Vehicle tracking system, method and game

• US 8,353,749 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2008
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dean Sanders
• Original Assignee: Dean Sanders
• Inventors: Sanders, Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US12/231,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20100160013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 463 6- 7, 463/20, 463 22- 23, 463 30- 34, 463 36- 37, 463 42- 43, 463 58- 69, 273/246, 273248-252, 273/258, 273/317.1, 273/359, 273366-368, 273441-446, 273454-455, 273460-461, 434/29, 434 61- 71, 446/7, 472/86, 472/95, 472/130, 700 90- 93
• US Class Current: 463/6
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

The “Vehicle Tracking System and Game” integrates a GPS navigation system with invention specific hardware and software. A user installs a mobile unit on his race vehicle which features software allowing a processor connected to the electronics of the user'"'"'s vehicle to communicate with an inertial navigation system which collects racing information, with a remote database which features software for various interactive real-time or virtual GPS Racing Games and processing the racing information of all users, and with a GPS system in real time. The mobile unit collects, processes, saves and transmits user specific racing information continuously throughout the game. This racing information is data of racing performance parameters specific to the game subscribed for by the user. The database processes and evaluates the received racing information, offsets this information with the users'"'"' basic input data and compares the information of all users.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method including at least one non-transitory computer-usable readable storage medium having non-transitory computer readable program codes embodied therein for causing a computer system to perform a method of providing a virtual racing system comprising steps:

;

providing by the computer system a first racing game set of rules using a mobile unit comprising a keypad, an I/O control, a processor, a memory, a transceiver, a GPS, and an Inertial Navigation;

logging in through an interface located locally or through the internet, by the computer system, retrieving race information from a remote database;

starting to record by the computer system a user'"'"'s racing information by pressing the keypad activating the mobile unit;

transmitting and receiving by the computer system using the transceiver, wherein the transceiver communicates with the remote database, of predetermined waypoint coordinates and corresponding target times for said predetermined waypoints;

operating the user'"'"'s vehicle enabled by the mobile unit and transiting a known course using information received by the transceiver on the user'"'"'s mobile unit;

collecting by the mobile unit from the user'"'"'s movement information;

applying the information by the computer system to the known course to calculate results of the user with the user'"'"'s vehicle and the known course;

continuously collecting racing information and transmitting by the computer system using the transceiver of this information from the user'"'"'s mobile unit to the remote database in real time or after storing the information on the mobile unit'"'"'s memory;

continuously storing, processing and plotting the positions and said information by the computer system at said the remote database;

measuring elapsed times and average speed between waypoints by the computer system;

ending data collection, recording and transmitting of the user'"'"'s racing information by the computer system using the mobile unit by pressing the keypad;

comparing the user'"'"'s results with a plurality of users'"'"' results by the computer system using the remote database;

awarding cards to the plurality of users by the computer system, wherein the cards'"'"' ranking hierarchy corresponding to each user'"'"'s racing time being in proximity to the target times for the predetermined way point coordinates of the course in racing games; and

displaying the racing games'"'"' results by the computer system using the web server causing a different display associated with the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user movement information correlated at the remote database by the computer system includes basic input, average measurement data of the user and the vehicle and ratings of the user and the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting clues by the computer system using the transceiver wherein the transceiver communicates with the remote database, from the remote database to the vehicle'"'"'s mobile unit.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting various sets of information from the remote database by the computer system using the mobile unit and the transceiver, wherein the mobile unit is affixed to the vehicle and the transceiver communicates with the remote database, to the vehicle'"'"'s mobile unit wherein the information correlates with an actual location,

matching the various sets of information by correlating actual locations of the user by the computer system using the mobile unit.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

associating one or more race points onto one or more geographical maps by the computer system using the web server.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting and receiving specific waypoint coordinates and corresponding target times for the predetermined waypoints by the computer system using the transceiver, wherein the transceiver communicates with the remote database;

measuring an elapsed time and calculating average speed between waypoints at first waypoint and second waypoint, each having respective time stamps logged by the GPS system by the computer system;

providing an award to a user based on actual time associated with the user by the computer system using the web server;

storing two or more race times per race by the computer system; and

comparing times associated with users by the computer system using the remote database according to Texas-Hold-Em rules.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising following steps:

providing a second racing by the computer system;

logging in through an interface located locally or through the internet, by the computer system, retrieving race information from the remote database;

starting recording by the computer system of racing information by pressing the keypad activating the mobile unit;

transmitting a first clue by the computer system from the remote database to the vehicle'"'"'s mobile unit,

operating the vehicle enabled by the mobile unit to coordinates of the first clue received by the computer system;

unraveling clue by clue by the computer system and racing to the coordinates of a den of the next clue in order to complete a progressively received mapped course;

continuously collecting the racing information and transmitting this information by the computer system using the transceiver from the mobile unit to the remote database in real time or after storing the information on the mobile unit'"'"'s memory;

continuously storing, processing and plotting the position and the information by the computer system at the remote database;

ending the plotting and the recording and transmitting of the racing information by the computer system by pressing the keypad;

comparing results between different users at different times by the remote database by the computer system; and

displaying the racing games'"'"' results by the computer system using the web server causing a different display associated with the user.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising following steps:

providing a third racing game set of rules by the computer system;

logging in through an interface located locally or through the internet, by the computer system, retrieving race information from the remote database;

starting recording by the computer system of racing information by pressing the keypad activating the mobile unit;

transmitting various sets of information by the computer system from the remote database to the vehicle'"'"'s mobile unit wherein the information correlates with an actual location;

matching the various sets of information by the computer system with the correlating actual locations of the user;

operating the vehicle enabled by the mobile unit to coordinates of the actual locations;

continuously collecting the racing information and transmitting this information by the computer system using the transceiver from the mobile unit to the remote database in real time or after storing the information on the mobile unit'"'"'s memory;

continuously storing, processing and plotting the position and the information by the computer system at the remote database;

ending the plotting, recording and transmitting by the computer system of the racing information using the mobile unit by pressing the keypad;

comparing results between different users at different times by the remote database; and

displaying the racing games'"'"' results by the computer system using the web server causing a different display associated with the user.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising following steps:

providing a fourth racing game set of rules by the computer system;

logging in through an interface located locally or through the internet retrieving race information from the remote database;

overlaying race points by the computer system onto a map;

starting recording of racing information by pressing the keypad activating the mobile unit;

calculating race parameters by the computer system;

operating the vehicle enabled by the mobile unit and transiting a course using the racing information received on the user'"'"'s mobile unit;

continuously collecting the racing information and transmitting this information by the computer system from the mobile unit to the remote database in real time or after storing the information on the mobile unit'"'"'s memory;

continuously storing, processing and plotting the position and the information by the computer system at the remote database;

continuously plotting the position of the various users on the map by the computer system at the remote database;

ending the plotting and the recording and transmitting of the information by the computer system using the mobile unit by pressing the keypad;

comparing racing games'"'"' results between different users at different times by the remote database; and

displaying the racing games'"'"' results by the computer system using the web server causing a different display associated with the user.

10. The method of claim 1 for providing a fifth racing game set of rules further comprising the following steps:

providing a fifth racing game set of rules by the computer system;

logging in through an interface located locally or through the internet retrieving race information from the remote database;

starting recording of racing information by pressing the keypad activating the mobile unit;

transmitting and receiving, by the computer system wherein the computer system interfaces with the remote database, specific waypoint coordinates and corresponding target times for the predetermined waypoints;

operating the vehicle enabled by the mobile unit and transiting a course using the racing information received on the user'"'"'s mobile unit;

continuously collecting the racing information and by the system this information from the mobile unit to the remote database in real time or after storing the information on the mobile unit'"'"'s memory;

continuously storing, processing and plotting the position and the information by the computer system at said remote database;

measuring elapsed times and average speed between waypoints lodged via GPS and time stamps by the computer system;

awarding cards to users by the computer system using the web server, wherein the cards'"'"' ranking in the hierarchy corresponds with the user'"'"'s racing times'"'"' proximity to the racing game'"'"'s target times;

retaining two of a maximum obtainable five cars per race by the computer system;

ending data collection, recording and transmitting of the racing information by the computer system using the mobile unit by pressing the keypad;

comparing results and the card combinations of different users by the remote database according to Texas-Hold-Em rules; and

displaying the racing games'"'"' results by the computer system using the web server causing a different display associated with the user.

11. The method of claim 1 further providing a sixth racing game set of rules by the computer system in units with other users, wherein the group members'"'"' scores obtained for any GPS Racing Game accumulate and are ranked.