Patent ID: 7427980
Filing Date: 2008-09-23
Classification: A63F,G09B

Abstract:
1. A method of identifying a specific object representation in a computer simulation, the method comprising: generating and displaying a computer simulation of a physical room, wherein the physical room comprises real objects that comprise a wall and a furnishing, and wherein the computer simulation comprises object representations that comprise a wall representation of the wall and a furnishing representation of the furnishing; integrating a laser rangefinder into a game controller to create a laser-integrated game controller; signal-coupling the laser-integrated game controller to a game console, wherein the laser-integrated game controller is capable of determining and transmitting, to the game console, a real-time location and spatial orientation of the laser-integrated game controller within the physical room, and wherein the laser rangefinder is capable of determining and transmitting, to the game console, a range signal that describes a distance from the laser-integrated game controller to one of the real objects in the physical room; receiving, at the game console, the real-time location and spatial orientation of the laser-integrated game controller; receiving, at the game console, the range signal from the laser rangefinder, wherein the range signal is generated when the laser rangefinder is pointed at a specific real object selected from the real objects in the physical room; identifying, by the game console, the specific real object in the physical room based on the real-time location of the laser-integrated game controller, the spatial orientation of the laser-integrated game controller, and the range signal from the laser rangefinder in the laser-integrated game controller; and identifying a specific object representation, from the object representations in the computer simulation, that corresponds with the specific real object identified by the game console.