System and Method for Personality Adoption by Online Game Peripherals
An apparatus and methods for personality adoption of online game peripherals interacting with an online game server having multiple online game states. Methods disclosed include techniques for associating a personality with a personality-adopting mobile game peripheral capable of holding a game state at least partially adopted from the game peripheral personality component (e.g. a faceplate, a shell, a key, etc). Additionally techniques are provided for uploading personality-imbued game state to the online game server; and for retrieving personality-imbued online game states to the first personality-adopting mobile game peripheral. Some embodiments involve multiple game peripheral personality components and corresponding personality-adopting mobile game peripherals in a peer-to-peer relationship. Peer-to-peer embodiments include techniques for associating a second personality, using a second game peripheral personality component, with a second personality-adopting mobile game peripheral. Also disclosed are techniques for receiving into the first game peripheral, a second personality from the second personality-adopting mobile game peripheral.
The present application claims priority to application filed Jul. 17, 2009 under application Ser. No. 12/505,120, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. However, insofar as any definitions, information used for claim interpretation, etc. from the abovementioned application conflicts with that set forth herein, such definitions, information, etc. in the present application should apply.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is directed towards interoperative toys, and more particularly towards toys that adopt a personality for online game interaction.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONBroad and inexpensive availability of Internet communication as well as communication between inexpensive portable devices including toys has created an environment where such portable devices with highly specific purposes can be deployed. Such portable devices can include characteristics that coordinate the toy with some Internet activity in order to create a more immersive play experience. In some environments, a toy might bear a personality or resemblance or likeness or other relationship to an Internet character or theme. Concurrently, high-tech consumerism has lowered cost and adoption barriers for technologies that support wireless communication between small low-cost devices, and such devices facilitate learning or entertainment where an individual can interact with the device, and/or with other devices, and/or with or through the Internet. Conceptually, a single instance of a toy might be used in game play with any number of Internet games. If the single instance of the toy could itself adopt a personality, or thematic or character likeness, or other characteristics of the Internet game, then game play could be even more immersive. Thus, what is needed are systems and methods to allow thematic or personality characteristics of the toy to be adopted and for such adopted personalities to be coordinated with online activities and other game play activities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONDisclosed are apparatus and methods for personality adoption by online game peripherals (e.g. a handheld console, a toy, a badge, etc) for interacting with an online game. Game pieces in the form of a faceplate, a shell, a key, etc, possibly bearing a character likeness, personality or thematic design, can be purchased in advance of game play. Such personality-imbued game pieces can be assembled together with a game peripheral and personality-imbued game play can then commence. In some embodiments, a game peripheral is self-contained, and may be used in a mobile setting, possibly involving peer-to-peer communication with another personality-adopting game peripheral. Methods disclosed include techniques for associating a personality with a personality-adopting mobile game peripheral capable of holding a game state at least partially adopted from the game peripheral personality component. Additionally, techniques are provided for uploading a personality-imbued game state to the online game server; and for retrieving personality-imbued online game states to a personality-adopting mobile game peripheral. Some embodiments involve multiple game-peripheral personality components and corresponding personality-adopting mobile game peripherals in a peer-to-peer relationship. Peer-to-peer embodiments include techniques for associating a second personality, using a second game peripheral personality component, with a second personality-adopting mobile game peripheral as well as techniques for receiving a portion of a second personality from a second personality-adopting mobile game peripheral into the first game peripheral.
A brief description of the drawings follows:
In the following description, numerous details are set forth for purposes of explanation. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the invention may be practiced without the use of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the description of the invention with unnecessary detail.
A toy might be used in game play with any number of Internet games. If the single instance of the toy could be coordinated with thematic or personality characteristics of the Internet game, game play could be even more immersive. As disclosed herein, such toys can adopt a personality using one or more of a variety of techniques. For example, a removable component may be fitted to the toy, which component may imbue the toy with a personality, and which personality may change in response to some particular Internet online activity (e.g. in response to game play of an online game). In some embodiments, a toy might bear a resemblance or likeness or other relationship to a character or theme. For example, the removable component might bear artwork or symbols suggestive of a particular character or theme, and come in the form of a cover or faceplate, or skin.
Game pieces and toys disclosed herein include devices for immersive game play experiences. The toys may be capable of both “online” and “offline” game play, and the toys may include audio-visual and other sensory feedback. Some embodiments include game peripherals with moving parts and robotics. Embodiments include devices capable of powering a wide variety of toy executions, and lend features and capabilities for game designers and toy designers to integrate personalized game peripheral toys into new and existing online virtual worlds and games. Imagine . . . You want to play the multi-player online game “Zoop” and you want to have game powers similar to one of the heroes of the game “Gorp”. Just snap on the faceplate corresponding to the character Gorp, and you are imbued with the powers of Gorp. Imagine . . . You have been playing an online game for weeks, and discover that one needs a key to achieve the higher levels. Buy the key, and use it with the online game to unlock secrets to success at the higher levels.
Various features of some embodiments allow a player to establish and maintain an online personality, and exhibit characteristics of that personality with others via both online worlds and in the real world. Other embodiments include a proximity locator that might automatically connect with other players having compatible personalities, play mini-games (whether connected online or not), and update status and other information when an uplink is available. Further features of some embodiments allow a player to establish and maintain game states based on game play using a particular personality. In particular, some embodiments include a proximity locator that might automatically connect in a peer-to-peer fashion (or refuse a peer-to-peer connection) based on the compatibility (or lack of compatibility) of the peering of personalities. Once connected (with an interoperative toy imbued with a compatible personality), some embodiments wirelessly exchange information over a peer-to-peer communication link, and update relationships and other information when an uplink (e.g. an Internet uplink connection) is available. Of course, in both gaming/online worlds as well as in the real world, a friend may be a friend to varying degrees, even to the point of being a foe. In some situations online/game entities (whether a real person or strictly a gaming/online/virtual entity) may be intrinsically a foe (e.g. as related to a game situation, or as related to a peering based on imbued personalities). Such a designation may be controlled in some dimensions by a player, and/or in some dimensions by another player, or may even be controlled in some dimensions under parental control.
Description of the EnvironmentGame play using a personality-imbued game peripheral (e.g. a personality-adopting game peripheral 140, 150 mated with a game peripheral personality component) might be initiated by game software 115 executing on game server 110 (e.g. an online game server, a multi-player server, a virtual world server, etc), and one or more players may join in game play from a peer game platform, with or without a corresponding peer personality-adopting game peripheral. Online social interaction might be initiated by or with a social networking server 180, or by game software 115 executing on servers 180 and/or 110, respectively, and/or other servers (e.g. an online game server, a multi-player server, a virtual world server, a social networking feed server, etc), and one or more players may join in social interaction and/or game play from a game platform 160, 170.
Players interact with the game software resident on the server over a communication path through the Internet. In some situations, the game software 115 supports multi-player games, in particular the game software 115 supports multi-player games wherein each player participates using a personality-adopting game peripheral (e.g. 140, 150) mated with a game peripheral personality component (e.g. 145, 155). Interaction between players is supported via at least a network communication path from one player (e.g. a first player station 160) through communication link 121 to the Internet 112, through the communication link 111 to the game server 110, again to the Internet 112, and to a second (or nth) player operating a second player game platform 170, through the communication link 131. In some situations, wireless communication is used for any of communication links 121 and 131 (and even communication link 111 for that matter). In fact, some environments support a wireless communication link 175 (e.g. 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, etc) between two or more game platform systems (e.g. 160, 170), and some environments support one or more wireless routers.
However, while such an environment and configuration supports multi-player online play, and even in some cases the possibility for peer-to-peer communication (e.g. between a first player game platform and a second player game platform) over a wireless communication link 175, such a configuration is stationary. When a player moves away from the player's game platform (e.g. goes to school, goes to the mall, etc), then interaction between the player and the game software is interrupted as is interaction between a first player and a second player.
As earlier indicated, even when a player moves away from the player's game platform (e.g. goes to school, goes to the mall, etc), and interaction between the player and the game software is interrupted, there remains the possibility for peer-to-peer communication (e.g. between a first player's game peripheral and a second player's game peripheral) over a wireless peer-to-peer communication link (e.g. using any one or more of the aforementioned wireless communication links, or other communication mechanisms for that matter). Using such a peer-to-peer communication method between personality-adopting game peripherals, connections between players may be established, possibly involving game play relationships associated with the peered personalities and/or combinations.
Exemplary Embodiments of Personality-Adopting Game PeripheralsOf course, a multiple-player game might involve a first personality-adopting game peripheral assembly and a second personality-adopting game peripheral assembly. A personality-adopting game peripheral assembly 350 might connect to the online game (e.g. through stationary component 210) and upload to the online game server at least one bit from the game state of the personality-adopting game peripheral assembly 350. In game play, a personality-adopting game peripheral assembly 350 might retrieve one or more game states from the online game server. At any point in time, a second personality-adopting game peripheral 150 might become associated with a second personality, using a second game peripheral personality component 155, and join multi-player game play. In some game play situations, when a second personality-adopting game peripheral assembly is within communication range of a first personality-adopting game peripheral assembly 350, a first personality-adopting game peripheral 140 might retrieve from a second personality-adopting game peripheral assembly at least one bit for downloading to the first game peripheral assembly 350, wherein the at least one bit represents at least a portion of the second game state. In this manner, aspects of personality bits 149 may be communicated to a peer game peripheral.
Returning to the apparatus of the personality sensor 330, the personality sensor serves to read a personality (e.g. wholly or partially from a game peripheral personality component 145, 155). In exemplary embodiments, reading a personality might be implemented by identification of a particular game peripheral personality component 145, 155, which identification is then used in forming any manner of associations. In some embodiments, a game peripheral personality component 145, 155 might be formed with a mechanical mating such that a game peripheral personality component 145, 155 can be removably affixed to a personality-adopting game peripheral 140, 150. During the time that the game peripheral personality component 145 is affixed to the personality-adopting game peripheral 140, identification of the game peripheral personality component 145 might be performed by personality sensor 330 by sensing a locking tab sensor. In other embodiments, identification of a game peripheral personality component 145, 155 might be performed by identification including sensing an optical pattern (e.g. by the physical design of the game peripheral personality component, and/or by occluding light from sensors or photocells), or by identification via an RFID (e.g. by reading an RFID tag), and of which techniques serve to imbue at least one bit of personality bits 149 to the game peripheral component.
In some cases, the personality bits 149 can be associated through identification of a game peripheral personality component 145 in combination with a sequence of inputs. For example, a particular personality (i.e. a compound personality ID) might be associated on the basis of a sequence of events as depicted in Table 1.
Additional embodiments are discussed infra.
Once credentials are confirmed (see Confirm operation 611), and optional upload of game state from any previous play has been completed (see Game State message 628), game play is enabled, and the game server 696 is ready for a request to start from the user of the game platform (see message Request Start 609b). Upon a successful Request Start message 609b, the game server initiates play interaction with the game platform (see Play operation 604). In turn, the game state is stored at the game peripheral (see Store State message 616), and an alert at a personality-adopting mobile game peripheral (e.g. Peripheral-1 692) is actuated (See Actuate operation 608). Thus, in this embodiment, the game server response (see State message 613) serves for retrieving from the online game server at least one bit that might result in a visual alert and/or an audible alert.
While online and during any Play operation (or any other time within a login session for that matter) a player might meet other players, or a player might encounter (i.e. come into proximity with) other players, which players might be ‘foes’ (i.e. with respect to any current or previously adopted personality or other aspect of game play), or they might be ‘friends’ (i.e. with respect to any current or previously adopted personality or other aspect of game play). Strictly as an example, a player may come into proximity with another player, formerly imbued with a friendly personality but who has diminished with regard to degree of friendship or trust, or perhaps has even adopted a personality considered to be a foe. Any of the aforementioned changes in state (e.g. identifying a personality, identifying a friend, establishing a trust level, identifying a foe, changing a level of friendship) may be retained during and after game play on the game server, and may further be communicated to a personality-adopting game peripheral (see State message 613) and stored onto a personality-adopting peripheral (see Store State message 616). That is, at points during play or when the play session is suspended or ends, game state (possibly including statistics) is provided to the game platform (see State message 613). In turn, the game state is stored at the game peripheral (see Store State message 616) and a visible change to the game peripheral might be actuated. In some game situations, such a state change (e.g. resulting from a Store State message 616) to the game peripheral might include actuating one or more of a plurality of movable components. In such a case, the actuator apparatus 325 is enabled for actuating movable components (e.g. locking/unlocking, opening/closing, pushing/pulling, starting/stopping, etc) based on the game state.
The aforementioned sequence of messages may transpire while the play interaction is in the online mode, such as whenever the game server 696 participates in message exchanges with a game platform 694 via the Internet.
A personality-adopting game peripheral 140 is operable for user detection 740 of other personality-adopting mobile game peripherals within proximity, offering the possibility of user detection 740 and personality sensing 780 and/or friendship offer 745, indicating foe (or friend) status 760, offering sharing of inventory 755, cloaking of a personality (e.g. personality masking 775), temporarily adopting an alternate personality (e.g. personality posing 765), and/or actuating based on characteristics of the sensed personality (e.g. personality alert 785), etc. Of course some operations may be performed regardless of the mode, though some operations are operable only when in online mode, and some operations are operable only when in standalone mode.
In addition to communications between game peripherals and other game peripherals and communications between game peripherals and game consoles, game peripherals are operable to read tokens. For example, given a game peripheral with an RFID reader, a game peripheral is operable to read an RFID tag from a token. A token may have the form of a card (RFID card) or a key (RFID key) or a puzzle piece, or any other game piece, whether RFID-enabled or not, or whether the reading mechanism is RFID or some other technology. Strictly for ease of exemplifying communications, Table 2 shows sample game peripheral interactions with its environment.
Now, with an understanding of the operation of a game peripheral with its environment, exemplary play (e.g. in game play or in real life or in a virtual world life) can be expressed as follows:
1. Online
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- a. Login with an imbued personality and enter training area. Collect any new state since last online visit, optionally using a web page or other screen device.
- b. Pick up hints, pick up and store provisions, and learn, possibly facilitated or limited by an imbued personality.
- c. Perform game actions, possibly using and storing game artifacts or accoutrement, possibly facilitated or limited by an imbued personality.
- d. Feed game or virtual world characters, which characters may be determined based upon an imbued personality.
- e. Monitor and store game statistics or virtual world characteristics via visible symbols on the game peripheral.
- f. Upload new game(s) or virtual world state(s).
- g. Identify friend or foe, which friend or foe status may be determined based on an imbued personality.
- h. Display friend/foe icons, alerts, warnings.
- i. Mate-up action between two game peripherals that have each been actuated into a particular mechanical state, which mechanical state may be determined based on an imbued personality.
2. Offline
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- a. Peer-up with other players via game-peripheral-to-game-peripheral communications.
- b. Use game-peripheral-to-game-peripheral communications to make friends in the offline world, then carry the friendship into an online world.
- c. Exchange hints, provisions, and/or other ideas with peers.
- d. Play mini-games to win currency, change status, amass inventory, etc from peers.
- e. Buy tokens, game routes, game secrets, artifacts, or accoutrement.
- f. Scan tokens with a game peripheral.
- g. Assemble a map with tokens.
- h. Assemble a puzzle with tokens.
- i. Identify friend or foe.
- j. Display friend/foe icons, alerts, and/or warnings.
- k. Modify status of social relationship(s).
- l. Mate-up action between two game peripherals that have each been actuated into a particular mechanical state, which mechanical state may be determined based on an imbued personality.
In some embodiments, RFID tokens can also be combined or permuted by scanning in a particular order (see Table 3).
Of course, tokens can be reused/rescanned over time, thus this and other reusability characteristics may extend the life of a token to a plurality of use events.
As an option, the method 890 may also be implemented in the context of the architecture and functionality of
As used hereinabove, the terminology “game server” and “virtual world server” and “social networking server” refer generally to the same apparatus, namely a “server”, and are used herein interchangeably when referring to the structure of the apparatus known as a “server”.
Configurations Using a Network of ComputersAny node of the network 900 may comprise a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof capable to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g. a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration, etc).
In alternative embodiments, a node may comprise a machine in the form of a virtual machine (VM), a virtual server, a virtual client, a virtual desktop, a virtual volume, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a web appliance, or any machine capable of executing a sequence of instructions that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Any node of the network may communicate cooperatively with another node on the network. In some embodiments, any node of the network may communicate cooperatively with every other node of the network. Further, any node or group of nodes on the network may comprise one or more computer systems (e.g. a client computer system, a server computer system) and/or may comprise one or more embedded computer systems, a massively parallel computer system, and/or a cloud computer system.
The computer system 950 includes a processor 908 (e.g. a processor core, a microprocessor, a computing device, etc), a main memory 910 and a static memory 912, which communicate with each other via a bus 914. The machine 950 may further include a display unit 916 that may comprise a touch-screen, or a liquid crystal display (LCD), or a light emitting diode (LED) display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT). As shown, the computer system 950 also includes a human input/output (I/O) device 918 (e.g. a keyboard, an alphanumeric keypad, etc), a pointing device 920 (e.g. a mouse, a touch screen, etc), a drive unit 922 (e.g. a disk drive unit, a CD/DVD drive, a tangible computer readable removable media drive, an SSD storage device, etc), a signal generation device 928 (e.g. a speaker, an audio output, etc), and a network interface device 930 (e.g. an Ethernet interface, a wired network interface, a wireless network interface, a propagated signal interface, etc).
The drive unit 922 includes a machine-readable medium 924 on which is stored a set of instructions (i.e. software, firmware, middleware, etc) 926 embodying any one, or all, of the methodologies described above. The set of instructions 926 is also shown to reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 910 and/or within the processor 908. The set of instructions 926 may further be transmitted or received via the network interface device 930 over the network bus 914.
It is to be understood that embodiments of this invention may be used as, or to support, a set of instructions executed upon some form of processing core (such as the CPU of a computer) or otherwise implemented or realized upon or within a machine- or computer-readable medium. A machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g. a computer). For example, a machine-readable medium includes read-only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; electrical, optical, acoustical or other form of propagated signals (e.g. carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc); or any other type of media suitable for storing or transmitting information.
While the invention has been described with reference to numerous specific details, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the invention is not to be limited by the foregoing illustrative details, but rather is to be defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A method for personality adoption of online game peripherals interacting with an online game server having multiple online game states comprising:
- associating a first personality, using a first game peripheral personality component, with a first personality-adopting mobile game peripheral holding a first game state at least partially adopted from the first game peripheral personality component;
- uploading, from the first personality-adopting mobile game peripheral to the online game server, at least one bit from the first game state; and
- retrieving from the online game server at least one bit for downloading to the first personality-adopting mobile game peripheral, wherein the at least one bit represents at least a portion of the multiple online game states.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
- associating a second personality, using a second game peripheral personality component, with a second personality-adopting mobile game peripheral holding a second game state; and
- retrieving from the second personality-adopting mobile game peripheral at least one bit for downloading to the first game peripheral, wherein the at least one bit represents at least a portion of the second game state.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating includes identification by a locking tab sensor.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating includes identification via an optical pattern.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating includes identification via an RFID tag.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating includes identification via a sequence of inputs.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the uploading includes a connection to a personal computer.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the uploading includes a connection to a wireless router.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the uploading is initiated spontaneously.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating a first personality, using a first game peripheral personality component, with a first game peripheral results in at least one of, a visual alert, an audible alert.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the uploading results in at least one of, a visual alert, an audible alert.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieving from the online game server at least one bit results in at least one of, a visual alert, an audible alert.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieving from the online game server includes at least one bit representing state retrieved from a social networking site.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating a first personality, using a first game peripheral personality component, with a first game peripheral includes actuating at least one of a plurality of movable components.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieving from the online game server at least one bit includes actuating at least one of a plurality of movable components.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating a first personality, using a first game peripheral personality component, with a first game peripheral includes actuating a mechanical unlocking.
17. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieving from the online game server at least one bit includes actuating a mechanical unlocking
18. The method of claim 1, wherein associating a first personality, using a first game peripheral personality component, with a first game peripheral includes actuating at least one light-sensitive component.
19. An apparatus for personality adoption of online game peripherals interacting with an online game server having multiple online game states comprising:
- a first game peripheral personality component for associating a first personality with a first personality-adopting mobile game peripheral holding a first game state at least partially adopted from the first game peripheral personality component;
- a component for uploading at least one bit from the first game state; and
- a component for retrieving at least one bit for downloading to the first personality-adopting mobile game peripheral, wherein the at least one bit represents at least a portion of the multiple online game states.
20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:
- a component for associating a second personality, using a second game peripheral personality component, with a second personality-adopting mobile game peripheral holding a second game state; and
- a component for retrieving from the second personality-adopting mobile game peripheral at least one bit for downloading to the first game peripheral, wherein the at least one bit represents at least a portion of the second game state.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 9, 2009
Publication Date: Jan 20, 2011
Inventors: Douglas Penman (Ross, CA), Rodger Raderman (San Francisco, CA)
Application Number: 12/556,024
International Classification: A63F 9/24 (20060101);