U.S. patent application number 14/124145 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-01 for game board interacting with a digital tablet screen.
The applicant listed for this patent is Bertrand Duplat, Etienne Mineur. Invention is credited to Bertrand Duplat, Etienne Mineur.
Application Number | 20140120995 14/124145 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46354400 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140120995 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Duplat; Bertrand ; et
al. |
May 1, 2014 |
GAME BOARD INTERACTING WITH A DIGITAL TABLET SCREEN
Abstract
A game board (20), wherein the players or the actions of the
players are identified by pawns (P) or cards, wherein the pawns (P)
are conductive and include an authentication sole (S) interpreted
by the software of a capacitive screen (5) of a digital tablet (1),
wherein the game board (20) includes an opening window (21), the
edges of the opening window (21) being arranged against the edges
of the capacitive screen (5) of the digital tablet (1), the contact
between the game board and the screen occurring over transmission
areas (24) which are electrically connected to pawn-authentication
areas (22) on the surface of the game board (20).
Inventors: |
Duplat; Bertrand; (Limoges,
FR) ; Mineur; Etienne; (Limoges, FR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Duplat; Bertrand
Mineur; Etienne |
Limoges
Limoges |
|
FR
FR |
|
|
Family ID: |
46354400 |
Appl. No.: |
14/124145 |
Filed: |
June 7, 2012 |
PCT Filed: |
June 7, 2012 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/FR2012/000226 |
371 Date: |
December 5, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/9 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 13/245 20140902;
A63F 3/00643 20130101; A63F 13/843 20140902; A63F 2003/00662
20130101; A63F 13/214 20140902; A63F 13/23 20140902; A63F
2003/00359 20130101; A63F 2300/1043 20130101; A63F 2009/2486
20130101; A63F 2300/1075 20130101; A63F 13/2145 20140902 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/9 |
International
Class: |
A63F 3/00 20060101
A63F003/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 9, 2011 |
FR |
11/01760 |
Claims
1. Multi-player game board, where the players or players' actions
are identified by pawns or cards, and where said pawns are
conductive and have an authentication sole, which is interpreted by
the software of a capacitive screen of a digital tablet, wherein
said game board comprises an opening window, the edges of said
opening window being retained against the edges of the capacitive
screen of the digital tablet, whereby contact between said game
board and said screen is established by means of transmission
areas, which are electrically connected to corresponding
authentication areas of said pawn on the surface of said game
board.
2. Multi-player game board according to claim 1, wherein said
authentication area comprises a set of spaces arranged in line and
mutually insulated from one another, whereby each space comprises a
conductive area and each space is then connected by conductive wire
to a corresponding space positioned on the edge of said board on
said transmission area.
3. Multi-player game board according to claim 1, wherein said
authentication area comprises spaces that are arranged in a
circular arc on said authentication area and that correspond to the
signature typology of the soles of said pawns, whereby each space
is then electrically connected, in mutual insulation from every
other space, to a series of spaces aligned on said transmission
area, where said tablet's processing software then recognizes the
signature of said pawns according to the specific distribution of
electrically activated spaces.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a physical game board that
interacts with tablet computers ("digital tablets") having a
capacitive screen.
[0002] Various game boards that are made by folding a sheet of
cardboard are known. Players' game pieces ("pawns") and/or game
action cards are positioned/moved on the board. All these boards,
pawns and cards are physical objects without any digital component.
Certain game versions exist, in marginal quantities, where either
the board or the pawns or cards comprise digital programming.
However, a game board that is adapted specifically to a digital
tablet does not yet exist.
[0003] According to the invention, the board opens a window on the
digital tablet, enabling a part of the game to be displayed in
digital form on the screen of the digital tablet. In a way, the
digital tablet becomes a perfected continuity of the board.
[0004] One main object of the invention is to propose a game board
that permits the physical movement of cards or pawns on the game
board and/or the screen of the digital tablet and then
interactively displays correlated information on the digital
tablet.
[0005] Another object of the invention is to be able to detect the
presence and/or identity of pawns and/or cards both on the game
board and on the capacitive screen of the digital tablet.
[0006] A further object of the invention is easy adaptation to
existing published board games.
[0007] A further object of the invention is to propose a game board
that is economical and easy to mass produce in industrial
production.
[0008] In a main aspect, the invention includes a game board that
consists of a specifically shaped board that comprises a conductive
network enabling interactivity between the digital tablet and the
players' pawns positioned on the game board.
[0009] In one aspect, the invention uses conductive pawns having a
conductive signature sole. Static electricity is transmitted from
the body of the player through the pawn and then finally via the
board to the conductive screen of the digital tablet.
[0010] In another aspect, the identity of the pawn is first
recognized on the capacitive screen of the digital tablet. The pawn
is then placed on the authentication area, which transmits the
information that a pawn has been placed on this area to the digital
tablet.
[0011] In one aspect, the game board comprises pawn authentication
areas that transmit the coordinates of the pawns to the digital
tablet.
[0012] In one aspect the board comprises an opening window that
securely houses the digital tablet.
[0013] In one aspect, the opening window is made of transparent
material that includes a conductive wiring network connected to the
board. In this variant, the pawns placed on the conductive window
will be recognized by the tablet.
[0014] The Figures attached to the present document represent one
particular mode of the invention, as follows:
[0015] FIG. 1 represents a digital tablet
[0016] FIG. 2 represents a top plan view of the game board
according to the invention
[0017] FIG. 3 represents a first embodiment of the connectivity
according to the invention
[0018] FIG. 4 represents a pawn signature according to the first
embodiment of the invention
[0019] FIG. 5 represents a second connectivity embodiment according
to the invention
[0020] FIG. 6 represents a second pawn signature embodiment
according to the invention
[0021] FIGS. 7 and 8 represent methods of physically combining the
game board and digital tablet.
[0022] FIG. 1 represents a digital tablet (1) comprising a
capacitive screen (5) and a graphical interface control button (6),
which combines with the action of the user's fingers on the
capacitive screen to control the graphical interface of the digital
tablet (1). FIG. 2 represents a top plan view of the game board
(20). The game board (20) can be implemented on the basis of common
types of existing game board, such as boards made of folding
cardboard, see fold (25). A first specificity of the game board is
an opening window (20), wherein the edges of the window lock in
place against the edges of the capacitive screen (5) of the digital
tablet (1). In the case of FIG. 2, the window is a rectangle having
an opening format that is very slightly smaller than the format of
the capacitive screen of the digital table. This format enables the
size of the screen remaining visible to the users to be maximized,
while at the same time reserving an area for conductive contact and
electrical data transmission between the game board and the
capacitive screen. Obviously, in order to retain the game board
with precision on the digital tablet, a retention system is
installed on the game to enable a temporary mounting that can
withstand the movements of the players and prevent said movements
from causing any inadvertent displacement of the game board
relative to the tablet. The retention system also establishes a
permanent contact between the game board and the digital tablet.
FIG. 7 represents a retention system constructed from a board that
has a mounting notch under the perimeter of the window edge. FIG. 8
represents a proposed design comprising a system of board levelling
blocks (80) and a mechanical retaining system (81) that holds the
game board against the screen of the tablet. In another version of
the game board, the window (21) can be positioned at the edge of
the game board (20). The advantage of a window located in the
centre of the game board (20) is that this configuration preserves
the ergonomic design of a multi-player game board where all the
players are positioned around the board. The game surface of the
board comprises authentication areas (22), which are connected by a
conductive circuit (23) to board/screen transmission areas (24)
positioned underneath the board on the edge of the opening window
(24). FIG. 3 represents a first connectivity embodiment according
to the invention, with an authentication area (22) comprising an
alignment of mutually insulated squares or spaces, wherein each
space includes a conductive area. Each space is in turn connected
by conductive wire to a corresponding space positioned on the
transmission area (24) at the edge of the game board. According to
this version, the signature sole of the pawn (P) comprises a series
of spaces matching the model of the authentication area described
in FIG. 3. See signature S1 and S2 of two pawns for different
players in FIG. 4. Certain spaces are conductively connected to the
prehension area of the pawn (P). Other spaces are not. Therefore,
when the user picks up a pawn and places it on the authentication
area (22), the user transmits information to certain precise spaces
of the transmission area (24), thereby constituting a signature
that is then interpreted by the recognition software of the digital
tablet. FIGS. 5 and 6 represent a second connectivity system
according to the invention, wherein this time the spaces are no
longer arranged in line but in an arc of a circle on the
authentication area (22) corresponding to the signature typology of
the soles of the pawns (P), see FIG. 6. Each space is then
electrically connected, in mutual insulation from every other
space, to a series of spaces aligned on the transmission area, so
that the tablet's processing software then recognizes the signature
of the pawns according to the specific distribution of electrically
activated spaces.
[0023] The present invention therefore relates to a multi-player
game board (20), where the players or players' actions are
identified by pawns (P) or cards, and where the pawns (P) are
conductive and have an authentication sole (S), which is
interpreted by the software of a capacitive screen (5) of a digital
tablet (1), characterized in that the game board (20) comprises an
opening window (21), the edges of the opening window (21) being
retained against the edges of the capacitive screen (5) of the
digital tablet (1), wherein the contact between the game board and
the screen is established by means of transmission areas (24),
which are electrically connected to corresponding authentication
areas (22) of the pawn on the surface of the game board (20).
[0024] The present invention therefore relates to a multi-player
game board (20), characterized in that the authentication area (22)
comprises a set of spaces arranged in line and mutually insulated
from one another, whereby each space comprises a conductive area
and each space is then connected by conductive wire to a
corresponding space positioned on the edge of the board on the
transmission area (24).
[0025] The present invention therefore relates to a multi-player
game board (20) characterized in that the authentication area (22)
comprises spaces that are arranged in a circular arc on the
authentication area (22) and that correspond to the signature
typology of the soles of the pawns (P), whereby each space is then
electrically connected, in mutual insulation from every other
space, to a series of spaces aligned on the transmission area (24),
where the tablet's processing software then recognizes the
signature of the pawns (P) according to the specific distribution
of electrically activated spaces.
[0026] It is clear that numerous variants can be introduced and
possibly also combined with one another without leaving the
framework of the invention as defined above.
* * * * *