- Number
- 10583361
- Published
- 2020-03-10
- Filed
- 2016-02-04
- Assignee
- Disney Enterprises, Inc.
- Inventors
- Goslin; Michael P., Haseltine; Eric C., Olson; Joseph L.
- CPC
- A63F13/32; A63F13/28; A63F13/428
- Verdict
- Low Hardware
- Source
- Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline
The keeper's note
Smart-home / interactive-toy play experience integration.
Abstract
Systems, methods and articles of manufacture for controlling devices in a synchronized fashion. Embodiments include determining one or more environmental devices are available within a physical environment. A first interactive game that is playing within the physical environment is detected. Embodiments determine an environmental condition during a first playback event within the first interactive game. The one or more environmental devices within the physical environment are then controlled during playback of the first playback event within the first interactive game, based on the determined environmental condition.
Background
BACKGROUND(1) Field of the Invention(2) The present invention generally relates to entertainment systems, and more specifically to techniques for controlling a plurality of devices to provide an immersive user experience.(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) While video games allow the user to interact directly with the video game system, such interactions primarily influence the graphical depiction shown on the video game device (or on a connected display), and rarely influence any other objects outside of the virtual world. That is, a user may specify an input to the video game system, indicating that the user's avatar should perform a jump action, and in response the video game system could display the user's avatar jumping. However, such interactions are typically limited to the vir
Claims
1. A system of integrating environmental devices into a play experience to synchronize changes in physical and virtual environments, the system comprising: one or more computer processors; and a memory containing computer program code that, when executed by operation of the one or more computer processors, performs an operation comprising: determining that: (i) one or more environmental devices are available within the physical environment; (ii) a first interactive game is playing within the physical environment using one or more electronic devices; and (iii) a first playback event is occurring within the first interactive game; determining an environmental change in the first interactive game that will occur during a second playback event within the first interactive game, prior to the second playback event occurring within the first interactive game, wherein the environmental change is to be depicted in one or more frames displayed during the second playback event; determining a moment in time based on a specified amount of time before the second playback event is to occur, wherein the specified amount of time is sufficient to permit the one or more environmental devices to at least substantially effect a desired change in the physical environment before the second playback event occurs, wherein the desired change is of a type selected from temperature, illumination, or sound; and during the first playback event within the first interactive game, synchronously effecting the desired change in the physical environment with the environmental change in the first interactive game, by controlling the one or more environmental devices via transmitting one or more instructions to the one or more environmental devices at the determined moment in time.
16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer program code that, when executed, performs an operation to integrate environmental devices into a play experience to synchronize changes in physical and virtual environments, the operation comprising: determining that: (i) one or more environmental devices are available within the physical environment; (ii) a first interactive game is playing within the physical environment using one or more electronic devices; and (iii) that a first playback event is occurring within the first interactive game; determining an environmental change in the first interactive game that will occur during a second playback event within the first interactive game, prior to the second playback event occurring within the first interactive game, wherein the environmental change is to be depicted in one or more frames displayed during the second playback event; determining a moment in time based on a specified amount of time before the second playback event is to occur, wherein the specified amount of time is sufficient to permit the one or more environmental devices to at least substantially effect a desired change in the physical environment before the second playback event occurs, wherein the desired change is of a type selected from temperature, illumination, or sound; and during the first playback event within the first interactive game, synchronously effecting the desired change in the physical environment with the environmental change in the first interactive game, by controlling, by operation of one or more computer processors when executing the computer program code, the one or more environmental devices via transmitting one or more instructions to the one or more environmental devices at the determined moment in time.
20. A computer-implemented method to integrate environmental devices into a play experience to synchronize changes in physical and virtual environments, the computer-implemented method comprising: determining that: (i) one or more environmental devices are available within a physical environment; (ii) a first interactive game is playing within the physical environment using one or more electronic devices; and (iii) a first playback event is occurring within the first interactive game; determining an environmental change in the first interactive game that will occur during a second playback event within the first interactive game, prior to the second playback event occurring within the first interactive game, wherein the environmental change is to be depicted in one or more frames displayed during the second playback event; determining a moment in time based on a specified amount of time before the second playback event is to occur, wherein the specified amount of time is sufficient to permit the one or more environmental devices to at least substantially effect a desired change in the physical environment before the second playback event occurs, wherein the desired change is of a type selected from temperature, illumination, or sound; and during the first playback event within the first interactive game, synchronously effecting the desired change in the physical environment with the environmental change in the first interactive game, by controlling, by operation of one or more computer processors, the one or more environmental devices via transmitting one or more instructions to the one or more environmental devices at the determined moment in time.