Sigils for use with apparel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10864435-B2
Application number	US-201816047880-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2018
Priority date	Oct 30, 2002
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

Apparel is disclosed that can be worn to assist an interactive game in tracking the movement of the wearer. The apparel may include one or more tracking marks formed of designs, patterns, or reflective materials that can be easily tracked by an interactive game. By providing tracking marks on apparel, rather than using a special-purpose device that must be separately worn, a player may enjoy a more natural feel when playing the interactive game. A user can wear the apparel for everyday purposes, and then simply begin playing the game wearing the apparel without having to put on any additional equipment. The apparel may use reflective materials, and the interactive game can employ a camera and a light source configuration where the camera is located within the observation angle of a player employing retroreflective materials reflecting light from the light source.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system of recognizing tracking marks, comprising:
an interactive activity device;
a tracking mark on an article of wear worn by a first user, wherein the tracking mark includes a first sensor device configured to determine location;
wherein the first sensor device is configured to determine location information of the tracking mark using triangulation, while the article of wear is worn by a user; and
wherein the tracking mark is configured to transmit the determined location information of the tracking mark to the interactive activity device; said interactivity device comprising:
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to at least:
determine, by the interactive activity device, movement of the first user based on the determined location information; and
recognize, by the interactive activity device, the movement of the first user as a first instruction to the interactive activity device.

2. The system of recognizing tracking marks recited in claim 1 , wherein the tracking mark comprises a graphic mark incorporated into a structure of the article of wear by a technique selected from the group consisting of: silk screening, pad printing, heat transfer, dye sublimation, dyeing, stitching, adhering with an adhesive, impregnation, etching, stapling, riveting, and combinations thereof.

3. The system of recognizing tracking marks recited in claim 1 , wherein the article of wear is selected from the group consisting of: footwear, a shirt, pants, a jacket, shorts, a sock, a hat, a band, and combinations thereof.

4. The system of recognizing tracking marks recited in claim 1 , wherein the interactive activity device comprises a display; and
based on recognizing the first instruction, the interactivity activity device changes an element of the display.

5. The system of recognizing tracking marks recited in claim 1 , wherein the determined location information of the tracking mark is transmitted by a signal selected from the group consisting of: an infrared signal, an ultrasound signal, a radio signal, and combinations thereof.

6. A method of recognizing tracking marks, comprising:
determining, by a tracking mark, location information of the tracking mark on an article of wear worn by a first user while the first user performs an athletic activity, wherein the location information is determined using triangulation;
transmitting the determined location information to an interactive activity device;
receiving by an interactive activity device the determined location information and;
determining by the interactive activity device a movement of the first user based on the determined location information; and
recognizing, by the interactive activity device, the movement of the first user as a first instruction to the interactive activity device.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the article of wear is a shoe.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the location information of the tracking mark is transmitted by a signal selected form the group consisting of: an infrared signal, an ultrasound signal, a radio signal, and combinations thereof.

9. The method of recognizing tracking marks recited in claim 6 , wherein the first instruction is selected from the group consisting of: turning off the interactive activity device, changing a type or characteristic of the interactive activity device, and allowing input of alphanumeric information into the interactive activity device.

10. The method of recognizing tracking marks recited in claim 8 , wherein the triangulation uses electromagnetic signals.

11. The method of recognizing tracking marks recited in claim 6 , wherein the tracking mark is displayed on an article of wear worn by a user.

12. A method of recognizing tracking marks, comprising:
transmitting a signal from a tracking mark to an interactive activity device, wherein the signal includes location information of the tracking mark, wherein the location information of the tracking mark is determined using triangulation;
receiving the signal by the interactive activity device;
determining, based on the received signal by the interactive activity device, movement information of the tracking mark; and,
recognizing, by the interactive activity device, the movement information of the tracking mark as a first instruction to the interactive activity device.

13. The method of recognizing tracking marks recited in claim 12 , wherein the signal is transmitted by a signal selected from the group consisting of: an infrared signal, an ultrasound signal, a radio signal, and combinations thereof.

14. The method of recognizing tracking marks recited in claim 12 , wherein the tracking mark is displayed on an article of wear worn by a user.

15. The method of recognizing tracking marks recited in claim 12 , wherein the first instruction is to change an output of a first display.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Shum Albert
• Foxen Thomas
• Meschter James C
• Behar Yves

Classifications

• A43B3/50

  with sound or music sources · CPC title

• A43B3/36

  with light sources · CPC title

• A63F13/428

  involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes · CPC title

• A44C5/0015

  providing information, e.g. bracelets with calendars (identification bracelets G09F3/005) · CPC title

• A63F13/98

  Accessories, i.e. detachable arrangements optional for the use of the video game device, e.g. grip supports of game controllers · CPC title