Game system with interactive show control

• US 9,616,335 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2015
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eddie's Social Club, LLC.
• Original Assignee: Eddie's Social Club, LLC.
• Inventors: Schlossberg, Edwin, Harris, Jeremiah
• Primary Examiner(s): McCulloch, Jr., William H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEICHLITER, CHASE E
• Application Number:
  US14/710,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20150321090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 446175
• 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 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/27 characterised by a large display in a public venue, e.g. in a movie theatre, stadium or game arena
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/33 using wide area network [WAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• 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 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8023 the game being played by multiple players at a common site, e.g. in an arena, theatre, shopping mall using a large public display
• CPC Class Codes: A63J 11/00 Labyrinths
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0442 activated by means of a sensor, e.g. motion or photodetectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/045 the sensor receiving a signal from a remote controller
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0471 the sensor detecting the proximity, the presence or the movement of an object or a person
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0478 by means of an image recording device, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An interactive game system that stage lighting style cues as part of the game, where the stage lighting cues cause external stage lighting equipment to create effects that are based on outputs from the game. Steerable lights can be steered to the player and sounds can be created that are directed to the player. A simulation system can also simulate the actions that occur. The computer assigns teams.

Claims

1. An interactive game system, comprising:

a gaming computer that runs a gaming system software that communicates with multiple remote controllers to send information to said each of said controllers indicating events in a game being run by the gaming system software, and to receive information from each of the multiple remote controllers indicating player actions that have occurred in the game;

wherein one of said remote controllers is a docent controller that controls aspects of the game, and the gaming computer identifies the docent controller by recognizing a docent application running on the docent controller, and the gaming computer operating to receive game controlling information from the docent controller;

wherein said gaming computer identifies said multiple remote controllers, and sends and receives game information to each of said multiple remote controllers including said docent controller, and where different controllers are sent different information about the game that are individualized to each controller;

and where the gaming computer receives control information from the docent controller controlling playing of at least one game, said control information including at least information controlling an initiation of the at least one game to start executing, and operates the game based on the information received, and the gaming computer does not receive said control information from the other remote controllers other than the docent controller.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the control information received from the docent controller also includes selection of one of multiple different games to execute, and the game computer executes the game selected by the docent controller.

3. The system as in claim 2, wherein the gaming computer plays an intermediate screen in between games, and receives said control information from the docent controller to select said next game to play during the playing of the intermediate screen.

4. The system as in claim 3, wherein the intermediate screen is a movie, and the gaming computer fades out the intermediate screen when said control information to start the game is received from the docent.

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein the control information received from the docent controller includes selection of a difficulty level of the game to play, where said games have multiple difficulty levels, the gaming computer sets the difficulty level information received from the docent controller, but does not set a difficulty level based on any information received any other controller other than the docent controller.

6. The system as in claim 1, wherein the control information received from the docent controller includes a command to send a special character into the game.

7. The system as in claim 1, further comprising the game computer having programming that detects that a number of games which can be played has been updated on the gaming computer, and sending a message to the docent controller to update the games that can be selected for play by the docent controller.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein the control information received from the docent controller includes a command to customize a playing of the game.

9. The game system as in claim 1, wherein the computer detects locations of the controllers, and sends information to each of a plurality of lighting devices to provide lighting effects which are specific to the locations of the controllers.

10. An portable computer for playing a game, comprising:

a portable computer with a processor, a screen, and a wireless network system, said portable computer receiving information from a remote gaming system that is running a game, where said information includes actions in the game that are specific to said portable computer as one client running the game, including events in the game being run by the gaming system,

said portable computer also running a docent controller application for the game, which controls the game for other controllers,

where said docent controller application includes a list of games which are available for play on the remote gaming system, and includes a control to start and stop each of the plurality of games and also includes a control to customize the games;

where said docent controller application receives information about the list of games, when the list of games is updated on the remote gaming system.

11. The portable gaming system as in claim 10, wherein the control to customize the games includes selection of a difficulty level of the game to play, where said games have multiple difficulty levels.

12. The portable gaming system as in claim 10, wherein the control to customize the games includes a command to send a special character into the game.

13. A method of running an interactive game, comprising:

running a game on a gaming computer that communicates with multiple remote controllers to send information to said each of said controllers indicating events in the game being run by the gaming computer;

receiving information in the gaming computer from each of the multiple remote controllers, said information indicating player actions that have occurred in the game from each of the remote controllers;

identifying the docent controller in the gaming computer by recognizing a docent application running on the docent controller, and the gaming computer receiving game control information from the docent controller that controls aspects of the game, where the docent controller also is sent game information and plays in the game;

sending game information to and receiving game information from each of said multiple remote controllers including said docent controller, and where different controllers are sent different information about the game that are individualized to each controller; and

receiving control information from the docent controller controlling playing of at least one game, and operating the game based on the information received, and not receiving control information from the other remote controllers other than the docent controller,

where said control information received from the docent controller includes at least information controlling an initiation of the at least one game to start executing, and operating in the gaming computer to initiate the at least one game responsive to receiving the information from the docent controller, but not initiating the game responsive to receiving information from any controller other than the docent controller.

14. The method as in claim 13, wherein the control information received from the docent controller includes selection of one of multiple different games to execute and executing, in the game controller, the game selected by the docent controller.

15. The method as in claim 14, further comprising playing an intermediate screen in between games, and receiving said control information from the docent controller to select said next game to play during the playing of the intermediate screen.

16. The method as in claim 15, wherein the intermediate screen is a movie, which fades out when the game is launched based on control by the docent controller.

17. The method as in claim 13, wherein the control information received from the docent controller includes selection of a difficulty level of the game to play, where said games have multiple difficulty levels.

18. The method as in claim 13, wherein the control information received from the docent controller includes a command to send a special character into the game.

19. The method as in claim 13, further comprising detecting that a number of games which can be played has been updated on the gaming computer, and sending a message to the docent controller with information to update the games that can be selected for play by the docent controller.

20. The method as in claim 13, wherein the control information received from the docent controller includes a command to customize a playing of the game.

21. The method as in claim 13, further comprising detecting locations of the controllers, and sending information to each of a plurality of remotely located overhead mounted lighting devices to provide lighting effects which are specific to the locations of the controllers.