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Game related systems, methods, and articles that combine virtual and physical elements

  • US 8,920,236 B2
  • Filed: 11/09/2007
  • Issued: 12/30/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2007
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A game playing system, comprising:

  • a display subsystem configured to display images related to one or more games to be played on at least one game playing surface, the images including a virtual game layout including a number of demarcations of at least one area associated with the play of the one or more games;

    a sensor subsystem configured to detect a number of physical game related pieces placed at any location on the virtual game layout displayed on the at least one game playing surface; and

    at least one computing subsystem communicatively coupled to the display subsystem to control the images displayed by the display subsystem and communicatively coupled to the sensor subsystem to, responsive to the detection of the placement of the number of physical game related pieces on the virtual game layout displayed on the at least one game playing surface by the sensor subsystem;

    acquire unique, non-player specific, identification data for each of the detected number of physical game related pieces using identification data carried by each respective one of the detected number of game pieces;

    determine whether each of the detected number of physical game related pieces are newly placed on the virtual game layout displayed on the at least one game playing surface or were previously placed on the virtual game layout displayed on the at least one game playing surface using the acquired unique identification data;

    for those physical game related pieces identified as newly placed, logically associate the unique identification data for the respective physical game related piece with at least one game player and validate at least one game specific attribute of the respective physical game related piece using the respective unique identification data and a database storing particular information regarding the respective physical game related piece;

    responsive to a successful validation of all physical game related pieces identified as newly placed on the virtual game layout displayed on the at least one game playing surface, and responsive to the physical game related pieces identified as newly placed and the physical game related pieces identified as previously placed on the virtual game layout displayed on the at least one game playing surface, cause the display of at least one previously undisplayed virtual game related element on the virtual game layout.

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