EP3045214A1

EP3045214A1 - Board game with pattern recognition

Info

Publication number: EP3045214A1
Application number: EP15151117.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Steven Karel Maria Nietvelt
Original assignee: Cartamundi Turnhout NV
Current assignee: Cartamundi Turnhout NV
Priority date: 2015-01-14
Filing date: 2015-01-14
Publication date: 2016-07-20
Also published as: WO2016113178A1

Abstract

Embodiments relate to a board game (100) comprising a board (110) with a plurality of positioning areas (111) for game pieces (101, 102) whereby these positioning areas comprise identification patterns. Board game further comprises an optical identification device (120) for reading identification patterns and a plurality of these game pieces (101, 102) wherein each game piece is adapted to receive and hold the optical identification device (120) such that an identification pattern underneath said game piece is exposed to said optical identification device for reading. The optical identification device is further adapted to read the identification pattern underneath the game piece when held in the game piece thereby obtaining an identification of a positioning area on which the game piece is located.

Description

Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to the field of board games that incorporate optical pattern recognition technology. A board of such a board game comprises a layer of identification patterns, typically in the form of dotted patterns or dot patterns applied on the board. The dotted patterns may be visible or invisible to the human eye. An optical identification device is then capable to read these patterns, for example by a sensor sensitive to infrared light and an infrared light embedded in the device. The device then converts the pattern into a unique code which is then used for enriching the gaming experience.

Background of the Invention

A typical application of optical pattern recognition in board games is the determination of the position of the game pieces on the board. Different solutions for doing so have already been proposed.
The publication US2012/0105653A1 discloses game pieces where optical pattern recognition technology is embedded in each game piece. An IR reading sensor is located on the bottom of the game piece such that the position can be derived from a dotted pattern that is read when the game piece is positioned on the board. The code embedded in the dotted pattern is then transmitted over a wire or wirelessly to a controller.
A first problem with this system is that it is expensive as all game pieces have to be equipped with an optical pattern reader, batteries and communication technology. A second problem is that not all controllers allow for more than one wireless session at a time. iOS for example, the operating system used for the iPhone, iPad and iPod devices from Apple does not allow an application to establish more than one Bluetooth (BT) connection.
The publication WO2014/182845 discloses a board game comprising an optical identification device in the form of a pen. A player may then use the pen to read an identification pattern on the board or on one of the game pieces. The unique code associated with the patterns is then used to display information on a portable device. A problem with this solution is that the position of the game piece cannot be determined exactly without lifting the piece from the board. And even when the game piece is lifted, the accuracy is determined by the player who has to point the pen on the right spot. Therefore, besides being cumbersome and inaccurate, it makes the determination of the position prone to cheating.
It is an object of the current invention to alleviate the above mentioned problems and provide a board game that can determine the position of the game pieces in an easy, accurate and economic manner.

Summary of the Invention

This object is achieved according to a first aspect of the invention by a board game comprising a board with a plurality of positioning areas for game pieces. The positioning areas comprise identification patterns. The board game further comprises an optical identification device for reading identification patterns and a plurality of the game pieces whereby each game piece is adapted to receive and hold this optical identification device such that an identification pattern underneath the game piece is exposed to the optical identification device for reading. The optical identification device is further adapted to read the identification pattern underneath the game piece when held in the game piece thereby obtaining an identification of a positioning area on which the game piece is located.
A position of a game piece can thus be determined by putting the optical identification device in the piece. When positioned in the game piece, the reading logic of the identification device is pointing downwards thereby facing the board. This may for example be done by an opening in the centre of the game piece running through the piece up to the bottom. As the players move the pieces during a game, the identification device may be exchanged among the players and put into the appropriate gaming piece of which the position is to be known. For example, a player may put the identification device in his gaming piece when he is at turn. He then moves his piece forward accordingly and the identification device reads out the new position. After his turn, the player gives the identification device to the next player who performs the same actions.
The identification patterns may further be dotted identification patterns printed on the board during production with infrared reflective ink. The identification device may then be equipped with an optical infrared sensor or camera logic to read the patterns.
Only one optical identification device is thus necessary for reading out the position of all game pieces. This results in less identification devices and thus a cheaper production cost for the board game. Moreover, as the identification device is a separate part, an optical identification device that is separately available may be used. Furthermore, a single identification device may be used across different board games thereby further reducing the cost of the board game.
By the specific construction of the game piece, the identification device is able to read the identification pattern underneath the game piece and thus able to obtain an accurate position of the game piece without repositioning, lifting or removing the game piece. A further advantage of this is that the positioning areas of the board game can have a size not bigger than the size of the game piece. In this case, the identification device is still able to read the pattern and thus to obtain an identification of the positioning area the game piece is located on.
Optionally the board game may further comprise a plurality of cards each comprising such identification patterns. The optical identification device is then further adapted to identify these card by reading an identification pattern on the card.
According to an embodiment, the optical identification device is further adapted to communicate an obtained identification pattern wirelessly to a controller such as for example to a smartphone, tablet, personal computer or dedicated controller. The controller may then determine a position of one of the game pieces from the identification pattern underneath the game piece received from the optical identification device.
As only one identification device suffices to obtain the positions of all game pieces, only one wireless connection is needed for the exchange of information. It is thus an advantage that a controller that allows only one wireless connection per application can be used.
The controller may then run application code that uses the information obtained from the reading device to enrich the gaming experience. For example, more information may be displayed to the players depending on the derived position of the game pieces. In such a case the controller may correspond to a tablet computer, smartphone or personal computer comprising a screen on which the information is displayed. Also an assignment may be given to the players based on the position of the gaming pieces either on the display or by speech through a loudspeaker.
According to an embodiment, the optical identification device is further adapted to register a predefined gesture performed by a player on the optical identification device. The controller or the optical identification device is then further configured to:

receive a registration of the predefined gesture indicative for a gesture of throwing one or more dices,
subsequently generate a random number indicative for dice numbers on the one or more dices,
display the random number.

This way, the optical identification device also operates as a dice. All the above steps may either be performed on or in the optical identification device or in the controller. This way the dice number is shown on the identification device or on the display of the controller.
Such a predefined gesture may for example comprise a spinning operation performed by a player on the optical identification device. This operation is then detected by the device. The predefined gesture may further comprise reading an identification pattern on a predetermined dicing location on the board with the optical identification device.
According to a second aspect the invention relates method for obtaining an identification of a positioning area on which a game piece of a board game is located. The board comprises a plurality of positioning areas for such game pieces and the positioning areas comprise identification patterns. The method then comprising the following steps:

Receiving and holding an optical identification device in the game piece thereby exposing an identification pattern underneath the game piece to the optical identification device.
Reading the identification pattern underneath the game piece with the optical identification device.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates a board game with game pieces and an optical identification device according to an embodiment of the invention; and
Fig. 2 illustrates a board game with game pieces, an optical identification device and a dicing area according to an embodiment of the invention; and
Fig. 3 illustrates an optical identification device according to an embodiment of the invention; and
Fig. 4 illustrates a game piece according to an embodiment of the invention; and
Fig. 5 illustrates an optical identification device fitted and held into a game piece according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of Embodiment(s)

Embodiments of the invention relate to a board game with game pieces and an optical identification device in order to obtain information about the pieces, the board or other items related to the board game. An optical identification device, further referred to as an identification device, is able to read patterns printed or applied on surfaces such as card board or paper. The respective surface typically comprises a dense grid of such unique patterns. When holding the identification with its reading side against or close to the respective surface, it can read the unique pattern underneath it. The unique pattern is then converted in a unique code associated with the unique pattern. By the unique code, the position of where the identification device was held on the surface or an identification of the surface itself can then be obtained.
Both optical identification devices and associated patterns as referred to in the embodiments below are readily available on the market. Both pattern printing technology and identification devices may for example be obtained from Sonix Technology Co. or Gridmark Inc. One suitable way of encoding information by dot patterns is disclosed in the publication WO2014054647A1 . Another alternative way is disclosed in WO2007004994 A1 .
Fig. 1 illustrates a board game according to an embodiment of the invention. The board game 100 comprises the board 110 itself. The board is preferably made of card board and further has a decorative printed layer on the top side comprising all visual elements for playing the game. One kind of visual elements are the positioning areas 111 indicative for locations onto which a player may put his game piece 101, 102 during the game. The board 110 further comprises a layer of dot patterns on top of the decorative layer. The dot patterns (not shown in Fig. 1) are printed on all positioning areas 111 and are unique between the positioning areas 111. Within one positioning area 111, the dotted patterns may be unique or the same.
The board game 100 further comprises the game pieces 101, 102. Each piece has a hole in centre of the top part running through the piece up to the bottom. This hole allows placing an optical identification device 120 in the game piece such that the optical identification device 120 is supported by the game piece. The device 120 is further supported such that the pattern reading portion of the device, typically a lens, is pointed downwards on the board 110. In this position, the device 120 may read a dot pattern located right under the pattern reading portion of the device and thus under the game piece thereby identifying the exact position of the game piece on the board 110 or at least the positioning area the game piece is located on.
The dot patterns are printed with a carbon based ink while the decorative layer is printed with non-carbon based inks. Carbon based ink is reflective to infrared light while the non-carbon based ink is not. During readout, the device 120 which is sensitive to infrared light illuminates the board with IR light such that the dot pattern stands out from the decorative layer and is easily readable by the device 120. Alternatively, an infrared reflective ink may be used for the dot pattern which is invisible to the human eye. This way, the dot patterns are not at all visible to the players even not upon close inspection.
During the gameplay, the device 120 exchanges the patterns it has read out with a display device 130, for example a tablet, smartphone or personal computer. The display device uses the position information of the game pieces for an enriched game play by displaying extra information on the screen 131 of the device 130. For example, the position of the players may be displayed together with further dynamic content related to the position. The display device 130 may further also give spoken instructions or information to the players through a loudspeaker in the display device 130. Again, such instructions or information may be made dependent on the position of one or more game pieces.
In order to derive the position information from the received pattern, the device 130 translates the received pattern to a unique code, i.e., it translates the received visual information to binary or coded information. This coded information is then identified and associated with a positon on the board 110. This association may for example be done by a lookup table in the display device 130 relating the coded information of the patterns with the position of the pattern. For example, the dot pattern may directly encode the X, Y coordinates of the respective pattern on the board. In such a case, every single dot pattern on the board encodes a specific X, Y coordinate. Alternatively the translation between the pattern and the coded information may also be done inside the identification device 101. This way, the data rate between the identification device 120 and the display device 130 may be decreased. For example, instead of the infrared image taken by the device 120, the device 120 may directly transmit the X and Y coordinate to the display device 130.
The transfer between the identification device 120 and the display device is done by a wireless link between the two, for example by a Bluetooth connection. Other wireless technologies may also be used such as for example Wireless LAN (WLAN) or Near Field Communication (NFC).
The decision to read the underlying pattern by the device 120 may be taken in several ways. In a first way, the device 120 comprises a button. Upon pressing the button, the device 120 then scans the underlying surface and reads the respective pattern. Instructions to push this button may be given by the display device 130. For example, a player may be instructed to sample the positon of his game piece when he is at turn and when he has moved his piece. This way, the display device 130 gets the updated position of every game piece. Alternatively, the sampling process of the device 120 may be steered by the display device 130 itself. For example, when a player has put the identification device 120 in his game piece, the controller 130 may instruct the device 120 to start tracking the position of the game piece. This way, the controller may display the actual movement 103 of the game piece 101. A third possibility is that the device 120 is continuously active by sampling for dot patterns at regular intervals, for example several times per second.
According to a further embodiment, also the game pieces 101, 102 may comprise a dotted pattern layer. A player may then scan his game piece before inserting the identification device in the game piece 101. The device 120 then transmits the unique pattern or associated code to the display device 130. This way, the display device knows in which game piece the identification device 120 is fitted. Alternatively, a dot code identifying the piece is printed inside the game piece such that the code is read when the device 120 is positioned in the game piece. In this case, the device 120, when positioned in the game piece, not only reads the dot pattern on the board underneath it but also the dot pattern in the game piece.
According to a further embodiment, the board game embeds dot patterns on other items such as on the cards 140 typically used to announce instructions to one or more players. When a player needs to pull such a card from a stack, he scans the card 140 with the identification device 120. As each card has a unique dot pattern printed on it, the display device 130 then retrieves which card was pulled and displays further content related to the card on the display 131.
According to a further aspect, the identification device 120 is also used to replace dices, i.e., the identification device 120 mimics the random number generation normally performed by throwing dices. According to a first embodiment, the identification device 120 can further identify the angle under which the device is positioned according to the board. This is typically achieved by interpreting the recorded dot pattern as the recorded pattern will be skewed when it is read under a certain angle. This way, movements by or gestures performed on the device 120 can be detected. In order to perform a dicing operation, a player then performs a predefined gesture on the identification device 120. For example, the player may spin the device 120 or perform a dice throwing gesture with device 120. The device 120 then compares the detected gesture with a stored gesture related to a dicing operation and transmits a signal to the display device. The display device then generates a pseudo random number within the range of the virtual dices and displays the generated number on its display 131. The initiative for throwing the dice may be triggered by the display device 130 by giving appropriate instructions to the players. Only when such instruction is given, the display will enable the virtual dice function.
According to a second embodiment as shown in Fig. 2, the dicing operation is triggered by the player. In order to do so, the predefined gesture is performed by the player first scanning a specific dicing area 160 with the identification device 120 after which he performs the gesture on the device 120. The device 120 or display device 130 will recognizes the scanned pattern on the dicing area 160 as originating therefrom and therefore activates the virtual dicing function. Upon recognition of the predefined gesture, it then displays the virtual dice number. Alternatively, the gesture is performed by only scanning the dicing area 160 with the identification device 120 upon which the display device 130 directly calculates and shows the virtual dice number. The scanning operation may optionally again be triggered by pushing a button on the identification device 120.
As an alternative embodiment, the virtual dicing function may be completely performed by the identification device 120. Instead of signalling the dicing operation to the display device, the device 120 then performs all the dicing logic, i.e., generates the random number and outputs it to the user. This may be done by speech through a loudspeaker in the identification device 120 or through a small display embedded in this device.
The resolution of the pattern should be such that the identification device can always read a unique pattern when put on a relevant position on the board 110. For example, when a game piece 101 is put on a position 111, the identification device should be able to read the pattern when placed anywhere in the positioning area 111.
Fig. 3 illustrates the identification device 120 in more detail according to an embodiment. It comprises a power button 330 to switch the identification device on or off. It further comprises a button 331 which may be used to activate the scanning function of the identification device. When, the button 331 is pushed the device 120 scans the surface underneath. It there is a unique dotted pattern underneath device 120, it decodes the unique code associated with the pattern. It may then transmit this code to the display device 130 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. The scanning logic for reading the dotted pattern is located on the bottom side 332 of the device 120 such that a dotted pattern can be read from a surface when the device 120 is placed with this bottom side 332 thereon.
Fig. 4 illustrates a detailed view of the game piece 101 according to an embodiment. It has a flattened conical shaped outside surface 334 with an opening through the piece in the centre. The outside lower section 333 of the device 120 is complementary to the inside surface 335 of the piece such that the device 120 can be fitted and held into the game piece 101.
Fig 5 illustrates the situation where the device 120 is fitted as such into the game piece 101. The combination of the game piece 101 and the device 120 then forms an extended game piece that can be moved over the game board 110 from one position 111 to another. When fitted into the piece 101, the bottom side 332 of the device 120 faces the underlying surface such that a dotted pattern printed on the surface may be read by the device 120.
Although the present invention has been illustrated by reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative embodiments, and that the present invention may be embodied with various changes and modifications without departing from the scope thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. In other words, it is contemplated to cover any and all modifications, variations or equivalents that fall within the scope of the basic underlying principles and whose essential attributes are claimed in this patent application. It will furthermore be understood by the reader of this patent application that the words "comprising" or "comprise" do not exclude other elements or steps, that the words "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality, and that a single element, such as a computer system, a processor, or another integrated unit may fulfil the functions of several means recited in the claims. Any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the respective claims concerned. The terms "first", "second", third", "a", "b", "c", and the like, when used in the description or in the claims are introduced to distinguish between similar elements or steps and are not necessarily describing a sequential or chronological order. Similarly, the terms "top", "bottom", "over", "under", and the like are introduced for descriptive purposes and not necessarily to denote relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and embodiments of the invention are capable of operating according to the present invention in other sequences, or in orientations different from the one(s) described or illustrated above.

Claims

A board game (100) comprising:
- a board (110) comprising a plurality of positioning areas (111) for game pieces (101, 102); said positioning areas comprising identification patterns; and

- an optical identification device (120) for reading identification patterns; and

- a plurality of said game pieces (101, 102);
characterized in that each game piece (101, 102) is adapted to receive and hold said optical identification device (120) such that an identification pattern underneath said game piece is exposed to said optical identification device for reading; and wherein said optical identification device is adapted to read said identification pattern underneath said game piece when held in said game piece thereby obtaining an identification of a positioning area on which said game piece is located.
A board game according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of cards (140) each comprising identification patterns; and wherein said optical identification device is further adapted to identify a card (140) by reading an identification pattern on said card.
A board game according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said optical identification device (120) is further adapted to communicate an obtained identification pattern wirelessly to a controller (130).
A board game according to claim 3 wherein said controller corresponds to a smartphone, tablet or personal computer.
A board game according to claim 3 or 4 wherein said controller is further adapted to determine a position of one of said game pieces from an identification pattern underneath said game piece received from said optical identification device.
A board game according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said optical identification device (120) is further adapted to register a predefined gesture performed by a player on or with said optical identification device; and wherein said controller and/or optical identification device is further configured to:
- receive a registration of said predefined gesture indicative for a gesture of throwing one or more dices; and

- subsequently generate a random number indicative for dice numbers on said one or more dices;

- display said random number.
A board game according to claim 6 wherein said predefined gesture comprises a spinning operation performed by a player on said optical identification device.
A board game according to claim 6 or 7 wherein said predefined gesture comprises reading an identification pattern on a predetermined dicing location (160) on said board with said optical identification device (120).
A method for obtaining an identification of a positioning area on which a game piece of a board game is located; wherein said board comprises a plurality of positioning areas (111) for game pieces (101, 102); and wherein said positioning areas comprise identification patterns; said method comprising:
- receiving and holding an optical identification device (120) in said game piece thereby exposing an identification pattern underneath said game piece to said optical identification device;

- reading said identification pattern underneath said game piece with said optical identification device (120).