Active play interactive game system

• US 20070167236A1
• Filed: 03/22/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Francis Heckendorf, Mathew Matelan
• Original Assignee: Francis Heckendorf, Mathew Matelan
• Inventors: Matelan, Mathew, Heckendorf, Francis
• Granted Patent: US 7,922,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0075 Means for generating exercise programs or schemes, e.g. computerized virtual trainer, e.g. using expert databases
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/002 for football American-football dummies A63B69/34
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/36 for golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• 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 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• 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 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1081 Input via voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6009 for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 : Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 : wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament

Abstract

A system featuring a server communicating with the network with game hosting software programmed on the server, a terrain database and a time sequence GPS position linked message database each stored on the server and accessed by the game hosting software is disclosed. The terrain database stores a plurality of three dimensional renderings of golf courses created from digital aerial photographs of each golf course, wherein each photo includes elevational and slope data for each aerial photo. The time sequence GPS position linked message database contains a plurality of messages collected by a portable computing device and transmitted to the server by the device during an actually played round of golf. Each message is: transmitted by the device to the server; associated with an elapsed time from the beginning of the play of the round of golf, and linked to a GPS determined position from where the message was transmitted.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a server communicating with a network;

a game hosting software module programmed on the server;

a terrain database stored on the server and accessed by the game hosting software module; and

a time sequence and global positioning system (GPS) position linked message database stored on the server and accessed by the game hosting software module.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a client computing device comprising:

a processor;

a game strategy, analysis, and playback software module programmed on the processor and configured for interaction with the game hosting software module; and

means for communicating with the server across the network, wherein the means for communicating with the server across the network is controlled by the processor and facilitates interaction between the game strategy, analysis, and playback software module, and the game hosting software module across the network.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprises a portable computing device comprising:

a mobile processor;

an active game support software module programmed on the mobile processor and configured for interaction with the game strategy, analysis, and playback software module; and

means for communicating with the client computing device, wherein the means for communicating with the client computing device is controlled by the mobile processor and facilitates interaction between the active game support software module, and the game strategy, analysis, and playback software modules.

14. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

an enclosure supporting a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA);

a processor attached to the PCBA and comprising a memory portion;

a nonvolatile memory communicating with said processor; and

an active game support software module provided by the nonvolatile memory and executed by the said processor, wherein the execution of the active game support software module by the processor provides;

a global positioning system (GPS) determined location of a golf ball relative to a golf course; and

a measurement of an elapsed time for play by a Golfer playing a round of golf on said golf course.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a system interface security to the PCBA and communicating with the processor;

a GPS receiver attached to the PCBA and communicating with the system interface;

a GPS activation means supported by the enclosure and communicating with the system interface; and

a voice/data transceiver supported by the PCBA and communicating with the system interface, whereupon activation of said GPS activation means, said system interface collects position data, provided by said GPS receiver, and provides said position data to said processor.

16. The system of claim 15, in which said processor provides said position data to a server communicating with a network, wherein said position data is wrapped in a transmission packet and broadcast to said server by said voice/data transceiver, and in which the means for communicating with the client computing device comprising a touch screen input/output device of the portable computing device.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

an input/output device supported by said enclosure and communicating with said systems interface; and

an audio interface attached to said PCBA and communicating with said system interface, wherein said input/output device comprises a screen responsive to an applied pressure for inputting data to said software module, and wherein in response to voice commands said audio interface provides data input to said software module.

4. A method by steps comprising:

activating a portable computing device programmed with an active game support software module and comprising a global positioning system (GPS) receiver;

initiating a round of golf on a golf course;

recording a GPS determined position of a golf ball relative to the golf course using the portable computing device; and

striking the golf ball with a golf club to advance the ball along the golf course.

5. The method of claim 4, in which the portable computing device further comprises a voice/data transceiver, and by steps further comprising:

preparing a message for delivery to a server communicating with a network;

measuring an elapsed time between a beginning of a transmission of the prepared message, and the initiation of the round of golf;

transmitting the prepared message, measured elapsed time, and GPS determined position of the golf ball to the server using the voice/data transceiver; and

storing the message, elapsed time, and GPS determined position of the golf ball in a time sequence and GPS position linked message database on the server.

6. The method of claim 5, in which the server further comprises a Golfer database, and by steps further comprising:

identifying what type of golf club was used to strike the golf ball;

recording a second GPS determined position of the golf ball relative to the golf course resulting from the striking of the golf ball with the golf club;

transmitting to the server, the type of golf club used to strike the golf ball, and the second GPS determined position of the golf ball relative to the golf course using the voice/data transceiver; and

storing the type of golf club used to strike the golf ball in the Golfer database of the server, and the second GPS determined position of the golf ball relative to the golf course in a terrain database stored on the server.

7. The method of claim 6, and by steps further comprising:

accessing a three dimensional image rendering of the golf course from the terrain database on the server;

superimposing an animation of a Golfer and a Golf Analyst on said image rendering;

synthesizing an announcement by said animated Golf Analyst of said Golfer, said type of golf club used to strike the golf ball, distance traveled by said golf ball; and

re-creating by animation a golf swing for execution by said animated Golfer based on a change of position of the golf ball relative to the golf course between said determined position, and said second determined position.

8. The method of claim 7, by steps further comprising:

producing an animation of said animated Golfer executing said re-created golf swing;

generating an animation of a flight of the golf ball resulting from the striking of the golf ball by the golf club, based on the change of position of the golf ball relative to the golf course;

depicting said animated Golf Analyst approaching said animated Golfer for solicitation of a comment by said animated Golfer following a conclusion of the animated flight of the golf ball;

providing a setting within said three dimensional rendering for delivery of a commentary by said animated Golfer following the depiction of said animated Golf Analyst approaching said animated Golfer; and

verbalizing the stored message as the commentary delivered by said animated Golfer at said setting within said three dimensional rendering.

18. The method of claim 4, by steps further comprising:

activating a voice recognition programs;

displaying each of a plurality of golf terms on a display of the portable computing device; and

enunciating the displayed golf terms into the portable computing device such that the portable computing device will recognize each of the plurality of terms as pronounced by a golfer using the portable computing device.

19. The method of claim 18, in which each golf term displayed on the display is selected from a group of golf terms consisting of (fee, tee box, hole, cup, pin, green, fairway, rough, sand trap, bunker, swing, sliced, hook, mulligan, hole-in-one, eagle, birdie, par, bogey, double bogey, triple bogey, wood, iron, putter, bag, cart, and caddy).

20. The method of claim 4, by steps further comprising, updating a terrain database with a new position of a pin on a green of the golf course when the position of the pin on the green is changed.

9. A portable computing device comprising:

an enclosure supporting a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA);

a processor attached to the PCBA and comprising a memory portion;

a nonvolatile memory communicating with said processor; and

an active game support software module provided by the nonvolatile memory and executed by the said processor, wherein the execution of the active game support software module by the processor provides;

a global positioning system (GPS) determined location of a golf ball relative to a golf course; and

a measurement of an elapsed time for play by a Golfer playing a round of golf on said golf course.

10. The device of claim 9, further comprising:

a system interface security to the PCBA and communicating with the processor;

a GPS receiver attached to the PCBA and communicating with the system interface;

a GPS activation means supported by the enclosure and communicating with the system interface; and

a voice/data transceiver supported by the PCBA and communicating with the system interface, whereupon activation of said GPS activation means, said system interface collects position data, provided by said GPS receiver, and provides said position data to said processor.

11. The device of claim 10, in which said processor provides said position data to a server communicating with a network, wherein said position data is wrapped in a transmission packet and broadcast to said server by said voice/data transceiver.

12. The device of claim 11, further comprising:

an input/output device supported by said enclosure and communicating with said systems interface; and

an audio interface attached to said PCBA and communicating with said system interface, wherein said input/output device comprises a screen responsive to an applied pressure for inputting data to said software module, and wherein in response to voice commands said audio interface provides data input to said software module.

13. The device of claim 12, in which the processor is a mobile processor.