip area and center grip area, (v) the center grip area and right grip area, (vi) the left grip area and right grip area, (vii) the left grip area, the center grip area and the right grip area.

27. The system operating method of claim 22, wherein said step (d) of indicating one or more of the grip areas by the indicators comprises the step of illuminating at least a portion of the indicated grip area.

28. The system operating method of claim 22 wherein said one or more grip indicating step (d) includes providing non-visual directives identifying said one or more of the one or more grip areas.

29. The system operating method of claim 28 wherein said non-visual directives includes voice directives.

30. The system operating method of claim 28 wherein said non-visual directives includes sound effect audio directives.

31. An apparatus, comprising:

a housing, said housing defining a catch system, said catch system including one or more catch regions;

a sensor system, coupled to said housing and coupled to said catch system, said sensor system detecting a catch status of said catch system;

an indicator system, coupled to said housing, for indicating a catch pattern, said catch pattern identifying one or more of said one or more catch regions; and

a processor system, communicated to said sensor system and communicated to said indicator system, for determining a thrown-state for said housing and for generating said catch pattern by said indicator system when said thrown-state has a predetermined value indicating said housing has been thrown, and said processor system for determining a conformance between said catch status and said catch pattern after said thrown-state indicates said housing has been caught.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein said housing includes an arrangement of members directed outward from a center node, each said member terminating at one of said catch regions.

33. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein said housing includes an object having a plurality of vertices each terminating generally at one of said catch regions.

34. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein said thrown-state is determined responsive to a catch status of said one or more catch regions.

35. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein said indicator system includes a plurality of illumination members, at least one illumination member associated with each catch region, said plurality of illumination members collectively defining said catch pattern.

36. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein said processor system varies said catch pattern responsive to a history of a degree of conformance between said catch pattern and said catch status of previous tosses and corresponding catches.

37. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein said catch pattern variation increases a difficulty of catch patterns responsive to said history indicating a number of successful successive tosses and catches.

38. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein said indicator system includes non-visual directives identifying said one or more of said one or more grip areas.

39. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein said non-visual directives includes voice directives.

40. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein said non-visual directives includes sound effect audio directives.

41. A method, the method comprising:

a) tossing a housing, said housing defining a catch system, said catch system including one or more catch regions wherein said housing includes a sensor system coupled to said catch system for detecting a catch status of said catch system and wherein said housing includes an indicator system for indicating a catch pattern, said catch pattern identifying one or more of said one or more catch regions;

b) determining a toss-state for said housing;

c) generating said catch pattern by said indicator system when said toss-state has a predetermined value indicating said housing has been tossed, and

d) determining a conformance between said catch status and said catch pattern after said toss-state indicates said housing has been caught.

42. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium carrying program instructions for operating a catch-and-throw system, the system including a device having a housing, grip areas along the housing, sensors associated with the grip areas, indicators associated with the grip areas, a microprocessor and switches for determining the game mode when executed using a computing system, the executed program instructions executing a method, the method comprising:

(a) selecting a game mode via one or more of the switches;

(b) monitoring the sensors by the microprocessor after said step (a) to determine whether the device has been thrown;

(c) selecting a pattern of grip areas to be indicated by the indicators if it is determined in said step (b) that the device has been thrown;

(d) indicating the pattern of grip areas selected in said step (c) by the indicators;

(e) receiving feedback from the sensors to determine which grip areas are being held after said steps (c) and (d);

(f) comparing which grip areas are held against which grip areas were indicated by the indicators;

(g) providing a first perceivable feedback when the grip areas held in said step (f) match the pattern of grip areas selected in said step (c); and

(h) providing a second perceivable feedback, different than the first perceivable feedback, when the grip areas held in said step (f) do not match the pattern of grip areas selected in said step (c).