Skills game

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11224798-B2
Application number	US-201916722954-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2019
Priority date	Dec 27, 2018
Publication date	Jan 18, 2022
Grant date	Jan 18, 2022

Abstract

A skills game includes at least a trackable drawing device and an electronic device. The trackable drawing device includes one or more illumination sources configured to illuminate an illumination area of the trackable drawing device. The electronic device is configured to track a location of the illumination area when the illumination area is illuminated a specific frequency by the one or more illumination sources. The electronic device also generates a drawing on a display of the electronic device based on tracking of the location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A skills game, comprising:
a trackable drawing device including one or more illumination sources configured to illuminate an illumination area of the trackable drawing device; and
an electronic device configured to:
track a location of the illumination area when the illumination area is illuminated at a specific frequency by the one or more illumination sources; and
generate a drawing on a display of the electronic device based on tracking of the location.

2. The skills game of claim 1 , wherein, in generating the drawing, the electronic device overlays the drawing onto a real-time video feed of the trackable drawing device.

3. The skills game of claim 1 , wherein the skills game further comprises:
a set of playing cards with words that suggest drawings for a game participant to air draw with the trackable drawing device.

4. The skills game of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is not physically, electrically, or operatively connected to the trackable drawing device.

5. The skills game of claim 1 , wherein the drawing generated on the display of the electronic device is a viewable digital image of a picture that is air drawn with the trackable drawing device.

6. The skills game of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is a smartphone or tablet that includes the display on a first side and a front-facing camera on a second side, opposite the first side, and an application installed on the smartphone or tablet causes the smartphone or tablet to track the location of the illumination area and generate the drawing.

7. The skills game of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device begins tracking the location of the illumination area after locating the trackable drawing device, receiving a user input, or a combination thereof.

8. The skills game of claim 1 , wherein the trackable drawing device comprises:
a main body that extends from a first end to a second end; and
a translucent housing that extends from the first end to define the illumination area.

9. The skills game of claim 8 , wherein the one or more illumination sources are disposed in the translucent housing and the trackable drawing device further comprises a diffuser configured to reflect light emitted by the one or more illumination sources towards the illumination area.

10. The skills game of claim 8 , wherein the main body further comprises:
a drawing button disposed in a button indentation defined in a top of the main body; and
a corresponding indentation defined in a bottom of the main body so that the main body provides an ergonomic grip that naturally aligns a user's thumb with the drawing button when the user grasps the trackable drawing device.

11. A method comprising:
tracking, at an electronic device, a location of an illumination area of a trackable drawing device that is illuminated by one or more illumination sources when the illumination area is illuminated at a specific frequency by the one or more illumination sources; and
generating a drawing on a display of the electronic device based on the tracking.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein, the generating further comprises overlaying the drawing onto a real-time video feed of the trackable drawing device.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the electronic device is not physically, electrically, or operatively connected to the trackable drawing device.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the drawing generated on the display of the electronic device is a viewable digital image of a picture that is air drawn with the trackable drawing device.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the tracking commences subsequent to locating the trackable drawing device, receiving a user input, or a combination thereof.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage media encoded with software comprising computer executable instructions and when the software is executed operable to:
track a location of an illumination area of a trackable drawing device that is illuminated by one or more illumination sources when the illumination area is illuminated at a specific frequency by the one or more illumination sources; and
generating a drawing on a display of an electronic device based on the tracking.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein, the instructions operable to generate the drawing further comprises instructions operable to overlay the drawing onto a real-time video feed of the trackable drawing device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein the electronic device is not physically, electrically, or operatively connected to the trackable drawing device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein the drawing generated on the display of the electronic device is a viewable digital image of a picture that is air drawn with the trackable drawing device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein the instructions to commence are executed subsequent to locating the trackable drawing device, receiving a user input, or a combination thereof.

Assignees

• Mattel Inc

Inventors

• Skifstrom Eric

Classifications

• G06F3/04883

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title

• A63F9/24 Primary

  Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• A63F2009/2435

  using a video camera · CPC title

• A63F2300/6045

  for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands · CPC title

• A63F2009/246

  Computer generated or synthesized image · CPC title