Active play interactive game system

• US 7,922,586 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2006
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Francis Aicher Iii Heckendorf, Mathew N. Matelan
• Original Assignee: Francis Aicher Iii Heckendorf, Mathew N. Matelan
• Inventors: Matelan, Mathew N., Heckendorf, Francis Aicher III
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis; David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hall; Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US11/386,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20070167236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,847 Days
• Field of Search: 463 2- 3, 463/5, 463/7, 463/23, 463 30- 32, 463 36- 37, 463 42- 43, 463 46- 47, 463/50, 463/53, 463/56, 273/108.2, 273/108.21, 273/150, 273/245, 273/317.1, 273/317.2, 273329-331, 273/359, 273366-368, 273406-408, 273/441, 273444-446, 273/453, 273460-461, 473/131, 473140-141, 473/143, 473145-146, 473150-153, 473/156, 473/158, 473/160, 473/202, 473206-217, 473/219, 473221-223, 473225-226, 473/257, 473/266, 473/280, 473/353, 473/405, 434/252, 340/426.19, 340/539.13, 342/357.06, 342/357.08, 342/357.12, 701213-215
• 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 with an integrated real-time Golfer database, the 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;

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

a client computing device communicating with the server through the network and interacting with the Golfer database; and

a portable computing device configured for communicating with each the server and the client computing device, the portable computing device interacting with the Golfer database when communicating with the server and providing a competitive match between a user and a competitor in which visual access to the competitor'"'"'s in-progress golf round information from a first golf course is presented to the user during the user'"'"'s in-progress golf round from a second golf course, wherein said first and second golf courses are distinct and different one from the other, the portable computing device configured to store a golf strategy in which at least one club and position of a golf shot in relation to a hole of the first golf course is selected by the user prior to the user addressing the golf ball with the selected at least one club at the hole of the first golf course during the competitive match, and in which said Golfer database includes at least data to provide a 3D view of at least a hole of each said first and second golf courses on said portable computing device, and further wherein the user selectively uses said at least one golf strategy during said competitive match to effect an outcome of the competitive match.

2. The system of claim 1, in which the 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, in which the 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.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

an enclosure supporting a printed circuit board assembly;

a processor attached to the printed circuit board assembly 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 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.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

a system interface security to the printed circuit board assembly and communicating with the processor;

a global positioning system receiver attached to the printed circuit board assembly and communicating with the system interface;

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

a voice/data transceiver supported by the printed circuit board assembly and communicating with the system interface, whereupon activation of said global positioning system activation means, said system interface collects position data, provided by said global positioning system receiver, and provides said position data to said processor.

6. The system of claim 5, 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.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

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

an audio interface attached to said printed circuit board assembly 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.