Vehicle tracking system, method and game

• US 20100160013A1
• Filed: 09/04/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inertia Wrx
• Original Assignee: Inertia Wrx
• Inventors: Sanders, Dean
• Granted Patent: US 8,353,749 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/6
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

The “Vehicle Tracking System and Game” integrates a GPS navigation system with invention specific hardware and software. A user installs a mobile unit on his race vehicle which features software allowing a processor connected to the electronics of the user'"'"'s vehicle to communicate with an inertial navigation system which collects racing information, with a remote database which features software for various interactive real-time or virtual GPS Racing Games and processing the racing information of all users, and with a GPS system in real time. The mobile unit collects, processes, saves and transmits user specific racing information continuously throughout the game. This racing information is data of racing performance parameters specific to the game subscribed for by the user. The database processes and evaluates the received racing information, offsets this information with the users'"'"' basic input data and compares the information of all users.

Claims

1. A global positioning gaming system for racing vehicles comprising:

A web server, configured to edit and format game data, further configured to be accessible by a user through a computer network;

a database associated with the web server configured to receive and process game information and transmit racing data.

2. A client global positioning gaming system for racing vehicles comprising:

one or more processor(s) configured to execute instructions, a computer readable medium coupled to the processors for storing instructions, which when executed on the processors causes the processors to collect information and store collected information in the memory;

one or more mobile unit execution modules coupled to one or more vehicles, said mobile unit execution modules each comprising;

a global positioning system for providing location information to a processor;

an inertial navigation system with one or more sensor units attached to a driving train providing movement information to one or more processors;

a transceiver for providing communication between the mobile unit execution modules and a remote database;

a user input device coupled to the processors configured to receive input from one or more users;

one or more processor readable memory units coupled to said processor;

wherein said unit is configured to store information collected by the processor;

an I/O control coupled to the processor and coupled to the inertial navigation system and coupled to the global positioning system and coupled to a transceiver;

A display unit coupled to the processors, for displaying information to a user, wherein the information includes a relative position to at least one other user.

3. The client gaming system computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein the information displayed to a user includes program code for a relative position to a previous game instance from said user.

4. The client gaming system computer readable medium of claim 2, further comprising:

Program code for retrieving the collected information from the memory at the client;

Program code for transmitting at least part of the collected information to the database associated with the server;

wherein the collected information includes one or more data instances selected from the group consisting of;

location information, miles, time, speed, elevation changes, lateral g-force, positive and negative acceleration, gear shifts and miles per gear shift.

5. A method of providing vehicular race information comprising:

providing a menu to a user;

receiving a request from the user for location and time information for the race;

fetching the race information from a database;

fetching the race information for the inertial navigation system;

fetching global positioning system information;

fetching information entered by the user;

transmitting racing information to the transceiver;

formatting the race information into a machine readable language;

transmitting the formatted race information to the client associated with the user;

receiving from the user a request for time and location information; and

displaying to the user one or more races on an electronic display screen.

6. A method of providing a virtual racing system comprising:

collecting from the user movement information;

applying the information to a known course to calculate the result of said user with said vehicle on said course.

comparing the user results with the results of various users; and

displaying the results on the web server

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the user movement information includes basic input, average measurement data of said user and said vehicle and ratings of said user and said vehicle.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

receiving predetermined information, wherein the information includes waypoint coordinates and corresponding target times for said predetermined waypoints;

measuring elapsed times and average speed between waypoints;

awarding cards to users, wherein the cards'"'"' ranking in the hierarchy corresponds with the user'"'"'s racing times'"'"' proximity to the games target time.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

transmitting clues from the remote database to the vehicle'"'"'s mobile unit.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

transmitting various sets of information from the remote database to the vehicle'"'"'s mobile unit wherein the information correlates with an actual location,

matching the various sets of information with the correlating actual locations by the user.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

associating one or more race points onto one or more geographical maps.

13. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

transmitting and receiving specific waypoint coordinates and corresponding target times for said predetermined waypoints;

measuring an elapsed time and calculating average speed between waypoints at first waypoint and second waypoint, each having respective time stamps logged by the GPS system;

providing an award to a user based on actual time associated with user;

storing two or more race times per race;

comparing times associated with users according to Texas-Hold-Em rules.

16. The method of claim 6 for providing a first racing game set of rules further comprising the following steps:

logging in through an interface located locally or through the internet retrieving race information from the remote database;

starting the recording of racing information by pressing the keypad activating the mobile unit;

transmitting and receiving predetermined waypoint coordinates and corresponding target times for said predetermined waypoints;

operating the vehicle and transiting a course using information received on the user'"'"'s mobile unit;

continuously collecting racing information and transmitting this information from the mobile unit to the remote database in real time or after storing the information on the mobile unit'"'"'s memory;

continuously storing, processing and plotting the position and said information at said remote database;

measuring elapsed times and average speed between waypoints;

ending the data collection, recording and transmitting of racing information by pressing the keypad;

comparing results between different users at different times by the remote database;

awarding cards to users, wherein the cards'"'"' ranking in the hierarchy corresponds with the user'"'"'s racing times'"'"' proximity to the games target time and

displaying the results on a web server.

17. The method of claim 6 for providing a second racing game set of rules further comprising the following steps:

logging in through an interface located locally or through the internet retrieving race information from the remote database;

starting the recording of racing information by pressing the keypad activating the mobile unit;

transmitting a first clue from the remote database to the vehicle'"'"'s mobile unit, operating the vehicle to coordinates of the first clue;

unraveling clue by clue and racing to the coordinates of the den of the next clue in order to complete the progressively received mapped course;

continuously collecting racing information and transmitting this information from the mobile unit to the remote database in real time or after storing the information on the mobile unit'"'"'s memory;

continuously storing, processing and plotting the position and said information at said remote database;

ending the plotting and the recording and transmitting of racing information by pressing the keypad;

comparing results between different users at different times by the remote database; and

displaying the results on a web server.

18. The method of claim 6 for providing a third racing game set of rules further comprising the following steps:

logging in through an interface located locally or through the internet retrieving race information from the remote database;

starting the recording of racing information by pressing the keypad activating the mobile unit;

transmitting various sets of information from the remote database to the vehicle'"'"'s mobile unit wherein the information correlates with an actual location,

matching the various sets of information with the correlating actual locations by the user;

operating the vehicle to coordinates of the locations;

continuously collecting racing information and transmitting this information from the mobile unit to the remote database in real time or after storing the information on the mobile unit'"'"'s memory;

continuously storing, processing and plotting the position and said information at said remote database;

ending the plotting, recording and transmitting of racing information by pressing the keypad;

comparing results between different users at different times by the remote database; and

displaying the results on a web server.

19. The method of claim 6 for providing a fourth racing game set of rules further comprising the following steps:

logging in through an interface located locally or through the internet retrieving race information from the remote database;

overlaying race points onto map;

starting the recording of racing information by pressing the keypad activating the mobile unit;

calculating race parameters;

operating the vehicle and transiting a course using information received on the user'"'"'s mobile unit;

continuously collecting racing information and transmitting this information from the mobile unit to the remote database in real time or after storing the information on the mobile unit'"'"'s memory;

continuously storing, processing and plotting the position and said information at said remote database;

continuously plotting the position of the various users on a map by the remote database;

ending the plotting and the recording and transmitting of said information by pressing the keypad;

comparing results between different users at different times by the remote database; and

displaying the results on a web server.

20. The method of claim 6 for providing a fifth racing game set of rules further comprising the following steps:

logging in through an interface located locally or through the internet retrieving race information from the remote database;

starting the recording of racing information by pressing the keypad activating the mobile unit;

transmitting and receiving specific waypoint coordinates and corresponding target times for said predetermined waypoints;

operating the vehicle and transiting a course using information received on the user'"'"'s mobile unit;

continuously collecting racing information and transmitting this information from the mobile unit to the remote database in real time or after storing the information on the mobile unit'"'"'s memory;

continuously storing, processing and plotting the position and said information at said remote database;

measuring elapsed times and average speed between waypoints lodged via GPS and time stamps;

awarding cards to users, wherein the cards'"'"' ranking in the hierarchy corresponds with the user'"'"'s racing times'"'"' proximity to the games target time;

retaining two of the maximum obtainable five cars per race;

ending the data collection, recording and transmitting of racing information by pressing the keypad;

comparing results and the card combinations of different users by the remote database according to Texas-Hold-Em rules; and

displaying the results on a web server.

21. The method of claim 6 for providing a sixth racing game set of rules in units with other users, wherein the group members'"'"' scores obtained for any GPS Racing Game accumulate and are ranked.

8. A method of providing a basic global positioning system racing game comprising:

Accessing a remote database through a mobile unit located locally on a vehicle;

retrieving race information from a remote database;

providing one or more geographical location coordinates in a set of related structured data, said data capable of graphical or tabular page views to define at least one or more race points and an associated race course;

associating one or more realt time vehicle race points onto a known race course;

recording racing data by activating a user input device affixed to the mobile unit;

calculating one or more race parameters;

traversing a course using information received on the user'"'"'s mobile unit;

collecting racing information and transmitting this information from the mobile unit to the remote database in real time or after storing the information on the mobile unit'"'"'s memory;

continuously storing, processing and plotting the position of said information at said remote database;

ending the plotting, recording and transmitting of racing information by deactivating the keypad;

processing and comparing results of various users obtained at different times by the remote database; and

making results available on the web server.

14. A method of racing a GPS Racing Game comprising:

racing a game in units with others, wherein the group member'"'"'s scores obtained from the GPS Racing Game accumulate and are ranked.

22. The method of claim 14 for racing a GPS Racing Game wherein one or more users create private groups restricting access to members only;

and

wherein group administrators can exacerbate rules and increase the difficulty of said games.

15. A method of racing a GPS Racing Game comprising:

providing a private race game playable only by users designated by another user, wherein an administrator may control rules associated with a private group.