Electronic tabletop virtual sports gaming system

• US 9,314,695 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2014
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brian Claffey
• Original Assignee: Brian Claffey
• Inventors: Claffey, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Application Number:
  US14/164,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20140213357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 815 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• 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 2009/2442 Sensors or detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2457 Display screens, e.g. monitors, video displays
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2488 Remotely playable
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2489 by radio transmitters, e.g. using RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/18 Use of resilient or deformable elements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 7/0668 the ball being flicked with a finger or hit with a stick, cue or sliding disc which are not connected to the table

Abstract

A virtual gaming environment including processing systems and methods and generally includes operations related to visual display of movements and locations of physical game pieces and storage and retrieval of data in accordance with various game events. The game system can comprise a game token, a display, a mobile device, a processor, and combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A gaming system configured to play a tabletop football game, the gaming system comprising:

a physical game surface having a plurality of boundary points defining an area of play;

a triangular game token having a plurality of sensors, the plurality of sensors located at distal ends of each of three triangular game token points, which are configured to;

(i) track a position of the triangular game token relative to the physical game surface when the triangular game token is physically pushed across the physical game surface; and

(ii) provide an indication of a game scoring event when at least one of the three triangular game token points comes to rest over an edge of the physical game surface;

a wireless communication network associated with the triangular game token;

a display device remote from the physical game surface configured to display representations of game token location data, the game token location data based on the plurality of sensors tracking the position of the triangular game token relative to the physical game surface;

a non-transitory memory device configured to store thereon a game application program and a multimedia file that is retrievable in response to the game scoring event based on the game token location data; and

a remote processor configured to;

(i) receive, over the wireless communication network from the triangular game token, the game token location data that is at least relevant to the game scoring event and the indication;

(ii) in response to receiving the indication, retrieve, from the non-transitory memory device, the multimedia file; and

(iii) execute the game application program to display, on the display device, the representations of the game token location data including movement of the triangular game token across the physical game surface using the multimedia file.

2. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein said triangular game token comprises an optoelectronic sensor.

3. The gaming system of claim 1 comprising a first gaming system and a second gaming system, wherein said first gaming system is connected via the Internet to the second gaming system such that a first user of said first gaming system can compete against a second user on said second gaming system.

4. The gaming system of claim 3 wherein said first gaming system and said second gaming system are in different locations.

5. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of sensors is selected from the group consisting of:

compass, accelerometer, GPS component, movement sensor, and positioning sensor.

6. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein said triangular game token comprises an infrared light emitting diode.

7. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein said triangular game token comprises a soft outer cover having a tapered edge suitable for airborne movement off of the game surface and towards a goal post by flicking.

8. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein said area of play comprises four corners.

9. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein said display device displays a representation of said area of play.

10. The gaming system of claim 9 wherein said display device further displays a score of at least one player.

11. The gaming system of claim 9 wherein said representation of said area of play resembles a football field.

12. The gaming system of claim 11 wherein said football field is divided into twelve segments.

13. A gaming system configured to play a tabletop sports game, the gaming system comprising:

a physical game surface;

a game token having a plurality of lobes extending from a hub and having a plurality of sensors, the plurality of sensors located at a distal end of each of three lobes, which are configured to;

(i) track a position of the game token relative to the physical game surface when the game token is physically pushed across the physical game surface; and

(ii) provide an indication of a game scoring event when at least one of the three game lobes comes to rest over an edge of the physical game surface;

a wireless communication network associated with the game token; and

a mobile device in communication with the game token comprising;

a display device configured to display representations of game token location data, the game token location data based on the plurality of sensors tracking the position of the game token relative to the physical game surface;

a non-transitory memory device configured to store thereon a game application program and a multimedia file that is retrievable in response to the game scoring event based on the game token location data; and

a processor configured to;

(i) receive, over the wireless communication network from the game token, the game token location data that is at least relevant to the game scoring event and the indication;

(ii) in response to receiving the indication, retrieve, from the non-transitory memory device, the multimedia file; and

(iii) execute the game application program to display, on the display device, the representations of the game token location data including movement of the game token across the physical game surface using the multimedia file.

14. The gaming system of claim 13 wherein said mobile device comprises a position detecting capability selected from the group consisting of:

compass, accelerometer, GPS component, movement sensor, and positioning sensor.

15. The gaming system of claim 13 wherein said mobile device is a smart phone and said non-transitory memory device is configured to store an associated application program, which when executed by the processor, causes the smart phone to:

(i) detect game token flight, (ii) display on said display device an image of a game token target area, and (iii) display on said display device an image of a game status according to the smart phone detection of game token passage within the game token target area.

16. A gaming system configured to play a tabletop sports game, the gaming system comprising:

a physical game surface having multiple boundary points defining an area of play;

a game token having at least one sensor located at an exterior edge of a lower side of the game token, configured to;

(i) track a position of the game token relative to the physical game surface when the game token is physically pushed across the physical game surface; and

(ii) provide an indication of a game scoring event when the least a portion of the game token comes to rest over an edge of the physical game surface;

a wireless communication network associated with the game token;

a display device remote from the physical game surface configured to display representations of game token location data, the game token location data based on the at least one sensor tracking the position of the game token relative to the physical game surface;

a non-transitory memory device configured to store thereon a game application program and a multimedia file that is retrievable in response to the game scoring event based on the game token location data; and

a processor configured to;

(i) receive, over the wireless communication network from the game token, the game token location data that is at least relevant to the game scoring event and the indication;

(ii) in response to receiving the indication, retrieve, from the non-transitory memory device, the multimedia file; and

(iii) execute the game application program to display, on the display device, the representations of the game token location data including movement of the game token across the physical game surface using the multimedia file.

17. The game system of claim 16 wherein said multimedia file comprises celebratory audio when a point is scored.

18. The gaming system of claim 16 wherein said display device displays a representation of said area of play, wherein said display device displays the position of the game token on said representation of said area of play.

19. The game system of claim 16 wherein said game token comprises a soft outer cover having a tapered edge suitable for airborne movement off of the game surface and towards a goal post by flicking.

20. The gaming system of claim 16 wherein said non-transitory memory device is configured to store an associated application program, which when executed by the processor, causes a mobile device to:

(i) detect game token flight, (ii) display an image of a game token target area, and (iii) display an image of a game status according to the mobile device detection of game token passage within the game token target area.