Abstract:
A bounty hunter game where game participants attempt to earn awards, or items, or to have awards or items taken away from another game participant, by transmitting information from electronic data storage elements, such as an RFBD tags, to a central game processing site. The electronic data storage elements may be carried by the game participants and/or placed at locations where game participants must go. Clues may be provided to game participants to lead them to electronic data storage elements. Clues may also be provided to game participants to lead them on a treasure hunt that is played simultaneously with the bounty hunter game.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     (1) Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a game where game participants attempt to earn awards, or items, or to have awards or items taken away from another player, by transmitting information from electronic data storage elements, such as an RFID tags, to a game processing center.  
         [0003]     (2) Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     Evolving technologies allow products or other items to be tagged with inexpensive electronic data storage elements (“EDSEs”) then tracked by devices that can read the information encoded into the tag. One form of electronic data storage element is a radio frequency transponder. Radio frequency identification (“RFID”) uses low-powered radio transmitters to read data stored in a transponder at distances up to 200 feet away. Present applications of this technology include tracking assets, managing inventory, automatic vehicle identification, highway tolls and authorizing payments. RFID technology is also used by certain automobile manufacturers to provide electronic keys to their automobiles.  
         [0005]     RFID systems originated in the 1940s when the U.S. government used transponders to distinguish between friendly and enemy aircraft. Aircraft still utilize transponders today for aircraft tracking. In addition to tracking aircraft, the airline industry, along with the FAA has used RFID tags to route baggage and increase air security. In the 1970s, the U.S. government used RFID systems for tracking livestock and nuclear material. Companies such as McDonald&#39;s and Exxon Mobile have tested RFID chips to allow customers to pay for food or gas.  
         [0006]     RFID technology is known to those skilled in the art. Commercial utilizations typically operate in a number of unlicensed frequency bands, with 125 KHz and 13.56 MHz being the most common. The greater the bandwidth the more information a RFID tag can hold. For instance, a 13.56 MHZ tag can hold as much as 2,000 bits of data, roughly 30 times the information that can be held on a 125 KHz tag. Active RFID tags are equipped with a battery that allows an active tag to transmit a signal to a reader. These tags often provide the greatest range, up to 200 feet, but are more expensive than other tags. Passive RFID tags are not battery powered. They draw power from the electromagnetic waves emitted from the receiver-transmitter. The read range of these tags is generally under three meters and the tags are inexpensive to manufacture. Semi-passive RFID tags have batteries like active RFID tags, but the battery is only used to power the tag&#39;s microchip circuitry, it does not power the transmission from the tag to the reader. Semi-passive tags also have longer read ranges than passive tags.  
         [0007]     One example of EDSE or RFID use is inventory control. In this application, an RFID tag is placed on the item to be tracked. Up to 2,000 bits of data are stored on a memory chip that is housed in a button or integrated circuit card. Tags can also be etched on a substrate that is then embedded in a paper or plastic tag. The information stored on the tag may include a unique product identification code, the place of product manufacture and the place of sale. The tag may include a battery or it may be passive. A RFID transmitter-receiver or reader is utilized that contains a transmitter, receiver and digital control module connected to a transmitting antenna. When the control module senses a tag, it interrogates the tag (after awakening the tag if passive), decodes the data and typically passes that data on to a host system by way of wired or wireless communication. The host system assimilates the data received from the product tags and the data is used to track product inventory and sales.  
         [0008]     The majority of RFID tags are write-once/read-only, but others offer read/write capability such that the information contained on the tag can be rewritten. For instance if tracking an item in transit, the information can be rewritten as the item travels along its route or is rerouted. RFID readers may be hand-held and wireless. Devices are being produced that combine an RFID reader with a wireless, mobile telephone, such as the Nokia Mobile RFID Kit for Nokia 5140 and Nokia 5140i. A Smart Card Alliance task force is working toward building a robust market for contactless payments utilizing mobile telephones equipped with RFID technology.  
         [0009]     Several companies have developed RFID technology, including Texas Instruments (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,347,280 and 5,541,604), IBM (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,528,222; 5,550,547; 5,521,601; and 5,682,143), Motorola/Indala (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,378,880 and 5,565,846), and Mikron/Philips Semiconductors (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,442,507; 4,796,074; 5,095,362; 5,296,722; and 5,407,851). In addition, RFID technology and tracking systems are described in additional patents, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,424,262 and 6,484,780 to Garber, assigned to 3M (describing the use of RFID to track library materials); U.S. Pat. No. 6,100,804 to Brady, assigned to Intecmec (describing a RFID system employing a thin, flexible RFID tag and integrated antenna); U.S. Patent Application 2002/0139848 (describing a system for tracking a changeable description of an article for use in a home inventory system); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,563,417 to Shaw, assigned to Identec Solutions (describing a RFID method of tracking products moving along a distribution path). Other patents and patent applications describe other uses for RFID technology. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/859,359 by Hind describes a method for providing targeted advertising and personalized customer services using RFID tagged products and wireless communication devices and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/442533 by Hidary describes a system for distributing and retrieving information about an object using RFID transponders and Internet access devices.  
         [0010]     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/230,049 by Sprogis discloses a method and apparatus for providing awards using transponders. U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,698 and No. 6,320,495 to Sprogis describe the use of location positioning technology to direct a game participant to a specific location or locations.  
         [0011]     Examples of RFID technology and uses can also be found in the June 2003 Equity Research of Bear Stearns, titled Supply-Chain Technology: Track(ing) to the Future, The Impending RFID-based Inventory Revolution.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     The present invention involves a game wherein participants are provided with electronic data storage elements, such as radio frequency identification (“RFID”) tags, and data readers. The game participants try to be the first game participant to read the RFID tag(s) of other game participants and to send that information to a game processing center. The participant transmitting information to the game processing center is awarded points or some other award, such as an item, for transmitting information from the other players&#39; RFID tag. In addition, the game player or participant whose information is sent by the other game participant to the game processing center may be eliminated from the game, either permanently or for a certain period of time, have points taken away, or lose an item. The object of the game is to earn awards (points, items, etc.), eliminate other players, and be the last game participant in the game—the last man standing.  
         [0013]     In a further embodiment of the present invention, players are also provided with awards or items for transmitting information to the game processing center or centers from RFID tags that are not associated with other game participants. For example, RFID tags are placed in fast food restaurants and when a game participant enters the restaurant, reads the tag and transmits the tags&#39; identification information to a game processing center, the player is provided with an award such as additional points, an item, or a period of invincibility wherein the player may not be captured or eliminated from the game. The captured player may also have points taken away, lose items or have his or her points or items transferred to the capturing player. Players may be directed to specific locations where tags have been placed through the use of location positioning technology such as GPS. Numerous variations on the basic concept of the invention can also be implemented.  
         [0014]     All documents, including other patents and references, referred to in this document are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, although no documents are admitted to render any of the claims herein unpatentable either alone or in combination with any other references known by the applicant. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]      FIG. 1  depicts the components of the system and method involving two game participants.  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  depicts an aspect of the invention where RFID tags are placed in business establishments to drive customer traffic.  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  depicts a further embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]     The present invention involves a game played by game participants. The game is in the form of a bounty hunter game, in that there are players that are hunting other players, Hunters, and other players that are trying to escape capture by the Hunters, the Hunted. Players may sign up for the game as either Hunters or Hunted.  
         [0019]     Each player or participant is equipped with: an electronic data storage element such as a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) tag; a reader capable of reading the information stored on the RFID tag; and a wireless communications device capable of communicating with a game processing center or centers that manage the game and provide awards to the players. The object of the game is to earn awards, points, items or other awards by, among other things, capturing the Hunted or by eliminating Hunters. Items might include such things as a virtual sword that may be used in the game by the participant, health boosts to give the participant extended life or any of a multitude of other items typically sought by players of computer and video games and known in the gaming industry. Capture or elimination awards are earned by sending information from the RFID tag of the participant captured or eliminated to the game processing center before that person is able to send the information from your RFID tag to the game processing center. Another object of the game is to stay in the game as long as possible, avoiding elimination, and being be the last player standing.  
         [0020]     A description of the game involving two participants is now described using  FIG. 1 . A first participant ( 10 ) is provided with a RFID tag ( 11 ) that contains information identifying the first participant, such as an alpha-numeric code that is associated with the participant. The first participant also carries a reader capable of reading RFID tags ( 12 ). In  FIG. 1 , the RFID tag ( 11 ) is carried by the first participant on a belt that can also hold the first participant&#39;s RFID tag reader ( 12 ) and a wireless communications device, such as a cellular telephone ( 13 ). As depicted in  FIG. 1 , the RFID tag reader ( 12 ) and the wireless communications device ( 13 ) may be integrated into a single unit ( 14 ), such as the Nokia Mobile RFID Kit for the Nokia 5140 and Nokia 5140i. A second game participant ( 20 ) is also provided with an RFID tag ( 21 ) that contains information identifying the second game participant ( 20 ). The second game participant ( 20 ) also carries, in this example, an integrated device ( 24 ), comprising an RFID reader ( 22 ) and a wireless communication device such as a cellular telephone ( 23 ).  
         [0021]     When a first game participant ( 10 ) comes into proximity of the RFID tag carried by a second game participant ( 20 ), such that the first game participant&#39;s tag reader ( 12 ) can read the second game participant&#39;s RFID tag ( 21 ) and, conversely, the second game participant&#39;s reader ( 22 ) can read the first game participant&#39;s tag ( 11 ), the race is on.  
         [0022]     The first game participant&#39;s tag reader ( 12 ) receives the identification information from the second game participant&#39;s RFID tag ( 21 ) and displays that information to the first game participant ( 10 ) on his reader ( 12 ). The first game participant ( 10 ) must then, using his wireless communications device ( 13 ), transmit the identification information to a game processing center ( 30 ) before the second game participant ( 20 ) receives and transmits information from the first game participant ( 10 ) to the game processing center ( 30 ). The information may be transmitted to the processing center ( 30 ), which may comprise a computer with a processor and a memory, by using cellular, voice over Internet protocol, Internet or other technologies.  
         [0023]     When the game processing center ( 30 ) receives the transmitted information it recognizes the information as identifying the second game participant ( 20 ). This may be done easily by such methods as having a look-up table that matches the identification information from the RFID tag to the name of the game participant. Other methods of matching the RFID tag information to the game participant carrying the RFID tag are of course possible and are well-known to those skilled in the art. The identification information could even be the participant&#39;s name. The game processing center then will note that the second game participant ( 20 ) has been captured (if it is a Hunted) or eliminated (if it is a Hunter). The second game participant ( 20 ) is then excluded from the remainder of the game.  
         [0024]     In addition to excluding the second game participant ( 20 ) from the remainder of the game, the game processing center ( 30 ) may also, or alternatively, award capture or elimination points to the first game player ( 10 ). For example, it may be worth five points to capture a Hunted or eliminate a Hunter and upon the game processing center&#39;s receipt of identification information from an RFID tag it may award five points to the participant sending the information. The game processing center identifies the participant sending the information by, for example, recognizing the cellular telephone number of the participant that transmits the RFID information. The participant sending the identification information may also send a pre-assigned code to identify herself.  
         [0025]     Instead of eliminating the second participant whose information is first transmitted to the game processing center, in order to facilitate longer play the game processing center may instead isolate that participant from the game for a period of time. This may be done by disabling the second game participant&#39;s RFID reader ( 22 ) or implementing a screen so that no information sent by the second game participant&#39;s wireless communication device ( 23 ) is processed by the game processing center ( 30 ). This embodiment of the game is similar to the disabling of a player&#39;s laser gun after that player is tagged in the popular game of laser tag. To enhance the game, game participants may be sent clues as to the location of other game participants or RFIDs on their wireless communications device.  
         [0026]     Other envisioned permutations include deducting points from the captured or eliminated participant or changing the participant from Hunter to Hunted or vice versa. Deducted points could be awarded to the capturing or eliminating game participant as well.  
         [0027]     RFID tags also may be placed at selected locations in and around the area in which the game is played, such as in business establishments, on lampposts or on the side of a building. This aspect of the invention is illustrated  FIG. 2 .  
         [0028]     Businesses that wish to drive traffic to their locations place RFID tags ( 31 ) at strategic locations, such as the counter of a fast food restaurant ( 32 ). Game participants ( 10 ) that enter the restaurant and approach the counter ( 32 ) interrogate the RFID tag ( 31 ) with their reader ( 12 ). The information from the tag ( 31 ) is then transmitted by the game participant ( 10 ) to a game processing center ( 30 ) using a wireless communication device such as a cellular telephone ( 13 ). The information from the tag is correlated with a designated function by the game processing center ( 30 ). For example, the game participant ( 10 ) may be awarded immunity from game capture or elimination for a period of time as an award for transmitting the RFID tag ( 31 ) information to the game processing center ( 30 ). The game processing center ( 30 ) recognizes the game participant ( 10 ), for example, by the telephone number of the participant&#39;s cellular telephone ( 13 ). The game then gives the transmitting game participant ( 10 ) immunity from capture or elimination for a period of time, for example, 15 minutes. During the period of immunity, the game processing center ( 30 ), if it receives the information from the game participant&#39;s RFID tag ( 11 ) from another game participant, will not eliminate the participant.  
         [0029]     In one embodiment of the invention, the person entering the fast food restaurant or other establishment must make a purchase in order to earn an award (either an initial award or a second award in addition to an award for sending RFID information). This embodiment is depicted in  FIG. 3 . In this case, the person is provided with a code ( 40 ) at the time of purchase indicating that a purchase has been made. The code ( 40 ) is preferably present on the receipt for the purchase ( 41 ), but may also be included in the packaging of the item purchased ( 42 ) or otherwise provided. The game participant then types the code ( 40 ) into his or her wireless communications device ( 13 ) and the code is sent back to the game processing center which recognizes the code as indicative of a purchase and provides awards commensurate with the purchase. The award may be extended periods of immunity or some other award.  
         [0030]     This embodiment is depicted with the game participants carrying their own identifying RFID tag on their person. It is not a limitation of the invention, however, that game participants carry RFID tags. Player identifying RFID tags could be placed on the player&#39;s car or in their home. Or, player identifying RFID tags may be eliminated and the game played by game participants going to where RFID tags are located, transmitting the identifying information from the RFID tag to a game processing center and receiving awards.  
         [0031]     The present invention may also be used in conjunction with a treasure hunt game, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,698, which is incorporated herein by reference. In the treasure hunt game, participants are guided in a treasure hunt through clues that are provided to the participants on RFID readers. RFID tags containing clues are placed along the treasure hunt route such that when a participant arrives at a site with an RFID tag, the participant reads the clue from the tag with her RFID tag reader and may then, upon deciphering the clue, proceed to the next location of the treasure hunt route, read and decipher the next clue on the next tag and move on. This continues until the participant completes the treasure hunt route. At that point, and/or at interim points, the participant is provided an award.  
         [0032]     In another embodiment, the game participants play in a treasure hunt game, consisting of providing clues to participants to direct them to a final destination, while the participants are simultaneously playing the Bounty Hunter game such as described above. The participants may be provided with the location of an RFID tag and use locating positioning technology such as GPS in order to find the tag. In this way, the excitement of seeking to capture or eliminate players is added to the thrill of a treasure hunt game.  
         [0033]     The preceding examples are preferred embodiments of the invention. The invention itself is not limited to the examples above, and as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, can be practiced in numerous variations on the above. The invention is limited only by the following claims.