Digital detection of physical dice rolls via conductive dice tray

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9616326-B2
Application number	US-201414181286-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2014
Priority date	Feb 14, 2014
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

There is provided a system and method for determining an identity of a game piece. The system including a detection grid, a memory for storing a detection algorithm, and a processor configured to detect an electrical change on the detective grid caused by a contact face from the game piece, determine the identity of the game piece based on the electrical change using the detection algorithm, and transmit the identity of the game piece wirelessly. The game piece may include a die with a plurality of resistors, where each of the plurality of faces includes a resistor with a different resistance value. The identity of the die corresponds to the rolled face of the die. Wherein detecting the rolled face of the die includes detecting the resistance value on the contact face of the die and determining the rolled face based on the detected resistance value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A conductive tray for determining a rolled face from a plurality of faces of a die, each of the plurality of faces of the die includes a resistor with a different resistance value, the conductive tray comprising:
a detection grid having voltage lines;
a memory storing a detection algorithm; and
a processor configured to:
detect a voltage change on the detection grid caused by the die contacting the detection grid;
determine the rolled face of the die based on the voltage change using the detection algorithm, wherein the voltage change is different based on the resistance value of the face of the die contacting the detection grid; and
transmit the rolled face of the die.

2. The conductive tray of claim 1 , wherein the voltage lines of the detection grid includes an alternating pattern of first voltage lines and second voltage lines, wherein the first voltage lines conduct a higher voltage than the second voltage lines.

3. The conductive tray of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the rolled face includes transmitting the rolled face to a user device wirelessly.

4. The conductive tray of claim 1 , wherein the voltage lines of the detection grid include a plurality of detection squares, wherein the die is detected when the resistor of the face of the die contacting the detection grid contacts two of the plurality of detection squares.

5. The conductive tray of claim 1 , further comprising another die, wherein the processor is further configured to:
detect a total voltage change on the detection grid caused by the die and the another die;
determine the rolled face of the die and another rolled face of the another die based on the total voltage change using the detection algorithm, wherein the total voltage change is different based on the resistance value of the face of the die contacting the detection grid and the resistance value of the face of the another die contacting the detection grid; and
transmit the rolled face and the another rolled face.

6. A method for determining a rolled face from a plurality of faces of a die, each of the plurality of faces of the die includes a resistor with a different resistance value, the method comprising:
detecting a voltage change on a detection grid having voltage lines, the voltage change being caused by the die contacting the detection grid;
determining the rolled face of the die based on the voltage change using the detection algorithm, wherein the voltage change is different based on the resistance value of the face of the die contacting the detection grid; and
transmitting the rolled face of the die.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the voltage lines of the detection grid includes an alternating pattern of first voltage lines and second voltage lines, wherein the first voltage lines conduct a higher voltage than the second voltage lines.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein transmitting the rolled face includes transmitting the rolled face to a user device wirelessly.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the voltage lines of the detection grid include a plurality of detection squares, when the resistor of the face of the (lie contacting the detection grid contacts two of the plurality of detection squares.

10. The method of claim 6 , further comprising detecting a total voltage change on the detection grid caused by the die and another die, determine the rolled face of the die and another rolled face of the another die based on the total voltage change using the detection algorithm, wherein the total voltage change is different based on the resistance value of the face of the die contacting the detection grid and the resistance value of the face of the another die contacting the detection grid.

11. A conductive tray for identifying a plurality of game pieces including a first game piece, each of the plurality of game pieces having a resistor with a different resistance value. the conductive tray comprising:
a detection grid having voltage lines;
a memory storing a detection algorithm; and
a processor configured to:
detect a voltage change on the detection grid caused by the first game piece contacting the detection grid;
determine the identity of the first game pieces based on the voltage change using the detection algorithm, wherein the voltage change is different based on the resistance value of the first game piece contacting the detection grid; and
transmit the identity of the game piece.

12. The conductive tray of claim 11 , wherein the voltage lines of the detection grid includes an alternating pattern of first voltage lines and second voltage lines, wherein the first voltage lines conduct a higher voltage than the second voltage lines.

13. The conductive tray of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
detect a total voltage change on the detection grid caused by the first game piece and a second game piece of the plurality of game pieces;
determine the identity of the first game piece and another identity of the second game piece based on the total voltage change using the detection algorithm, wherein the total voltage change is different based on the resistance value of the first game piece contacting the detection grid and the resistance value of the second game piece the detection grid; and
transmit the identity and the another identity.

14. The conductive tray of claim 11 , wherein transmitting the identity includes transmitting the identity to a user device wirelessly.

15. The conductive tray of claim 11 , the voltage lines of the detection grid include a plurality of detection squares separated by a plurality of ridges, wherein the first game piece is detected when the resistor on the first game piece contacts two of the plurality of detection squares.

16. A game piece for use with a conductive tray including a detection grid having voltage lines, the game piece comprising:
a plurality of faces, each of the plurality of faces of the game piece including a resistor with a different resistance value;
wherein when the game piece contacts the detection grid using a face of the plurality of face, the face of the game piece causes a voltage change on the detection grid, and wherein the voltage change is different based on the resistance value of each of the plurality of faces of the game piece contacting the detection grid, so as to identify the face of the game piece contacting the detection grid.

17. The game piece of claim 16 , wherein the game piece is a die.

Assignees

• Disney Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Murdock Malcolm

Classifications

• A63F9/04

  Dice; Dice-boxes; Mechanical dice-throwing devices · CPC title

• A63F9/0402

  Rolling boards · CPC title

• A63F9/0468 Primary

  Electronic dice; electronic dice simulators · CPC title

• A63F2009/2489

  by radio transmitters, e.g. using RFID · CPC title