Electronic gaming device with feedback

• US 8,777,748 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kico Sound LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Woolston, Thomas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): SKAARUP, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US13/943,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20130303287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• Field of Search: 463 1- 3, 463/7, 463/8, 463 36- 43, 446/473, 273/143.B, 345/156, 345/158
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• 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 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/833 Hand-to-hand fighting, e.g. martial arts competition A63F13/837 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1025 details of the interface with the game device, e.g. USB version detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1037 being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/50 characterized by details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 : for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8029 : Fighting without shooting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/013 : Force feedback applied to a game
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 : Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 : with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus for communicating information regarding movement of a gaming device are presented herein. A gaming device can include at least one sensor configured to measure information associated with at least one of a position of the gaming device or an attitude of the gaming device. Further, a communications interface component can be configured to communicate the information to a controller. A method can detect, via sensors of a handheld gaming device, information related to a movement of the handheld gaming device; and transfer the information to a controller communicatively coupled to the handheld gaming device. A system can include means for receiving information related to a position of a gaming device or an attitude of the gaming device, and means for predicting an anticipated position of the gaming device based on the means for receiving the information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

measuring, by a system comprising a processor, a position of a gaming device;

determining, by the system, an anticipated position of the gaming device based at least in part on the position; and

toppling, by the system, a gyrostat in a housing of the gaming device in accordance with toppling information generated based at least in part on the anticipated position.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the system, game information comprising the position and a measured velocity of the gaming device to a controller.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring, by the system, a velocity of the gaming device; and

determining, by the system, a force vector based at least in part on the position and the velocity,

wherein the toppling information is generated based at least in part on the force vector.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining the force vector comprises determining the force vector based at least in part on the anticipated position and a virtual mass associated with the gaming device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the system, a point of impact between a first virtual object representing the gaming device and a second virtual object based at least in part on the anticipated position.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising generating, by the system, the toppling information based at least in part on the point of impact and a measured velocity of the gaming device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a value based at least in part on a difference between the position and the anticipated position, wherein the generating comprises generating the toppling information further based on the value.

8. A gaming device, comprising:

a gyrostat;

one or more sensors configured to measure a current position of the gaming device; and

a control component configured to predict a future position of the gaming device based at least in part on the current position, and generate toppling information that instructs the gyrostat to topple based at least in part on the future position.

9. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein the control component is further configured to determine a location of the gaming device corresponding to a point of impact with a virtual object based at least in part on the future position.

10. The gaming device of claim 9, wherein the virtual object corresponds to another gaming device.

11. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein the gaming device is a first gaming device and the future position is a first future position, and the control component is further configured to predict a second future position of a second gaming device based at least in part on a measured position of the other gaming device.

12. The gaming device of claim 11, wherein the control component is further configured to determine an impact point of a first virtual object associated with the first gaming device and a second virtual object associated with the second gaming device based at least in part on the first future position and the second future position.

13. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein the control component is further configured to determine a force vector based at least in part on the future position and a virtual mass associated with the gaming device, and wherein the toppling information is based at least in part on the force vector.

14. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein the gaming device comprises a sword device.

15. The gaming device of claim 8, further comprising a communication component configured to send game information to a game controller based at least in part on the future position predicted by the control component.

16. The gaming device of claim 8, wherein the control component is further configured to generate the toppling information based at least in part on a difference between the current position and the future position.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable device having stored thereon computer-executable components that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

generating measurement data based at least in part on a measured position of a first gaming device;

determining a future position of the first gaming device based at least in part on the measurement data; and

initiating a toppling of a gyrostat inside a housing of the first gaming device based at least in part on the future position.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise determining, based at least in part on the future position, an impact point of a first virtual object corresponding to the first gaming device and a second virtual object generated by an electronic game.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable device of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise determining a location of the second virtual object based at least in part on another position of a second gaming device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a force vector based at least in part on the future position and a virtual mass associated with the first gaming device,

wherein the initiating the toppling comprises initiating the toppling in accordance with the force vector.