Location based gaming system

• US 9,802,121 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2013
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Ackley, Jonathan, Blossom, Jonathan, Jordan, Charles Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US14/038,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20140031131A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 463 39- 43, 342450, 342451
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/205 for detecting the geographical location of the game platform
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location

Abstract

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to systems for providing an interactive experience to game participants.

Claims

1. An interactive gaming system comprising:

a mobile telephone that is co-located with a game participant and advances a game state associated with the game participant;

an RFID tag that is co-located with the mobile telephone and/or the game participant, the RFID tag being distinct from the mobile telephone;

an interactive game installation that provides a game experience; and

a server that determines a location of the mobile telephone and/or the game participant, based upon the RFID tag, and sends a command to the interactive game installation to provide the game experience to the game participant based, at least in part, upon compatibility of the game experience with the game state associated with the game participant and the location of the mobile telephone and/or the game participant.

2. The interactive gaming system of claim 1, wherein the interactive installation comprises a sensor that detects presence of the mobile telephone within a proximity to the interactive installation.

3. The interactive gaming system of claim 1, wherein the interactive installation comprises a sensor that detects presence of the RFID tag within a proximity to the interactive installation.

4. The interactive gaming system of claim 1, wherein the interactive installation comprises a sensor that detects presence of a game participant within a proximity to the interactive installation by receiving an input from the game participant.

5. The interactive gaming system of claim 1, wherein the server determines the location of the mobile telephone and/or the game participant based upon a known location of the interactive game installation and a communication from the interactive game installation providing that the mobile telephone and/or the game participant are detected as being within a proximity to the interactive game installation.

6. The interactive gaming system of claim 1, further comprising a wireless access point positioned at the interactive game installation that provides communication between the server and the mobile telephone.

7. The interactive gaming system of claim 6, wherein the server determines the location of the mobile telephone and/or the game participant based upon a known location of the wireless access point and data that identifies the mobile telephone and/or the wireless access point.

8. The interactive gaming system of claim 1, wherein the server determines the location of the mobile telephone by receiving GPS data from the mobile telephone for the location of the mobile telephone.

9. The interactive gaming system of claim 1, wherein the server receives a photograph of the game participant and utilizes image recognition to determine the location of the game participant.

10. The interactive gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game state is based upon a game participant attribute and/or a game variable.

11. The interactive gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game experience is interactive such that the game participant participates in the game experience.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the game experience is presented to the game participant without participation from the game participant in the game experience.

13. An interactive gaming system comprising:

a mobile telephone that is co-located with a game participant and advances a game state associated with the game participant;

an RFID tag that is co-located with the mobile telephone and/or the game participant, the RFID tag being distinct from the mobile telephone;

an interactive game installation that provides a game experience; and

a location server that determines a location of the mobile telephone and/or the game participant, based upon the RFID tag;

a game server that receives a game state associated with the game participant from the mobile telephone, receives the location from the location server, and sends a command to the interactive game installation to provide the game experience to the game participant based, at least in part, upon compatibility of the game experience with the game state and the location of the mobile telephone and/or the game participant.

14. The interactive gaming system of claim 13, wherein the game server provides a communication to the mobile telephone to transition to a subsequent game state that is compatible with the location and the game experience at the interactive installation.

15. The interactive gaming system of claim 13, wherein the interactive installation comprises a sensor that detects presence of the mobile telephone within a proximity to the interactive installation.

16. The interactive gaming system of claim 13, wherein the interactive installation comprises a sensor that detects presence of the RFID tag within a proximity to the interactive installation.

17. The interactive gaming system of claim 13, wherein the interactive installation comprises a sensor that detects presence of a game participant within a proximity to the interactive installation by receiving an input from the game participant.

18. The interactive gaming system of claim 13, wherein the location server determines the location of the mobile telephone and/or the game participant based upon a known location of the interactive game installation and a communication from the interactive game installation providing that the mobile telephone and/or the game participant are detected as being within a proximity to the interactive game installation.

19. The interactive gaming system of claim 13, further comprising a wireless access point positioned at the interactive game installation that provides communication between the location server and the mobile telephone.

20. The interactive gaming system of claim 13, wherein the location server determines the location of the mobile telephone and/or the game participant based upon a known location of the wireless access point and data that identifies the mobile telephone and/or the wireless access point.

21. The interactive gaming system of claim 13, wherein the location server determines the location of the mobile telephone by receiving GPS data from the mobile telephone for the location of the mobile telephone.