Location-aware mixed-reality gaming platform

• US 8,231,465 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2008
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regional Resources Ltd (Imperial Metals Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Yee, Nicholas K., Bellotti, Victoria M. E., Ducheneaut, Nicolas B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bumgarner, Melba
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weatherford, Syvila
• Application Number:
  US12/035,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20090215536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 463/427, 463/32, 463/31, 345/427, 345/419
• US Class Current: 463/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/55 Controlling game characters or game objects based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1031 using a wireless connection, e.g. Bluetooth, infrared connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6009 for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates location-aware, mixed-reality gaming platform. During operation, the system determines a layout of a user'"'"'s surrounding. The system further detects the user'"'"'s location and/or nearby objects. Next, the system associates virtual content to the determined layout and associates a set of game rules with the virtual content. Subsequently, the system produces a visual and/or audio representation of a game based on the game rules and virtual content to the user, thereby allowing the user to play a game that corresponds to his surrounding and location.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating a location-aware, mixed-reality gaming platform, the method comprising:

determining, by a computer, a physical layout of a user'"'"'s actual surroundings;

detecting, by the computer, the user'"'"'s location and a plurality of nearby objects;

generating an alternate virtual reality from the determined physical layout by assigning each of a plurality of virtual objects, with an alternate virtual content to each object in the plurality of detected nearby objects, wherein each virtual object has a meaning different from that of the detected nearby object to which it is assigned;

associating a set of game rules with the alternate virtual reality; and

producing a visual representation of a game to the user based on the game rules and the alternate virtual reality, wherein the game rules are associated with interactions between the user and the alternate virtual reality, and correspond to the user'"'"'s surroundings and location within the determined physical layout.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the physical layout of the user'"'"'s surroundings comprises computing the dimensions of a room by triangulation based on wireless signals.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the physical layout of the user'"'"'s surroundings further comprises determining a reference point based on the wireless signals.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting nearby objects comprises detecting Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) signals from RFID tags attached to the objects and inferring the object locations based on the current location of a system performing the method and the RFID signals.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the alternate virtual reality includes at least one of:

a person;

an event;

an object; and

a place; and

wherein the virtual content further includes a digital record that carries visual, audio, or textual information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the user to review, edit, and add to the alternate virtual reality.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the user to review, edit, and add to the game rules.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for facilitating a location-aware, mixed-reality gaming platform, the method comprising:

determining, by a computer, a physical layout of a user'"'"'s actual surroundings;

detecting, by the computer, the user'"'"'s location and a plurality of nearby objects;

generating an alternate virtual reality from the determined physical layout by assigning each of a plurality of a virtual objects, with an alternate virtual content to each object in the plurality of detected nearby objects, wherein each virtual object has a meaning different from that of the detected nearby object to which it is assigned;

associating a set of game rules with the alternate virtual reality; and

producing a visual representation of a game to the user based on the game rules and the alternate virtual reality, wherein the game rules are associated with interactions between the user and the alternate virtual reality, and correspond to the user'"'"'s surroundings and location within the determined physical layout.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein determining the physical layout of the user'"'"'s surroundings comprises computing the dimensions of a room by triangulation based on wireless signals.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein determining the physical layout of the user'"'"'s surroundings further comprises determining a reference point based on the wireless signals.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein detecting nearby objects comprises detecting RFID signals from RFID tags attached to the objects and inferring the object locations based on the current location of a system performing the method and the RFID signals.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8,

wherein the alternate virtual reality includes at least one of:

a person;

an event;

an object; and

a place; and

wherein the virtual content further includes a digital record that carries visual, audio, or textual information.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising allowing the user to review, edit, and add to the alternate virtual reality.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising allowing the user to review, edit, and add to the game rules.

15. A computer system for facilitating a location-aware, mixed-reality gaming platform, the computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a layout-determination mechanism configured to determine a physical layout of a user'"'"'s actual surroundings;

a user location and object detection mechanism configured to detect the user'"'"'s location and a plurality of nearby objects;

a replacement virtual-reality-generation mechanism configured to generate alternate virtual reality from the determined physical layout by assigning each of a plurality of virtual objects object, with an alternate virtual content to each object in the plurality of detected nearby objects, wherein each virtual object has a meaning different from that of the detected nearby object to which it is assigned;

a game-rule-association mechanism configured to associate a set of game rules with the alternate virtual reality; and

a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to produce a visual representation of a game to the user based on the game rules and the alternate virtual reality, wherein the game rules are associated with interactions between the user and the alternate virtual reality, and correspond to the user'"'"'s surroundings and location within the determined physical layout.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein while determining the physical layout of the user'"'"'s surroundings, the layout-determination mechanism is further configured to compute the dimensions of a room by triangulation based on wireless signals.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein while determining the physical layout of the user'"'"'s surroundings, the layout-determination mechanism is further configured to determine a reference point based on the wireless signals.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein while detecting nearby objects, the detection mechanism is configured to detect RFID signals from RFID tags attached to the objects and to infer the object locations based on the current location of the computer system and the RFID signals.

19. The computer system of claim 15,

wherein the alternate virtual reality includes at least one of:

a person;

an event;

an object; and

a place; and

wherein the virtual content further includes a digital record that carries visual, audio, or textual information.

20. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising a virtual-reality-editing mechanism configured to allow the user to review, edit, and add to the alternate virtual reality.

21. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising a game-rule-editing mechanism configured to allow the user to review, edit, and add to the game rules.