U.S. Patent No. 8,585,476: Location-based games and augmented reality systems
Issued Nov. 19, 2013
Summary:
The ‘476 patent deals with virtual realities and augmented realities that rely on real world data to create the virtual world. The player’s location in the real world is tracked using GPS or some other location tracking device, such as a play mat, while the player uses some manner of virtual reality headset. The game uses that location and movement from that data to correlate with location and movement in a virtual world. The augmented reality may rely on visual input from the real world with supplementary elements added by virtual reality. The patent covers both major movements, such riding in a driving a car or traversing a field, and minor movements, such as hand movements.
Abstract:
Handheld location based games are provided in which a user's physical location correlates to the virtual location of a virtual character on a virtual playfield.
Augmented Reality (AR) systems are provided in which video game indicia are overlaid onto a user's physical environment. A landscape detector is provided that may obtain information about the user's landscape, in addition to the user's location, in order to provide overlaying information to an AR head-mounted display and control information to non-user controlled video game characters.
Illustrative Claim:
1. An augmented reality game system comprising:
a head-mounted display that overlays virtual indicia onto a physical playfield;
memory comprising video game logic that provides a video game;
a wearable processor that utilizes said video game logic to provide video game indicia to said head-mounted display based on said video game logic, wherein said processor is coupled to said memory and said head-mounted display;
a detector that determines landscape characteristics of said physical playfield, wherein said video game logic utilizes said landscape characteristics in providing said video game; and
a locating device that determines the physical location of said locating device on the physical playfield, wherein said video game logic utilizes the physical location of said locating device in providing said video game.
1. An augmented reality game system comprising:
a head-mounted display that overlays virtual indicia onto a physical playfield;
memory comprising video game logic that provides a video game;
a wearable processor that utilizes said video game logic to provide video game indicia to said head-mounted display based on said video game logic, wherein said processor is coupled to said memory and said head-mounted display;
a detector that determines landscape characteristics of said physical playfield, wherein said video game logic utilizes said landscape characteristics in providing said video game; and
a locating device that determines the physical location of said locating device on the physical playfield, wherein said video game logic utilizes the physical location of said locating device in providing said video game.
