Patent Publication Number: US-2007117602-A1

Title: Game mobile element, such as a game piece, and related game system

Description:
This invention generally relates to games, such as parlour games, on an interactive electronic platform.  
      Many parlour games such as Monopoly®, Trivial Pursuit®, checkers, etc., use pawns that are passive parts in the game and that must be moved and/or modified manually as the game progresses.  
      Therefore, new technology has not provided any new attraction for this type of game.  
      At the same time, a great deal of progress has been made in the field of game consoles, in terms of processing performance and display of data, but the user interface usually is still a simple game pad with buttons, directional levers, etc.  
      However, a certain amount of research has been carried out, at least on paper, on interactivity in electronic games. Thus for example, document GB 2 271 724 A describes a game system in which a game pawn can be excited by energized pads at predefined locations, on the game board, to produce an action. Document FR-2 738 159 A describes a chess game in which electromagnetic coupling between exciters located in the board and coils located in the parts provide a means of displacing the parts. Document U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,158 B1 also describes a chess game in which magnetic means are used to detect the position of parts. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,371 B1 describes a device for throwing a dice (or a coin) in which the face on which the dice or the coin falls is detected.  
      There is also US document U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,327 A that describes a game system with some parts capable of action by a wire or wireless control. However, the “active” parts are accessories that are apparently fixed rather than pawns or game characters, in other words they are limited to a game board without a dynamic display such as an LCD or plasma screen.  
      The purpose of this invention is to add an additional dimension to games such as parlour games, performed on a flat platform with dynamic display and more particularly to provide new advantages to these games and to help in the creation of new games by facilitating interactivity between the game and the pawn.  
      To achieve this, according to a first aspect there is an element such as a pawn or a similar piece that can be moved on a game board comprising a dynamic display system, the game being electronically controlled, characterized in that it comprises a means of receiving game control information by wireless transmission, and a control means sensitive to the received information.  
      Advantageously, the element also comprises a means of animating a pawn controlled by the control means.  
      According to a second aspect, the invention proposes an electronic game system, characterized in that it comprises:  
      an electronic game platform comprising a central unit, a memory, a dynamic display device capable of being placed in an essentially horizontal position, at least one input device for the user, and a means of transmitting information by wireless transmission, and  
      a plurality of pawns that can be moved on the display device, each pawn including a means of receiving information by wireless transmission capable of communicating with the said transmission means, a control means sensitive to the received information, and a means of animating the pawn controlled by the control means.  
      Preferably, the means of animating a pawn comprises at least one device chosen from the group including light sources, mechanical actuators, sound sources and vibration sources.  
      Optionally, the element may also include a detection means preferably composed of a device chosen from the group comprising optical sensors, mechanical sensors, electromagnetic sensors, sound sensors and vibration sensors.  
      It is also advantageous if each pawn has its own address for reception of the said information.  
      In one preferred embodiment, each pawn is powered by a rechargeable battery, and the platform and the pawns comprise positions for recharging the batteries of the pawns. 
    
    
      Other aspects, purposes and advantages of this invention will become clearer after reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, given as a non-limitative example with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:  
      FIGS.  1  to  3  are functional block diagrams showing three examples of pawns according to the invention,  
       FIGS. 4 and 5  are diagrammatic vertical sections through two examples of pawns according to the invention,  
       FIGS. 6 and 7  are elevation views of two examples of pawns according to the invention placed on a charger, and  
       FIG. 8  is a diagrammatic top view of a pawn according to another embodiment, and  
       FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b  are diagrammatic vertical sections through yet another embodiment of a pawn. 
    
    
      Note initially that the invention is particularly applicable to an electronic game platform like that described in document WO 02 20110 A in the name of the Applicant. This type of platform comprises a wireless communication means (antenna, transmission and possibly reception circuits, interface with game software) for communication with pawns or other elements as will be described below, for implementation of this invention.  
       FIG. 1  is a functional block diagram showing a first example embodiment of a pawn for an electronic game according to the invention, designed particularly to be moved manually on the horizontal display area of the platform described in the above mentioned document.  
      The complete pawn is marked with reference  10 . It comprises electronic circuitry  100  associated with a transmission/reception antenna  102 , a pawn animation device  116 , and a detection device  117  comprising one or several sensors. The antenna  102  is tuned to the frequency used, and is connected to a reception amplifier  104  and a transmission amplifier  106 .  
      The output from the reception amplifier is connected to a received signal decoding circuit  108  adapted to the modulation type used. These signals preferably include a coding defining an address of the pawn. This circuit  108  is connected firstly to a circuit  110  putting the electronic circuitry of the pawn on standby, and secondly to a processing unit  112  with a memory.  
      This unit  112  is connected to a control interface  114  used to selectively activate one or several sound, light, mechanical displacement, vibration, etc. type of animation devices  116 , for example one or several light emitting diodes, a piezoelectric vibrator, a control electromagnet for a mobile part of the pawn, etc., as a function of instructions contained in the received radio frequency signals, as will be seen in more detail later.  
      The unit  112  may also receive signals from one or several sensors  117 , for example from optical sensors, electromagnetic sensors, mechanical sensors, sound sensors and/or vibration sensors.  
      In this embodiment, the processing unit  112  is also connected to an encoding circuit  118  that generates a signal to be transmitted that is amplified by the transmission amplifier, and then applied to the antenna.  
      The system is powered by a battery (not shown), possibly a rechargeable battery, as will be described later.  
       FIG. 2  illustrates the functional architecture of a pawn according to one variant embodiment. In this variant, a specific power supply device  120  is provided comprising a rechargeable battery and a circuit for retrieving energy from the electromagnetic or magnetic flux received by the antenna  102 . This type of power supply technique is known particularly in the field of transponders or standalone electronic labels, and will not be described further. For example, magnetic coupling may be achieved using a loop antenna surrounding the display part of the electronic game platform.  
       FIG. 3  describes another functional variant in which the pawn communicates unidirectionally with the outside, since it is only capable of receiving electromagnetic or magnetic control signals.  
      This type of pawn can cooperate with transmission-reception circuitry or transmission circuitry only, forming part of the electronic game platform.  
       FIG. 4  shows a possible example of the physical structure of the pawn  10 . It comprises a body  12 , preferably made of an injected plastic material, containing the electronic circuitry  100 , a battery  122  that is a rechargeable battery in this case, the transmission—reception antenna  102 , in this case a flat coil arranged horizontally near the bottom of the pawn, and an animation device in this case in the form of a light emitting diode LED  116  placed near the top of the pawn so that it is visible.  
      The pawn also comprises a first contact  130  located on its lower face, and a second peripheral and annular contact  132  located just above the region near the bottom of the pawn. When the pawn  10  is placed on a recharging base as will be seen later, the battery  122  is recharged through these contacts by an appropriate charging circuit.  
      In this respect, note that according to known techniques for wakening and putting on standby, it is possible to automatically put some of the pawn&#39;s electronic circuits on standby in case of inactivity, using techniques also known in the field of battery powered transponders, and to waken them by appropriate awakening signals.  
       FIG. 5  illustrates a variant of the layout of the pawn in which the electronic circuit  100  is located above the battery  122 .  
       FIG. 6  diagrammatically illustrates a charger device designed to hold a series of pawns  10  so that they can be recharged. For example, this device may be a region of the housing of an electronic game platform like that described particularly in the above mentioned document WO 02 20 110 A, or it may form a standalone and independent device.  
      This device, for which the support or retaining parts of the pawns themselves have not been shown for reasons of clarity, comprises a series of conducting strips  202  connected together and a series of conducting pads  204  connected together by a conductor  206 , corresponding with the corresponding strips, the strips and the pads being connected to a regulated voltage source provided in the game platform, to recharge the batteries  122  of the different pawns  10  when they are in this position.  
       FIG. 7  illustrates another view of the recharging device. The pawns  10  are placed in the charger laterally along the direction of the arrow F, and a stop part  209  holds the pawns in position.  
      The conductors carrying the recharge voltage to the strips  02  and the pads  204  are shown as  208 ,  210 .  
      Other recharging techniques could be used, particularly contact free recharging by induced current, in a manner known in itself.  
       FIG. 8  illustrates a top view of a disk-shaped pawn with a given thickness comprising six different coloured illuminated areas  116   a - 116   f , each controlled independently of the others, for example using LEDs associated with colour filters.  
       FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b  illustrate a variable shaped pawn, the body of which is composed of two generally hollow cylindrical parts  12 ,  12   b  that can slide with respect to each other. These parts are separated from each other by means of an internal pressure spring  164  operating between a bottom face of the top element  12   b  and the top of a housing  166  containing an electromagnet  170  in which there is a return spring  171  as will be seen in detail later.  
      Parts  12   a  and  12   b  are retained in contact with each other by arms  160  that extend downwards from the top of part  12   b  and are fitted with bottom plates  163  on the outside that stop near the top in contact with a reentrant rim  165  of part  12   a . At least one of these arms  160  is provided with a tooth  162  on the inside that cooperates with a mobile latch  168  activated by the electromagnet.  
       FIG. 9   a  also shows the antenna  102  near the bottom of the lower part  12   a  of the pawn and the battery  122  above the antenna.  
      In the position in  FIG. 9   a , the latch  168  retains the part  13   a  in the down position cooperating with the tooth  162 , in opposition to the force exerted by the spring  164 . In this position, a contact  163   a  located under the base  163  establishes an electric contact between the other two contacts  163   b ,  163   c  facing it on the bottom of part  12   a.    
      When the electromagnet  170  is activated by the control electronics  100 , the latch  168  is moved towards the right looking at  FIG. 9 , and part  12   b  is released. The spring  164  can then apply a force as far as the position illustrated in  FIG. 9   b , in which the bases  163  of the part  12   b  have limited the movement by stopping in contact with the rim  165  of part  12   a . The pawn is thus globally taller than in the situation in  FIG. 9   a . The contact  163   a  no longer short circuits contacts  163   b  and  163   c.    
      All that is necessary to bring the pawn back into the position shown in  FIG. 9   a  is to apply a manual pressure until the tooth  162  engages behind the latch  168 , the latch returning to its original position after the electromagnet has been activated by action of the spring  171  on the latch  168 .  
      Note here that the contacts  163   a - 163   c  are used to inform the circuit  100  about the relative position of parts  12   a  and  12   b , the contacts  163   b  and  163   c  consequently being connected to an appropriate input of the circuit  100 .  
      Parts  12   a  and  12   b  are preferably assembled together by a bayonet or similar mechanism.  
      Preferably, this electronic circuit is made on a single semi conducting chip.  
      Specifically, each pawn is capable of receiving and memorizing a certain amount of information as a function of progress with the game, such as a parlour game in which the pawn is used, using its components described above.  
      As described above, animation of the pawn may include a modification to its physical aspect (colour, shape, etc.), but also or alternately to the emission of sounds, vibrations, etc.  
      As already mentioned, the game platform includes radio frequency transmission means and possibly reception means, these transmission means enabling it to transmit control information to pawns and to control their animation, in response to instructions given by a program executing the game in question.  
      Note that most games are played with several pawns. In this case, the system will use addressing means that are conventional particularly in the field of transponders or contact free electronic labels, to differentiate instructions sent to one pawn from instructions sent to another pawn.  
      There are many examples of the use of this invention.  
      Thus,  FIG. 8  illustrates a pawn for the Trivial Pursuit® game, in which a sector of one colour lights up when the player gives the right answer on a box with the corresponding colour. The pawn may include six light emitting diodes (LEDs) that light up for each right answer.  
      In a Monopoly® type game, a pawn may correspond either to movements of a player, or to a house or hotel placed on a street. The colour and the number of light sources may denote houses and the number of houses (for example three green LEDs lit up denote three houses) or a hotel (a red LED).  
      For a checkers game, the height of each pawn illustrated in  FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b  may be approximately doubled when the pawn reaches the opponent&#39;s baseline.  
      Many variants and modifications can be made to the invention.  
      Firstly, the wireless transmission technology between the game system and a pawn may be of any type and particularly be based on radio frequency, low frequency magnetic coupling, ultrasound, infrared, etc.  
      Secondly, the size and shape of the body of the pawn may vary considerably depending on the type of the game.