Game system with interactive show control

• US 9,884,249 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2015
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• 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:
  US14/713,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20150321095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 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. A game system, comprising:

a game computer, running a game by running game software, and communicating between the game computer and with multiple remote computers, each of the multiple remote computers being in a different location,

said game computer executing the game software, including sending and receiving information wirelessly, to and from said multiple remote computers in the different locations,

said game computer monitoring locations of the multiple remote computers, and detecting the multiple remote computers moving to different locations,

said game engine producing first outputs indicative of audio as part of the playing of the game programmed into the game software, said first outputs being sent to multiple different audio producing items, where the multiple different audio producing items are different than the multiple remote computers, and each audio producing item being at a different location,

where said game computer controls said audio controller to command a first audio producing item to produce said first outputs to produce audio on a first audio device at a first location which is one of said different locations and is adjacent a location of a first remote computer, but not to produce audio on a second audio device at a second location which is another of said locations, based on said game software operating for detecting a first action occurring in the game from said first remote computer, which is adjacent said first location,

and said game computer operates according to said game software to produce said first outputs to produce audio on said second audio device at said second location but not to produce audio at said first location based on a second action occurring in the game from said first remote computer having moved and being adjacent said second location.

2. The game system as in claim 1, wherein the game computer maintains a table with spatial coordinates for each of said remote computers, and said first location is a location of an audio device closest to first spatial coordinates of the first computer when said first computer is at said first location, and said second location is a location of another audio device closest to second spatial coordinates of the first computer when said first computer is at said second location.

3. The game system as in claim 1, wherein said first action is a first milestone in the game, that is programmed as part of the game software used for playing of the game in the game computer.

4. The game system as in claim 1, wherein the game software produces lighting outputs which control lighting devices to respectively illuminate areas in the game based on at least said first and second actions as part of playing of the game, where said areas comprise illuminating an area of said location of one of the multiple remote computers, and where said areas include the first location of the first remote computer when the first remote computer is at the first location and the second location of the first remote computer when the first remote computer has moved to the second location.

5. The game system as in claim 4, wherein the game software produces outputs that controls a pointing location of pan and tilt controllable lights toward a current location of the first remote computer as part of playing the game, which changes as the first remote computer is moved.

6. The game system as in claim 5, wherein the game is divided into teams, each team formed of multiple controllers that play the game together against one or more other teams, and an area of a single controller of said multiple controllers of the team is illuminated by said game software based on a team meeting a milestone, and other controllers of said multiple controllers are not illuminated when the team meets the milestone.

7. The game system as in claim 5, wherein said lighting outputs comprise a single cue which controls multiple different devices according to multiple different actions included in the cue, to create an effect from each of said multiple different devices, based on actions in the game that are programmed into the game software and where the lighting outputs and the control of the audio output are part of a single cue, where each cue controls multiple different lighting devices and/or sound devices to create an effect.

8. The game system as in claim 4, wherein said game software also produces outputs that control a speed of a fan within lighting devices, said speed of said fan in the lighting devices is changed based on actions in the game.

9. The game system as in claim 4, wherein said game software produces outputs that cause lighting effects to be produced on the remote computers as part of the playing of the game carried out by executing the game software.

10. The game system as in claim 1, wherein said game computer operates prior to starting a game, to find which of said multiple remote computers are online, registers the multiple remote computers, obtains an IP address of each registered computer to send game information to the registered computer, and thereafter sends game data to the registered computer, including audio.

11. The game system as in claim 1, wherein said game software also produces outputs that cause sound to be played on the remote computers as part of the playing of the game carried out by executing the game software.

12. A method of operating a game system, comprising:

running a game program on a game computer, by communicating from the game computer wirelessly with multiple remote computers playing the game in different locations, by sending and receiving information wirelessly, to and from multiple remote computers in the different locations, each of the multiple remote computers being in a different location,

monitoring locations of the multiple remote computers, and detecting the multiple remote computers moving to different locations, and storing electronic information indicative of locations of each of said multiple remote computers,

using the game software for producing first outputs indicative of audio as part of the game,

where said game computer produces said first outputs to produce audio on a first audio output device which is at a first location which is adjacent to a current location of a first of said remote computers, but not to produce audio on a second audio device at a second location, said second audio device different than the first audio device, based on a first action occurring in the game from said first remote computer which is adjacent said first location,

and said first outputs are programmed to produce audio on said second audio device at said second location but not to produce audio at said first location based on a second action occurring in the game with said first remote computer having moved to a new location which is adjacent said second location.

13. The method as in claim 12, wherein said storing electronic information comprises storing spatial coordinates for each of said remote computers in a table, and said first location is a location of a first audio device closest to first spatial coordinates of the first computer at a first time and said second location is a location of another audio device, different than the first audio device, said another audio device closest to second spatial coordinates of the first computer which has moved to the new location.

14. The method as in claim 12, wherein said first action is a first milestone in the game.

15. The method as in claim 12, further comprising using the game software for producing lighting outputs which control lighting devices to respectively illuminate areas in the game based on at least said first and second actions, where said areas comprise illuminating an area of said location of one of the multiple remote computers, and where said areas include the first location of the first remote computer when the first remote computer is at the first location and the second location of the first remote computer when the first remote computer has moved to the second location.

16. The method as in claim 15, further comprising using the game software for producing outputs that control a pointing location of pan and tilt controllable lights toward a current location of the first remote computer as part of the playing of the game, which changes as the first remote computer is moved.

17. The method as in claim 15, wherein the game is divided into teams, each team formed of multiple controllers that play the game together against one or more other teams, and a single controller of said multiple controllers of the team is illuminated by said game software based on a team meeting a milestone in the game and other controllers of said multiple controllers are not illuminated when the team meets the milestone.

18. The method as in claim 15, wherein said lighting outputs comprise a single cue which controls multiple different devices according to multiple different actions included in the cue, to create an effect based on actions in the game by executing the game software and where the lighting outputs and the control of the audio output are part of a single cue, where each cue controls multiple different lighting devices and/or sound devices to create an effect based on executing the game software.

19. The method as in claim 15, further comprising also producing outputs that control a speed of a fan within lighting devices, said speed of said fan in the lighting devices is changed based on actions in the game and controlled by the game software.

20. The method as in claim 15, wherein said lighting outputs cause lighting effects to be produced on the remote computers as part of the game by executing the game software.

21. The method as in claim 12, wherein said game computer operates prior to starting a game, to find which of said multiple remote computers are online, registers the multiple remote computers, obtains an IP address of each registered computer to send game information to the registered computer, and thereafter sends game data to the registered computer, including audio.

22. The method as in claim 12, further comprising also producing outputs from the game software that cause sound to be played on the remote computers as part of the game.