Entertainment system including performative figurines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11123647-B2
Application number	US-201916266966-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2019
Priority date	Feb 4, 2019
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

An entertainment system includes multiple figurines configured for wireless communication, and a control device having a hardware processor, a system memory storing a control application, and a transceiver. The hardware processor executes the control application to detect each of the figurines via the transceiver and to identify a predetermined entertainment for performance by two or more of the figurines. The hardware processor further executes the control application to transmit control signals to the two or more figurines via the transceiver, wherein a first control signal instructs a first of the two or more figurines to perform a first portion of the predetermined entertainment, and a second control signal instructs a second of the two or more figurines to perform a second portion of the predetermined entertainment. The two or more of the figurines are configured to perform the predetermined entertainment according to the control signals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An entertainment system comprising:
a control device including a display, a hardware processor, a system memory storing a control application and a figurines database, and a transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more of a plurality of figurines, the figurines database including an identity of each of the plurality of figurines, wherein each of the plurality of figurines is associated with one or more entertainment performances and with one or more corresponding portions of each of the one or more entertainment performances;
the hardware processor configured to execute the control application to:
detect two or more figurines of the plurality of figurines via the transceiver;
identify, using the figurines database, the identity of each of the detected two or more figurines;
display, using the display, a figurines selection menu including the identified two or more figurines;
receive a user selection selecting one or more figurines of the identified two or more figurines;
identify, using the figurines database and based on the user selection, a first entertainment performance as being associated with each of the selected one or more figurines in the figurines database; and
transmit control signals to the selected one or more figurines via the transceiver, wherein a first control signal of the control signals instructs a first figurine of the selected one or more figurines to perform a first portion of the identified first entertainment performance corresponding to the first figurine;
wherein the first figurine of the selected one or more figurines is configured to perform the first portion of the identified first entertainment performance the first portion of according to the first control signal.

2. The entertainment system of claim 1 , wherein each of the selected one or more figurines includes a plurality of lights, and wherein the first entertainment performance comprises a light show performed by the selected one or more figurines.

3. The entertainment system of claim 2 , wherein the control device further comprises a speaker, and wherein the light show is synchronized to audio output by the speaker of the control device.

4. The entertainment system of claim 2 , wherein each of the selected one or more figurines comprises a speaker, and wherein the light show is synchronized to audio output by respective speakers of the selected one or more figurines.

5. The entertainment system of claim 1 , wherein each of the selected one or more figurines portrays one of a movie character, a television character, or a theme park character.

6. The entertainment system of claim 1 , wherein the first figurine is configured to receive a second control signal of the control signals, and to retransmit the second control signal to a second figurine of the selected one or more figurines.

7. The entertainment system of claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to transmit the control signals to the first figurine via a first wireless network, and wherein the first figurine is configured to retransmit the control signals to a second figurine of the selected one or more figurines via a second wireless network.

8. The entertainment system of claim 7 , wherein the control device is configured to transmit the control signals using a first wireless protocol, and wherein the first figurine is configured to retransmit the control signals using a second wireless protocol different than the first wireless protocol.

9. The entertainment system of claim 1 , wherein the control device and the selected one or more figurines are configured to be in wireless communication via a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) network.

10. The entertainment system of claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to transmit the control signals to the selected one or more figurines via advertising packets, without having a dedicated wireless network connection to the selected one or more figurines.

11. A method for use by an entertainment system including a control device having a display, a hardware processor, a system memory storing a control application and a figurines database, and a transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more of a plurality of figurines, the figurines database including an identity of each of the plurality of figurines, wherein each of the plurality of figurines is associated with one or more entertainment performances and with one or more corresponding portions of each of the one or more entertainment performances, the method comprising:
detecting, using the hardware processor and the control application, two or more figurines of the plurality of figurines via the transceiver;
identifying, using the hardware processor and the figurines database, the identity of each of the detected two or more figurines;
displaying, using the hardware processor and the display, a figurines selection menu including the identified two or more figurines;
receiving, using the hardware processor and the control application, a user selection selecting one or more figurines of the identified two or more figurines;
identifying, using the hardware processor and the figurines database and based on the user selection, a first entertainment performance as being associated with each of the selected one or more figurines in the figurines database;
transmitting, using the hardware processor and the control application, control signals to the selected one or more figurines via the transceiver, wherein a first control signal of the control signals instructs a first figurine of the selected one or more figurines to perform a first portion of the identified first entertainment performance corresponding to the first figurine; and
performing, by the first figurine of the selected one or more figurines, the first portion of the first portion of identified first entertainment performance according to the first control signal.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein each of the selected one or more figurines includes a plurality of lights, and wherein the first entertainment performance comprises a light show performed by the selected one or more figurines.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the control device further comprises a speaker, and wherein the light show is synchronized to audio output by the speaker of the control device.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein each of the selected one or more figurines comprises a speaker, and wherein the light show is synchronized to audio output by respective speakers of the selected one or more figurines.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein each of the selected one or more figurines portrays one of a movie character, a television character, or a theme park character.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first figurine is configured to receive a second control signal of the control signals, and to retransmit the second control signal to a second figurine of the selected one or more figurines.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the control device is configured to transmit the control signals to the first figurine via a first wireless network, and wherein the first figurine is configured to retransmit the control signals to a second figurine of the selected one or more figurines via a second wireless network.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the control device is configured to transmit the control signals using a first wireless protocol, and wherein the first figurine is configured to retransmit the control signals using a second wireless protocol different than the first wireless protocol.

Assignees

• Disney Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Rosenthal Janice
• Nocon Nathan
• Thornton Stephen A
• Goslin Michael P
• Panec Timothy

Classifications

• A63H2200/00

  Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls · CPC title

• B25J13/006

  by means of a wireless system for controlling one or several manipulators · CPC title

• A63H3/006

  provided with electrical lighting (electrical lighting F21) · CPC title

• B25J11/003

  Manipulators for entertainment · CPC title

• A63H30/04 Primary

  using wireless transmission · CPC title