Integrated digital play system

• US 9,314,694 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2012
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 8 Leaf Digital Productions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: 8 Leaf Digital Productions Incorporated
• Inventors: Nadel, Ryan, Johnson, Paige Lea, Jones, Bryant Drew, Dhall, Salvia, Hershfield, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US14/356,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20140349752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 463/31
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• 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 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• 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 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/60 Methods for processing data by generating or executing the game program
• 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

An integrated digital play system made according to the present invention provides a multi media, digitally integrated play environment that incorporates mobile device content and web based content which interacts with physically installed tags. The system includes means for identifying a fixed physical structure within a first play system; means for detecting a physical movement of a user relative to the fixed physical structure; a first computer means for combining the physical structure identification data and the user physical movement data to generate one or more motion points; and a second computer means for providing a virtual embodiment of the one or more motion points within a second play system. Because the first and second play systems are different play systems, the second play system does not require certain corresponding user motions in the first play system in order to perform in or progress through the second play system.

Claims

1. An integrated digital play system comprising:

means for identifying at least one physical play structure within a first play system having two or more physical play structures, the identified play structure being a piece of playground equipment and providing a first play activity;

means for detecting a physical movement of a user during the first play activity relative to the identified play structure;

a first computer means for recording one or more motion points of the user during the first play activity relative to the identified play structure; and

a second computer means for mapping the one or more motion points within a second play system, the second play system being a virtual play system representing a second play activity different than the first play activity;

the piece of playground equipment being selected from the group consisting of balancing equipment, climbing equipment, jumping equipment, riding equipment, sliding equipment, spinning equipment, and swinging equipment.

2. An integrated digital play system according to claim 1 further comprising at least one of the first and second computer means including a networked data base.

3. An integrated digital play system according to claim 1 further comprising at least one of the first and second computer means being a mobile device.

4. An integrated digital play system according to claim 1 further comprising the means for identifying the play structure communicating with a mobile device.

5. An integrated display system according to claim 1 further comprising the means for detecting physical movement residing within a mobile device.

6. An integrated digital play system according to claim 1 further comprising at least one of the first and second computer means including a software program.

7. An integrated digital play system according to claim 1 further comprising the means for identifying a physical structure attached to the play structure.

8. An integrated digital play system according to claim 1 further comprising the means for identifying the play structure being a physical tag.

9. An integrated digital play system according to claim 8 further comprising the physical tag being selected from the group consisting of a quick response code, an augmented reality card, a radio-frequency identification tag, and a near field identification tag.

10. An integrated digital play system according to claim 1 further comprising the means for detecting physical motion being an accelerometer.

11. An integrated digital play system according to claim 1 further comprising the means for detecting physical motion being a global positioning system.

12. An integrated digital play system according to claim 1 wherein the second play system is a different play system than the first play system.

13. A method of integrated digital play comprising the steps of:

collecting identification data associated with at least one physical play structure providing a first play activity within a first play space, the play structure being a piece of playground equipment;

collecting physical motion data associated with a user in the first play space relative to the play structure during the first play activity;

recording one or more motion points of the collected physical motion data relative to the play structure during the first play activity; and

providing a second play system, the second play system being a virtual play system providing a second play activity different than the first play activity and having a virtual play structure different than the at least one physical play structure; and

advancing the user within the second play activity using the one or more motion points generated in the first play activity;

wherein the piece of playground equipment is selected from the group consisting of balancing equipment, climbing equipment, jumping equipment, riding equipment, sliding equipment, spinning equipment, and swinging equipment.

14. An integrated digital play system for simultaneous virtual and physical activity, the system comprising:

a multimedia device; and

a software application;

wherein the multimedia device runs the software application;

wherein the software application displays a virtual activity and an instruction for a user to perform a physical activity on a piece of playground equipment, the virtual activity and the physical activity being non-analogous activities and representing non-analogous play spaces;

wherein the software application receives user input based on physical activity in a first play system and an electronic tag associated with a physical structure in the first play system and generates measurement data as the user performs the physical activity relative to the physical structure in the first play system;

wherein in response to receiving the measurement data, the multimedia device displays the measurement data as a progression through the virtual activity; and

wherein the piece of playground equipment being selected from the group consisting of balancing equipment, climbing equipment, jumping equipment, riding equipment, sliding equipment, spinning equipment, and swinging equipment.

15. A system according to claim 14, the system further comprising:

a server;

wherein the multimedia device is in periodic communication with the server;

wherein the multimedia device transmits the measurement data to a database resident on said server, wherein said measurement data is imported into said database;

in response to receiving the measurement data, the server compares the measurement data to measurement data of a second user, and calculates comparison data; and

wherein the server transmits the comparison data to the multimedia device and wherein the multimedia device displays the comparison data.

16. A system according to claim 14 wherein a user motion in the physical activity does not have an identical corresponding motion in the virtual activity.

17. A system according to claim 14 further comprising the electronic tag being selected from the group consisting of a quick response code, an augmented reality card, a radio-frequency identification tag, and a near field identification tag.

18. An apparatus for simultaneous virtual and physical activity, the physical activity providing measurement data of a user for the virtual activity but the physical activity being a different activity than the virtual activity, the apparatus comprising:

a multimedia device having a software application downloaded from a server;

means for periodic communication with the server;

means for displaying an instruction for a user to perform a physical activity on at least one piece of playground equipment;

means for detecting user input based on the physical activity and an electronic tag attached to the piece of playground equipment;

means for generating measurement data based on the physical activity and the electronic tag;

means for transmitting the measurement data to a database resident on said server, wherein said measurement data is imported into the database;

in response to receiving the measurement data, the server compares the measurement data to measurement data of a second user, and calculates comparison data;

wherein the server transmits the comparison data to the multimedia device;

means for displaying the comparison data; and

means for advancing at least one of the users in the virtual activity using the measurement data, the virtual activity being different than and non-analogous to the physical activity;

wherein the piece of playground equipment is selected from the group consisting of balancing equipment, climbing equipment, jumping equipment, riding equipment, sliding equipment, spinning equipment, and swinging equipment.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18 further comprising the electronic tag being selected from the group consisting of a quick response code, an augmented reality card, a radio-frequency identification tag, and a near field identification tag.