Game system with interactive show control

• US 9,931,566 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2014
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eddie's Social Club, LLC.
• Original Assignee: Eddie's Social Club, LLC.
• Inventors: Harris, Jeremiah, Schlossberg, Edwin
• Primary Examiner(s): McCulloch, Jr., William H
• Application Number:
  US14/559,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20150209666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 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 computer that runs a gaming system software that communicates with multiple remote controllers to receive information from each of the multiple remote controllers indicating player actions that have occurred in a game being run by the gaming system software, and also locations of the remote controllers indicating locations of players associated with the remote controllers carried out the actions and further comprising a screen which is located to be viewed by multiple of said players, said screen controlled by said computer, and a camera, and where said camera pinpoints players and shows information from the camera on the screen,

said computer running said gaming system software by assigning the multiple remote controllers to a plurality of different teams, thereby assigning each of the players to a multiple-player team, including at least a first multiple player team and a second multiple player team,

wherein the computer stores a variable value indicative of a number of teams to use in the game, where each of the teams has multiple players, and where said variable value can be changed and the computer determines team allocations based on said variable value indicative of the number of teams to use in the game

and said computer assigns each of the controllers to a specific location based on said team,

and said computer stores information indicative of the specific location of the controller, which hence assigns said each of the players to the location and stores the information indicative of the specific location,

and where a first action in the game causes an output which creates a lighting effect to illuminate a specified player based on said stored information indicative of position, and where said output for said lighting effect has a first parameter for each of the players on a first team, and a second parameter different than the first parameter for each of the players on a second team.

2. The game system as in claim 1, wherein the computer produces said output to illuminate the multiple players on the first team in a first color and to illuminate the multiple players on the second team in a second color.

3. The game system as in claim 2, wherein the computer stores information indicative of locations of multiple players for team layouts, said information including multiple different team layouts for multiple different numbers of teams, each team layout defining locations for multiple users for a layout for a specific number of teams that is based on said variable value, and the computer determines the numbered location in which the controller is located, and assigns that numbered location to a team based on the layout associated with the number of teams set by said variable value.

4. The game system as in claim 1, wherein the computer maintains player locations which are numbered, and assigns the controllers to said player locations based on assigning a team, and sends a message to each of said multiple controllers, each message telling a controller which of a plurality of the numbered locations is assigned to the controller based on the assigning the team.

5. The game system as in claim 1, wherein the computer sends information to each of a plurality of pan and tilt controllable lighting devices, using both said team information and said location of said players, to provide lighting effects which are specific to the teams and are directed at a location of members of the team and where said information sent to the pan and tilt controllable lights commands a light to point at a specific location based on a location of a player, and to create a lighting effect that is based on the team to which the player is assigned, and where the first lighting effect for a first team is different than a second lighting effect for a second team.

6. The game system as in claim 1, wherein information is sent from the computer to the controllers in a first way which guarantees delivery to the controllers, for more important game information, and in a second way which does not guarantee delivery to the controllers for less important game information.

7. The game system as in claim 1, wherein one of said remote controllers is a docent controller that controls aspects of the game, and the computer receives game controlling information from the docent controller.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein said computer system controls producing an audio output directed at only a portion of a room associated with one of said teams.

9. An interactive game system, comprising:

a computer that runs multiple different games by producing outputs indicating said multiple different games, said computer obtaining information indicative of teams in the games, where each team is a multiple player team, including at least a first multiple player team and a second multiple player team, said computer communicating said outputs with multiple remote controllers, said outputs including information indicative of a location for each of said multiple remote controllers, and where said information indicative of the location is based on a team to which said each controller is assigned;

and where multiple players on said first team are assigned to locations which are adjacent to one another, and multiple players on said second team are assigned to locations which are adjacent to one another and distanced from the locations of the players on the first team; and

said computer commanding a game effect to one of said locations based on an action in the game, said location being based on a team assignment, wherein said computer assigns controllers to teams, where each of the teams has multiple controllers, and the computer sends a message to each controller indicating a location where that controller should be located in order to be part of said team and where said game effect is a command for lighting that has a first parameter for each of the players on a first team, and a second parameter for each of the players on a second team,

wherein said computer also detects positions of said multiple remote controllers are playing the game, and further comprising a screen which is located to be viewed by multiple of said players, said screen controlled by said computer, and a camera, and where said camera pinpoints players and shows information from the camera on the screen.

10. The system as in claim 9, wherein said computer stores a variable value indicative of a number of teams to use in the game, where said variable value can be changed, where said computer maintains controller locations which are numbered, and determines team allocations based on said variable value indicative of the number of teams to use in the game.

11. The system as in claim 10, wherein the computer maintains controller locations which are numbered, and determines team allocations based on a said variable value indicative of the number of teams to use in the game.

12. The system as in claim 11, wherein the computer stores multiple different team layouts for multiple different numbers of teams, each team layout defining locations for controllers for a specific number of teams, and the computer determines the numbered location in which the controller is located, and assigns that numbered location to a team based on the layout associated with the number of teams set by said variable value.

13. The system as in claim 9, wherein the computer receives information indicative of locations of the remote controllers in the game.

14. The system as in claim 13, where a first action in the game causes an output which creates a lighting effect to control a pan and tilt controllable light to move and to illuminate a specified controller based on said location and where said information sent to the pan and tilt controllable lights commands a light to point at a specific location based on a location of a player, and to create a lighting effect that is based on the team to which the player is assigned, and where the first lighting effect for a first team is different than a second lighting effect for a second team.

15. The game system as in claim 9, wherein information is sent from the computer to the controllers in a first way which guarantees delivery to the controllers, for more important game information, and in a second way which does not guarantee delivery to the controllers for less important game information.

16. The game system as in claim 9, wherein one of said remote controllers is a docent controller that controls aspects of the game, and the computer receives game controlling information from the docent controller.