Interactive animated character head systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10845975-B2
Application number	US-201815939887-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2018
Priority date	Mar 29, 2018
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

An interactive system includes one or more processors that are configured to receive a first signal indicative of an activity of a user within an environment and to receive a second signal indicative of the user approaching an animated character head. The one or more processors are also configured to provide information related to the activity of the user to a base station control system associated with the animated character head in response to receipt of the second signal to facilitate a personalized interaction between the animated character head and the user.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An interactive system, comprising one or more processors configured to:
receive a first signal indicative of a user exiting a game attraction of an amusement park and indicative of a number of points earned by the user within the game attraction;
receive a second signal indicative of the user approaching an animated character head after exiting the game attraction; and
provide information related to the points earned by the user within the game attraction to a base station control system associated with the animated character head in response to receipt of the second signal to facilitate a personalized interaction between the animated character head and the user.

2. The interactive system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to remove a phrase from an inventory of phrases in response to the phrase being spoken by the animated character head during the personalized interaction with the user such that the phrase is not available to be spoken by the animated character head during a future personalized interaction with the user.

3. The interactive system of claim 1 , comprising an identification device positioned within the game attraction, wherein the identification device is configured to generate the first signal in response to detection of an identifier supported by a wearable device of the user.

4. The interactive system of claim 3 , wherein the identification device comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader, and the identifier comprises a RFID tag.

5. The interactive system of claim 1 , comprising an identification device positioned proximate to the animated character head, wherein the identification device is configured to generate the second signal in response to detection of an identifier supported by a wearable device of the user.

6. The interactive system of claim 1 , comprising the base station control system, wherein the base station control system is configured to display an indication of the points earned by the user on a display screen for visualization by a handler.

7. The interactive system of claim 1 , comprising the base station control system, wherein the base station control system is configured to process the information to determine a recommended animation for the animated character head, and to display the recommended animation on a display screen of the base station control system for visualization by a handler.

8. The interactive system of claim 1 , wherein the information comprises a recommended animation for the animated character head.

9. The interactive system of claim 1 , comprising the base station control system, wherein the base station control system comprises an input device that is configured to receive an animation selection input from a handler and a communication device that is configured to communicate the animation selection input to the animated character head.

10. The interactive system of claim 9 , comprising the animated character head, wherein the animated character head comprises one or more respective processors that are configured to receive the animation selection input and to control one or more actuators of the animated character head based on the animation selection input.

11. The interactive system of claim 1 , comprising the base station control system and the animated character head, wherein the base station control system and the animated character head comprise respective audio communication devices that enable a handler operating the base station control system to verbally communicate with a performer wearing the animated character head.

12. An interactive system, comprising:
one or more identification devices configured to detect an identifier supported by a wearable device of a user;
one or more processors configured to:
monitor activities of the user within a game attraction of an amusement park based on respective signals received from at least one identification device of the one or more identification devices, wherein the activities of the user within the game attraction are associated with points earned by the user within the game attraction;
monitor activities of the user outside of the game attraction based on respective signals received from at least one other identification device of the one or more identification devices, wherein the activities of the user outside of the game attraction are associated with the user approaching an animated character head;
in response to the user approaching the animated character head, output a respective signal based on the points earned by the user within the game attraction to the animated character head, thereby causing the animated character head to present an animation that is relevant to the points earned by the user within the game attraction to facilitate a personalized interaction between the animated character head and the user.

13. The interactive system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more identification devices comprise one or more radio-frequency identification (RFID) readers, and the identifier comprises a RFID tag.

14. The interactive system of claim 12 , comprising a computing system, a base station control system, and the animated character head, wherein the computing system comprises at least one processor of the one or more processors that is configured to monitor the activities of the user, the base station control system is configured to receive information indicative of the activities of the user from the computing system, the base station control system comprises an input device that is configured to enable a handler to select the animation based on the information indicative of the activities of the user, and the base station control system comprises at least one processor of the one or more processors that is configured to output the respective signal to the animated character head.

15. The interactive system of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the one or more identification devices is coupled to the animated character head and is configured to generate a respective signal in response to detection of the identifier supported by the wearable device of the user.

16. A method, comprising:
receiving, at one or more processors, a first signal indicative of a user approaching an animated character head within an amusement park;
accessing, using the one or more processors, information related to a prior activity of the user within the amusement park in response to receiving the first signal indicative of the user approaching the animated character head;
providing, using the one or more processors, the information related to the prior activity of the user to a base station control system associated with the animated character head in response to receipt of the first signal to facilitate a personalized interaction between the animated character head and the user;
receiving, at the one or more processors, a second signal indicative of the user being within a game attraction within the amusement park after departing from the animated character head; and
adjusting, using the one or more processors, one or more game elements within the game attraction based on the personalized interaction between the animated character head and the user.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the prior activity of the user is associated with points earned by the user within the game attraction.

18. The method of claim 16 , comprising receiving, at the one or more processors, another signal indicative of the prior activity of the user from an identification device that is configured to detec

Assignees

• Universal City Studios Llc

Inventors

• Vyas Anisha
• Cossairt Travis Jon
• Yeh Wei Cheng

Classifications

• G08C2201/34

  Context aware guidance · CPC title

• G08C17/02

  using a radio link · CPC title

• G06K7/10366

  the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications · CPC title

• G06K19/0723

  the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs · CPC title

• H04W4/023

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title