- Number
- 10143919
- Published
- 2018-12-04
- Filed
- 2015-05-06
- Assignee
- Disney Enterprises, Inc.
- Inventors
- Nelson; Robert H.; Bunker; Jeffrey O.; Lowe; Robert R.
- CPC
- A63F13/217; A63F13/825; A63F13/79; A63F13/95; A63F13/355; A63F13/215; A63F13/211; A63F13/69
- Verdict
- Medium Hardware
- Source
- Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline
The keeper's note
Physical robotic agent for virtual game.
Abstract
Systems, methods and articles of manufacture for creating out-of-game objectives for a computer game. Embodiments include determining user identification information identifying a user account within a computer game. Communications with a first physical device are established. In response to an in-game event within the computer game, embodiments configure the first physical device to detect a first out-of-game activity by configuring the first physical device with one or more conditions that are satisfied when data collected using one or more sensors of the first physical device exceeds a defined threshold value, and that, when satisfied, indicate the first out-of-game activity is completed. Upon receiving, from the first physical device, an indication that the out-of-game activity has been completed, embodiments affect one or more gameplay attributes of the computer game for the user account, based on the completed out-of-game activity.
Background
BACKGROUND(1) Field of the Invention(2) The present invention generally relates to home entertainment, and more specifically to techniques for extending a computer game into a physical environment.(3) Description of the Related Art(4) Computer graphics technology has come a long way since video games were first developed. Relatively inexpensive 3D graphics engines now provide nearly photo-realistic interactive game play on hand-held video game, home video game and personal computer hardware platforms costing only a few hundred dollars. These video game systems typically include a hand-held controller, game controller, or, in the case of a hand-held video game platform, an integrated controller. A user interacts with the controller to send commands or other instructions to the video game system to control a video game or other simulation. For example, the controller may include a joystick and buttons operated by the user.(5) Many hand-held gaming devices include some form of camera device which may be used to capture an image or a series of images of a physical, real-world scene. The captured images can then be displayed, for instance, on a display of the hand-held gaming device. Certain devices may be configured to insert virtual objects into the captured images before the images are displayed. Additionally, other devices or applications may enable users to draw or paint particular within a captured image of a physical scene. However, as such alterations apply only to a singl
Claims
1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer program code that, when executed, performs an operation to implement game attributes unlockable via real-world activities, the operation comprising: determining user identification information identifying a user account within a computer game executing on a computer system; establishing communications with a sensor device associated with the user account and having one or more sensors, wherein the sensor device is communicatively connected to the computer system and detachably coupled to a toy device, wherein the computer game is usable absent the toy device and the sensor device; authenticating the toy device by communicating with an Application Programming Interface (API) of the sensor device, wherein the sensor device is configured to retrieve identification information for the toy device from a memory of the toy device; in response to an in-game event within the computer game, configuring the sensor device to detect a first real-world activity by configuring the sensor device with one or more conditional statements for evaluating, against a defined threshold value, data collected using the one or more sensors of the sensor device, wherein the one or more conditional statements, when satisfied based on the collected data, indicate that the first real-world activity is completed; and upon receiving, from the sensor device, an indication that the first real-world activity has been completed, unlocking one or more gameplay attributes of the computer game for the user account, based on the completed real-world activity, whereafter the computer game, including the unlocked one or more gameplay attributes, is usable absent the toy device and the sensor device.
13. A system to implement game attributes unlockable via real-world activities, the system comprising: one or more computer processors; and a memory containing computer program code that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, performs an operation comprising: determining user identification information identifying a user account within a computer game; establishing communications with a sensor device associated with the user account and having one or more sensors, wherein the sensor device is communicatively connected to the system and detachably coupled to a toy device, wherein the computer game is usable absent the toy device and the sensor device; authenticating the toy device by communicating with an Application Programming Interface (API) of the sensor device, wherein the sensor device is configured to retrieve identification information for the sensor device from a memory of the toy device; in response to an in-game event within the computer game, configuring the sensor device to detect a first real-world activity by configuring the sensor device with one or more conditional statements for evaluating, against a defined threshold value, data collected using the one or more sensors of the sensor device, wherein the one or more conditional statements, when satisfied based on the collected data, indicate that the first real-world activity is completed; and upon receiving, from the sensor device, an indication that the first real-world activity has been completed, unlocking one or more gameplay attributes of the computer game for the user account, based on the completed real-world activity, whereafter the computer game, including the unlocked one or more gameplay attributes, is usable absent the toy device and the sensor device.
19. A computer-implemented method to implement game attributes unlockable via real-world activities, the computer-implemented comprising: determining user identification information identifying a user account within a computer game executing on a computer system; establishing communications with a sensor device associated with the user account and having one or more sensors, wherein the sensor device is communicatively connected to the computer system and detachably coupled to a toy device, wherein the computer game is usable absent the toy device and the sensor device; authenticating the toy device by communicating with an Application Programming Interface (API) of the sensor device, wherein the sensor device is configured to retrieve identification information for the toy device from a memory of the toy device; in response to an in-game event within the computer game, configuring the sensor device to detect a first real-world activity by configuring the sensor device with one or more conditional statements for evaluating, against a defined threshold value, data collected using one or more sensors of the sensor device, wherein the one or more conditional statements, when satisfied based on the collected data, indicate that the first real-world activity is completed; and upon receiving, from the sensor device, an indication that the first real-world activity has been completed, unlocking one or more gameplay attributes of the computer game for the user account, based on the completed real-world activity, whereafter the computer game, including the unlocked one or more gameplay attributes, is usable absent the toy device and the sensor device.