Systems and methods for indirect control of processor enabled devices

• US 9,067,132 B1
• Filed: 06/07/2013
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Archetype Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Archetype Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Bergeron, Bryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Kenneth M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Jason
• Application Number:
  US13/912,771
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 700/83, 700/2, 700/11, 700/17, 700/20, 700/23, 436/47, 706/25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/21 characterised by their sensors, purposes or types
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/16 using magnetic record carriers G05B19/128 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/003 Repetitive work cycles; Sequence of movements
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/16 Control of vehicles or other craft simulators G09B9/02
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/02 for teaching control of vehicles or other craft

Abstract

Individuals can operate processor enabled devices at a high level of performance, even if they have little or no familiarity with those devices, by indirectly operating them through a first processor enabled device. The direct interactions of individuals with a familiar device can be communicated to one or more processors that perform signal processing functions in order to generate control signals that direct the operation of a second, unfamiliar processor-enabled device. In this closed-loop system, individuals can receive real-time feedback on the performance of the second device in a form associated with the operation of the first device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a. a first device configured to allow a first user to provide commands to a first video game and further configured to allow the first user to receive feedback characteristic of the first video game;

b. a first signal processor configured to generate control signals based on interaction signals indicative of interactions between the first user and the first video game;

c. a second device configured to receive, and to operate according to, the control signals;

d. a second signal processor configured to determine output signals by performing one or more of translation, mapping and logic operations on operation signals indicative of operation of the second device according to the control signals, and further configured to send the output signals to the first device;

e. a transducer operable to provide the feedback characteristic of the first video game; and

f. a game database storing a library of video games, the library of video games comprising the first video game;

wherein;

A. the first device is further configured by a first set of instructions operable, when executed, to determine game elements included in the feedback characteristic of the first video game based on the output signals from the second signal processor;

B. the first device is further configured by a second set of instructions operable, when executed, to determine game elements included in the feedback characteristic of the first video game not based on the output signals from the second processor;

C. the first device is further configured to allow the first user to select a video game from the library of video games;

D. the first device is further configured to constrain the first user'"'"'s selection from the library of video games by filtering the library of video games based on the existence of data allowing control signals for the second device to be generated based on interactions between the first user and the video games from the library of video games;

E. the first device is further configured to distinguish between;

i. interactions with game elements determined based on output signals from the second signal processor; and

ii. interactions with game elements determined not based on output signals from the second signal processor; and

F. the first device is further configured to determine whether to generate interaction signals indicative of interactions between the first user and the first video game based on whether those interactions are with game elements determined based on output signals from the second signal processor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a. the first device comprises a plurality of servers organized into a cluster;

b. the first device is configured to allow the first user to select a video game from the library of video games by selecting from a plurality of links representing the video games in the library, wherein the plurality of links is presented by a browser displayed by a computer proximate to the first user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a. the first device is further configured to allow a second user to provide commands to a second video game; and

b. the first signal processor is configured to generate the control signals based on interaction signals indicative of interactions between the first user and the first video game and further based on interaction signals indicative of interactions between the second user and the second video game.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first device is further configured to:

a. allow the first user to define preference information for the first video game;

b. allow the first user to provide commands to, and receive feedback from, the first video game using the preference information defined by the first user for the first video game;

c. allow the second user to define preference information for the second video game; and

d. allow the second user to provide commands to, and receive feedback from, the second video game using the preference information defined by the second user for the second video game.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein:

a. the system further comprises a library of video games, the library of video games comprising the first video game; and

b. the first device is configured to automatically apply the preference information defined by the first user for the first video game when the user plays at least one other video game from the library of video games.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein:

a. the first and second video games are different video games;

b. the first device is configured to generate the interaction signals indicative of interactions between the first user and the first video game, and is further configured to generate the interaction signals indicative of interactions between the first user and the first video game in a standard format; and

c. the first device is configured to generate the interaction signals indicative of interactions between the second user and the second video game, and is further configured to generate the interaction signals indicative of interactions between the second user and the second video game in the standard format.

7. The system of claim 3 wherein:

a. the first video game and the second video games are different video games;

b. the first device is configured to determine game elements included in the feedback characteristic of the first video game based on output signals encoded using a standard format; and

c. the first device is configured to determine game elements included in the feedback characteristic of the second video game based on output signals encoded using the standard format.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a game engine operable to cause the first device to execute the first set of instructions and the second set of instructions.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first set of instructions and the second set of instructions are both comprised by the game engine.

10. A method comprising:

a. at a first device, generating an interaction signal indicative of an interaction between a first user and a first video game played by the first user, wherein the first video game played by the first user is comprised in a library of video games;

b. at a first signal processor, generating a control signal based on the interaction signal indicative of the interaction between the first user and the first video game played by the first user;

d. sending the control signal generated by the first signal processor to a second device;

e. at a second signal processor, generating an output signal based on an operation signal indicative of operation of the second device based on the control signal, and sending the output signal to the first device, wherein generating the output signal comprises performing one or more of mapping, translation and logic operations on the operation signal;

f. at the first device, determining a first game element based on the output signal generated by the second signal processor to present to the first user via the first video game played by the first user;

g. at the first device, determining a second game element not based on the output signal generated by the second signal processor to present to the first user via the first video game played by the first user;

h. presenting the first and second game elements to the first user;

i. determining one or more video games from the library of video games to present to the first user for possible selection by filtering the library of video games based on the existence of data allowing control signals for the second device to be generated based on interactions between the first user and the video games from the library of video games;

j. allowing the first user to make a selection from the determined one or more video games;

k. at the first device, distinguishing between;

A. interactions with game elements determined based on output signals from the second signal processor; and

B. interactions with game elements determined not based on output signals from the second signal processor; and

l. at the first device, determining whether to generate interact signals indicative of interactions between the first user and the first video game based on whether those interactions are with the game elements determined based on output signals from the second signal processor.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

a. the first game element and the second game element have a single type which is the same for both the first game element and the second game element;

b. the method further comprises receiving a command from the first user; and

c. determining whether to generate an interaction signal indicative of the command from the first user based on determining whether the command was a command for an interaction with the first game element or whether the command a command for an interaction with the second game element.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first device comprises a plurality of servers organized into a cluster by a cloud based gaming service.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

a. at the first device, generating an interaction signal indicative of an interaction between a second user and a second video game played by the second user;

b. at the first signal processor, generating a second control signal based on the interaction signal indicative of the interaction between the second user and the second video game; and

c. sending the second control signal generated by the first signal processor to the second device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

a. the first video game played by the first user and the second video game played by the second user are different video games;

b. generating the interaction signal indicative of the interaction between the first user and the first video game played by the first user comprises generating the interaction signal indicative of the interaction between the first user and the first video game played by the first user in a standard format; and

b. generating the interaction signal indicative of the interaction between the second user and the second video game played by the second user comprises generating the interaction signal indicative of the interaction between the second user and the second video game played by the second user in the standard format.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

a. allowing the first user to define a set of first user specific preference information;

b. allowing the second user to define a set of second user specific preference information;

c. at the first device, applying the set of first user specific preference information to the interaction between the first user and the first video game played by the first user, and applying the set of second user specific preference information to the interaction between the second user and the second video game played by the second user.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein generating the interaction signal indicative of the interaction between the first user and the first video game played by the first user comprises monitoring a parameter of an entity controlled by the first user in the first video game and generating the interaction signal indicative of the interaction between the first user and the first video game based on changes in the monitored parameter.

17. A method comprising:

a. at a first device, generating an interaction signal indicative of an interaction between a first user and a first video game played by the first user;

b. at a first signal processor, generating a control signal based on the interaction signal indicative of the interaction between the first user and the first video game played by the first user;

d. sending the control signal generated by the first signal processor to a second device;

e. at a second signal processor, generating an output signal based on an operation signal indicative of operation of the second device based on the control signal, and sending the output signal to the first device, wherein generating the output signal comprises performing one or more of mapping, translation and logic operations on the operation signal;

f. at the first device, determining a first game element based on the output signal generated by the second signal processor to present to the first user via the first video game played by the first user;

g. at the first device, determining a second game element not based on the output signal generated by the second signal processor to present to the first user via the first video game played by the first user; and

h. presenting the first and second game elements to the first user;

wherein the first game element and the second game element have a single type which is the same for both the first game element and the second game element, and wherein the first device is configured to determine that the second game element should be presented to the first user based on a threshold period passing without any game elements of the type of the second game element having been presented to the user.