U.S. Patent no. 10,315,119: Video game with concurrent processing of game-related physical objects

Issued June 11, 2019, to Activision Publishing, Inc.
Priority Date May 17, 2011

Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 10,315,119 (the ‘119 Patent) relates to a video game and video game peripherals. The ‘119 Patent attempts to add a physical component that a player may touch which is representative of an object associated with the game. This invention proceeds by receiving information from the memory of the toy and then modifying the in-game character based on the information received. The changing status of the toy also informs how the in-game character associated with the toy will be displayed. The toy can be sensed using a radio frequency and the game console interface is configured to read information from the toy over this channel. The video game system also can be set up to remember and identify changes in the toy from the last time it was connected. All these implementations of the technology come together to improve user engagement with the video game.

Abstract:
A video game includes a peripheral device that senses the presence and identity of toys near or on the peripheral. Each of the toys includes an identification device such as an RFID tag. Each of the toys is also associated with a corresponding game character or object. A toy stores information about the status of the corresponding character or object in the game, for example, a character name, a score, and an owner of the toy may be stored in a character toy. The information about the toy is updated during game play. The toys may be sensed, read, and written concurrently.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A computer implemented method for use in providing a video game, comprising: determining that a change in toys present on or near a reader indicates that a toy has been added, such that information may be received from the toy; in response to determining that the change in toys present on or near the reader indicates that the toy has been added, adding a game character associated with the toy to the video game by: as part of adding the game character associated with the toy to the video game, receiving initial information from a memory of the toy, the memory of the toy including at least initial information stored in an initial information area of the memory of the toy and further information stored in a further information area of the toy, the initial information and the further information including information about the game character associated with the toy, the further information including information about the game character associated with the toy additional to information of the initial information, as part of adding the game character associated with the toy to the video game, displaying a representation of the game character associated with the toy utilizing the initial information, without regard as to whether the further information from the memory of the toy has been received, and making the game character associated with the toy available for game play in the video game, as part of adding the game character associated with the toy to the video game, receiving the further information from the memory of the toy, and as part of adding the game character associated with the toy to the video game, after displaying the representation of the game character associated with the toy and making the game character associated with the toy available for game play in the video game, modifying status of the game character associated with the toy by adding details of the further information received from the memory of the toy to the status of the game character associated with the toy.