Patent Grant
10583357
The present invention generally relates to children's games and, in particular, to interactive games, toys and play systems utilizing wireless transponders and receivers for providing a unique interactive game play experience.
Games, toys, play systems and other similar entertainment devices are well known for providing play and interaction among children and adults. A variety of commercially available play toys and games are also known for providing valuable learning and entertainment opportunities for children, such as role playing, reading, memory stimulation, tactile coordination and the like. However, there is always a demand for more exciting and entertaining games and toys that increase the learning and entertainment opportunities for children and stimulate creativity and imagination.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a unique play experience carried out utilizing an interactive gaming toy that allows play participants to wirelessly interact with their surrounding play environment(s). The gaming toy may be used to play a game carried out in a physical play environment, such as a play structure, play area or other area (either commercial or residential), as desired. It may also be used to play a game carried out in non-physical play environments, such as television, radio, virtual reality, computer games and the like. The physical play environment may be simply a themed play area, or even a multi-purpose area such as a restaurant dining facility, family room, bedroom or the like. The non-physical play environment (sometimes referred to herein as a “virtual” play environment) may be an imaginary environment (i.e., computer/TV generated). For example, a virtual play environment may be visually/aurally represented via computer animation. Optionally, multiple play participants, each provided with a suitable interactive gaming toy, may play and interact together to achieve desired goals, master certain skills and/or produce desired effects within the play environment.
In one embodiment an interactive gaming toy is provided comprising a physical toy, such as a toy wand, doll or action figure, configured with an RFID (radio frequency identification) transponder (sometimes referred to herein as a “tag”) pre-programmed with a unique identifier. The unique identifier may uniquely identify the toy within an associated game, for example. The RFID tag may also be configured to store information describing certain attributes or abilities of a corresponding virtual character or object in a computer-animated game. The information stored on the RFID tag may also be supplemented or updated as the corresponding virtual character or object evolves or changes over time based on player performance and/or gameplay progression. The interactive gaming toy thus allows developed character attributes and the like to be stored and easily transported to other games and compatible gaming platforms.
In accordance with another embodiment an interactive gaming toy comprises a toy wand or other seemingly magical object which provides a basic foundation for a complex, interactive entertainment system. In one embodiment the toy wand comprises an elongated hollow pipe or tube having a proximal end or handle portion and a distal end or transmitting portion. An internal cavity may be provided to receive one or more batteries to power optional lighting, laser or sound effects and/or to power long-range transmissions such as via an infrared LED transmitter device or RF transmitter device. The handle portion and/or distal end of the toy wand may be fitted with an RFID transponder that is operable to provide relatively short-range RF communications (<60 cm) with one or more compatible receivers or transceivers. In one embodiment the transponder is pre-programmed with a unique identifier which may be used, for example, to identify and track individual play participants and/or wands within a play facility.
The RFID transponder or other identifying device is preferably used to store certain information identifying each play participant and/or describing certain powers or abilities possessed by an imaginary role-play character. In one embodiment players may advance in a magic-themed adventure game by finding clues, casting spells and solving various puzzles presented. Players may also gain (or lose) certain attributes, such as magic skills, magic strength, fighting ability, various spell-casting abilities, and combinations of the same or the like. All of this information is preferably stored on the RFID transponder and/or an associated database indexed by the unique RFID tag identifier so that the character attributes may be easily and conveniently transported to other similarly-equipped play facilities, computer games, video games, home game consoles, hand-held game units, and the like. In this manner, an imaginary role-play character is created and stored on a transponder device that is able to seamlessly transcend from one play environment to the next.
In accordance with another embodiment one or more adjunct gaming items are provided, comprising collectable/tradable character cards, trinkets, tokens, coins, or the like. Each character card (or trinket, token, coin, etc.) may be configured with an RFID tag that stores certain information describing the powers or abilities of an imaginary role-play character that the gaming toy represents. In one embodiment, as each play participant uses a favorite character card to play a game in a compatible play facility, for example, the character represented by the card gains (or loses) certain attributes, such as magic skill level, magic strength, flight ability, various spell-casting abilities, etc. All of this information is preferably stored on the card so that the character attributes may be easily and conveniently transported to other similarly-equipped play facilities, computer games, video games, home game consoles, hand-held game units, and the like. In this manner, an imaginary role-play character is created and stored on a card that is able to seamlessly transcend from one play medium to the next.
In accordance with another embodiment one or more adjunct gaming items are provided, comprising trading cards depicting various real or imaginary persons, characters and/or objects. In one embodiment each card has recorded or stored thereon in an electronically readable format certain selected information pertaining to the particular person, character or object, such as performance statistics, traits/powers, or special abilities. The information is preferably stored on an RFID tag associated with each card and which can be read electronically and wirelessly over a predetermined range preferably greater than about 1 cm when placed in the proximity of a suitably configured RF reader. Optionally, the RFID tag may be read/write capable such that the information stored thereon may be changed or updated in any manner desired.
In accordance with another embodiment a computer adventure game is provided wherein game participants use RFID-enabled tokens as player tracking devices within the game. Each token has an RFID tag that uniquely identifies a corresponding player in the game and also preferably stores the player's progress in the game. Each player begins the adventure with essentially the same powers, skills and abilities. Each player may also receive an interactive gaming toy which the player must learn to use to accomplish certain goals set out in the game.
An authenticating password system may be used to verify or authenticate game events and to thereby discourage cheating. Authenticating passwords may be unique or semi-unique to the player(s) who possess them. For example, each password may be an encrypted alpha-numeric code that is mathematically derived from a unique ID number stored on each participating player's token. When the alpha-numeric number is subsequently re-entered into another device (for example, a home game console or home computer) by the authorized player, the game software can reverse the mathematical encryption algorithm using the player's unique ID number and thereby determine and/or validate the game event(s) that generated the authenticating password.
In accordance with another embodiment an RFID-enabled gaming system is provided that allows a game participant to earn points, levels, or upgrades in a first game, which are stored on an associated RFID-enabled token. The game participant is then able to use the RFID-enabled token and the stored points, levels, or upgrades to advance in a second RFID-enabled game. Players may also earn upgrades by purchasing certain retail items from a participating retail vendor, such as a fast-food restaurant. For example, a player may receive a token and/or an authenticating code in one or more retail transactions that enables the game participant to access levels, or upgrades in a popular video game. Authenticating codes may be printed on an ordinary cash register receipt, for example.
For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain objects and advantages of the invention have been described herein above. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such objects or advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
Having thus summarized the general nature of the invention and its essential features and advantages, certain preferred embodiments and modifications thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description herein having reference to the figures that follow, of which:
For convenience of description and for better clarity and understanding of the invention similar elements to those previously described may be identified with similar or identical reference numerals. However, not all such elements in all embodiments are necessarily identical as there may be differences that become clear when read and understood in the context of each particular disclosed preferred embodiment.
Interactive Gaming Toys
The toy figure or object 110a is preferably uniquely identified using one or more embedded or affixed RFID tags (described in more detail later). In one embodiment a glass-encapsulated RFID transponder 118 is disposed within an inner cavity formed within the toy figure or object 110a and/or supporting structure 115a. Transponder 118 is preferably passive (batteryless) and is operable to provide relatively short-range RF communications (less than about 200 cm) using one or more compatible RFID reader units or reader/writer units (described in more detail later). In one embodiment the transponder 118 is pre-programmed with a unique tag identifier and comprises non-volatile memory configured to store certain information identifying a play participant and/or describing certain powers or abilities possessed by an imaginary role-play character.
For example, players may advance in a magic-themed adventure game by finding clues, casting spells and solving various puzzles presented. Players may also gain (or lose) certain attributes, such as magic skills, magic strength, fighting ability, various spell-casting abilities, combinations of the same or the like, based on game play, skill-level and/or the purchase of collateral play objects. Some or all of this information is preferably stored on the RFID transponder 118 so that the character attributes may be easily and conveniently transported to various compatible play facilities, games, video games, home game consoles, hand-held game units, and the like. Alternatively, some or all of this information may be stored on a computer-accessible database indexed by the unique tag identifier.
The toy figure or object 110a and/or supporting structure 115a may further include securement means, such as threaded stud 121, snap latches, mating magnets or the like, for receiving and securing one or more auxiliary components, such as a detachable knob 123a. For example, such auxiliary components may be purchased, selected and/or earned by play participants as they advance in a game and/or when they play different games. One example of an assembled gaming toy 100a is shown in
The gaming toy 100b (
The gaming toy 100c (
Another possible embodiment of an interactive gaming toy is illustrated in
For example, character attributes developed during a play participant's visit to a local play facility may be stored on the tag 128. When the play participant then revisits the same or another compatible play facility, all of the attributes of his character are “remembered” on the tag 128 so that the play participant is able to continue playing with and developing the same role-play character. Similarly, various video games, home game consoles, and/or hand-held game units can be and preferably are configured to communicate with the tag 128 in a similar manner as described above and/or using other well-known information storage and communication techniques. In this manner, a play participant can use the same role play character he or she has developed with specific associated attributes in a favorite video action game, role-play computer game or the like.
Another possible embodiment of an interactive gaming toy is illustrated in
Another possible embodiment of an interactive gaming toy is illustrated in
For example, play participants may use the gaming toy 100f to electronically and “magically” interact with their surrounding play environment to achieve desired goals or produce desired effects within a suitably-configured play environment. Use of the gaming toy 100f may be as simple as touching it to a particular surface or “magical” item within the play environment or it may be as complex as moving or shaking the gaming toy 100f in a particular manner and/or orienting it relative to a certain item desired to be “magically” transformed or otherwise affected. For example, various wireless receivers (described in more detail later) may be provided within a physical play environment and configured so as to allow play participants to activate various associated play effects and/or to play a game using the gaming toy 100f. As play participants play and interact within each play environment they learn more about the “magical” powers possessed by the gaming toy 100f and become more adept at using the gaming toy 100f within various game contexts to achieve desired goals or produce desired play effects. Optionally, play participants may collect points or earn additional magic levels or ranks for each play effect or task they successfully achieve. In this manner, play participants may compete with one another to see who can score more points and/or achieve the highest magic level.
If desired, an optional RF/IR module 150 (described in more detail later) may be provided for long-range wireless communications (up to about 100 meters). If line of sight or directional actuation is desired, an infrared LED transmitter of the type employed in standard television remote controls may be provided instead of or in addition to an RF transmitter, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate. Of course, a wide variety of other wireless communications devices, as well as various optional sound and lighting effects may also be provided, as desired.
Operation of the RF/IR module 150 (and/or other wireless communication devices described herein) may be controlled by motion-sensitive internal activation circuitry 120 (described in more detail later). For example, activation circuitry 120 may be configured to allow the gaming toy 100f to be operated by moving or manipulating it in a particular manner. If provided, these operational aspects would need to be learned by play participants as they train in the various play environments. One goal, for example, may be to become a master dragon trainer. This means that the play participant has learned and mastered every aspect of operating the gaming toy 100f to produce desired effects within each play environment. Of course, additional effects and operational nuances can (and preferably are) always added over time in order to keep the interactive experience fresh and continually changing. The gaming toy 100f may also be configured to respond to other signals, such as light, sound, or voice commands as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.
Another possible embodiment of an interactive gaming toy is illustrated in
Play participants may use the toy wand 100g to electronically and “magically” interact with a suitably configured play environment to achieve desired goals or produce desired effects. For example,
Use of the toy wand 100g may be as simple as touching it to a particular surface or “magical” item within the play environment or it may be as complex as moving or manipulating the toy wand 100g in a particular manner and/or pointing it accurately at a certain item desired to be “magically” transformed or otherwise affected. For example, various wireless receivers (described in more detail later) may be distributed throughout a play facility so as to allow play participants to activate various associated play effects and/or to play a game using the toy wand 100g. As play participants play and interact within each play environment they learn more about the “magical” powers possessed by the toy wand 100g and become more adept at using the toy wand 100g within various game contexts to achieve desired goals or produce desired play effects. Optionally, play participants may collect points or earn additional magic levels or ranks for each play effect or task they successfully achieve. In this manner, play participants may compete with one another to see who can score more points and/or achieve the highest magic level. Play participants may also access a web site in order to register the toy wand and play an online interactive game. Preferably this is a relatively simple game intended to provide a basic training session. In this on-line game session, the player may learn how to use the toy wand 100g to cast various spells and trigger various effects within an interactive computer-gaming environment provided by an ordinary home computer. The player may also learn how to discover important clues needed to advance in the game and to solve various puzzles or challenges presented by the game.
If desired, an optional RF/IR module 150 (described in more detail later) may be provided for long-range wireless communications (up to about 100 meters), as illustrated in
Of course, additional effects and operational nuances can (and preferably are) always added over time in order to keep the interactive experience fresh and continually changing. Optionally, the toy wand 100g may be configured with an LCD display screen (not shown). The toy wand 100g may also be configured to respond to other signals, such as light, sound, or voice commands as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Additional preferred embodiments, details and functionalities of the toy wand 100g are described below, having reference to
As illustrated in more detail in
The proximal end 112 of tube 111 is preferably adapted to secure the tube 111 to an optional handle 115g or other mating component. The handle 115g may further include securement means, such as threaded stud, snap latches, mating magnets 117a, 117b or the like, for receiving and securing an optional decorative knob 123g. For example, knobs 123g may be purchased, selected and/or earned by play participants as they advance in a game and/or when they play different games. An RFID transponder 118 is provided and contained within the wand shaft 110g and/or in the handle 115g, as illustrated. The transponder 118 is pre-programmed with a unique identifier such as a unique person identifier number (“UPIN”). The UPIN may be used to identify and track individual toy wands 100g and/or play participants. Optionally, each tag 118 may also include a unique group identifier number (“UGIN”) which may be used to match a defined group of individuals having a predetermined or desired relationship.
The RFID transponder 118 is preferably used to store certain information identifying each play participant and/or describing certain powers or abilities possessed by an imaginary role-play character. For example, players may advance in a magic adventure game by finding clues, casting spells and solving various puzzles presented. Players may also gain (or lose) certain attributes, such as magic skills, magic strength, fighting ability, various spell-casting abilities, combinations of the same or the like, based on game play, skill-level and/or the purchase of collateral play objects. Some or all of this information is preferably stored on the RFID transponder 118 so that the character attributes may be easily and conveniently transported to various compatible play facilities, games, video games, home game consoles, hand-held game units, and the like. Alternatively, only the UPIN and/or UGIN are stored on the transponder 118 and all other desired information is stored on a computer-accessible database indexed by UPIN and/or UGIN, for example. Placing the RFID tag 118 in the handle 115g, as illustrated, allows for modular construction and functionality of the toy wand 100g as auxiliary handles may be interchanged having other unique RFID tags with unique stored information. Optionally, the tag-containing handle 115g and knob 123g may be omitted altogether in the case, for example, where a less expensive toy wand is desired.
An optional RF/IR module 150 (described in more detail later) may be provided for long-range wireless communications (up to about 100 meters). If line of sight or directional actuation is desired, an infrared LED transmitter of the type employed in standard television remote controls may be provided instead of or in addition to an RF transmitter, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate. In the latter case, a hole (not shown) would preferably be provided in the distal end 114 of the shaft 110g to accommodate the transmitting LED of the IR transmitter circuit (described in more detail later). Of course, a wide variety of other wireless communications devices, as well as various optional sound and lighting effects may also be provided, as desired.
Operation of the RF/IR module 150 (and/or other wireless communication devices described herein) may be controlled by internal activation circuitry comprising, in the particular embodiment illustrated, a pair of series-connected tilt sensors 122 and 124 (represented in the corresponding schematic diagram as switches S1 and S2, respectively). For example, a pair of micro-ball tilt sensors may be arranged within the cavity 116 in opposite orientations and spaced apart, as illustrated. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in virtually any static position of the toy wand 100g at least one of tilt sensors 122, 124 will be in the OFF state. Thus, the RF/IR module 150 can essentially only be activated when the toy wand 100g is in a non-static condition or, in other words, when it is in motion. The placement and orientation of the tilt sensors 122, 124 is preferably such that different accelerations or motions are required at the proximal and distal ends 112 and 114 in order for both tilt sensors 122, 124 to be in their ON positions (or OFF positions, as the case may be) and, thus, to enable or activate RF/IR module 150 (or other wireless communication devices described later).
Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate from the disclosure herein that the activation circuitry is not limited to those including micro-ball tilt sensors, as illustrated, but may be practiced using a wide variety of other motion and/or tilt sensors and/or other supporting circuitry elements and components that are selected and adapted to the purposes described herein. These include, without limitation, gyro-sensors, vibration sensors, and accelerometers. Moreover, any one or more of these and/or other similar sensor devices may also be used in conjunction with other supporting circuitry elements or components (either internal or external to the toy wand 100g) as desired, including microprocessors, computers, controller boards, PID circuitry, input/output devices, combinations of the same and the like.
Those skilled in the art will also readily appreciate and understand from the disclosure herein that various additional and/or alternative activation circuits can be designed and configured so as to respond to different desired motions. For example, this may be achieved by adding more sensors and/or by changing sensor positions and orientations. For example, one motion may trigger a first activation circuit (and a first interactive play effect) while a different motion may trigger a second activation circuit (and a second interactive play effect). The number, type and complexity of motions and corresponding activation circuits are limited only by design and cost considerations and user preferences. Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize from the disclosure herein that multiple activation circuits may share one or more sensors and/or other supporting circuitry and components, as required or desired. Alternatively, a single, multi-mode activation circuit may be provided that can respond to multiple motions.
Furthermore, the activation circuit may comprise a microprocessor that communicates with the sensors 122, 124 and the transmitter module 150. In one embodiment, the microprocessor receives at least one signal from the sensors 122, 124 indicative of the state of the sensors. For instance, the microprocessor may determine when each of the sensors 122, 124 are in an ON or an OFF state or when one of the sensors 122, 124 switches states. Based on the states of the sensors 122, 124, the microprocessor then outputs a signal to the transmitter module 150 that causes activation or deactivation of the transmitter module 150.
In another embodiment, the microprocessor is capable of measuring a duration of time related to the operational states of the sensors 122, 124. For example, the microprocessor may use a clock signal or an external timer to determine the duration of time during which at least one of the sensors 122, 124 is in an ON state. The microprocessor may then use this duration of time when outputting a signal to the transmitter module 150. For example, the microprocessor may correlate the duration of time that a sensor 122, 124 is activated (for example, in an ON state) with an intensity, level, or type of a “spell” being cast by the user. For instance, if the user, while “casting a spell,” is able to move the toy wand 100g so as to keep at least one of the sensors 122, 124 activated for a certain period of time, the microprocessor may assign a particular level or intensity to the spell being cast. Thus, the microprocessor may output different signals, which represent different spells or spell intensities, to the transmitter module 150 based on the length of time of the sensor activation. In one embodiment, the microprocessor may associate longer durations of sensor activation with higher intensity spells.
In yet other embodiments of the invention, the duration of time during or between activation of the sensors 122, 124 is output to a receiver external to the wand 100. The receiver then processes the duration of time in determining which effect, or which level of an effect, is caused by the particular wand activation motions and associated duration(s) of time. In yet other embodiments, the foregoing microprocessor may be used in a toy wand 100g comprising a transponder 118 instead of, or in combination with, the transmitter module 150.
If desired, the RFID transponder 118 may also be electronically interlocked and controlled by an activation circuit such as illustrated and described above. For example, the RFID transponder 118 may be selectively activated or deactivated via an optional external interrupt/disable line 260 (see
In another embodiment, the wand 100g may be configured to operate in an “active” mode or a “sleep” mode. During the sleep mode, the activation circuit does not engage in significant activity, which reduces the energy consumption of the toy wand 100g. However, when the RFID tag 118 is brought within range of an RF transmitter, such as positioned near an effects controller, the RFID tag 118 receives a transmitted RF signal and “awakens” the activation circuit into the “active” state. If desired, the toy wand 100g may be further configured with a light or sound effect capable of producing a perceptible signal, such as a light or a noise, to alert the user when the toy wand 100g awakens to an “active” mode.
The toy wand 100g may be powered by one or more internal batteries (not shown). Optionally, it may be powered by an external energy source such as via a magnetic inductance energy generator 162. The magnetic inductance energy generator 162 comprises an inductance coil L1 sized and arranged such that when it is exposed to a fluctuating magnetic field (for example, a moving permanent magnet 164 rubbed back and forth and/or an externally generated electromagnetic field) an alternating current is generated. This generated current is rectified by diode D1 or, alternatively, a full wave bridge rectifier (not shown), and charges preferably an electrolytic capacitor C1 until it reaches a predetermined operating voltage (V+). If desired, a voltage regulator device, such as a zener diode (not shown) and/or active regulation circuitry may be added to stabilize and increase the efficiency of the magnetic inductance energy generator 162.
Alternatively, those skilled in the art will appreciate from the disclosure herein that various magnetic field effect sensors, such as Wiegand sensors and the like, may readily be used in place of or in addition to inductor L1 where, for example, it is desired to increase the energy-generating efficiency of the circuit 162. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,191,687 to Dlugos discloses a Wiegand effect energy generator comprising a Wiegand wire that changes its magnetic state in response to being exposed to an alternating magnetic field. The Wiegand wire has core and shell portions with divergent magnetic properties. The magnetic properties of the wire are such that it produces an output power signal that corresponds to the strength and rate of change of a magnetic field to which the Wiegand wire is exposed. Such energy pulses generally are between about 5 and 6 volts and 10 microseconds in width. Such energy pulses have sufficient voltage and duration to power a low power transmitter such as RF/IR module 150. One suitable Wiegand sensor that may be utilized in accordance with the present invention is the series 2000 sensor sold by EHD Corp. The Series 2000 Wiegand sensor produces pulses in response to alternating magnetic fields or permanent magnets that pass near the sensor. Alternatively, a piezoelectric energy generator (not shown) may be substituted for the magnetic inductance energy generator 162. See, for example, FIGS. 9-11 of U.S. Pat. No. 9,039,533 and the accompanying discussion.
The energy generating circuit 162 is preferably such that the toy wand 100g has no movable parts and requires no maintenance such as replacing batteries or the like over its anticipated life. All energy is generated, for example, by placing the toy wand within an externally generated electromagnetic field. Preferably, the inductor L1 (or Wiegand wire) and capacitor C1 are selected such that 5-10 seconds of exposure to an external fluctuating magnetic field will fully charge the capacitor C1, thus enabling the RF/IR transmitter 150 to be activated at least once and preferably 5-20 times without having to recharge. Advantageously, the absence of replaceable batteries or other visible electronic technology significantly increases the reality and full immersion experience of the magical fantasy and gives users the feeling of practicing, performing and mastering “real” magic using a “real” magic wand. Optionally, a non-replaceable permanent rechargeable battery and/or a factory replaceable battery (not shown) may be provided in place of or in addition to the energy generating circuit 162 where it is desired to provide long-term energy storage.
In certain applications, it may be desirable to wirelessly communicate specific data and commands to achieve different or varied interactive effects. For example, it may desirable to wirelessly send one command signal that turns a certain object (for example, a lamp) “OFF” and another command signal that turns an object “ON.” As described above, this functionality may be achieved using multiple activation circuits (or a single multi-mode activation circuit) responsive to various motions whereby each motion, if executed successfully, causes a different RF or IR signal to be transmitted to control or activate the desired effect (for example, turning a light ON or OFF or simulating the levitation of an object).
Another convenient way to achieve similar functionality is to load data bits representing specific desired commands directly into a data buffer of RF/IR module 150 and then, using only a single wand activation circuit and a single learned wand motion, cause an RF or IR signal to be transmitted, thereby carrying the command signal and data to an RF or IR receiver and associated effect. In one embodiment, one or more tilt sensors 192, 194 (illustrated schematically as switches S3/S4) may be provided in a convenient location within the toy wand 100g (for example, within the handle 115g). These sensors are preferably mounted and oriented at different angles from one another such that axial rotation of the wand shaft 110g and/or wand handle 115g causes the sensors to alternately switch from their ON to their OFF state. As illustrated in the circuit schematic accompanying
In one embodiment an auxiliary component 207 is provided and is configured with optional touch sensor elements 208, 210, 212 for selecting one or more commands. Touch sensor elements 208, 210, 212 (represented in the accompanying schematic as S3, S4, S5) comprise solid-state electronic switches (no buttons or moving parts) that are activated by the simple touch of a finger. Most preferably, these are solid state touch switches of the type illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,111 to Dobler et al., the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. As illustrated in more detail in
Each touch sensor preferably controls one data input bit of the RF/IR module data bus (for example, S3, S4, S5). One or more touch switches 208, 210, 212 may be activated during a single transmission. Thus, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that eight possible combinations of touch switch activations are possible corresponding to eight unique command input data sets as follows: ON/ON/ON; OFF/OFF/ON; ON/OFF/ON, OFF/ON/ON, ON/ON/OFF; OFF/OFF/OFF; ON/OFF/OFF, and OFF/ON/OFF These eight sensor states can represent, for example, eight unique command signals sent using the RF/IR module 150.
Optionally, toy wand 100f may include a magnetic tip 216, as illustrated in
The magnetic tip 216 is especially useful and synergistic in combination with the other disclosed functions and features of wand 100g. Thus, for example, as illustrated in
Preferably, all or most of the components comprising toy wand 100g are standardized, modularized and interchangeable, as illustrated in
The base component may comprise the wand shaft 110, for example. This may be a hollow plastic, wood or metal shaft provided in various materials and colors. For beginners or entry level users, a finished toy wand may be constructed by simply selecting a wand shaft 110 and then fitting it with one or more magnetic end caps 216, as illustrated. This provides an entry level toy wand (Level-1) that can be used to activate a variety of simple effects such as illustrated and described above in connection with
The next level toy wand (Level-2) would preferably include, in addition, a simple passive RFID transponder 118 inserted and secured at one end thereof. The transponder 118 provides relatively short-range RF communications and also stores a unique person identifier number (“UPIN”) and an optional unique group identifier number (“UGIN”). The UPIN and UGIN may be used to identify and track individual wands and play participants. The RFID transponder 118 also stores certain information identifying each play participant and/or describing certain powers or abilities possessed by an imaginary role-play character represented by the wand. These stored character attributes may be easily and conveniently transported with the wand to various compatible play facilities, games, video games, home game consoles, hand-held game units, and the like. If desired, the transponder 118 may be encapsulated in a colored epoxy, Lucite® acrylic glass (polymethyl methacrylate or PMMA) or the like and thereby disguised as a natural crystal or mineral/stone. A Level-2 wand preferably facilitates basic and intermediate game play within a compatible play facility. It has more functionality than a Level-1 wand, but is still not fully functional and, therefore, may not be capable of achieving some of the most desirable play effects or play experiences available.
The next level toy wand (Level-3) would preferably include, in addition, an active RF/IR module 150 and associated activation circuitry 120 for wirelessly casting a simple spell (for example, ON/OFF) over longer distances. Preferably, a Level-3 toy wand would be self-powered, requiring no batteries or other replaceable internal power source. However, if replaceable batteries are desired, they may optionally be encapsulated in a colored epoxy, Lucite® acrylic glass or the like and thereby disguised and sold in the form of a natural “energy crystal” or mineral/stone. A Level-3 toy wand preferably facilitates basic, intermediate and some advanced game play within a compatible play facility. It has more functionality than a Level-1 and Level-2 toy wand and can cast simple spells over long distances, but is not able to cast more complex spells. Therefore, it may not be capable of achieving some of the most advanced and desirable play effects or play experiences available.
The highest level toy wand (Level-4) would preferably include, in addition, circuitry and/or structure(s) (for example, auxiliary component 207) for selecting and casting more advanced and/or complex spells (for example, ON/OFF, increase/decrease, UP/DOWN, change colors, simulated levitation, or the like). For example, this would be similar to the toy wand 100g, illustrated and described above in connection with
Preferably, in all cases described above, the wand shaft 110, handle 115 and/or knob 123 may be further decorated and/or individualized, as desired, with various decorative elements 129, monograms 131, engravings, stickers, stains, custom paint and the like, to suit the tastes of each individual user. For example, various assembly and fabrication stations may preferably be provided within a dedicated “workshop” area whereby wand purchasers may personally attend to the selection, fabrication, assembly and final detailing of their personal toy wands. Similarly, toy wand “kits” may also be selected, packaged and sold whereby purchasers can assemble and decorate their own toy wands in the convenience of their own home using the wand components, materials and decorative elements illustrated and described above.
In a further alternative embodiment, the RF/IR module 150 may be replaced (or complimented) with a laser or light emitting module for providing an alternative (or additional) mode of operation. This would have particular advantage where, for example, it is desired to provide directional control of a transmitted command signal such as may be useful for directional spell casting, target practice, or a shooting-gallery-style play effect.
For example, a user may move the toy wand 100h in a predetermined pattern to initiate a “magic spell.” The movement of the wand 100h causes a corresponding movement of the signal emitted by the light emitting module 215, which is captured by the camera 230. The control system 235 then processes the image data received from the camera 230 to determine which “spell” was cast and to cause or trigger the special effect(s) associated with that particular spell. For example, the control system 235 may cause the image preparation device 220 to modify the displayed image so that flowers appear to “magically” sprout from a hat 202. Another spell may cause an image of a wizard to magically appear within a crystal ball 203 (with optional sound and lighting effects), or a candle 206 to magically light.
In one embodiment the image preparation device 220 may comprise a video projector or an LCD projector, and the display device 225 may comprise a projection screen, a wall, or a translucent material upon which a projected image may be displayed. In another embodiment the image preparation device 220 may comprise a digital video source such as a memory, and the display device 225 may comprise a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen coupled to the digital video source. For example, the image preparation device 220 may be electrically coupled to the display device 225 through a wired or wireless transmission medium. In other embodiments, the image preparation device 220 may comprise multiple devices usable to project or to cause an image to appear on the display device 225.
The image preparation device 220 is preferably configured to cause at least one video image and/or still image to appear on the display device 225. A skilled artisan will recognize from the disclosure herein that a wide variety of objects, characters, and/or images may be displayed on the display device 225. For instance, these may include images of mythical creatures, such as a dragon or a unicorn; magical objects, such as a flying carpet; or fantasy characters, such as a wizard or an elf; and combinations of the same or the like.
In one embodiment the camera 230 may comprise a high-speed still camera or a specialized video camera. In one embodiment the camera 230 may be configured to record the signal emitted by the light emitting module 215 as it is intercepted or reflected by the display device 225. In another embodiment the camera 230 may be located within a substantially enclosed area, such as, for example, a room, and configured to detect the signal emitted by the light emitting module 215 within the room and/or directed at objects or effects within the room. Optionally, multiple cameras 230 may be used to record or capture image data from different angles. Optionally, optical or infrared sensors may be used in place of, or in combination with, the camera 230 to detect the position and/or movement of the signal emitted by the light emitting module 215.
In one embodiment, the control system 235 may comprise a general purpose or a special purpose processor. In other embodiments, the control system 235 may comprise an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or one or more modules configured to execute on one or more processors. The control system 235 receives and processes the image data received from the camera 230 by analyzing the position and/or movement of the signal emitted by the light emitting module 215. Based on this analysis the control system 235 determines modifications to be made to subsequent images prepared by the image preparation device 220. Optionally, the control system 235 may communicate with a central system or database and/or other devices capable of causing play effects other than modifications to the image displayed on the display device 225.
While an interactive gaming toy comprising a toy wand is specifically contemplated and described herein in detail, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the teachings herein are not limited to toy wands, but may be carried out using any number or variety of other objects and toys for which it may be desirable to imbue special “magic” powers or other functionalities described herein. For example, the activation circuit described above may be implemented in a variety of other gaming and entertainment applications such as, for example, a wireless or hard-wired input device for a video game, computer game or home game console, an arcade or redemption challenge device, home-operated amusement device using simple bells and buzzers, or the like. Alternatively, some or all of the various circuitry and components described herein above may be externally implemented such that an interactive gaming toy may not be entirely self-contained, but may rely on certain external components and circuitry for some or all of its functionality. Alternatively, some or all of the various circuitry and components described herein can be implemented in a user-wearable format such that various interactive play effects and the like, as described herein, may be actuated through particular hand or arm motions. Other suitable interactive gaming toys may include, for example and without limitation, sporting items such as paddles, nunchucks, simulated fishing rods, bats, and various sporting balls; household items such as candles, candle sticks, brooms, feather dusters, and paint brushes; writing implements such as pens, pencils, and crayons; musical instruments such as flutes, recorders, and drum sticks; educational items such as books and diaries; wearable items such as tassels, gloves, coats, hats, shoes and clothing items; role-play toys such as dolls, action figures, and stuffed animals; jewelry items such as rings, bracelets necklaces, and trinkets; natural items such as sticks, flowers, rocks, and crystals; and simulated food items such as apples, oranges, bananas, carrots, and celery.
Adjunct Gaming Items
If desired, one or more adjunct gaming items may also be provided and utilized as part of an interactive role-playing game such as disclosed herein. These may be used instead of or as an adjunct to other interactive gaming toys described herein. For example,
The back side 330 of the card preferably contains the card electronics comprising an RFID tag 128 pre-programmed with the pertinent information for the particular person, character or object portrayed on the front side 328 of the card. Preferably, the tag 128 is passive (requires no batteries) and has a read range greater than about 1 cm. RFID tags having read ranges of between about 10 cm to about 100 cm are particularly preferred, although shorter or longer read ranges will also work. The particular tag illustrated is a 13.56 MHz RFID tag inlay which has a useful read/write range of about 25 cm. It is sold under the brand name Tag-It™ and is available from Texas Instruments, Inc. (http://www.tiris.com, Product No. RI-103-110A). The tag 128 may be “read/write” or “read only”, depending on its particular gaming application. Optionally, less expensive chipless tags (described in more detail later) may also be used. If desired, the tag 128 may be covered with an adhesive paper label 344 or, alternatively, the tag may be molded directly into a plastic sheet substrate from which the card is formed.
Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure herein that a variety of character cards and/or other gaming items having features and advantages as disclosed herein may be used to play a wide variety of unique and exciting games within an RFID-enabled play facility and/or using an RFID-enabled gaming device or game console. For example, such games may be carried out using a specially configured gaming device or, alternatively, using a conventional computer gaming platform, home game console, arcade game console, hand-held game device, internet gaming device or other gaming device that includes an RFID interface that is able to communicate with RFID tag 128. Advantageously, play participants can use character cards 325a and/or other RFID-enabled gaming items to transport information pertinent to a particular depicted person, character or object to a favorite computer action game, adventure game, interactive play facility or the like. For example, as illustrated in
If desired, the game console may be further configured to write information to the card in order to change or update certain characteristics or traits of the character, person or object depicted by the card 325a in accordance with a predetermined game play progression. For example, in the course of playing a typical Pajama Sam game, players must “find” certain objects or tools (for example, flash light 346, lunch box 347 and PajamaMan mask 348) that they will use to solve certain puzzles or tasks presented by the game. Players “pick up” these objects or tools by clicking their mouse on the desired object. The computer game software then keeps a record of which objects have been collected and displays those objects on the computer screen when requested by the player. This information can also advantageously be stored on the RFID tag 128 associated with the character card 325a so that in future game sessions the card information can be automatically read and the computer experience can be modified or updated in accordance with the new information recorded on the card 325a. In this manner, the character role-play experience becomes portable, personal and long-term. This, in turn, facilitates the development of even more sophisticated and complex role-play characters and longer, more enjoyable role play experiences as players are able to continue playing with and developing the same role-play character(s) over long periods of time and in different and varied play environments.
Each trading card preferably comprises a paper, cardboard or plastic substrate having a front side 328 and a back side 330. The front side 328 may be imprinted with graphics, photos, or any other information as desired. For example, the front side 328 of card 325b includes an image of the Pikachu character along with printed information 349 describing, for example, the character's type, size and evolution in the game, and any special powers or traits the character may possess. The back side 330 contains an RFID tag 128 configured and arranged in the manner described above in connection with
RFID-enabled trading cards 325b, 325c, 325d and the virtual characters they represent, need not be static in the game, but may change over time according to a central story or tale that unfolds in real time (for example, through televised shows or movies released over the course of weeks, months or years). Thus, a trading card that may be desirable for game play this week (for example, for its special powers or abilities), may be less desirable next week if the underlying character is injured or captured in the most recent episode of the story. Another significant and surprising advantage of RFID-enabled trading cards is that multiple cards can be stacked and simultaneously read by a single RFID reader even where the cards are closely stacked on top of one another and even though the reader may be hidden from view. This feature and ability creates limitless additional opportunities for exciting game complexities, unique game designs and gaming strategies heretofore unknown.
Of course, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure herein that the underlying concept of an RFID-enabled character card or trading card is not limited to cards depicting fantasy characters or objects, but may be implemented in a wide variety of alternative embodiments, including conventional playing cards, poker cards, board game cards and tokens, sporting cards, educational cards and the like. If desired, any number of other suitable collectible/tradable tokens, coins, trinkets, simulated crystals or the like may also be provided and used with a similar RFID tag device for gaming or entertainment purposes in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
For example, RFID tag devices may be included on “magic articles” that may be purchased or acquired in a gaming or interactive play system. For instance, a user may purchase an invisibility cloak, magic beads, belts, and the like during an interactive play experience. The RFID tags may be used to communicate to a central database that a certain player has purchased or is in possession of the tagged item. The central database may then track the tagged items and/or may cause those in possession of the tagged items to have increased “magical” skills or powers, such as additional protection from the spells “cast” by opposing players.
Toy/Game Interface
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various interactive gaming toys and gaming items described herein may be used with a specially configured computer, video game, home game console, hand-held gaming device, game controller or similar gaming device having a compatible wireless interface configured to communicate with each interactive gaming toy or gaming item in the manner disclosed herein. Alternatively, a conventional gaming device may be used in conjunction with a peripheral device that provides the compatible wireless interface. For example, this may comprise an RFID reader or an RFID reader/writer device such as described herein.
One embodiment of a peripheral gaming device in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that as an RFID-tagged gaming toy or gaming item enters and passes through the opening 309 it may be wirelessly powered by an electromagnetic field generated by the antenna 306, such as disclosed and described herein in connection with
If desired, the peripheral gaming device 301a may also include the ability to produce light, vibration or sound effects to complement the operation of an associated interactive gaming toy. For example, these effects may be triggered based on information wirelessly communicated by an RFID-tagged gaming toy to the RFID reader/writer 300. Optionally, the opening 309 may open into an enclosed space, such as a simulated vault, cave or secret chamber. For example, the enclosed space may be configured to accommodate one or more interactive gaming toys. In one embodiment, the portal opening 309 is configured such that gaming toys can only enter or exit an enclosed space by passing through the portal 303. In this manner, one or more associated interactive gaming toys may be wirelessly tracked as they enter or exit an enclosed space through opening 309.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that as an RFID-tagged gaming toy or gaming item approaches the opening 309 (either from above or below) it may be wirelessly powered by an electromagnetic field generated by the antenna 306, such as disclosed and described herein in connection with
RFID reader/writer 300 is also preferably configured to communicate with a host computer 375 (for example, a home computer, home game console, hand-held game unit) using, for example, one or more industry standard communication interfaces such as RS232, Ethernet, or a wireless network. If desired, the peripheral gaming device 301b may also include the ability to produce light, vibration or sound effects to complement the operation of an associated interactive gaming toy. For example, various effects may be triggered when an RFID-enabled toy wand is brought within wireless communication range of the peripheral gaming device 301b.
The opening 309 preferably lies in a horizontal plane, as illustrated, and opens into a substantially enclosed space below the rim comprising the belly of the cauldron. This space is preferably sized and configured to accommodate one or more RFID-tagged interactive gaming toys or gaming items such as disclosed and described herein. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that as an RFID-tagged gaming toy or gaming item approaches the opening 309 (either from above or below) it may be wirelessly powered by an electromagnetic field generated by the antenna 306, such as disclosed and described herein in connection with
RFID reader/writer 300 is also preferably configured to communicate with a host computer 375 (for example, a home computer, home game console, hand-held game unit) using, for example, one or more industry standard communication interfaces such as RS232, Ethernet, or a wireless network. If desired, the peripheral gaming device 301c may also include the ability to produce light, vibration or sound effects to complement the operation of an associated interactive gaming toy or computer-animated game. For example, various special effects (for example, boiling, sparking, gurgling, shaking, or popping), may be triggered as each RFID-tagged gaming item is dropped into the cauldron. These effects may be different for each RFID-tagged item (or combination of items) based on information wirelessly communicated by each RFID-tagged item to the RFID reader/writer 300.
In addition to the embodiments described above and illustrated in
RFID Tags and Readers
Many of the preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein are RFID-enabled—that is, they utilize RFID technology to electrically store and communicate certain relevant information (for example, UPIN and UGIN, game levels, points, combinations of the same or the like) and/or to wirelessly actuate or control various play effects. RFID technology provides a universal and wireless medium for uniquely identifying objects and/or people and for wirelessly exchanging information over short and medium range distances (10 cm to 10 meters). Commercially available RFID technologies include electronic devices called transponders or tags, and reader/writer electronics that provide an interface for communicating with the tags. Most RFID systems communicate via radio signals that carry data either uni-directionally (read only) or, more preferably, bi-directionally (read/write).
Several examples of RFID tags or transponders particularly suitable for use with the present invention have been illustrated and described herein. For example, in some of the embodiments illustrated and described above, a 134.2 kHz/123.2 kHz, 23 mm glass transponder 118 is selected, such as available from Texas Instruments, Inc. (http://www.tiris.com, for example, Product No. RI-TRP-WRHP). As illustrated in more detail in
A carrier signal embodying this information is received by antenna 306 of RFID reader/writer 300. RF Module 302 decodes the received signal and provides the decoded information to Control Unit 304. Control Unit 304 processes the information and provides it to an associated logic controller, PID controller, computer or the like using a variety of standard electrical interfaces (not shown). Thus, the information transmitted by transponder 118 and received by reader/writer 300 may be used to control one or more associated play effects through a programmable logic controller, for example. In one embodiment, for example, the information transmitted includes data relating to the activation of the sensors 122, 124 of the toy wand 100g (
Preferably, RFID reader/writer 300 is also configured to broadcast or “write” certain information back to the transponder 118 to change or update information stored in its internal memory, for example. The exchange of communications occurs very rapidly (about 70 ms) and so, from the user's perspective, it appears to be virtually instantaneous. Thus, the transponder 118 may be used to wirelessly actuate and/or communicate with various associated effects by simply touching or bringing the transponder 118 into relatively close proximity (for example, 2-3 cm) with the antenna 306 of a reader/writer unit 300.
The charge phase is followed directly by the read phase (read mode). Thus, when the transponder 118 detects the end of the charge burst, it begins transmitting its data using Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) and utilizing the energy stored in the capacitor. The typical data low bit frequency is 134.2 kHz and the typical data high bit frequency is 123.2 kHz. The low and high bits have different duration, because each bit takes 16 RF cycles to transmit. The high bit has a typical duration of 130 μs, the low bit of 119 μs. Regardless of the number of low and high bits, the transponder response duration is generally less than about 20 ms.
The carrier signal embodying the transmitted information is received by antenna 306 and is decoded by RF module 302. RF Module 302 comprises integrated circuitry 312 that provides the interface between the transponder 118 and the Control Module 304 (data processing unit) of the Reader/Writer Unit 300. It has the primary function and capability to charge up the transponder 118, to receive the transponder response signal and to demodulate it for further digital data processing. A Control Unit 304, comprising microprocessor 314, power supply 316 and RS232 Driver 318, handles most data protocol items and the detailed fast timing functions of the Reader/Writer Module 300. It may also operate as an interface for a PC, logic controller or PLC controller for handling display and command input/output functions, for example, for operating/actuating various associated play effects. If desired, the Reader/Writer Module 300 may also be configured to communicate with an optional Host Computer 375 through one or more standard communication interfaces, such as RS232, RS422 or RS485.
In other embodiments illustrated and described above, an adhesive-backed RFID tag inlay is utilized, such as the 13.56 MHz tag sold under the brand name Tag-It™ available from Texas Instruments, Inc. (http://www.tiris.com, Product No. RI-103-110A). These tags have a useful read/write range of about 25 cm and contain 256 bits of on-board memory arranged in 8×32-bit blocks which may be programmed (written) and read by a suitably configured read/write device. The Tag-It™ 13.56 MHz RFID tag has particular advantages in the context of the present invention. Paper thin and batteryless, this general purpose read/write transponder is placed on a polymer tape substrate and delivered in reels. It fits between layers of laminated paper or plastic to create inexpensive stickers, labels, tickets and badges that may be easily secured or applied to virtually any play object, toy wand, wristband, badge, card or the like, for electronically storing and retrieving desired user-specific or object-specific information. Such information may include, for example, UPIN, UGIN, object type/size/shape/color, first and/or last name, age, rank or level, total points accumulated, tasks completed, facilities visited, and combinations of the same or the like. These or similar RFID tags may be applied to any of the interactive gaming toys disclosed and described herein or to any other toys, play objects, jewelry, trinkets, action figures, collectibles, trading cards and generally any other items desired to be incorporated as part of an RFID-enabled gaming experience.
As illustrated in more detail in
As indicated above, communication of data between a tag and a reader is by wireless communication. As a result, transmitting such data is always subject to the vagaries and influences of the media or channels through which the data has to pass, including the air interface. Noise, interference and distortion are the primary sources of data corruption that may arise. Thus, those skilled in the art will recognize that a certain degree of care should be taken in the placement and orientation of readers 300 so as to minimize the probability of such data transmission errors. Preferably, the readers are placed at least 30-60 cm away from any metal objects, power lines or other potential interference sources. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that the write range of the tag/reader combination is typically somewhat less (˜10-15% less) than the read range “d” and, thus, this should also be taken into account in determining optimal placement and positioning of each reader device 300. Preferably a tag/reader combination is selected having a read/write range greater than about 1 cm. If a longer read/write range and/or more memory is desired, optional battery-powered tags may be used instead, such as available from Axcess, Inc. and/or various other vendors known to those skilled in the art.
Various data buffers or further memory components (not shown), may be provided to temporarily hold incoming data following demodulation and outgoing data for modulation and interface with the transponder antenna 338. Analog Circuitry 535 provides the facility to direct and accommodate the interrogation field energy for powering purposes in passive transponders and triggering of the transponder response. Analog Circuitry 535 also provides the facility to accept the programming or “write” data modulated signal and to perform the necessary demodulation and data transfer processes. Digital Circuitry 540 provides certain control logic, security logic and internal microprocessor logic required to operate central processor 530.
Of course, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure herein that the invention is not limited to the specific RFID transponder devices disclosed herein, but may be implemented using any one or more of a wide variety of commercially available wireless communication devices such as are known or will be obvious from the disclosure herein to those skilled in the art. These include, without limitation, RFID tags, EAS tags, electronic surveillance transmitters, electronic tracking beacons, Wi-Fi, GPS, bar coding, and the like.
Another RFID tagging technology of particular interest for purposes of practicing the present invention are the so-called “chipless” RFID tags. These are extremely low-cost RFID tags that are available in the form of a printed circuit on a thin, flat adhesive-backed substrate or foil. These tags are similar in size, shape and performance to the Tag-It™ RFID inlay tags described above, except that these tags require no on-board integrated circuit chip. Chipless RFID tags can be electronically interrogated to reveal a pre-encoded unique ID and/or other data stored on the tag. Because the tags do not contain a microchip, they cost much less than conventional RFID tags. An adhesive-backed chipless RFID tag with up to 10 meters range and 256 bits of data, can cost one tenth of their silicon chip equivalents and typically have a greater physical performance and durability. For example, a suitable chipless RFID tag is being made available from Checkpoint Systems under its ExpressTrak™ brand. Very inexpensive chipless RFID tags (and/or other types of RFID tags) may also be directly printed on paper or foil substrates using various conductive inks and the like, such as are available from Parelec Inc. under its Parmod VLT™ brand.
Wireless Receivers/Transmitters
In many of the preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein it is disclosed to use a radio frequency (RF) and/or infrared (IR) transmitter to send wireless signals over relatively long range distances (for example, 10-100 meters or more). For example, the toy wand 100g illustrated and described in connection with
Those skilled in the art will recognize from the disclosure herein that transmitter module 150 may be implemented in a variety of known electrical technologies, such as discrete electronic circuits and/or integrated circuits Preferably, integrated circuitry technology and/or surface mount components are used to reduce the physical size of the circuit 150 such that it is able to fit within a relatively small space such as an internal cavity of an interactive gaming toy.
In operation, the RF/IR transmitter module 150 transmits a certain command signal (RF/IROut) including coded address and optional coded data information. This signal is received and decoded by receiver module 362 as input signal (RF/IRin). The decoded transmitter address information is compared to a fixed or dynamically stored coded value from address storage 368. Preferably, an immediate effect such as a pulsing light or sound is actuated by controller 374 in order to provide visual and/or aural cues that a command signal was received. Receive timer 372 is initiated and the RF receiver module 362 awaits the next command signal. If no further signal is received before the timer 372 times out, then the command signal is assumed to be complete and the controller 374 is instructed to process the received command signal(s) and actuate one or more relays, for example, thereby triggering whatever appropriate effect(s) correspond to the command signal received.
For applications supporting multiple wireless input devices (i.e., multiple RF/IR transmitter modules 150) within a single play space, the address comparator 366 of receiver module 362 is preferably configured to accept either: (1) a range of valid “compatible” addresses from the set of RF/IR transmitter modules 150; or (2) any valid address from a list of valid addresses stored in address storage module 368. In the first case, each transmitter module 150 within a defined group of transmitter modules (for example, all Level-1 toy wands) would preferably be configured to have a coded address value having a portion of address bits that are identical and a portion of address bits that may be unique. The receiver module 362, upon detecting a compatible address bit sequence, decodes the data bits thereof and sets a latch selected by those particular data bits. A number of such latches, may be provided, for example, for recognizing and distinguishing further such command signals originating from multiple users and/or wands. In the second case, the receiver module 362 stores a list of specific coded values, i.e. valid addresses, in a memory, such as memory 368, and as transmitted addresses are received, they are compared to the valid addresses in this list. Thus, only signals transmitted by RF/IR transmitter modules that are on the list of valid addresses are accepted by receiver module 362. In this manner, for example, command signals sent by Level-1 toy wands can be distinguished from command signals sent by Level-2 toy wands.
Address comparator 366 preferably includes a latch circuit 392 having an addressable latch corresponding to each register in addressable register 386 and that is addressed by the same address value generated by address selector 388 to address register 386. Coded value comparator 390 determines when there is a match between the received coded value and the stored coded value. The occurrence of a match causes comparator 390 to set the corresponding latch in latch circuit 392. If received coded identification values corresponding to all of the stored fixed coded values are received and properly decoded, then all of the latches in latch circuit 392 will be set, thereby making a “true” condition at the inputs of AND gate 394 and causing its output to become “true.” This “true” signal from AND gate 394 resets receive timer 372, as described above in connection with
Regulated voltage from regulator U4 is applied to shift register 356 (pin 18) and RF transmitter 358. Shift register 356 is implemented by an encoder integrated circuit U2 such as a 212 series encoder type HT12E available from Holtek Microelectronics in Hsinchu, Taiwan, R.O.C. Non-volatile address storage 352 is implemented by twelve single pole switches in switch packages SW1 and SW2 which are set to produce a twelve-bit coded value which is applied in parallel bit format to encoder integrated circuit U2 of shift register 356. Once set by the manufacturer or the user, the preselected coded value stored in address storage 352 is fixed and will not change absent human intervention. However, in alternative embodiments SW2 may be replaced in whole or in part by command selection circuitry such as touch switches, tilt switches and the like illustrated and described above in connection with
Transmitter module 150 need only employ a small antenna such as a small loop antenna and is not required to have optimum antenna coupling. In a typical embodiment, with a transmitter frequency of about 915 MHz, a transmitter peak power output of less than or equal to one milliwatt produces a transmission range R of about 20-30 meters. Other frequencies and power levels may also be employed. The low transmitter power is particularly advantageous in that it allows the size of transmitter module 150 to be made very small.
Receive timer 372 is implemented by one-shot timer integrated circuit U6a such as type 74123N and D-flip flop U7a such as type 74HC74D, both of which are available from National Semiconductor Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif. When comparator 366 detects a match between the received coded value from transmitter module 150 and the coded value stored in address storage 368 it resets one-shot timer U6a. If one-shot timer U6a is not again reset within the time determined by timing resistor R8 and timing capacitor C9, U6a then sets flip-flop U7a and its Q output becomes low thereby applying a voltage input to controller 374 signifying the end of a transmitted command signal. Controller 374 then processes the received command signal or signals (for example, stored in a stack register) and appropriately operates one or more associated play effects 376.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the switch positions of the twelve switches SW1, SW2 of transmitter module 150 correspond to the switch positions of the corresponding twelve switches SW3, SW4 of receiver module 362. These preset values may be fixed or dynamic, as discussed above. The twelve-bits available for storing coded values may be apportioned in a convenient way, for example, into an address portion and into a data portion. For example, the twelve-bit coded value can be apportioned into a ten-bit address portion (1024 possible combinations) and a two-bit data portion, which would accommodate up to four different transmitter command signals. If desired, the ten-bit address portion can be further divided into various logical portions representing, for example, designated wand levels (for example, 1, 2, 3 or 4), special acquired magic powers or skills, experience levels and the like. This coded data would preferably be shared and coordinated between all transmitter modules 150 and receiver modules 362 such that each associated gaming toy effectively would have its own unique powers and abilities as represented and identified by the coded address data. Thus, certain receivers and associated play effects would not respond to certain transmitter modules unless the address coding of the transmitter module is coded with the appropriate matching data. Persons skilled in the art will recognize also that recoding of transmitter modules is a convenient way to provide for advancement of game participants within an interactive gaming experience. For example, this can be accomplished manually (for example, by flipping dip switches SW1/SW2) or automatically/wirelessly (for example, via RF programmable code latching circuitry, not shown).
While the foregoing embodiments have been described in terms of a radio frequency (RF) or infrared (IR) transmission between a transmitter module 150 and receiver module 362, various alternative embodiments could also readily be implemented such as, for example, complimenting an RF transmitter and receiver set with an appropriately selected infrared (IR) transmitter and receiver set or a laser or light system. The IR or laser system would have particular advantage where, for example, it is desired to provide directional control of a transmitted command signal.
RF Transceivers (SRRF)
In certain embodiments, an interactive gaming toy may include an RF transceiver (a combination radio transmitter and receiver) configured to electronically send and receive information to and from various other compatible RF transceivers that may be provided within a play environment. The capability to provide two-way wireless communications (sometimes referred to herein as a send receive radio frequency communication protocol or “SRRF”) provide the basic foundation for a complex, interactive entertainment system. In its most refined embodiments, a user may electronically send and receive information to and from other SRRF-compatible interactive gaming toys and/or to and from a SRRF-compatible master control system (described in more detail later) located within and/or associated with any of a number of play environments.
SRRF may generally be described as an RF-based communications technology and protocol that allows pertinent information and messages to be sent and received to and from two or more SRRF-compatible devices or systems. While the specific embodiments described herein are specific to RF-based communication systems, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the broader interactive play concepts taught herein may also be realized using any number of commercially available 2-way and/or 1-way medium range wireless communication devices and communication protocols such as, without limitation, infrared-, digital-, analog-, AM/FM-, laser-, visual-, audio-, and/or ultrasonic-based systems, as desired or expedient.
The SRRF system can preferably send and receive signals (up to 40 feet) between portable tokens (described in more detail below) and fixed transceivers. The SRRF system is also preferably able to associate a token with a particular zone as defined by a token activation area approximately 10-15 feet in diameter. Suitable embodiments of the SRRF technology described herein may be obtained from a number of suitable sources, such as AXCESS, Inc. and, in particular, the AXCESS active RFID network system for asset and people tacking applications.
In one embodiment, an entire entertainment facility may be configured with SRRF technology to provide a master control system for an interactive entertainment play environment using SRRF-compatible interactive gaming toys such as toy wands and/or other SRRF-compatible gaming devices. A typical entertainment facility provided with SRRF technology may allow 300-400 or more users to more-or-less simultaneously send and receive electronic transmissions to and from a master control system using a toy wand, for example, or other SRRF-compatible gaming device.
For example, a master control system may comprise a software program, a centralized computer network and an associated data-base that monitors the operation of each interactive gaming toy within a particular location. This information is then used to adjust the play experience for each user based on “knowing” where the user/player has been, what objectives that player has accomplished and how many points or levels have been reached. The system can then send messages to the user throughout the play experience. For example, the system can allow or deny access to a user into a new play area based on how many points or levels have been reached by that user and/or based on what objectives that user has accomplished or helped accomplish. It can also indicate, via sending a message to the user the amount of points or specific play objectives necessary to complete a “mission” or enter the next level of play. The master control system can also send messages to the user from other users. In yet other embodiments, an interactive gaming toy may be configured to automatically download information from the master control system.
The system is preferably sophisticated enough that it can allow multiple users to interact with each other, adjusting the game instantly. The master control system can also preferably interface with digital imaging and/or video capture so that the users' activities can be visually tracked. Any user can locate another user either through the video capturing system or by sending a message to another device. At the end of a visit, users are informed of their activities and the system interfaces with printout capabilities.
In another embodiment a network of transceivers may be installed at specific points throughout a facility. Players are outfitted or provided with a SRRF-compatible player identification device, sometimes referred to herein as a “token”. For example, this may be a toy, card, key chain trinket, wristband, badge, or other SRRF-compatible device having a unique token identification number (TID). In one embodiment a suitable token may comprise a standard AXCESS personnel tag clipped to a player's clothing in the upper chest area. As each player enters a specific interactive play area or “game zone” within the facility, the player's token receives a low frequency activation signal containing a zone identification number (ZID). The token then responds to this signal by transmitting both its unique TID along with the ZID, thus identifying and associating the player with a particular zone.
The token's transmitted signal is received by a transceiver attached to a data network built into the facility. Using the data network, the transceiver forwards the TID/ZID data to a host computer system. The host system uses the SRRF information to log/track the guest's progress through the facility while interfacing with other interactive systems within the venue. For example, upon receipt of a TID/ZID message received from Zone 1, the host system may trigger a digital camera focused on that area, thus capturing a digital image of the player which can now be associated with both their TID and the ZID at a specific time. In this manner the SRRF technology allows the master control system to uniquely identify and track people as they interact with various games and activities in a semi-controlled play environment. Optionally, the system may be configured for two-way messaging to enable more complex interactive gaming concepts.
In another embodiment, the SRRF technology can be used in the home. For example, a small SRRF module may be incorporated into one or more portable toys or objects that may be as small as a beeper. The SRRF module supports two-way communications with a small home transceiver, as well as with other SRRF-compatible objects. For example, a SRRF-compatible gaming toy can communicate with another SRRF-compatible gaming toy.
The toy or object may also include the ability to produce light, vibration or other sound effects based on signals received through the SRRF module to complement the operation of the toy and/or the effects achieved. In a more advanced implementation, the toy or object may be configured such that it is able to display preprogrammed messages of up to 50 characters or more on a LCD screen when triggered by user action (for example a button) or via signals received through the SRRF module. The toy or object may also be configured such that it is capable of displaying short text messages transmitted from another SRRF-compatible device.
Preferably, the SRRF transceiver is capable of supporting medium-to-long range (10-40 feet) two-way communications between SRRF-compatible toys or objects and a host system, such as a PC running SRRF-compatible software. This transceiver preferably has an integral antenna and interfaces to the host computer (and/or other consumer electronic devices) through a dedicated communication port using industry standard RS232 serial communications. If desired, each SRRF module may also incorporate a global positioning system (“GPS”) device to track the exact location of each play participant within one or more play environments.
Most desirably, a SRRF module can be provided in “chip” form to be incorporated with other electronics, or designed as a packaged module suitable for the consumer market. If desired, the antenna can be embedded in the module, or integrated into the toy and attached to the module. Different modules and antennas may be required depending on the function, intelligence and interfaces required for different devices. A consumer grade rechargeable or user replaceable battery may also be used to power both the SRRF module and associated toy electronics.
Interactive Game Play
The present invention may be carried out using a wide variety of suitable game play environments, storylines and characters, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. The following specific game play examples are provided for purposes of illustration and for better understanding of the invention and should not be taken as limiting the invention in any way:
An overall interactive gaming experience and entertainment system is provided (called the “Magic” experience), which tells a fantastic story that engages children and families in a never-ending adventure based on a mysterious treasure box filled with magical objects. Through a number of entertainment venues such as entertainment facilities, computer games, television, publications, web sites, and the like, children learn about and/or are trained to use these magical objects to become powerful “wizards” within one or more defined “Magic” play environments. The play environments may be physically represented, such as via an actual existing play structure or family entertainment center, and/or it may be visually/aurally represented via computer animation, television radio and/or other entertainment venue or source. Entertainment venues or sources may include, for example, video games, computer games, television, internet, movies and radio. These and other entertainment venues or sources can be used to provide all or part of the overall game experience in accordance with the present invention.
The magical objects use the SRRF communications system allowing for messages and information to be received and sent to and from any other SRRF-compatible object or system. Optionally, these may be programmed and linked to a SRRF-compatible master control system. Most preferably, a SRRF-compatible toy wand is provided and is configured to enable a user to interact with a master control system located within a Magic entertainment facility and/or a home-based system using common consumer electronic devices such as a personal computer or a video game system.
A computer adventure game is provided in which one or more play participants assume the role of an imaginary character “Pajama Sam” from the popular series of computer games published by Humongous Entertainment, Inc. of Woodinville, Wash. A Pajama Sam character trading card, such as illustrated in
A specially configured computer, video game, home game console, hand-held gaming device, game controller, or similar gaming device is provided with a reader, and more preferably a reader/writer such as described above, that is able to communicate with the card. As each play participant plays his or her favorite Pajama Sam game the Pajama Sam character represented by the card gains (or loses) certain attributes, such as speed, dexterity, and/or the possession of certain tools or objects associated with the game play. All of this information is preferably stored on the card so that the character attributes may be easily and conveniently transported to other similarly-equipped computer games, video games, home game consoles, hand-held game units, play facilities, and the like. In this manner, an imaginary role-play character is created and stored on a card that is able to seamlessly transcend from one play medium to the next.
Various other video games, home game consoles, and/or hand-held game units can also be configured to communicate with the Pajama Sam adventure card in a similar manner as described above. In this manner, a play participant can use the Pajama Sam trading card and the role play character he or she has developed with specific associated attributes in a favorite video action game, role-play computer game, internet adventure game or the like.
Game participants are immersed in a world-wide treasure hunt adventure to locate a large, unknown amount of money stashed away in one or more Swiss bank accounts (the money and the accounts can be real or imaginary).
According to the storyline Willy Wonkers, a reclusive/eccentric billionaire, was unsure which of his many would-be heirs was worthy to receive his vast fortunes. So he provided in his will that upon his demise his entire estate was to be liquidated and all of the proceeds placed in a number of anonymous Swiss bank accounts under secret passwords known only to Willy. According to Willy's will these proceeds were to be distributed “to only such heir(s) who prove themselves worthy of inheriting my vast fortunes by successfully completing the Wonkers Worldwide Worthiness Challenge”—a series of intellectual, physical and moral challenges devised by Willy.
Game participants are invited to a reading of the will where they are identified as potential heirs to the Wonkers family fortune. Each participant is challenged to complete the Wonkers Worldwide Worthiness test and to thereby obtain the secret Swiss account number(s)/passwords and the Wonkers fortunes. Each game participant receives an RFID-enabled token having a unique identification number. The token is used to uniquely identify each player throughout the game play. Preferably, each token represents a specific character in the treasure hunt game. Thus, play participants would preferably select which character he or she would like to play. Each character would come with a unique story about who they are, how they were related to Willy and, most importantly, a touching little vignette about Willy that no one else knows. Hidden within each story is one or more unique clues that are necessary to solve the various challenges the players will soon face.
The game is preferably arranged and set up so that clues can only be successfully used by the particular characters who legitimately possess them. If any other character illegitimately obtains these secret clues and tries to use them in the game, he or she will fail the challenge. Preferably all of the clues (and possibly other, extrinsic clues) are required to complete the quest. Thus, players will preferably need to cooperate with other players in order to receive and exchange the necessary clues and/or other specified assistance required to enable each player to advance in the game. This may encourage playful interaction among the players by requiring them to work with (and possibly negotiate against) other players to see who can get the information and points they need to advance in the game.
Preferably, any sharing of information must be conducted within the rules of the game to be “legitimate” and recognized by the game. Thus, preferably, players cannot advance in the game simply by getting the relevant clue information from the internet or by asking other players. To be legitimate and, therefore, recognized by the game, cooperating players must present their tokens together to a compatible token reader and request that the information be shared between the characters. Once the information is legitimately exchanged within the context of the game, it then can be used by each player/character to solve further challenges and thereby advance in the game. However, if a player guesses the answer (even correctly) or if the clue information is obtained illegitimately, then the player preferably loses the quest and must purchase a new token.
More complex sharing scenarios could also be developed. For example, certain unique clue information could be revealed only during the course of game play and only to certain characters. Other characters would need this clue information to advance in the game and would have to figure out which other character(s) have the information they need. They would then need to find and contact another player who has the appropriate character token and who has successfully found the clue information they need. Then they would need to meet in order to make the necessary exchange transaction. Other complex sharing scenarios may require players to negotiate multi-party exchanges of information between three or more players/characters.
Preferably, the game is self-policing. That is, it “knows” when an exchange of information and/or other required assistance is legitimately given (i.e. conducted within the rules of the game) and can react accordingly. For example, the game may require players to simultaneously present their tokens to a compatible reader device. The reader would then be able to verify the identities of each character/player, extract relevant information (for example, token ID, user password, etc.), and write the relevant new information to each player's token. Once the transaction is completed, each player would then legitimately possess and be able to use the information stored on his or her token to advance further in the game using any other gaming device that can read the token.
Alternatively, the same sequence can be followed as described above, except that the token is used only to verify character and player identities (for example where the token comprises an RFID read-only tag). All other relevant information is stored in a local and/or central database. The data-base keeps track of each individual player's progress, what information/clues they have learned, who they have interacted with, points accumulated, etc. Thus, game play can proceed on any device that can communicate via the internet, such as a home computer, game console, internet appliance, etc.
Alternatively, an authenticating password may be used in conjunction with each RFID-enabled token. When two or more players present their tokens to a compatible reader device as in the examples described above, each player is given an authenticating password, which the player(s) then can enter into any other gaming platform. The password may be an alpha-numeric code that is mathematically derived from the unique ID numbers of each participating player involved in the sharing transaction. Thus, it is unique to the specific players involved in the authorized exchange transaction and cannot be used by other players (even if they copy or steal the password). When the alphanumeric number is subsequently re-entered into another device (for example, a home game console or home computer) by the authorized player, the game software can reverse the mathematical algorithm using the player's unique ID (for example, previously entered at the beginning of the game) and thereby determine and/or validate the event(s) that generated the authenticating password. Existing public-key/private-key encryption algorithms and/or the like could be used for encoding and decoding the authenticating passwords. Optionally, each authenticating password could have a “shelf life” of any desired length of time such that it must be used within an hour, a day, a week, a month, etc. This might help move the game along by keeping players on their toes. Authenticating passwords could be easily printed and dispensed on special tickets or stickers, which can be collected. Alternatively, and/or in addition, authenticating passwords can be readily printed on any ordinary cash register receipt as part of any purchase transaction (for example at a fast food or other retail establishment).
The treasure hunt game may be continual in its progression or it may be orchestrated in real time via the internet or any other mass distribution or communication medium, such as TV commercials, mini-gameboy installments, computer-animated MPEG videos. For example, each game might last several days/weeks/months, and may be launched in conjunction with a promotional/advertising campaign for a complementing movie or the like. In that event, players would preferably sign up in advance to receive their tokens to play the game or they can purchase one or more tokens at any participating gaming outlet before or during the game.
Game participants are immersed in a “whodunit” murder mystery. For example, this interactive adventure game could be based on the popular board game “Clue™.” Players learn that a murder has been committed and they must figure out who did it, in what room, with what weapon, etc. The game is preferably live-action interactive with simulated live-news casts, letters, telephone calls, etc.
According to the storyline Major Mayonnaise is found dead in his palatial mansion of an apparent massive coronary. However, clues at the crime scene indicate that this was in fact a carefully planned murder. Based on the indisputable physical evidence, the murder could only have been committed by one of eight possible suspects. It is common knowledge that each player hated Mayonnaise and, thus, each player has been identified as a suspect in the murder. Thus, the mission is to figure out WHO DUNIT! and how.
Game play is essentially as described above in connection with Example 3. Players receive RFID-enabled tokens uniquely identifying each player. Preferably, each token represents one of the eight suspect characters in the Whodunit game. As in Example 3, above, each character would preferably have a unique story about who they are, where they were on the night of the murder, and why they dislike Mayonnaise. Hidden within the collective stories are the unique clues necessary to solve the murder mystery challenge. Players cooperate by exchanging clues and other information needed to solve the mystery. As in Example 3, the game is preferably set up and organized so that relevant clues can only be successfully used by the particular character(s) who legitimately possess them. Any player who tries to cheat will preferably be disqualified or otherwise prevented from advancing in the game.
Game participants are immersed in a magic-themed computer adventure game. For example, this interactive adventure game could be based on the popular “Harry Potter™” series of children's books by J. K. Rowling and licensed computer games by Electronic Arts. Players learn basic magic skills as they progress through an adventure game and solve one or more challenges/puzzles.
According to the storyline players are students enrolled at the Hogwart school of witchery where they are learning witchcraft, spell casting, secret messaging and the like. But something terrible and evil has happened and it is up to each player and their fellow classmates to solve the mystery and ferret out the evil-doer and save the school.
Game play is essentially as described above in connection with Examples 3 and 4. Players preferably receive RFID-enabled tokens. Each token provides a unique identifier for the player and preferably can store his or her progress in the game. Each player begins the adventure with essentially the same magic powers, skills and abilities. Each player may also receive a toy magic wand or other similar interactive gaming device which the player must learn to use to accomplish certain goals set out in the game.
Players cooperate by exchanging clues and other information needed to solve the mystery. As in Examples 3 and 4, the game is preferably organized so that relevant clues can only be successfully used by the particular character(s) who legitimately possess them. Any player who tries to cheat will preferably be disqualified or otherwise prevented from advancing in the game.
An authenticating password system is preferably used to verify or authenticate game events and to thereby discourage cheating. These secret codes or pass words may be obtained from any participating game venue (for example, fast food venues, toy store, theme parks, etc.) or other sources that will become obvious once the game is implemented. Once a secret password is obtained, players can enter it into a specially enabled home computer game, arcade game, portable gaming device, or other device, to get secret powers and/or to find secret parts of the game otherwise unobtainable without the secret code. For example, a player may buy a meal from a fast-food vendor and as part of the meal package would receive a token and/or a secret code. The secret code preferably may be used to access a secret portion or level of a popular computer adventure game.
Most preferably (although not required) authenticating passwords are unique or semi-unique to the player(s) who possess them. For example, each password may be an alpha-numeric code that is mathematically derived from a unique ID number stored on each participating player's token or from a password the player selects. Thus, the secret code is more-or-less unique to the specific player(s) involved in an authenticated game event and preferably cannot be used by other players (even if they copy or steal the secret code). When the alpha-numeric number is subsequently re-entered into another device (for example, a home game console or home computer) by the authorized player, the game software can reverse the mathematical algorithm using the player's unique ID or user-selected password (this may or may not be previously entered at the beginning of the game) and thereby determine and/or validate the game event(s) that generated the authenticating password. Existing public-key/private-key encryption algorithms and/or the like could be used for encoding and decoding the authenticating passwords.
To make the password system more convenient, the token device may optionally include one or more entry buttons and an LCD display. When players insert the token into an enabled reader, the secret code(s) are downloaded automatically to the token device and can be displayed on the LCD screen. The token thus becomes a secret encoder/decoder device that allows players to electronically transport and send/receive secret messages and codes to each other that can only be read by players/devices that possess the correct authenticating code. An optional communication port may allow secret codes to be downloaded directly to a computer game, portable game unit or other devices using, for example, a standard USB communication port.
A computer-animated game is provided wherein game participants learn to create various spells and/or potions by combining and mixing various ingredients (RFID-tagged gaming items) in an RFID-enabled mixing cauldron (for example, a peripheral gaming device as illustrated and described above in connection with
For example, players may be provided with multiple gaming items each comprising an RFID-tagged toy representing various potion ingredients (for example, a spider, a batwing, a potion vial, and so forth). In one embodiment, an initial quantity of such gaming items (for example, 3-6 different gaming items) may be packaged and sold together with a cauldron-themed peripheral gaming device configured to operate with a desired gaming platform (for example, a home computer, home game console, hand-held game unit, or the like). Additional gaming items may be earned by game participants as they play and progress in the game. Alternatively, gaming items may be purchased from a retail vendor and/or otherwise provided as part of one or more retail transactions.
Gameplay preferably progresses in accordance with a desired theme and/or storyline. For example, game participants may direct a virtual character (for example, a witch or warlock) in a Halloween-themed computer-adventure game. If desired, game participants may control the movements and/or activities of the virtual character using one or more input devices, such as a conventional wired or wireless game controller. At certain points in the game, players are preferably challenged to combine and mix various ingredients (RFID-tagged gaming items) in the RFID-enabled mixing cauldron to create one or more desired potions and/or spells. For example, a particular potion or spell may be required to help the virtual character progress or advance in the game.
In one embodiment, the game software may cause a potion recipe to be displayed on an associated display device. Game participants are then challenged to follow the recipe and thereby create the desired potion by dropping various ingredients (RFID-tagged gaming items) into the RFID-enabled cauldron. As each item is dropped into the cauldron, preferably the game reacts accordingly by producing one or more computer-animated visual, audible and/or tactile effects on one or more associated display devices. If desired, the cauldron may also be configured to display various light, vibration or sound effects (for example, simulating boiling, sparking, gurgling, shaking, or popping) as directed by the game software. The effects may be the same or different for each gaming item (or combination of gaming items) added to the cauldron. For example, displayed effects may be determined based on information wirelessly communicated by each gaming item as it is added to the RFID-enabled cauldron.
Recipes may be as simple or complex as desired. For example, a simple recipe may require a certain combination of gaming items (for example, three gaming items) to be placed in the cauldron (for example, one spider and two batwings). A somewhat more complex recipe may require certain gaming items to be added to the cauldron in a particular order. Yet even more complex recipes may require game participants to carefully time the addition of certain gaming items to the cauldron based on particular observed game events and/or conditions (for example, wait for the mixture to hiss and turn green, then immediately add two spiders). If desired, all or part of the potion recipe may be contained within in a riddle or a puzzle.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that multiple thousands of possible unique recipes and ingredient combinations may be achieved using a relatively small number of gaming items. For example, providing 12 different gaming items would allow game participants to create up to 1,728 unique 3-ingredient potions, 20,736 unique 4-ingredient potions, and 248,832 unique 5-ingredient potions. Using 24 different gaming items would allow game participants to create up to 13,824 unique 3-ingredient potions, 331,776 unique 4-ingredient potions, and 7,962,624 unique 5-ingredient potions. Adding a timing element would further increase the number of possibilities because the same combination and ordering of ingredients could produce two or more different potions depending upon the timing element.
In an alternative embodiment, players are not provided with a recipe at all, but must experiment on their own (or in cooperation with other players) to discover how to use the gaming items to create various desired potions or spells. For example, players may be challenged to discover potion recipes by experimenting with various combinations of gaming items and/or the ordering and timing of adding those gaming items to the cauldron to produce various desired potions or spells. This discovery process may or may not be assisted by the game. For example, during the course of the game players may be provided with certain hints or information concerning the ingredients of a particular desired potion. As another example, players may learn that certain ingredients should never be combined with certain other ingredients. As another example, the game may react by displaying either positive or negative effects as each gaming item is added to the cauldron.
Two or more interlinked games are provided and configured such that as a participant earns points, levels, strengths, and the like by playing one game, those earnings affect how the participant advances or progresses in a second game. For example, a player may play a first car racing game and reach “expert level” with “turbo boost” and “ten extra spare tires.” Then when the player goes to play a second car racing game the second game recognizes the player's previously earned status and upgrades. Thus, the player is able to start the second car racing game at the equivalent of expert level with turbo boost and ten extra spare tires.
In other embodiments, players may earn upgrades by purchasing certain retail items from participating retail vendors. For example, a player may be able to earn an “extreme exhaust system” by purchasing five HAPPY MEALS® at MCDONALD'S® and correctly answer twenty questions in an online quiz. In one embodiment, the player receives one or more authenticating alphanumeric codes printed on an ordinary cash register receipt. Once the player enters these codes and successfully completes the quiz, the player's status is updated to include the “extreme exhaust system.” When the player goes back to play the first car racing game and/or the second car racing game, the games will recognize that the player has earned the extreme exhaust system.
In some embodiments a purchased retail item may tie into the storyline of the game and/or correspond to a virtual item in the game. For example, a player may wish to obtain a “fire retardant driving jacket” to make the virtual game character more likely to survive a crash. The player may go to the local GYMBOREE® and purchase a particular jacket. The particular jacket comes with a special code that the player enters online to obtain the “fire retardant driving jacket.” When the player returns to play the first car racing game and/or the second car racing game, the games will recognize that the player has earned the fire retardant driving jacket.
Although this invention has been disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the invention and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present invention herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments and examples described above, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims that follow.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/268,331 filed Sep. 16, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,993,724 issued Jun. 12, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/751,026 filed Jun. 25, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,446,319 issued Sep. 20, 2016, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/720,080 filed May 22, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,393,500 issued Jul. 19, 2016, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/464,652 filed Aug. 20, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,039,533 issued May 26, 2015, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/801,955 filed Mar. 13, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,814,688 issued Aug. 26, 2014, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/469,443, filed May 11, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,475,275 issued Jul. 2, 2013, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/037,200, filed Feb. 28, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,491,389 issued Jul. 23, 2013, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/777,874, filed Jul. 13, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,896,742, issued Mar. 1, 2011, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/274,760, filed Nov. 15, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,878,905, issued Feb. 1, 2011, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/954,025, filed Sep. 29, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,445,550, issued Nov. 4, 2008, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/397,054, filed Mar. 25, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,500,917, issued Mar. 10, 2009, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/889,974, filed Jul. 13, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,850,527, issued Dec. 14, 2010; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/792,282, filed Feb. 22, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,761,637, issued Jul. 13, 2004; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/184,128, filed Feb. 22, 2000 are all also hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The present application also contains subject matter that is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/410,583, filed Apr. 7, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,967,566, issued Nov. 22, 2005, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 973105 | Chamberlain, Jr. | Oct 1910 | A |
| 1661058 | Theremin | Feb 1928 | A |
| 1789680 | Gwinnett | Jan 1931 | A |
| 2001366 | Mittelman | May 1935 | A |
| 2752725 | Unsworth | Jul 1956 | A |
| 2902023 | Waller | Sep 1959 | A |
| 3135512 | Taylor | Jun 1964 | A |
| 3336030 | Martell et al. | Aug 1967 | A |
| 3395920 | Moe | Aug 1968 | A |
| 3454920 | Mehr | Jul 1969 | A |
| 3456134 | Ko | Jul 1969 | A |
| 3468533 | House, Jr. | Sep 1969 | A |
| 3474241 | Kuipers | Oct 1969 | A |
| D220268 | Kliewer | Mar 1971 | S |
| 3572712 | Vick | Mar 1971 | A |
| 3633904 | Kojima | Jan 1972 | A |
| 3660648 | Kuipers | May 1972 | A |
| 3660926 | Lerner et al. | May 1972 | A |
| 3707055 | Pearce | Dec 1972 | A |
| 3795805 | Swanberg et al. | Mar 1974 | A |
| 3843127 | Lack | Oct 1974 | A |
| 3949364 | Clark et al. | Apr 1976 | A |
| 3949679 | Barber | Apr 1976 | A |
| 3973257 | Rowe | Aug 1976 | A |
| 3978481 | Angwin et al. | Aug 1976 | A |
| 3997156 | Barlow et al. | Dec 1976 | A |
| 4009619 | Snymann | Mar 1977 | A |
| 4038876 | Morris | Aug 1977 | A |
| 4055341 | Martinez | Oct 1977 | A |
| 4063111 | Dobler et al. | Dec 1977 | A |
| 4153250 | Anthony | May 1979 | A |
| 4166406 | Maughmer | Sep 1979 | A |
| 4171737 | McLaughlin | Oct 1979 | A |
| 4175665 | Dogliotti | Nov 1979 | A |
| 4183174 | Barris | Jan 1980 | A |
| 4205785 | Stanley | Jun 1980 | A |
| 4231077 | Joyce et al. | Oct 1980 | A |
| 4240638 | Morrison et al. | Dec 1980 | A |
| 4282681 | McCaslin | Aug 1981 | A |
| 4287765 | Kreft | Sep 1981 | A |
| 4296929 | Meyer et al. | Oct 1981 | A |
| 4303978 | Shaw | Dec 1981 | A |
| 4318245 | Stowell et al. | Mar 1982 | A |
| 4321678 | Krogmann | Mar 1982 | A |
| 4325199 | McEdwards | Apr 1982 | A |
| 4337948 | Breslow | Jul 1982 | A |
| 4342985 | Desjardins | Aug 1982 | A |
| 4402250 | Baasch | Sep 1983 | A |
| 4412205 | Von Kemenczky | Oct 1983 | A |
| 4425488 | Moskin | Jan 1984 | A |
| 4443866 | Burgiss | Apr 1984 | A |
| 4450325 | Luque | May 1984 | A |
| 4503299 | Henrard | Mar 1985 | A |
| 4514600 | Lentz | Apr 1985 | A |
| 4514798 | Lesche | Apr 1985 | A |
| 4540176 | Baer | Sep 1985 | A |
| 4546551 | Franks | Oct 1985 | A |
| 4558604 | Auer | Dec 1985 | A |
| 4561299 | Orlando | Dec 1985 | A |
| 4575621 | Dreifus | Mar 1986 | A |
| 4578674 | Baker et al. | Mar 1986 | A |
| 4595369 | Downs | Jun 1986 | A |
| 4623887 | Welles | Nov 1986 | A |
| 4623930 | Oshima | Nov 1986 | A |
| 4627620 | Yang | Dec 1986 | A |
| 4645458 | Williams | Feb 1987 | A |
| 4672374 | Desjardins | Jun 1987 | A |
| 4678450 | Scolari et al. | Jul 1987 | A |
| 4695058 | Carter, III et al. | Sep 1987 | A |
| 4695953 | Blair et al. | Sep 1987 | A |
| 4699379 | Chateau et al. | Oct 1987 | A |
| 4700501 | Bryan | Oct 1987 | A |
| 4729751 | Schiavo et al. | Mar 1988 | A |
| 4739128 | Grisham | Apr 1988 | A |
| 4750733 | Foth | Jun 1988 | A |
| 4761540 | McGeorge | Aug 1988 | A |
| 4776253 | Downes | Oct 1988 | A |
| 4787051 | Olson | Nov 1988 | A |
| 4807031 | Broughton et al. | Feb 1989 | A |
| 4816810 | Moore | Mar 1989 | A |
| 4817950 | Goo | Apr 1989 | A |
| 4819182 | King et al. | Apr 1989 | A |
| 4837568 | Snaper et al. | Jun 1989 | A |
| 4839838 | LaBiche et al. | Jun 1989 | A |
| 4843568 | Krueger et al. | Jun 1989 | A |
| 4849655 | Bennett | Jul 1989 | A |
| 4851685 | Dubgen | Jul 1989 | A |
| 4858390 | Kenig | Aug 1989 | A |
| 4858930 | Sato | Aug 1989 | A |
| 4862165 | Gart | Aug 1989 | A |
| 4882717 | Hayakawa et al. | Nov 1989 | A |
| 4891032 | Davis | Jan 1990 | A |
| 4904222 | Gastgeb et al. | Feb 1990 | A |
| 4910677 | Remedio et al. | Mar 1990 | A |
| 4914598 | Krogmann | Apr 1990 | A |
| 4918293 | McGeorge | Apr 1990 | A |
| 4924358 | VonHeck | May 1990 | A |
| 4932917 | Klitsner | Jun 1990 | A |
| 4957291 | Miffitt | Sep 1990 | A |
| 4960275 | Magon | Oct 1990 | A |
| 4961369 | McGill | Oct 1990 | A |
| 4964837 | Collier | Oct 1990 | A |
| 4967321 | Cimock | Oct 1990 | A |
| 4969647 | Mical et al. | Nov 1990 | A |
| 4980519 | Mathews | Dec 1990 | A |
| 4988981 | Zimmerman et al. | Jan 1991 | A |
| 4994795 | MacKenzie | Feb 1991 | A |
| 5011161 | Galphin | Apr 1991 | A |
| 5036442 | Brown | Jul 1991 | A |
| RE33662 | Blair et al. | Aug 1991 | E |
| 5045843 | Hansen | Sep 1991 | A |
| 5048831 | Sides | Sep 1991 | A |
| D320624 | Taylor | Oct 1991 | S |
| 5058480 | Suzuki et al. | Oct 1991 | A |
| 5059958 | Jacobs et al. | Oct 1991 | A |
| 5062696 | Oshima | Nov 1991 | A |
| 5068645 | Drumm | Nov 1991 | A |
| D322242 | Cordell | Dec 1991 | S |
| 5076584 | Openiano | Dec 1991 | A |
| D325225 | Adhida | Apr 1992 | S |
| 5114155 | Tillery et al. | May 1992 | A |
| 5114344 | Fumagalli et al. | May 1992 | A |
| 5124938 | Algrain | Jun 1992 | A |
| 5127657 | Ikezawa et al. | Jul 1992 | A |
| 5128671 | Thomas, Jr. | Jul 1992 | A |
| D328463 | King et al. | Aug 1992 | S |
| 5136222 | Yamamoto | Aug 1992 | A |
| 5138154 | Hotelling | Aug 1992 | A |
| 5145446 | Kuo | Sep 1992 | A |
| D331058 | Morales | Nov 1992 | S |
| 5166502 | Rendleman | Nov 1992 | A |
| 5170002 | Suzuki et al. | Dec 1992 | A |
| 5175481 | Kanno | Dec 1992 | A |
| 5177311 | Suzuki et al. | Jan 1993 | A |
| 5178477 | Gambaro | Jan 1993 | A |
| 5181181 | Glynn | Jan 1993 | A |
| 5184830 | Okada et al. | Feb 1993 | A |
| 5188368 | Ryan | Feb 1993 | A |
| 5190285 | Levy et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
| 5192082 | Inoue et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
| 5192823 | Suzuki et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
| 5194006 | Zaenglein, Jr. | Mar 1993 | A |
| 5194048 | Briggs | Mar 1993 | A |
| 5202844 | Kamio | Apr 1993 | A |
| 5203563 | Loper, III | Apr 1993 | A |
| 5207426 | Inoue et al. | May 1993 | A |
| 5212368 | Hara | May 1993 | A |
| 5213327 | Kitaue | May 1993 | A |
| 5220260 | Schuler | Jun 1993 | A |
| 5223698 | Kapur | Jun 1993 | A |
| 5231568 | Cohen et al. | Jul 1993 | A |
| D338242 | Cordell | Aug 1993 | S |
| 5232223 | Dornbusch | Aug 1993 | A |
| 5236200 | McGregor et al. | Aug 1993 | A |
| 5247651 | Clarisse | Sep 1993 | A |
| D340042 | Copper et al. | Oct 1993 | S |
| 5259626 | Ho | Nov 1993 | A |
| 5262777 | Low et al. | Nov 1993 | A |
| D342256 | Payne et al. | Dec 1993 | S |
| 5277645 | Kelley et al. | Jan 1994 | A |
| 5279513 | Connelly | Jan 1994 | A |
| 5280744 | DeCarlo | Jan 1994 | A |
| D345164 | Grae | Mar 1994 | S |
| 5290964 | Hiyoshi et al. | Mar 1994 | A |
| 5292124 | Carpenter | Mar 1994 | A |
| 5292254 | Miller et al. | Mar 1994 | A |
| 5296871 | Paley | Mar 1994 | A |
| 5299967 | Gilbert | Apr 1994 | A |
| 5307325 | Scheiber | Apr 1994 | A |
| 5310192 | Miyake | May 1994 | A |
| 5317394 | Hale | May 1994 | A |
| 5319548 | Germain | Jun 1994 | A |
| 5320358 | Jones | Jun 1994 | A |
| 5320362 | Bear et al. | Jun 1994 | A |
| 5325719 | Petri et al. | Jul 1994 | A |
| 5329276 | Hirabayashi | Jul 1994 | A |
| 5332322 | Gambaro | Jul 1994 | A |
| 5339095 | Redford | Aug 1994 | A |
| D350736 | Takahashi et al. | Sep 1994 | S |
| D350782 | Barr | Sep 1994 | S |
| D351430 | Barr | Oct 1994 | S |
| 5354057 | Pruitt et al. | Oct 1994 | A |
| 5356343 | Lovetere | Oct 1994 | A |
| 5357267 | Inoue | Oct 1994 | A |
| 5359321 | Ribic | Oct 1994 | A |
| 5359348 | Pilcher et al. | Oct 1994 | A |
| 5362271 | Butt | Nov 1994 | A |
| 5363120 | Drumm | Nov 1994 | A |
| 5365214 | Angott et al. | Nov 1994 | A |
| 5366229 | Suzuki | Nov 1994 | A |
| 5369580 | Monji | Nov 1994 | A |
| 5369889 | Callaghan | Dec 1994 | A |
| 5372365 | McTeigue et al. | Dec 1994 | A |
| 5373857 | Travers et al. | Dec 1994 | A |
| 5378197 | Briggs | Jan 1995 | A |
| 5382026 | Harvard et al. | Jan 1995 | A |
| 5393074 | Bear et al. | Feb 1995 | A |
| 5396227 | Carroll et al. | Mar 1995 | A |
| 5396265 | Ulrich et al. | Mar 1995 | A |
| 5403238 | Baxter et al. | Apr 1995 | A |
| 5405294 | Briggs | Apr 1995 | A |
| 5411269 | Thomas | May 1995 | A |
| 5414337 | Schuler | May 1995 | A |
| 5416535 | Sato et al. | May 1995 | A |
| 5421575 | Triner | Jun 1995 | A |
| 5421590 | Robbins | Jun 1995 | A |
| 5422956 | Wheaton | Jun 1995 | A |
| 5429361 | Raven et al. | Jul 1995 | A |
| 5430435 | Hoch | Jul 1995 | A |
| 5432864 | Lu et al. | Jul 1995 | A |
| 5435561 | Conley | Jul 1995 | A |
| 5435569 | Zilliox | Jul 1995 | A |
| D360903 | Barr et al. | Aug 1995 | S |
| 5439199 | Briggs et al. | Aug 1995 | A |
| 5440326 | Quinn | Aug 1995 | A |
| 5443261 | Lee et al. | Aug 1995 | A |
| 5452893 | Faulk et al. | Sep 1995 | A |
| 5453053 | Danta et al. | Sep 1995 | A |
| 5453758 | Sato | Sep 1995 | A |
| D362870 | Oikawa | Oct 1995 | S |
| 5459489 | Redford | Oct 1995 | A |
| 5466181 | Bennett et al. | Nov 1995 | A |
| 5469194 | Clark et al. | Nov 1995 | A |
| 5481957 | Paley | Jan 1996 | A |
| 5482510 | Ishii et al. | Jan 1996 | A |
| 5484355 | King | Jan 1996 | A |
| 5485171 | Copper et al. | Jan 1996 | A |
| 5488362 | Ullman et al. | Jan 1996 | A |
| 5490058 | Yamasaki | Feb 1996 | A |
| 5498002 | Gechter | Mar 1996 | A |
| 5502806 | Mahoney et al. | Mar 1996 | A |
| 5506605 | Paley | Apr 1996 | A |
| 5509806 | Ellsworth | Apr 1996 | A |
| 5512892 | Corballis et al. | Apr 1996 | A |
| 5516105 | Eisenbrey et al. | May 1996 | A |
| 5517183 | Bozeman | May 1996 | A |
| 5520806 | Menke | May 1996 | A |
| 5523800 | Dudek | Jun 1996 | A |
| 5524637 | Erickson | Jun 1996 | A |
| 5526022 | Donahue et al. | Jun 1996 | A |
| 5528222 | Moskowitz | Jun 1996 | A |
| 5528265 | Harrison | Jun 1996 | A |
| 5531443 | Cruz | Jul 1996 | A |
| 5533933 | Garnjost et al. | Jul 1996 | A |
| 5541358 | Wheaton et al. | Jul 1996 | A |
| 5541860 | Takei et al. | Jul 1996 | A |
| 5542672 | Meredith | Aug 1996 | A |
| 5543672 | Nishitani et al. | Aug 1996 | A |
| 5550721 | Rapisarda | Aug 1996 | A |
| 5551701 | Bouton et al. | Sep 1996 | A |
| 5554033 | Bizzi et al. | Sep 1996 | A |
| 5554980 | Hashimoto et al. | Sep 1996 | A |
| 5561543 | Ogawa | Oct 1996 | A |
| 5563628 | Stroop | Oct 1996 | A |
| 5569085 | Igarashi et al. | Oct 1996 | A |
| D375326 | Yokoi et al. | Nov 1996 | S |
| 5572221 | Marlevi et al. | Nov 1996 | A |
| 5573011 | Felsing | Nov 1996 | A |
| 5574479 | Odell | Nov 1996 | A |
| 5576727 | Rosenberg et al. | Nov 1996 | A |
| 5579025 | Itoh | Nov 1996 | A |
| D376826 | Ashida | Dec 1996 | S |
| 5580319 | Hamilton | Dec 1996 | A |
| 5581484 | Prince | Dec 1996 | A |
| 5585584 | Usa | Dec 1996 | A |
| 5586767 | Bohland | Dec 1996 | A |
| 5587558 | Matsushima | Dec 1996 | A |
| 5587740 | Brennan | Dec 1996 | A |
| 5594465 | Poulachon | Jan 1997 | A |
| 5598187 | Ide et al. | Jan 1997 | A |
| 5598197 | Zaba | Jan 1997 | A |
| 5602569 | Kato | Feb 1997 | A |
| 5603658 | Cohen | Feb 1997 | A |
| 5605505 | Han | Feb 1997 | A |
| 5606343 | Tsuboyama | Feb 1997 | A |
| 5611731 | Bouton et al. | Mar 1997 | A |
| 5613913 | Ikematsu et al. | Mar 1997 | A |
| 5615132 | Horton | Mar 1997 | A |
| 5621459 | Ueda | Apr 1997 | A |
| 5623581 | Attenberg | Apr 1997 | A |
| 5624117 | Ohkubo et al. | Apr 1997 | A |
| 5627565 | Morishita et al. | May 1997 | A |
| 5629981 | Nerlikar | May 1997 | A |
| 5632878 | Kitano | May 1997 | A |
| D379832 | Ashida | Jun 1997 | S |
| 5636994 | Tong | Jun 1997 | A |
| 5640152 | Copper | Jun 1997 | A |
| 5641288 | Zzenglein, Jr. | Jun 1997 | A |
| 5642931 | Gappelberg | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5643087 | Marcus et al. | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5645077 | Foxlin | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5645277 | Cheng | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5647796 | Cohen | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5649867 | Briggs | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5651049 | Easterling et al. | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5655053 | Renie | Aug 1997 | A |
| 5662332 | Garfield | Sep 1997 | A |
| 5662525 | Briggs | Sep 1997 | A |
| 5666138 | Culver | Sep 1997 | A |
| 5667217 | Kelly et al. | Sep 1997 | A |
| 5667220 | Cheng | Sep 1997 | A |
| 5670845 | Grant | Sep 1997 | A |
| 5670988 | Tickle | Sep 1997 | A |
| 5672090 | Liu | Sep 1997 | A |
| 5674128 | Holch et al. | Oct 1997 | A |
| 5676450 | Sink et al. | Oct 1997 | A |
| 5676540 | Williams et al. | Oct 1997 | A |
| 5676673 | Ferre et al. | Oct 1997 | A |
| 5679004 | McGowan et al. | Oct 1997 | A |
| 5682181 | Nguyen et al. | Oct 1997 | A |
| 5685776 | Stambolic et al. | Nov 1997 | A |
| 5685778 | Sheldon et al. | Nov 1997 | A |
| 5691898 | Rosenberg et al. | Nov 1997 | A |
| 5694340 | Kim | Dec 1997 | A |
| 5698784 | Hotelling et al. | Dec 1997 | A |
| 5701131 | Kuga | Dec 1997 | A |
| 5702232 | Moore | Dec 1997 | A |
| 5702305 | Norman et al. | Dec 1997 | A |
| 5702323 | Poulton | Dec 1997 | A |
| 5703623 | Hall et al. | Dec 1997 | A |
| 5713792 | Ohzono et al. | Feb 1998 | A |
| 5716216 | O'Loughlin et al. | Feb 1998 | A |
| 5716281 | Dote | Feb 1998 | A |
| 5724106 | Autry et al. | Mar 1998 | A |
| 5724497 | San et al. | Mar 1998 | A |
| 5726675 | Inoue | Mar 1998 | A |
| 5730655 | Meredith | Mar 1998 | A |
| 5733131 | Park | Mar 1998 | A |
| 5734371 | Kaplan | Mar 1998 | A |
| 5734373 | Rosenberg | Mar 1998 | A |
| 5734807 | Sumi | Mar 1998 | A |
| D393884 | Hayami | Apr 1998 | S |
| 5736970 | Bozeman | Apr 1998 | A |
| 5739811 | Rosenberg et al. | Apr 1998 | A |
| 5741182 | Lipps et al. | Apr 1998 | A |
| 5741189 | Briggs | Apr 1998 | A |
| 5742233 | Hoffman et al. | Apr 1998 | A |
| 5742331 | Uomori | Apr 1998 | A |
| 5745226 | Gigioli, Jr. | Apr 1998 | A |
| D394264 | Sakamoto et al. | May 1998 | S |
| 5746602 | Kikinis | May 1998 | A |
| 5751273 | Cohen | May 1998 | A |
| 5752880 | Gabai et al. | May 1998 | A |
| 5752882 | Acres et al. | May 1998 | A |
| 5757305 | Xydis | May 1998 | A |
| 5757354 | Kawamura | May 1998 | A |
| 5757360 | Nitta et al. | May 1998 | A |
| D395464 | Shiibashi et al. | Jun 1998 | S |
| 5764224 | Lilja et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
| 5766077 | Hongo | Jun 1998 | A |
| 5769719 | Hsu | Jun 1998 | A |
| 5770533 | Franchi | Jun 1998 | A |
| 5771038 | Wang | Jun 1998 | A |
| 5772508 | Sugita et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
| D396468 | Schindler et al. | Jul 1998 | S |
| 5775998 | Ikematsu et al. | Jul 1998 | A |
| 5779240 | Santella | Jul 1998 | A |
| 5785317 | Sasaki | Jul 1998 | A |
| 5785592 | Jacobsen | Jul 1998 | A |
| 5785952 | Taylor et al. | Jul 1998 | A |
| 5786626 | Brady et al. | Jul 1998 | A |
| D397162 | Yokoi et al. | Aug 1998 | S |
| D397371 | Bagley | Aug 1998 | S |
| D397372 | Riggs | Aug 1998 | S |
| 5791648 | Hohl | Aug 1998 | A |
| 5794081 | Itoh | Aug 1998 | A |
| 5796354 | Cartabiano et al. | Aug 1998 | A |
| D397729 | Schulz et al. | Sep 1998 | S |
| 5803740 | Gesink et al. | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5803840 | Young | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5806849 | Rutkowski | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5807284 | Foxlin | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5810666 | Mero et al. | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5811896 | Grad | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5819206 | Horton et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
| 5820462 | Yokoi et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
| 5820471 | Briggs | Oct 1998 | A |
| 5820472 | Briggs | Oct 1998 | A |
| 5821859 | Schrott et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
| 5822713 | Profeta | Oct 1998 | A |
| 5825298 | Walter | Oct 1998 | A |
| 5825350 | Case, Jr. et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
| D400885 | Goto | Nov 1998 | S |
| 5830065 | Sitrick | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5831553 | Lenssen et al. | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5833549 | Zur et al. | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5835077 | Dao et al. | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5835156 | Blonstein et al. | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5835576 | Katz | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5836817 | Acres et al. | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5838138 | Henty | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5841409 | Ishibashi et al. | Nov 1998 | A |
| D402328 | Ashida | Dec 1998 | S |
| 5847854 | Benson, Jr. | Dec 1998 | A |
| 5850624 | Gard | Dec 1998 | A |
| 5851149 | Xidos et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
| 5853327 | Gilboa | Dec 1998 | A |
| 5853332 | Briggs | Dec 1998 | A |
| 5854622 | Brannon | Dec 1998 | A |
| 5855483 | Collins et al. | Jan 1999 | A |
| D405071 | Gambaro | Feb 1999 | S |
| 5865680 | Briggs | Feb 1999 | A |
| 5867146 | Kim et al. | Feb 1999 | A |
| 5874941 | Yamada | Feb 1999 | A |
| 5875257 | Marrin et al. | Feb 1999 | A |
| D407071 | Keating | Mar 1999 | S |
| 5889672 | Schuler et al. | Mar 1999 | A |
| D407761 | Barr | Apr 1999 | S |
| 5893562 | Spector | Apr 1999 | A |
| 5897437 | Nishiumi | Apr 1999 | A |
| 5898421 | Quinn | Apr 1999 | A |
| 5900867 | Schindler et al. | May 1999 | A |
| 5901246 | Hoffberg et al. | May 1999 | A |
| 5902968 | Sato et al. | May 1999 | A |
| 5906542 | Neumann | May 1999 | A |
| D410909 | Tickle | Jun 1999 | S |
| 5908996 | Litterst et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
| 5911634 | Nidata et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
| 5912612 | DeVolpi | Jun 1999 | A |
| 5913019 | Attenberg | Jun 1999 | A |
| 5913727 | Ahdoot | Jun 1999 | A |
| D412016 | Meredith | Jul 1999 | S |
| 5919149 | Allen | Jul 1999 | A |
| 5923317 | Sayler et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
| 5924695 | Heykoop | Jul 1999 | A |
| 5926780 | Fox et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
| 5929607 | Rosenberg et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
| 5929782 | Stark et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
| 5929841 | Fujii | Jul 1999 | A |
| 5929846 | Rosenberg et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
| 5929848 | Albukerk et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
| D412940 | Kato et al. | Aug 1999 | S |
| D413359 | Larian | Aug 1999 | S |
| 5931739 | Layer et al. | Aug 1999 | A |
| 5942969 | Wicks | Aug 1999 | A |
| 5944533 | Wood | Aug 1999 | A |
| 5946444 | Evans et al. | Aug 1999 | A |
| 5947789 | Chan | Sep 1999 | A |
| 5947868 | Dugan | Sep 1999 | A |
| 5955713 | Titus | Sep 1999 | A |
| 5955988 | Blonstein | Sep 1999 | A |
| 5956035 | Sciammarella | Sep 1999 | A |
| 5957779 | Larson | Sep 1999 | A |
| 5961386 | Sawaguchi | Oct 1999 | A |
| 5963136 | O'Brien | Oct 1999 | A |
| 5964660 | James et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
| 5967898 | Takasaka et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
| 5967901 | Briggs | Oct 1999 | A |
| 5971270 | Barna | Oct 1999 | A |
| 5971271 | Wynn et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
| 5973757 | Aubuchon et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
| 5977951 | Danieli et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5978770 | Waytena et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5980254 | Muehle et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5982352 | Pryor | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5982356 | Akiyama | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5984785 | Takeda et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5984788 | Lebensfeld et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5986570 | Black et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5986644 | Herder | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5987402 | Murata et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5987420 | Maeda et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5987421 | Chuang | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5989120 | Truchsess | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5991085 | Rallison et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5991693 | Zalewski | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5996033 | Chiu-Hao | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5999168 | Rosenberg | Dec 1999 | A |
| 6001014 | Ogata | Dec 1999 | A |
| 6001015 | Nishiumi et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
| 6002394 | Schein | Dec 1999 | A |
| 6009458 | Hawkins et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
| D419199 | Cordell et al. | Jan 2000 | S |
| D419200 | Ashida | Jan 2000 | S |
| 6010406 | Kajikawa et al. | Jan 2000 | A |
| 6011526 | Toyoshima et al. | Jan 2000 | A |
| 6012980 | Yoshida et al. | Jan 2000 | A |
| 6012984 | Roseman | Jan 2000 | A |
| 6013007 | Root et al. | Jan 2000 | A |
| 6016144 | Blonstein | Jan 2000 | A |
| 6018775 | Vossler | Jan 2000 | A |
| 6019680 | Cheng | Feb 2000 | A |
| 6020876 | Rosenberg | Feb 2000 | A |
| 6024647 | Bennett et al. | Feb 2000 | A |
| 6024675 | Kashiwaguchi | Feb 2000 | A |
| 6025830 | Cohen | Feb 2000 | A |
| 6037882 | Levy | Mar 2000 | A |
| 6044297 | Sheldon | Mar 2000 | A |
| 6049823 | Hwang | Apr 2000 | A |
| 6052083 | Wilson | Apr 2000 | A |
| 6057788 | Cummings | May 2000 | A |
| 6058342 | Orbach | May 2000 | A |
| 6059576 | Brann | May 2000 | A |
| 6060847 | Hettema et al. | May 2000 | A |
| 6066075 | Poulton | May 2000 | A |
| 6069594 | Barnes et al. | May 2000 | A |
| 6072467 | Walker | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6072470 | Ishigaki | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6075443 | Schepps et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6075575 | Schein et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6076734 | Dougherty et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6077106 | Mish | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6078789 | Bodenmann | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6079982 | Meader | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6080063 | Khosla | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6081819 | Ogino | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6084315 | Schmitt | Jul 2000 | A |
| 6084577 | Sato et al. | Jul 2000 | A |
| 6085805 | Bates | Jul 2000 | A |
| 6087950 | Capan | Jul 2000 | A |
| 6089987 | Briggs | Jul 2000 | A |
| 6091342 | Janesch et al. | Jul 2000 | A |
| D429718 | Rudolph | Aug 2000 | S |
| 6095926 | Hettema et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
| 6102406 | Miles et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
| 6106392 | Meredith | Aug 2000 | A |
| 6110000 | Ting | Aug 2000 | A |
| 6110039 | Oh | Aug 2000 | A |
| 6110041 | Walker et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
| 6115028 | Balakrishnan | Sep 2000 | A |
| 6127928 | Issacman et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
| 6127990 | Zwern | Oct 2000 | A |
| 6129549 | Thompson | Oct 2000 | A |
| 6132318 | Briggs | Oct 2000 | A |
| 6137457 | Tokuhashi | Oct 2000 | A |
| D433381 | Talesfore | Nov 2000 | S |
| 6142870 | Wada | Nov 2000 | A |
| 6142876 | Cumbers | Nov 2000 | A |
| 6144367 | Berstis | Nov 2000 | A |
| 6146278 | Kobayashi | Nov 2000 | A |
| 6148100 | Anderson et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
| 6149490 | Hampton | Nov 2000 | A |
| 6150947 | Shima | Nov 2000 | A |
| 6154137 | Goff et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
| 6154723 | Cox et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
| D435554 | Meredith | Dec 2000 | S |
| 6155926 | Miyamoto et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
| 6160405 | Needle | Dec 2000 | A |
| 6160540 | Fishkin et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
| 6160986 | Gabai et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
| 6162122 | Acres et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
| 6162123 | Woolston | Dec 2000 | A |
| 6162191 | Foxin | Dec 2000 | A |
| 6164808 | Shibata | Dec 2000 | A |
| 6167353 | Piernot et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
| 6171190 | Thanasack et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
| 6173209 | Laval et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
| 6174242 | Briggs et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
| 6176837 | Foxlin | Jan 2001 | B1 |
| 6181253 | Eschenbach et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
| 6181329 | Stork et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
| 6183364 | Trovato | Feb 2001 | B1 |
| 6183365 | Tonomura et al. | Feb 2001 | B1 |
| 6184847 | Fateh et al. | Feb 2001 | B1 |
| 6184862 | Leiper | Feb 2001 | B1 |
| 6184863 | Sibert | Feb 2001 | B1 |
| 6186902 | Briggs | Feb 2001 | B1 |
| 6190174 | Lam | Feb 2001 | B1 |
| 6191774 | Schena | Feb 2001 | B1 |
| 6196893 | Casola et al. | Mar 2001 | B1 |
| 6198295 | Hill | Mar 2001 | B1 |
| 6198470 | Agam et al. | Mar 2001 | B1 |
| 6198471 | Cook | Mar 2001 | B1 |
| 6200216 | Peppel | Mar 2001 | B1 |
| 6200219 | Rudell et al. | Mar 2001 | B1 |
| 6200253 | Nishiumi | Mar 2001 | B1 |
| 6201554 | Lands | Mar 2001 | B1 |
| 6206745 | Gabai et al. | Mar 2001 | B1 |
| 6206782 | Walker et al. | Mar 2001 | B1 |
| 6210287 | Briggs | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6211861 | Rosenberg et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6214155 | Leighton | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6217450 | Meredith | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6217478 | Vohmann | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6220171 | Hettema et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6220963 | Meredith | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6220964 | Miyamoto | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6220965 | Hanna et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6222522 | Mathews | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| D442998 | Ashida | May 2001 | S |
| 6224486 | Walker et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6224491 | Hiromi et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6225987 | Matsuda | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6226534 | Aizawa | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6227966 | Yokoi | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6227974 | Eilat et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6231451 | Briggs | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6234803 | Watkins | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6238289 | Sobota et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6238291 | Fujimoto et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6239806 | Nishiumi et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
| RE37220 | Rapisarda et al. | Jun 2001 | E |
| 6241611 | Takeda et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6243491 | Andersson | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6243658 | Raby | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6244987 | Ohsuga et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6245014 | Brainard et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6248019 | Mudie et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6254101 | Young | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6254394 | Draper et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6261180 | Lebensfeld et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6264202 | Briggs | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6264558 | Nishiumi et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6265984 | Molinaroli | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6267673 | Miyamoto et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6273425 | Westfall et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
| 6273819 | Strauss et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
| 6275213 | Tremblay et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
| 6276353 | Briggs et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
| 6280327 | Leifer et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
| 6280328 | Holch et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
| 6283862 | Richter | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 6283871 | Briggs | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 6287200 | Sharma | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 6290565 | Galyean et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 6290566 | Gabai et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 6293684 | Riblett | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 6297751 | Fadavi-Ardekani | Oct 2001 | B1 |
| 6301534 | McDermott | Oct 2001 | B1 |
| 6302793 | Fertitta, III et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
| 6302796 | Lebensfeld et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
| 6304250 | Yang | Oct 2001 | B1 |
| 6311982 | Lebensfeld et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| 6312335 | Tosaki et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| 6315673 | Kopera | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| 6320495 | Sporgis | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| 6322365 | Shechter et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| 6322420 | Daniellian | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| 6323614 | Palaxxolo | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| 6323654 | Needle | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| 6325718 | Nishiumi et al. | Dec 2001 | B1 |
| 6328648 | Walker et al. | Dec 2001 | B1 |
| 6328650 | Fukawa et al. | Dec 2001 | B1 |
| 6329648 | Delatorre | Dec 2001 | B1 |
| 6330427 | Tabachnik | Dec 2001 | B1 |
| 6331841 | Tokuhashi | Dec 2001 | B1 |
| 6331856 | VanHook | Dec 2001 | B1 |
| 6332840 | Nishiumi et al. | Dec 2001 | B1 |
| 6337954 | Soshi | Jan 2002 | B1 |
| 6338079 | Kanamori et al. | Jan 2002 | B1 |
| 6342010 | Slifer | Jan 2002 | B1 |
| 6346047 | Sobota | Feb 2002 | B1 |
| 6347993 | Kondo et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
| 6347998 | Yoshitomi et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
| 6350199 | Williams et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
| 6352478 | Gabai et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
| 6354945 | Furuki et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
| 6354948 | Nagayama | Mar 2002 | B1 |
| 6356867 | Gabai et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
| 6361396 | Snyder | Mar 2002 | B1 |
| 6361436 | Gouji et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
| 6361507 | Foxlin | Mar 2002 | B1 |
| D456410 | Ashida | Apr 2002 | S |
| 6364735 | Bristow et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6368177 | Gabai et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6368217 | Kanno | Apr 2002 | B2 |
| 6369794 | Sakurai et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6369908 | Frey et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6371375 | Ackley et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6371853 | Borta | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6374998 | Grubbs et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6375566 | Yamada | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6375569 | Acres | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6375572 | Masuyama et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6375578 | Briggs | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6377793 | Jenkins | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6377906 | Rowe | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| D456854 | Ashida | May 2002 | S |
| 6383079 | Takeda et al. | May 2002 | B1 |
| 6386538 | Mejia | May 2002 | B1 |
| 6392613 | Goto | May 2002 | B1 |
| 6394904 | Stallker | May 2002 | B1 |
| 6400480 | Thomas | Jun 2002 | B1 |
| 6400996 | Hoffberg et al. | Jun 2002 | B1 |
| 6402617 | Gouji et al. | Jun 2002 | B2 |
| 6404409 | Solomon | Jun 2002 | B1 |
| 6409379 | Gabathuler et al. | Jun 2002 | B1 |
| 6409604 | Matsuno | Jun 2002 | B1 |
| 6409687 | Foxlin | Jun 2002 | B1 |
| D459727 | Ashida | Jul 2002 | S |
| D460787 | Nishikawa | Jul 2002 | S |
| 6414589 | Angott et al. | Jul 2002 | B1 |
| 6415223 | Lin | Jul 2002 | B1 |
| 6421056 | Nishiumi | Jul 2002 | B1 |
| 6424264 | Giraldin et al. | Jul 2002 | B1 |
| 6424333 | Tremblay | Jul 2002 | B1 |
| 6426719 | Nagareda | Jul 2002 | B1 |
| 6426741 | Goldsmith et al. | Jul 2002 | B1 |
| 6438193 | Ko et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
| D462683 | Ashida | Sep 2002 | S |
| 6445960 | Borta | Sep 2002 | B1 |
| 6452494 | Harrison | Sep 2002 | B1 |
| 6456276 | Park | Sep 2002 | B1 |
| D464052 | Fletcher | Oct 2002 | S |
| D464950 | Fraquelli et al. | Oct 2002 | S |
| 6462769 | Trowbridge et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6463257 | Wood | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6463859 | Ikezawa et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6464503 | Heit | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6466198 | Feinstein | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6466831 | Shibata | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6473070 | Mishra et al. | Oct 2002 | B2 |
| 6473713 | McCall | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6474159 | Foxlin et al. | Nov 2002 | B1 |
| 6482067 | Pickens | Nov 2002 | B1 |
| 6484080 | Breed | Nov 2002 | B2 |
| 6490409 | Walker | Dec 2002 | B1 |
| 6491566 | Peters | Dec 2002 | B2 |
| 6492981 | Stork et al. | Dec 2002 | B1 |
| 6494457 | Conte et al. | Dec 2002 | B2 |
| 6496122 | Sampsell | Dec 2002 | B2 |
| 6509217 | Reddy | Jan 2003 | B1 |
| 6512511 | Willner | Jan 2003 | B2 |
| 6517438 | Tosaki | Feb 2003 | B2 |
| 6517728 | Rooney | Feb 2003 | B1 |
| 6518952 | Leiper | Feb 2003 | B1 |
| 6525660 | Surintrspanont | Feb 2003 | B1 |
| 6526158 | Goldberg | Feb 2003 | B1 |
| 6527638 | Walker et al. | Mar 2003 | B1 |
| 6527646 | Briggs | Mar 2003 | B1 |
| 6529786 | Sim | Mar 2003 | B1 |
| 6530838 | Ha et al. | Mar 2003 | B2 |
| 6530841 | Bull et al. | Mar 2003 | B2 |
| 6537124 | Todokoro | Mar 2003 | B2 |
| 6537154 | Ohgoshi et al. | Mar 2003 | B1 |
| 6538675 | Aratani | Mar 2003 | B2 |
| D473942 | Motoki et al. | Apr 2003 | S |
| 6540607 | Mokris et al. | Apr 2003 | B2 |
| 6540611 | Nagata | Apr 2003 | B1 |
| 6544124 | Ireland | Apr 2003 | B2 |
| 6544126 | Sawano | Apr 2003 | B2 |
| 6545611 | Hayashi et al. | Apr 2003 | B2 |
| 6545661 | Goschy et al. | Apr 2003 | B1 |
| 6551165 | Smirnov | Apr 2003 | B2 |
| 6551188 | Toyama et al. | Apr 2003 | B2 |
| 6554707 | Sinclair et al. | Apr 2003 | B1 |
| 6554781 | Carter et al. | Apr 2003 | B1 |
| D474763 | Tozaki et al. | May 2003 | S |
| 6558225 | Rehkemper et al. | May 2003 | B1 |
| 6560511 | Yokoo et al. | May 2003 | B1 |
| 6561049 | Akiyama et al. | May 2003 | B2 |
| 6563487 | Martin et al. | May 2003 | B2 |
| 6565438 | Ogino | May 2003 | B2 |
| 6565444 | Nagata et al. | May 2003 | B2 |
| 6567536 | McNitt et al. | May 2003 | B2 |
| 6569023 | Briggs | May 2003 | B1 |
| 6572108 | Bristow | Jun 2003 | B1 |
| 6575753 | Rosa et al. | Jun 2003 | B2 |
| 6577350 | Proehl | Jun 2003 | B1 |
| 6579098 | Shechter | Jun 2003 | B2 |
| 6582299 | Matsuyama et al. | Jun 2003 | B1 |
| 6582380 | Kazlausky et al. | Jun 2003 | B2 |
| 6583783 | Dietrich | Jun 2003 | B1 |
| 6585596 | Liefer et al. | Jul 2003 | B1 |
| 6589117 | Moritome et al. | Jul 2003 | B1 |
| 6589120 | Takahashi | Jul 2003 | B1 |
| 6590536 | Walton | Jul 2003 | B1 |
| 6591677 | Rothoff | Jul 2003 | B2 |
| 6592461 | Raviv et al. | Jul 2003 | B1 |
| 6595863 | Chamberlain et al. | Jul 2003 | B2 |
| 6597342 | Haruta | Jul 2003 | B1 |
| 6597443 | Boman | Jul 2003 | B2 |
| 6598978 | Hasegawa | Jul 2003 | B2 |
| 6599194 | Smith | Jul 2003 | B1 |
| 6605038 | Teller et al. | Aug 2003 | B1 |
| 6607123 | Jollifee et al. | Aug 2003 | B1 |
| 6608563 | Weston et al. | Aug 2003 | B2 |
| 6609969 | Luciano et al. | Aug 2003 | B1 |
| 6609977 | Shimizu | Aug 2003 | B1 |
| 6616452 | Clark et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
| 6616535 | Nishizak | Sep 2003 | B1 |
| 6616607 | Hashimoto | Sep 2003 | B2 |
| 6626728 | Holt | Sep 2003 | B2 |
| 6628257 | Oka | Sep 2003 | B1 |
| 6629019 | Legge et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
| 6632142 | Keith | Oct 2003 | B2 |
| 6633155 | Liang | Oct 2003 | B1 |
| 6634949 | Briggs et al. | Oct 2003 | B1 |
| 6636826 | Abe et al. | Oct 2003 | B1 |
| 6641482 | Masuyama et al. | Nov 2003 | B2 |
| 6642837 | Vigoda et al. | Nov 2003 | B1 |
| 6650029 | Johnston | Nov 2003 | B1 |
| 6650313 | Levine | Nov 2003 | B2 |
| 6650345 | Saito | Nov 2003 | B1 |
| 6651268 | Briggs | Nov 2003 | B1 |
| 6654000 | Rosenberg | Nov 2003 | B2 |
| 6654001 | Su | Nov 2003 | B1 |
| 6672962 | Ozaki et al. | Jan 2004 | B1 |
| 6676520 | Nishiumi et al. | Jan 2004 | B2 |
| 6676524 | Botzas | Jan 2004 | B1 |
| 6677990 | Kawahara | Jan 2004 | B1 |
| 6681629 | Foxlin et al. | Jan 2004 | B2 |
| 6682074 | Weston | Jan 2004 | B2 |
| 6682351 | Abraham-Fuchs et al. | Jan 2004 | B1 |
| 6684062 | Gosior et al. | Jan 2004 | B1 |
| D486145 | Kaminski et al. | Feb 2004 | S |
| 6686954 | Kitaguchi | Feb 2004 | B1 |
| 6692170 | Abir | Feb 2004 | B2 |
| 6693622 | Shahoian et al. | Feb 2004 | B1 |
| 6702672 | Angell et al. | Mar 2004 | B1 |
| 6709336 | Siegel et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
| 6712692 | Basson | Mar 2004 | B2 |
| 6716102 | Whitten et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
| 6717573 | Shahoian et al. | Apr 2004 | B1 |
| 6717673 | Janssen | Apr 2004 | B1 |
| 6718280 | Hermann | Apr 2004 | B2 |
| 6725107 | MacPherson | Apr 2004 | B2 |
| 6725173 | An | Apr 2004 | B2 |
| 6726099 | Becker et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
| D489361 | Mori et al. | May 2004 | S |
| 6729934 | Driscoll et al. | May 2004 | B1 |
| 6733390 | Walker et al. | May 2004 | B2 |
| 6736009 | Schwabe | May 2004 | B1 |
| 6739874 | Marcus et al. | May 2004 | B2 |
| 6739979 | Tracy | May 2004 | B2 |
| D491924 | Kaminski et al. | Jun 2004 | S |
| D492285 | Ombao et al. | Jun 2004 | S |
| 6743104 | Ota et al. | Jun 2004 | B1 |
| 6746334 | Barney | Jun 2004 | B1 |
| 6747562 | Giraldin et al. | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6747632 | Howard | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6747690 | Molgaard | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6749432 | French et al. | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6752719 | Himoto et al. | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6753849 | Curran et al. | Jun 2004 | B1 |
| 6753888 | Kamiwada | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6757068 | Foxlin | Jun 2004 | B2 |
| 6757446 | Li | Jun 2004 | B1 |
| 6761637 | Weston et al. | Jul 2004 | B2 |
| 6765553 | Odamura | Jul 2004 | B1 |
| D495336 | Andre et al. | Aug 2004 | S |
| 6770863 | Walley | Aug 2004 | B2 |
| 6773325 | Mawle et al. | Aug 2004 | B1 |
| 6773344 | Gabai et al. | Aug 2004 | B1 |
| 6785539 | Hale | Aug 2004 | B2 |
| 6786877 | Foxlin | Sep 2004 | B2 |
| 6796177 | Mori | Sep 2004 | B2 |
| 6796908 | Weston | Sep 2004 | B2 |
| 6797895 | Lapstun | Sep 2004 | B2 |
| 6811489 | Shimizu | Nov 2004 | B1 |
| 6811491 | Levenberg et al. | Nov 2004 | B1 |
| 6812583 | Cheung et al. | Nov 2004 | B2 |
| 6812881 | Mullaly et al. | Nov 2004 | B1 |
| 6813525 | Reid | Nov 2004 | B2 |
| 6813574 | Yedur | Nov 2004 | B1 |
| 6813584 | Zhou et al. | Nov 2004 | B2 |
| 6816151 | Dellinger | Nov 2004 | B2 |
| 6821204 | Aonuma et al. | Nov 2004 | B2 |
| 6821206 | Ishida et al. | Nov 2004 | B1 |
| 6835135 | Silverbrook et al. | Dec 2004 | B1 |
| 6836705 | Hellman | Dec 2004 | B2 |
| 6836751 | Paxton | Dec 2004 | B2 |
| 6836971 | Wang | Jan 2005 | B1 |
| 6842991 | Levi | Jan 2005 | B2 |
| 6846238 | Wells | Jan 2005 | B2 |
| 6850221 | Tickle | Feb 2005 | B1 |
| 6850844 | Walters | Feb 2005 | B1 |
| 6852032 | Ishino | Feb 2005 | B2 |
| 6856327 | Choi | Feb 2005 | B2 |
| D502468 | Knight et al. | Mar 2005 | S |
| 6868738 | Moscrip | Mar 2005 | B2 |
| 6872139 | Sato et al. | Mar 2005 | B2 |
| 6873406 | Hines | Mar 2005 | B1 |
| D503750 | Kit et al. | Apr 2005 | S |
| 6878066 | Leifer | Apr 2005 | B2 |
| 6882824 | Wood | Apr 2005 | B2 |
| D504677 | Kaminski et al. | May 2005 | S |
| D505424 | Ashida et al. | May 2005 | S |
| 6889098 | Laval | May 2005 | B1 |
| 6890262 | Oishi | May 2005 | B2 |
| 6891469 | Engellenner et al. | May 2005 | B2 |
| 6891526 | Gombert | May 2005 | B2 |
| 6894686 | Stamper et al. | May 2005 | B2 |
| 6897845 | Ozawa | May 2005 | B2 |
| 6897854 | Cho | May 2005 | B2 |
| 6902483 | Lin | Jun 2005 | B2 |
| 6903725 | Nacson | Jun 2005 | B2 |
| 6905411 | Nguyen et al. | Jun 2005 | B2 |
| 6906700 | Armstrong | Jun 2005 | B1 |
| 6908386 | Suzuki et al. | Jun 2005 | B2 |
| 6908388 | Shimizu | Jun 2005 | B2 |
| 6918833 | Emmerson et al. | Jul 2005 | B2 |
| 6921332 | Fukunaga | Jul 2005 | B2 |
| 6922632 | Foxlin | Jul 2005 | B2 |
| 6924787 | Kramer et al. | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 6925410 | Narayanan | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 6929543 | Ueshima et al. | Aug 2005 | B1 |
| 6929548 | Wang | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 6932698 | Sprogis | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 6932706 | Kaminkow | Aug 2005 | B1 |
| 6933861 | Wang | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 6933923 | Feinstein | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 6935864 | Shechter et al. | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 6935952 | Walker et al. | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 6939232 | Tanaka et al. | Sep 2005 | B2 |
| 6948999 | Chan | Sep 2005 | B2 |
| 6954980 | Song | Oct 2005 | B2 |
| 6955606 | Taho et al. | Oct 2005 | B2 |
| 6956564 | Williams | Oct 2005 | B1 |
| 6959166 | Gabai | Oct 2005 | B1 |
| 6965374 | Villet et al. | Nov 2005 | B2 |
| 6966775 | Kendir et al. | Nov 2005 | B1 |
| 6967563 | Bormaster | Nov 2005 | B2 |
| 6967566 | Weston et al. | Nov 2005 | B2 |
| 6982697 | Wilson et al. | Jan 2006 | B2 |
| 6983219 | Mantyjarvi | Jan 2006 | B2 |
| 6984208 | Zheng | Jan 2006 | B2 |
| 6990639 | Wilson | Jan 2006 | B2 |
| 6993451 | Chang et al. | Jan 2006 | B2 |
| 6995748 | Gordon et al. | Feb 2006 | B2 |
| 6998966 | Pedersen | Feb 2006 | B2 |
| 7000469 | Foxlin et al. | Feb 2006 | B2 |
| 7002591 | Leather | Feb 2006 | B1 |
| 7004847 | Henry | Feb 2006 | B2 |
| 7005985 | Steeves | Feb 2006 | B1 |
| 7029400 | Briggs | Apr 2006 | B2 |
| 7030765 | Giraldin | Apr 2006 | B2 |
| 7031875 | Ellenby et al. | Apr 2006 | B2 |
| 7038661 | Wilson et al. | May 2006 | B2 |
| 7040986 | Koshima | May 2006 | B2 |
| 7040993 | Lovitt | May 2006 | B1 |
| 7040998 | Jolliffe et al. | May 2006 | B2 |
| 7052391 | Luciano, Jr. | May 2006 | B1 |
| 7055101 | Abbott et al. | May 2006 | B2 |
| 7056221 | Thirkettle et al. | Jun 2006 | B2 |
| 7059974 | Golliffe et al. | Jun 2006 | B1 |
| 7066781 | Weston | Jun 2006 | B2 |
| D524298 | Hedderich et al. | Jul 2006 | S |
| 7081033 | Mawle | Jul 2006 | B1 |
| 7081051 | Himoto et al. | Jul 2006 | B2 |
| 7086645 | Hardie | Aug 2006 | B2 |
| 7090582 | Danieli et al. | Aug 2006 | B2 |
| 7094147 | Nakata | Aug 2006 | B2 |
| 7098891 | Pryor | Aug 2006 | B1 |
| 7098894 | Yang | Aug 2006 | B2 |
| 7102615 | Marks | Sep 2006 | B2 |
| 7102616 | Sleator | Sep 2006 | B1 |
| 7107168 | Oystol | Sep 2006 | B2 |
| D531228 | Ashida et al. | Oct 2006 | S |
| 7115032 | Cantu et al. | Oct 2006 | B2 |
| 7117009 | Wong et al. | Oct 2006 | B2 |
| 7118482 | Ishihara et al. | Oct 2006 | B2 |
| 7126584 | Nishiumi et al. | Oct 2006 | B1 |
| 7127370 | Kelly | Oct 2006 | B2 |
| D531585 | Weitgasser et al. | Nov 2006 | S |
| 7133026 | Horie et al. | Nov 2006 | B2 |
| 7136674 | Yoshie et al. | Nov 2006 | B2 |
| 7136826 | Alsafadi | Nov 2006 | B2 |
| 7137899 | Hiei | Nov 2006 | B2 |
| 7139983 | Kelts | Nov 2006 | B2 |
| 7140962 | Okuda et al. | Nov 2006 | B2 |
| 7142191 | Idesawa et al. | Nov 2006 | B2 |
| 7145551 | Bathiche | Dec 2006 | B1 |
| 7149627 | Ockerse | Dec 2006 | B2 |
| 7154475 | Crew | Dec 2006 | B2 |
| 7155604 | Kawai | Dec 2006 | B2 |
| 7158116 | Poltorak | Jan 2007 | B2 |
| 7158118 | Liberty | Jan 2007 | B2 |
| 7160196 | Thirkettle et al. | Jan 2007 | B2 |
| 7168089 | Nguyen et al. | Jan 2007 | B2 |
| 7173604 | Marvit | Feb 2007 | B2 |
| 7176919 | Drebin | Feb 2007 | B2 |
| 7180414 | Nyfelt | Feb 2007 | B2 |
| 7180503 | Burr | Feb 2007 | B2 |
| 7182691 | Schena | Feb 2007 | B1 |
| 7183480 | Nishitani et al. | Feb 2007 | B2 |
| 7184059 | Fouladi | Feb 2007 | B1 |
| D543246 | Ashida et al. | May 2007 | S |
| 7220220 | Stubbs et al. | May 2007 | B2 |
| 7223173 | Masuyama et al. | May 2007 | B2 |
| 7225101 | Usuda et al. | May 2007 | B2 |
| 7231063 | Naimark | Jun 2007 | B2 |
| 7233316 | Smith et al. | Jun 2007 | B2 |
| 7236156 | Liberty et al. | Jun 2007 | B2 |
| 7239301 | Liberty et al. | Jul 2007 | B2 |
| 7252572 | Wright et al. | Aug 2007 | B2 |
| 7253800 | Goldberg et al. | Aug 2007 | B2 |
| 7261690 | Teller et al. | Aug 2007 | B2 |
| 7262760 | Liberty | Aug 2007 | B2 |
| RE39818 | Slifer | Sep 2007 | E |
| 7288028 | Rodriguez et al. | Oct 2007 | B2 |
| D556201 | Ashida et al. | Nov 2007 | S |
| 7291014 | Chung et al. | Nov 2007 | B2 |
| 7292151 | Ferguson et al. | Nov 2007 | B2 |
| 7297059 | Vancura et al. | Nov 2007 | B2 |
| 7301527 | Marvit | Nov 2007 | B2 |
| 7301648 | Foxlin | Nov 2007 | B2 |
| D556760 | Ashida et al. | Dec 2007 | S |
| 7307617 | Wilson et al. | Dec 2007 | B2 |
| D559847 | Ashida et al. | Jan 2008 | S |
| D561178 | Azuma | Feb 2008 | S |
| 7331857 | MacIver | Feb 2008 | B2 |
| 7335134 | LaVelle | Feb 2008 | B1 |
| D563948 | d'Hoore | Mar 2008 | S |
| 7337965 | Thirkettle et al. | Mar 2008 | B2 |
| 7339105 | Eitaki | Mar 2008 | B2 |
| 7345670 | Armstrong | Mar 2008 | B2 |
| D567243 | Ashida et al. | Apr 2008 | S |
| 7359121 | French et al. | Apr 2008 | B2 |
| 7359451 | McKnight | Apr 2008 | B2 |
| 7361073 | Martin | Apr 2008 | B2 |
| RE40324 | Crawford | May 2008 | E |
| 7371177 | Ellis et al. | May 2008 | B2 |
| 7373506 | Asano et al. | May 2008 | B2 |
| 7379566 | Hildreth | May 2008 | B2 |
| 7387559 | Sanchez-Castro et al. | Jun 2008 | B2 |
| 7394459 | Bathiche et al. | Jul 2008 | B2 |
| 7395181 | Foxlin | Jul 2008 | B2 |
| 7398151 | Burrell et al. | Jul 2008 | B1 |
| 7408453 | Breed | Aug 2008 | B2 |
| 7414611 | Liberty | Aug 2008 | B2 |
| 7419428 | Rowe | Sep 2008 | B2 |
| 7424388 | Sato | Sep 2008 | B2 |
| 7428499 | Philyaw | Sep 2008 | B1 |
| 7435179 | Ford | Oct 2008 | B1 |
| 7441151 | Whitten et al. | Oct 2008 | B2 |
| 7442108 | Ganz | Oct 2008 | B2 |
| 7445550 | Barney et al. | Nov 2008 | B2 |
| 7465212 | Ganz | Dec 2008 | B2 |
| 7488231 | Weston | Feb 2009 | B2 |
| 7488254 | Himoto | Feb 2009 | B2 |
| 7489299 | Liberty et al. | Feb 2009 | B2 |
| 7492268 | Ferguson et al. | Feb 2009 | B2 |
| 7492367 | Mahajan et al. | Feb 2009 | B2 |
| 7500917 | Barney et al. | Mar 2009 | B2 |
| 7502759 | Hannigan et al. | Mar 2009 | B2 |
| 7519537 | Rosenberg | Apr 2009 | B2 |
| 7524246 | Briggs et al. | Apr 2009 | B2 |
| 7535456 | Liberty et al. | May 2009 | B2 |
| 7536156 | Tischer | May 2009 | B2 |
| 7556563 | Ellis et al. | Jul 2009 | B2 |
| 7564426 | Poor | Jul 2009 | B2 |
| 7568289 | Burlingham et al. | Aug 2009 | B2 |
| 7572191 | Weston et al. | Aug 2009 | B2 |
| 7582016 | Suzuki | Sep 2009 | B2 |
| 7596466 | Ohta | Sep 2009 | B2 |
| 7614958 | Weston et al. | Nov 2009 | B2 |
| 7623115 | Marks | Nov 2009 | B2 |
| 7627139 | Marks | Dec 2009 | B2 |
| 7627451 | Vock et al. | Dec 2009 | B2 |
| 7629886 | Steeves | Dec 2009 | B2 |
| 7645178 | Trotto et al. | Jan 2010 | B1 |
| 7662015 | Hui | Feb 2010 | B2 |
| 7663509 | Shen | Feb 2010 | B2 |
| 7674184 | Briggs et al. | Mar 2010 | B2 |
| 7704135 | Harrison | Apr 2010 | B2 |
| 7704146 | Ellis | Apr 2010 | B2 |
| 7727090 | Gant | Jun 2010 | B2 |
| 7749089 | Briggs et al. | Jul 2010 | B1 |
| 7774155 | Sato et al. | Aug 2010 | B2 |
| 7775882 | Kawamura et al. | Aug 2010 | B2 |
| 7775884 | McCauley | Aug 2010 | B1 |
| 7789741 | Fields | Sep 2010 | B1 |
| 7796116 | Salsman et al. | Sep 2010 | B2 |
| 7828295 | Matsumoto et al. | Nov 2010 | B2 |
| 7850527 | Barney et al. | Dec 2010 | B2 |
| 7862428 | Borge | Jan 2011 | B2 |
| 7878905 | Weston et al. | Feb 2011 | B2 |
| 7883420 | Bradbury | Feb 2011 | B2 |
| 7896742 | Weston et al. | Mar 2011 | B2 |
| 7927216 | Ikeda | Apr 2011 | B2 |
| 7942745 | Ikeda | May 2011 | B2 |
| 7989971 | Lemieux | Aug 2011 | B2 |
| 8021239 | Weston et al. | Sep 2011 | B2 |
| 8025573 | Stenton et al. | Sep 2011 | B2 |
| 8033901 | Wood | Oct 2011 | B2 |
| 8089458 | Barney et al. | Jan 2012 | B2 |
| 8164567 | Barney et al. | Apr 2012 | B1 |
| 8169406 | Barney et al. | May 2012 | B2 |
| 8184097 | Barney et al. | May 2012 | B1 |
| 8206223 | Marans et al. | Jun 2012 | B2 |
| 8226493 | Briggs et al. | Jul 2012 | B2 |
| 8248367 | Barney et al. | Aug 2012 | B1 |
| 8287372 | Hong et al. | Oct 2012 | B2 |
| 8287373 | Marks et al. | Oct 2012 | B2 |
| 8330284 | Weston et al. | Dec 2012 | B2 |
| 8342929 | Briggs et al. | Jan 2013 | B2 |
| 8368648 | Barney et al. | Feb 2013 | B2 |
| 8373659 | Barney et al. | Feb 2013 | B2 |
| 8384668 | Barney et al. | Feb 2013 | B2 |
| 8439757 | Hornsby et al. | May 2013 | B2 |
| 8469766 | Zheng | Jun 2013 | B2 |
| 8475275 | Weston et al. | Jul 2013 | B2 |
| 8491389 | Weston et al. | Jul 2013 | B2 |
| 8531050 | Barney et al. | Sep 2013 | B2 |
| 8535153 | Bradbury et al. | Sep 2013 | B2 |
| 8545335 | Fiegener et al. | Oct 2013 | B2 |
| 8550916 | Raynal | Oct 2013 | B2 |
| 8602857 | Morichau-Beauchant et al. | Dec 2013 | B2 |
| 8608535 | Weston et al. | Dec 2013 | B2 |
| 8686579 | Barney et al. | Apr 2014 | B2 |
| 8702515 | Weston et al. | Apr 2014 | B2 |
| 8708821 | Barney et al. | Apr 2014 | B2 |
| 8711094 | Barney et al. | Apr 2014 | B2 |
| 8753165 | Weston | Jun 2014 | B2 |
| 8758136 | Briggs et al. | Jun 2014 | B2 |
| 8790180 | Barney et al. | Jul 2014 | B2 |
| 8795079 | Penzias, III | Aug 2014 | B2 |
| 8814688 | Barney et al. | Aug 2014 | B2 |
| 8827810 | Weston et al. | Sep 2014 | B2 |
| 8834271 | Ikeda | Sep 2014 | B2 |
| 8870655 | Ikeda | Oct 2014 | B2 |
| 8888576 | Briggs et al. | Nov 2014 | B2 |
| 8894462 | Leyland et al. | Nov 2014 | B2 |
| 8913011 | Barney et al. | Dec 2014 | B2 |
| 8915785 | Barney et al. | Dec 2014 | B2 |
| 8961260 | Weston | Feb 2015 | B2 |
| 8961312 | Barney et al. | Feb 2015 | B2 |
| 9039533 | Barney et al. | May 2015 | B2 |
| 9138650 | Barney et al. | Sep 2015 | B2 |
| 9149717 | Barney et al. | Oct 2015 | B2 |
| 9162148 | Barney et al. | Oct 2015 | B2 |
| 9162149 | Weston et al. | Oct 2015 | B2 |
| 9180378 | Reiche | Nov 2015 | B2 |
| 9186585 | Briggs et al. | Nov 2015 | B2 |
| 9272206 | Weston et al. | Mar 2016 | B2 |
| 9320976 | Weston | Apr 2016 | B2 |
| 9393491 | Barney et al. | Jul 2016 | B2 |
| 9393500 | Barney et al. | Jul 2016 | B2 |
| 9446319 | Barney et al. | Sep 2016 | B2 |
| 9463380 | Weston et al. | Oct 2016 | B2 |
| 9468854 | Briggs et al. | Oct 2016 | B2 |
| 9474962 | Barney et al. | Oct 2016 | B2 |
| 9480929 | Weston | Nov 2016 | B2 |
| 9579568 | Barney et al. | Feb 2017 | B2 |
| 9616334 | Weston et al. | Apr 2017 | B2 |
| 9675878 | Barney et al. | Jun 2017 | B2 |
| 9707478 | Barney et al. | Jul 2017 | B2 |
| 9713766 | Barney et al. | Jul 2017 | B2 |
| 9731194 | Briggs et al. | Aug 2017 | B2 |
| 9737797 | Barney et al. | Aug 2017 | B2 |
| 9770652 | Barney et al. | Sep 2017 | B2 |
| 9770653 | Hansson et al. | Sep 2017 | B2 |
| 9814973 | Barney et al. | Nov 2017 | B2 |
| 9861887 | Briggs et al. | Jan 2018 | B1 |
| 9931578 | Weston | Apr 2018 | B2 |
| 9993724 | Barney et al. | Jun 2018 | B2 |
| 10010790 | Weston et al. | Jul 2018 | B2 |
| 10022624 | Barney et al. | Jul 2018 | B2 |
| 10179283 | Barney et al. | Jan 2019 | B2 |
| 10188953 | Barney et al. | Jan 2019 | B2 |
| 10300374 | Briggs et al. | May 2019 | B2 |
| 10307671 | Barney et al. | Jun 2019 | B2 |
| 10307683 | Weston | Jun 2019 | B2 |
| 10369463 | Barney et al. | Aug 2019 | B2 |
| 20010010514 | Ishino | Aug 2001 | A1 |
| 20010015123 | Nishitani et al. | Aug 2001 | A1 |
| 20010018361 | Acres | Aug 2001 | A1 |
| 20010021669 | Gabai | Sep 2001 | A1 |
| 20010021950 | Hawley | Sep 2001 | A1 |
| 20010024973 | Meredith | Sep 2001 | A1 |
| 20010031603 | Gabai | Oct 2001 | A1 |
| 20010031652 | Gabai et al. | Oct 2001 | A1 |
| 20010031662 | Larian | Oct 2001 | A1 |
| 20010039206 | Peppel | Nov 2001 | A1 |
| 20010040591 | Abbott et al. | Nov 2001 | A1 |
| 20010049302 | Hagiwara et al. | Dec 2001 | A1 |
| 20010054082 | Rudolph et al. | Dec 2001 | A1 |
| 20020005787 | Gabai et al. | Jan 2002 | A1 |
| 20020024500 | Howard | Feb 2002 | A1 |
| 20020024675 | Foxlin | Feb 2002 | A1 |
| 20020028071 | Molgaard | Mar 2002 | A1 |
| 20020028710 | Ishihara et al. | Mar 2002 | A1 |
| 20020032067 | Barney | Mar 2002 | A1 |
| 20020036617 | Pryor | Mar 2002 | A1 |
| 20020038267 | Can et al. | Mar 2002 | A1 |
| 20020052238 | Muroi | May 2002 | A1 |
| 20020058459 | Holt | May 2002 | A1 |
| 20020062251 | Anandan et al. | May 2002 | A1 |
| 20020068500 | Gabai et al. | Jun 2002 | A1 |
| 20020072418 | Masuyama | Jun 2002 | A1 |
| 20020075335 | Relimoto | Jun 2002 | A1 |
| 20020077180 | Swanberg et al. | Jun 2002 | A1 |
| 20020077182 | Swanberg et al. | Jun 2002 | A1 |
| 20020090985 | Tochner et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
| 20020090992 | Legge et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
| 20020098887 | Himoto et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
| 20020103026 | Himoto et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
| 20020107069 | Ishino | Aug 2002 | A1 |
| 20020107591 | Gabai et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
| 20020116615 | Nguyen et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
| 20020118147 | Solomon | Aug 2002 | A1 |
| 20020123377 | Shulman | Sep 2002 | A1 |
| 20020126026 | Lee et al. | Sep 2002 | A1 |
| 20020128056 | Kato | Sep 2002 | A1 |
| 20020137427 | Peters | Sep 2002 | A1 |
| 20020137567 | Cheng | Sep 2002 | A1 |
| 20020140745 | Ellenby | Oct 2002 | A1 |
| 20020158751 | Bormaster | Oct 2002 | A1 |
| 20020158843 | Levine | Oct 2002 | A1 |
| 20020183961 | French et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
| 20030001016 | Fraier | Jan 2003 | A1 |
| 20030013513 | Rowe | Jan 2003 | A1 |
| 20030022736 | Cass | Jan 2003 | A1 |
| 20030027634 | Matthews, III | Feb 2003 | A1 |
| 20030036425 | Kaminkow et al. | Feb 2003 | A1 |
| 20030037075 | Hannigan | Feb 2003 | A1 |
| 20030038778 | Noguera | Feb 2003 | A1 |
| 20030040347 | Roach et al. | Feb 2003 | A1 |
| 20030052860 | Park et al. | Mar 2003 | A1 |
| 20030057808 | Lee et al. | Mar 2003 | A1 |
| 20030060286 | Walker et al. | Mar 2003 | A1 |
| 20030063068 | Anton | Apr 2003 | A1 |
| 20030063139 | Hohberger | Apr 2003 | A1 |
| 20030064812 | Rappaport et al. | Apr 2003 | A1 |
| 20030069077 | Korienek | Apr 2003 | A1 |
| 20030073505 | Tracy | Apr 2003 | A1 |
| 20030095101 | Jou | May 2003 | A1 |
| 20030096652 | Siegel et al. | May 2003 | A1 |
| 20030107551 | Dunker | Jun 2003 | A1 |
| 20030114233 | Hiei | Jun 2003 | A1 |
| 20030134679 | Siegel et al. | Jul 2003 | A1 |
| 20030144047 | Sprogis | Jul 2003 | A1 |
| 20030144056 | Leifer et al. | Jul 2003 | A1 |
| 20030149803 | Wilson et al. | Aug 2003 | A1 |
| 20030166416 | Ogata | Sep 2003 | A1 |
| 20030171145 | Rowe | Sep 2003 | A1 |
| 20030171190 | Rice | Sep 2003 | A1 |
| 20030190967 | Henry | Oct 2003 | A1 |
| 20030193572 | Wilson et al. | Oct 2003 | A1 |
| 20030195037 | Vuong et al. | Oct 2003 | A1 |
| 20030195041 | McCauley | Oct 2003 | A1 |
| 20030195046 | Bartsch | Oct 2003 | A1 |
| 20030204361 | Townsend | Oct 2003 | A1 |
| 20030214259 | Dowling et al. | Nov 2003 | A9 |
| 20030216176 | Shimizu | Nov 2003 | A1 |
| 20030222851 | Lai | Dec 2003 | A1 |
| 20030234914 | Solomon | Dec 2003 | A1 |
| 20040028258 | Naimark | Feb 2004 | A1 |
| 20040034289 | Teller et al. | Feb 2004 | A1 |
| 20040043806 | Kirby et al. | Mar 2004 | A1 |
| 20040048666 | Bagley | Mar 2004 | A1 |
| 20040054900 | He | Mar 2004 | A1 |
| 20040063480 | Wang | Apr 2004 | A1 |
| 20040070564 | Dawson | Apr 2004 | A1 |
| 20040075650 | Paul | Apr 2004 | A1 |
| 20040081313 | McKnight et al. | Apr 2004 | A1 |
| 20040095317 | Zhang | May 2004 | A1 |
| 20040102247 | Smoot et al. | May 2004 | A1 |
| 20040119693 | Kaemmler | Jun 2004 | A1 |
| 20040121834 | Libby et al. | Jun 2004 | A1 |
| 20040134341 | Sandoz | Jul 2004 | A1 |
| 20040140954 | Faeth | Jul 2004 | A1 |
| 20040143413 | Oystol | Jul 2004 | A1 |
| 20040147317 | Ito et al. | Jul 2004 | A1 |
| 20040152499 | Lind et al. | Aug 2004 | A1 |
| 20040152515 | Wegmuller et al. | Aug 2004 | A1 |
| 20040152520 | Shinoda | Aug 2004 | A1 |
| 20040174287 | Deak | Sep 2004 | A1 |
| 20040193413 | Wilson | Sep 2004 | A1 |
| 20040198158 | Driscoll et al. | Oct 2004 | A1 |
| 20040203638 | Chan | Oct 2004 | A1 |
| 20040207597 | Marks | Oct 2004 | A1 |
| 20040214642 | Beck | Oct 2004 | A1 |
| 20040218104 | Smith | Nov 2004 | A1 |
| 20040222969 | Buchenrieder | Nov 2004 | A1 |
| 20040227725 | Calarco | Nov 2004 | A1 |
| 20040229693 | Lind | Nov 2004 | A1 |
| 20040229696 | Beck | Nov 2004 | A1 |
| 20040236453 | Szoboszlay | Nov 2004 | A1 |
| 20040239626 | Noguera | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040252109 | Trent et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040254020 | Dragusin | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040259465 | Wright et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040259651 | Storek | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20040268393 | Hunleth | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20050017454 | Endo et al. | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050020369 | Davis | Jan 2005 | A1 |
| 20050032582 | Mahajan et al. | Feb 2005 | A1 |
| 20050047621 | Cranfill | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050054457 | Eyestone | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050058292 | Diorio et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050059488 | Larsen et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050059503 | Briggs et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050060586 | Burger et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050070359 | Rodriquez et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050076161 | Albanna | Apr 2005 | A1 |
| 20050085298 | Woolston | Apr 2005 | A1 |
| 20050110751 | Wilson et al. | May 2005 | A1 |
| 20050116020 | Smolucha et al. | Jun 2005 | A1 |
| 20050125826 | Hunleth | Jun 2005 | A1 |
| 20050127868 | Calhoon et al. | Jun 2005 | A1 |
| 20050130739 | Argentar | Jun 2005 | A1 |
| 20050134555 | Liao | Jun 2005 | A1 |
| 20050138851 | Ingraselino | Jun 2005 | A1 |
| 20050156883 | Wilson et al. | Jul 2005 | A1 |
| 20050162389 | Obermeyer | Jul 2005 | A1 |
| 20050164601 | McEachen et al. | Jul 2005 | A1 |
| 20050170889 | Lum et al. | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20050172734 | Alsio | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20050174324 | Liberty | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20050176485 | Ueshima | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20050179644 | Alsio | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20050202866 | Luciano et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050210418 | Marvit | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050210419 | Kela | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050212749 | Marvit et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050212750 | Marvit et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050212751 | Marvit et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050212752 | Marvit et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050212753 | Marvit et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050212754 | Marvit et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050212755 | Marvit | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050212756 | Marvit et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050212757 | Marvit et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050212758 | Marvit et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050212759 | Marvit et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050212760 | Marvit et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050212764 | Toba | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050212767 | Marvit | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050215295 | Arneson | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050215322 | Himoto et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
| 20050217525 | McClure | Oct 2005 | A1 |
| 20050227579 | Yamaguchi et al. | Oct 2005 | A1 |
| 20050233808 | Himoto et al. | Oct 2005 | A1 |
| 20050239548 | Ueshima et al. | Oct 2005 | A1 |
| 20050243061 | Liberty et al. | Nov 2005 | A1 |
| 20050243062 | Liberty | Nov 2005 | A1 |
| 20050253806 | Liberty et al. | Nov 2005 | A1 |
| 20050256675 | Kurata | Nov 2005 | A1 |
| 20050277465 | Whitten et al. | Dec 2005 | A1 |
| 20050278741 | Robarts | Dec 2005 | A1 |
| 20060003843 | Kobayashi et al. | Jan 2006 | A1 |
| 20060007115 | Furuhashi | Jan 2006 | A1 |
| 20060009270 | Kobayash et al. | Jan 2006 | A1 |
| 20060028446 | Liberty | Feb 2006 | A1 |
| 20060040720 | Harrison | Feb 2006 | A1 |
| 20060046849 | Kovacs | Mar 2006 | A1 |
| 20060092133 | Touma | May 2006 | A1 |
| 20060094502 | Katayama et al. | May 2006 | A1 |
| 20060122474 | Teller et al. | Jun 2006 | A1 |
| 20060123146 | Wu et al. | Jun 2006 | A1 |
| 20060148563 | Yang | Jul 2006 | A1 |
| 20060152487 | Grunnet-Jepsen | Jul 2006 | A1 |
| 20060152488 | Salsman | Jul 2006 | A1 |
| 20060152489 | Sweetser | Jul 2006 | A1 |
| 20060178212 | Penzias | Aug 2006 | A1 |
| 20060205507 | Ho | Sep 2006 | A1 |
| 20060231794 | Sakaguchi et al. | Oct 2006 | A1 |
| 20060246403 | Monpouet et al. | Nov 2006 | A1 |
| 20060252475 | Zalewski et al. | Nov 2006 | A1 |
| 20060252477 | Zalewski et al. | Nov 2006 | A1 |
| 20060256081 | Zalewski et al. | Nov 2006 | A1 |
| 20060258452 | Hsu | Nov 2006 | A1 |
| 20060264258 | Zalewski et al. | Nov 2006 | A1 |
| 20060264260 | Zalewski et al. | Nov 2006 | A1 |
| 20060267935 | Corson | Nov 2006 | A1 |
| 20060273907 | Heiman | Dec 2006 | A1 |
| 20060282873 | Zalewski et al. | Dec 2006 | A1 |
| 20060284842 | Poltorak | Dec 2006 | A1 |
| 20060287085 | Mao | Dec 2006 | A1 |
| 20060287086 | Zalewski et al. | Dec 2006 | A1 |
| 20060287087 | Zalewski et al. | Dec 2006 | A1 |
| 20070015588 | Matsumoto et al. | Jan 2007 | A1 |
| 20070021208 | Mao et al. | Jan 2007 | A1 |
| 20070049374 | Ikeda et al. | Mar 2007 | A1 |
| 20070050597 | Ikeda | Mar 2007 | A1 |
| 20070052177 | Ikeda et al. | Mar 2007 | A1 |
| 20070060391 | Ikeda et al. | Mar 2007 | A1 |
| 20070066394 | Ikeda et al. | Mar 2007 | A1 |
| 20070072680 | Ikeda et al. | Mar 2007 | A1 |
| 20070082720 | Bradbury et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
| 20070087837 | Bradbury et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
| 20070087838 | Bradbury et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
| 20070087839 | Bradbury et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
| 20070091084 | Ueshima et al. | Apr 2007 | A1 |
| 20070093170 | Zheng | Apr 2007 | A1 |
| 20070093291 | Hulvey | Apr 2007 | A1 |
| 20070093293 | Osnato | Apr 2007 | A1 |
| 20070100696 | Illingworth | May 2007 | A1 |
| 20070159362 | Shen | Jul 2007 | A1 |
| 20070173705 | Teller et al. | Jul 2007 | A1 |
| 20070252815 | Kuo | Nov 2007 | A1 |
| 20070257884 | Taira | Nov 2007 | A1 |
| 20070265075 | Zalewski | Nov 2007 | A1 |
| 20070265076 | Lin | Nov 2007 | A1 |
| 20070265088 | Nakada et al. | Nov 2007 | A1 |
| 20080015017 | Ashida et al. | Jan 2008 | A1 |
| 20080039202 | Sawano et al. | Feb 2008 | A1 |
| 20080119270 | Ohta | May 2008 | A1 |
| 20080121782 | Hotelling et al. | May 2008 | A1 |
| 20080174550 | Laurila | Jul 2008 | A1 |
| 20080216765 | Kates | Sep 2008 | A1 |
| 20080273011 | Lin | Nov 2008 | A1 |
| 20080278445 | Sweester | Nov 2008 | A1 |
| 20090009294 | Kupstas | Jan 2009 | A1 |
| 20090033621 | Quinn | Feb 2009 | A1 |
| 20090080524 | Fujisawa et al. | Mar 2009 | A1 |
| 20090137323 | Fiegener et al. | May 2009 | A1 |
| 20090203446 | Bradbury et al. | Aug 2009 | A1 |
| 20090215534 | Wilson et al. | Aug 2009 | A1 |
| 20090273560 | Kalanithi et al. | Nov 2009 | A1 |
| 20090326851 | Tanenhaus | Dec 2009 | A1 |
| 20100105475 | Mikhailov | Apr 2010 | A1 |
| 20100144436 | Marks et al. | Jun 2010 | A1 |
| 20100289744 | Cohen | Nov 2010 | A1 |
| 20110081969 | Ikeda | Apr 2011 | A1 |
| 20110177853 | Ueshima | Jul 2011 | A1 |
| 20110190052 | Takeda | Aug 2011 | A1 |
| 20120295699 | Reiche | Nov 2012 | A1 |
| 20120295703 | Reiche et al. | Nov 2012 | A1 |
| 20120295704 | Reiche | Nov 2012 | A1 |
| 20130116051 | Barney et al. | May 2013 | A1 |
| 20140100029 | Reiche et al. | Apr 2014 | A1 |
| 20140323221 | Ikeda | Oct 2014 | A1 |
| 20150038229 | Reiche et al. | Feb 2015 | A1 |
| 20150165316 | Barney et al. | Jun 2015 | A1 |
| 20150174479 | Reiche et al. | Jun 2015 | A1 |
| 20150360125 | Barney et al. | Dec 2015 | A1 |
| 20160067600 | Barney et al. | Mar 2016 | A1 |
| 20170340961 | Weston et al. | Nov 2017 | A1 |
| 20170348593 | Barney et al. | Dec 2017 | A1 |
| 20170361236 | Barney et al. | Dec 2017 | A1 |
| 20180078853 | Barney et al. | Mar 2018 | A1 |
| 20180214769 | Briggs et al. | Aug 2018 | A1 |
| 20180318723 | Weston | Nov 2018 | A1 |
| 20180339226 | Barney et al. | Nov 2018 | A1 |
| 20190009171 | Barney et al. | Jan 2019 | A1 |
| 20190038970 | Weston et al. | Feb 2019 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1032246 | Apr 1989 | CN |
| 2113224 | Feb 1992 | CN |
| 1338961 | Mar 2002 | CN |
| 1559644 | Jan 2005 | CN |
| 3930581 | Mar 1991 | DE |
| 19701374 | Jul 1997 | DE |
| 19632273 | Feb 1998 | DE |
| 19648487 | Jun 1998 | DE |
| 19814254 | Oct 1998 | DE |
| 19937307 | Feb 2000 | DE |
| 10029173 | Jan 2002 | DE |
| 10219198 | Nov 2003 | DE |
| 0 264 782 | Apr 1988 | EP |
| 0 570 999 | Dec 1988 | EP |
| 0 322 825 | Jul 1989 | EP |
| 0 695 565 | Feb 1996 | EP |
| 0 835 676 | Apr 1998 | EP |
| 0 848 226 | Jun 1998 | EP |
| 0 852 961 | Jul 1998 | EP |
| 1 062 994 | Dec 2000 | EP |
| 1 279 425 | Jan 2003 | EP |
| 1 293 237 | Mar 2003 | EP |
| 0 993 845 | Dec 2005 | EP |
| 2547093 | Dec 1984 | FR |
| 1524334 | Sep 1978 | GB |
| 2244546 | Dec 1991 | GB |
| 2284478 | Jun 1995 | GB |
| 2307133 | May 1997 | GB |
| 2310481 | Aug 1997 | GB |
| 2316482 | Feb 1998 | GB |
| 2319374 | May 1998 | GB |
| 2325558 | Nov 1998 | GB |
| 2388418 | Nov 2003 | GB |
| 62-14527 | Jan 1987 | JP |
| 63-174681 | Jul 1988 | JP |
| 63-186687 | Aug 1988 | JP |
| 03-210622 | Sep 1991 | JP |
| 06-050758 | Feb 1994 | JP |
| 6154422 | Jun 1994 | JP |
| 06-198075 | Jul 1994 | JP |
| 6190144 | Jul 1994 | JP |
| H0677387 | Oct 1994 | JP |
| 06-308879 | Nov 1994 | JP |
| 07-028591 | Jan 1995 | JP |
| 07-044315 | Feb 1995 | JP |
| 07-107573 | Apr 1995 | JP |
| 07-115690 | May 1995 | JP |
| 07-146123 | Jun 1995 | JP |
| 07-200142 | Aug 1995 | JP |
| 07-211196 | Aug 1995 | JP |
| 07-248723 | Sep 1995 | JP |
| 07-262797 | Oct 1995 | JP |
| 07-302148 | Nov 1995 | JP |
| 07-318332 | Dec 1995 | JP |
| 871252 | Mar 1996 | JP |
| 08-095704 | Apr 1996 | JP |
| 08-106352 | Apr 1996 | JP |
| 08-111144 | Apr 1996 | JP |
| 08-114415 | May 1996 | JP |
| 08-122070 | May 1996 | JP |
| 08-152959 | Jun 1996 | JP |
| 08-191953 | Jul 1996 | JP |
| 08-196742 | Aug 1996 | JP |
| 08-211993 | Aug 1996 | JP |
| 08-221187 | Aug 1996 | JP |
| 08-305355 | Nov 1996 | JP |
| 08-335136 | Dec 1996 | JP |
| 09-034456 | Feb 1997 | JP |
| 09-149915 | Jun 1997 | JP |
| 09-164273 | Jun 1997 | JP |
| 09-225137 | Sep 1997 | JP |
| 09-230997 | Sep 1997 | JP |
| 09-237087 | Sep 1997 | JP |
| 09-274534 | Oct 1997 | JP |
| 09-319510 | Dec 1997 | JP |
| 10-021000 | Jan 1998 | JP |
| 10-033831 | Feb 1998 | JP |
| 10-043349 | Feb 1998 | JP |
| 10-099542 | Apr 1998 | JP |
| 10-154038 | Jun 1998 | JP |
| 10-235019 | Sep 1998 | JP |
| 10-254614 | Sep 1998 | JP |
| 11-053994 | Feb 1999 | JP |
| 11-099284 | Apr 1999 | JP |
| 2000-176150 | Jun 2000 | JP |
| 2000-208756 | Jul 2000 | JP |
| 2000-225269 | Aug 2000 | JP |
| 2000-254346 | Sep 2000 | JP |
| 2000-270237 | Sep 2000 | JP |
| 2000-300839 | Oct 2000 | JP |
| 2000-308756 | Nov 2000 | JP |
| 2000-325653 | Nov 2000 | JP |
| 3074434 | Jan 2001 | JP |
| 2001-038052 | Feb 2001 | JP |
| 2001-058484 | Mar 2001 | JP |
| 2001-104643 | Apr 2001 | JP |
| U20009165 | Apr 2001 | JP |
| 2001-175412 | Jun 2001 | JP |
| 3078268 | Jun 2001 | JP |
| 2001-251324 | Sep 2001 | JP |
| 2001-265521 | Sep 2001 | JP |
| 2001-306245 | Nov 2001 | JP |
| 2002-007057 | Jan 2002 | JP |
| 2002-062981 | Feb 2002 | JP |
| 2002-78969 | Mar 2002 | JP |
| 2002-082751 | Mar 2002 | JP |
| 2002-091692 | Mar 2002 | JP |
| 2002-126375 | May 2002 | JP |
| 2002-136694 | May 2002 | JP |
| 2002-153673 | May 2002 | JP |
| 2002-202843 | Jul 2002 | JP |
| 2002-224444 | Aug 2002 | JP |
| 2002-232549 | Aug 2002 | JP |
| 2002-233665 | Aug 2002 | JP |
| 2002-298145 | Oct 2002 | JP |
| 2003-053038 | Feb 2003 | JP |
| 2003-140823 | May 2003 | JP |
| 2003-208263 | Jul 2003 | JP |
| 2003 236246 | Aug 2003 | JP |
| 2003-325974 | Nov 2003 | JP |
| 2004-062774 | Feb 2004 | JP |
| 2004-313429 | Nov 2004 | JP |
| 2004-313492 | Nov 2004 | JP |
| 2005-040493 | Feb 2005 | JP |
| 2005-063230 | Mar 2005 | JP |
| 2006-113019 | Apr 2006 | JP |
| 2006-136694 | Jun 2006 | JP |
| 2006-216569 | Aug 2006 | JP |
| 2007-083024 | Apr 2007 | JP |
| 4043702 | Feb 2008 | JP |
| 9300171 | Aug 1994 | NL |
| 2077358 | Apr 1997 | RU |
| 2125853 | Feb 1999 | RU |
| 2126161 | Feb 1999 | RU |
| 2141738 | Nov 1999 | RU |
| WO 1990007961 | Jul 1990 | WO |
| WO 1994002931 | Mar 1994 | WO |
| WO 199511730 | May 1995 | WO |
| WO 1996005766 | Feb 1996 | WO |
| WO 1996013951 | May 1996 | WO |
| WO 1996014115 | May 1996 | WO |
| WO 1996014121 | May 1996 | WO |
| WO 1997009101 | Mar 1997 | WO |
| WO 1997012337 | Apr 1997 | WO |
| WO 1997017598 | May 1997 | WO |
| WO 1997020305 | Jun 1997 | WO |
| WO 1997028864 | Aug 1997 | WO |
| WO 1997032641 | Sep 1997 | WO |
| WO 1998011528 | Mar 1998 | WO |
| WO 1998036400 | Aug 1998 | WO |
| WO 1999058214 | Nov 1999 | WO |
| WO 2000033168 | Jun 2000 | WO |
| WO 2000035345 | Jun 2000 | WO |
| WO 2000061251 | Oct 2000 | WO |
| WO 2000063874 | Oct 2000 | WO |
| WO 2000067863 | Nov 2000 | WO |
| WO 2001046916 | Jun 2001 | WO |
| WO 2001087426 | Nov 2001 | WO |
| WO 2001091042 | Nov 2001 | WO |
| WO 2002017054 | Feb 2002 | WO |
| WO 2002034345 | May 2002 | WO |
| WO 2002047013 | Jun 2002 | WO |
| WO 2003015005 | Feb 2003 | WO |
| WO 2003043709 | May 2003 | WO |
| WO 2003044743 | May 2003 | WO |
| WO 2003088147 | Oct 2003 | WO |
| WO 2003107260 | Dec 2003 | WO |
| WO 2004039055 | May 2004 | WO |
| WO 2004051391 | Jun 2004 | WO |
| WO 2004087271 | Oct 2004 | WO |
| WO 2006039339 | Apr 2006 | WO |
| WO 2006101880 | Sep 2006 | WO |
| WO 2007058996 | May 2007 | WO |
| WO 2007120880 | Oct 2007 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| “Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble 2” http://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/08/koro-koro-kirby-2-kirby-tilt-n-tumble-2-gc-unreleased/, Apr. 8, 2008 (accessed on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| “Emerald Forest Toys” [online] [retrieved on Sep. 14, 2005], retrieved from Internet <URL:http://www.pathworks.net/print_eft.html>. |
| Boulanger et al., “The 1997 Mathews Radio Baton and Improvisation Modes,” Music Synthesis Department, Berklee College of Music (1997). |
| Complainants' Petition for Review, dated Sep. 17, 2012. |
| Complainants' Response to Commission's Request for Statements on the Public Interest, dated Oct. 10, 2012. |
| Complainants' Response to Respondents' Petition for Review, dated Sep. 25, 2012. |
| Creative Kingdoms LLC v. ITC, The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, No. 2014-1072, dated Dec. 19, 2014. |
| Exintaris, et al., “Ollivander's Magic Wands : HCI Development,” available at http://www.cim.mcgill.ca/˜jer/courses/hci/project/2002/www.ece.mcgill.ca/%257Eurydice/hci/notebook/final/MagicWand.pdf (2002). |
| Expert Report of Branimir R. Vojcic, Ph.D. on Behalf of Complainants Creative Kingdoms, LLC and New Kingdoms, LLC, dated Nov. 17, 2011. |
| Expert Report of Kenneth Holt on Behalf of Respondents Nintendo of America, Inc. and Nintendo Co., Ltd., dated Nov. 3, 2011. |
| Expert Report of Nathaniel Polish, Ph.D. on Behalf of Respondents Nintendo of America, Inc. and Nintendo Co., Ltd., dated Nov. 3, 2011. |
| IGN Article—Mad Catz Rumble Rod Controller, Aug. 20, 1999. |
| Initial Determination on Violation of Section 337 and Recommended Determination on Remedy and Bond, dated Aug. 31, 2012. |
| Marrin, Teresa, “Toward an Understanding of Musical Gesture: Mapping Expressive Intention with the Digital Baton,” Masters Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Jun. 1996). |
| Nintendo N64 Controller Pak Instruction Booklet, 1997. |
| Paradiso, et al., “Musical Applications of Electric Field Sensing”, available at http://pubs.media.mit.edu/pubs/papers/96_04_cmj.pdf (Apr. 1996). |
| Paradiso, Joseph A., “The Brain Opera Technology: New Instruments and Gestural Sensors for Musical Interaction and Performance” (Nov. 1998) (electronic copy available at http://pubs.media.mit.edu/pubs/papers/98_3_JNMR_Brain_Opera.pdf). |
| Petition of the Office of Unfair Import Investigations for Review-in-Part of the Final Initial Determination, dated Sep. 17, 2012. |
| Pre-Hearing Statement of Complainants Creative Kingdoms, LLC and New Kingdoms, LLC, dated Jan. 13, 2012. |
| Public Version of Commission Opinion from United States International Trade Commission, dated Oct. 28, 2013. |
| Respondents Nintendo Co., Ltd. and Nintendo of America Inc.'s Contingent Petition for Review of Initial Determination, dated Sep. 17, 2012. |
| Respondents Nintendo Co., Ltd. and Nintendo of America Inc.'s Objections and Supplemental Responses to Complainants Creative Kingdoms, LLC and New Kingdoms, LLC's Interrogatory Nos. 35, 44, 47, 53, and 78, dated Oct. 13, 2011. |
| Respondents Nintendo Co., Ltd. and Nintendo of America Inc.'s Response to Complainants' and Staff's Petitions for Review, dated Sep. 25, 2012. |
| Response of the Office of Unfair Import Investigations to the Petitions for Review, dated Sep. 25, 2012. |
| Response to Office Action dated Sep. 18, 2009 for U.S. Appl. No. 11/404,844. |
| Specification of the Bluetooth System—Core v1.0b, Dec. 1, 1999. |
| Verplaetse, “Inertial Proprioceptive Devices: Self-Motion Sensing Toys and Tools,” IBM Systems Journal, vol. 35, Nos. 3&4 (Sep. 1996). |
| “At-home fishing”, http://www.virtualpet.com/vp/media/fishing/homef.jpg (accessed on Jan. 14, 2010). |
| “Coleco Vision: Super Action™ Controller Set,” www.vintagecomputing.com/wp-content/images/retroscan/coleco_sac_1_large.jpg. (downloaded from Internet on Sep. 2, 2011; available at http://www.vintagecomputing.com on Sep. 4, 2006). |
| “Controllers-Atari Space Age Joystick,” AtariAge: Have You Played Atari Today? www.atariage.com/controller_page.html?SystemID=2600& ControllerID-12., Sep. 1, 2006. |
| “Controllers-BoosterGrip,” AtariAge: Have You Played Atari Today? www.atariage.com/controller_page.html?SystemID=2600& ControllerID=18., (accessed on Jul. 29, 2011; allegedly available as early as Sep. 1, 2006). |
| “Electronic Plastic: BANDAI—Power Fishing” “Power Fishing Company: BANDAI,” 1 page, http://www.handhelden.com/Bandai/ PowerFishing.html., 1984 (accessed on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| “Game Controller” Wikipedia, Jan. 5, 2005. |
| “Get Bass,” Videogame by Sega, The International Arcade Museum and the KLOV (accessed at http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7933 on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| “Glove-based input interfaces” Cyberglove/Cyberforce, http://www.angelfire.com/ca7/mellott124/glove1.htm (accessed on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| “Harry Potter Magic Spell Challenge,” Tiger Electronics, 2001. |
| “Imp Coexists With Your Mouse,” Byte, p. 255, Jan. 1994. |
| Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble (GCN-GBA Spaceworld 2001, You Tube Video, uploaded by adonfjv on Sep. 5, 2006 (accessed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rLhlwp2iGk on Sep. 7, 2011; digital copy of video available upon request). |
| “MEMS enable smart golf clubs,” Small Times, Jan. 6, 2005, accessed at http://dpwsa.electroiq.com/index/display/semiconductors-article-display/269788/articles/small-times/consumer/2005/01/mems-enable-smart-golf-clubs.html on Jul. 29, 2011. |
| “Miacomet and Interact Announce Agreement to Launch Line of Real Feel™ Sport Controllers”, PR Newswire (May 13, 1999), accessed at http://www.thefreelibrary.com/_print/PrintArticle.aspx?id=54621351 on Sep. 7, 2011. |
| “The N.I.C.E. Project,” YouTube video uploaded by evltube on Nov. 20, 2007 (accessed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihGXa21qLms on Sep. 8, 2011; digital copy of video available upon request). |
| “212 Series Encoders” HT12A/HT12E by HOLTEK—Product Specification, Apr. 2000. |
| “212 Series of Decoders” HT12D/HT12F by HOLTEK—Product Specification, Nov. 2002. |
| “ASCII Entertainment releases the Grip,” ASCII Entertainment Software—Press News—Coming Soon Magazine, May 1997 (electronic version accessed at http://www.csoon.com/issue25/p_ascii4.htm on Sep. 6, 2011). |
| “Enchanted Spell-Casting Sorcerers Wand” by Ken Holt as featured on www.inventionconnection.com online advertisement, Dec. 2002. |
| “Interview with Pat Goschy, the “Real” Nintendo Wii Inventor,” YouTube video uploaded by agbulls on Jan. 14, 2008 (accessed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKtZysYGDLE on Feb. 11, 2011; digital copy of video available upon request). |
| “Micro Tilt Switch” D6B by Omron® Product Specification, Jan. 2007. |
| “Nintendo Wii Controller Invented by Americans: Midway Velocity Controller Technology Brief,” You Tube Video presentation dated Jun. 28, 2000; uploaded by drjohniefever on Sep. 8, 2007 (accessed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjLhSrSxFNw on Jun. 30, 2010; digital copy of video available upon request). |
| “Raise High the 3D Roof Beam: Kids shape these PC games as they go along.” by Anne Field, article as featured in Business Week 2001. (Nov. 26, 2001). |
| “Serial-in Parallel-out Shift Register” SN54/74LS164 by Motorola—Product Specification, Fifth Edition, 1992. |
| “Sony PS2 Motion Controller 5 years ago (2004),” YouTube Video uploaded by r1oot on Jul. 8, 2009 (accessed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbSzmRt7HhQ&feature=related on Sep. 6, 2011; digital copy of video available upon request). |
| “The Big Ideas Behind Nintendo's Wii,” Business Week, Nov. 16, 2006 (accessed at http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2006/tc20061116_750580.htm on Aug. 31, 2011). |
| “The Magic Labs Conjure Wands” as featured on www.magic-lab.com Product Specification, Dec. 2002. |
| “Tilt Switch” by Fuji & Co. as featured on www.fuji-piezo.com online advertisement, May 2001. |
| “Toy Wand Manufacturer Selects Memsic Sensor: Magic Labs cuts costs with MEMSIC sensor” Press Release by MEMSIC, Inc. as featured on www.memsic.com, May 2002. |
| “Wii Mailbag,” IGN.com, Jan. 26, 2006 (accessed at http://uk.wii.ign.com/mail/2006-01-26.html on Aug. 31, 2011). |
| Acar, et al., “Experimental evaluation and comparative analysis of commercial variable-capacitance MEMS accelerometers,” Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, vol. 13 (1), pp. 634-645, May 2003. |
| Achenbach, “Golfs New Measuring Stick,” Golfweek, 1 page, Jun. 11, 2005. |
| ACT Labs, Miacomet Background, Jan. 27, 2001, http://web.archive.org/web/200101271753/http://www.act-labs.com/ realfeel_background.htm, (accessed on Sep. 7, 2011). |
| Agard, “Advances in Strapdown Inertial Systems,” Agard Lecture Series No. 133, Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development, Neuilly-Sur-Seine (France) May 1984. |
| AirPad Controller Manual, (AirPad Corp. 2000). |
| Airpad Motion Reflex Controller for Sony Playstation—Physical Product, (AirPad Corp. 2000). |
| Algrain, “Estimation of 3-D Angular Motion Using Gyroscopes and Linear Accelerometers,” IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, vol. 27, No. 6, pp. 910-920, Nov. 1991. |
| Algrain, et al., “Accelerometer Based Line-of-Sight Stabilization Approach for Pointing and Tracking System,” Second IEEE Conference on Control Applications, Sep. 13-16, 1993 Vancouver, B.C., pp. 159-163 Sep. 13-16, 1993. |
| Algrain, et al., “Interlaced Kalman Filtering of 3-D Angular Motion Based on Euler's Nonlinear Equations,” IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, vol. 30, No. 1, Jan. 1994. |
| Allen, et al., “A General Method for Comparing the Expected Performance of Tracing and Motion Capture Systems,” {VRST} '05: Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology, Nov. 7-9, 2005 Monterey, California Nov. 7-9, 2005. |
| Allen, et al., “Tracking: Beyond 15 Minutes of Thought,” SIGGRAPH 2001 Course 11, Aug. 2001. |
| Analog Devices “ADXL202E Low-Cost .+−.2 g Dual-Axis Accelerometer with Duty Cycle Output” Data Sheet, Rev. A, Oct. 2000. |
| Analog Devices “ADXL330 Small, Low Power, 3-Axis ±2 g MEMS Accelerometer” Data Sheet, Rev. PrA Oct. 2005. |
| Analog Devices “ADXL50 Monolithic Accelerometer with Signal Conditioning” Data Sheet Mar. 1996. |
| Analog Devices “ADXRS150±150∘/s Single Chip Yaw Rate Gyro with Signal Conditioning” Data Sheet, Rev. B, Mar. 2004. |
| Analog Devices “ADXRS401 ±75∘/s Single Chip Yaw Rate Gyro with Signal Conditioning” Data Sheet, Rev. O, Jul. 2004. |
| Analog Devices “MicroConverter®, Multichannel 12-Bit ADC with Embedded Flash MCU, ADuC812” Data Sheet (Feb. 2003), available at http://www.analog.com/static/imported-files/data_sheets/ADUC812.pdf. |
| Analog Devices, “ADXL150/ADXL250, ±5g to ±50g, Low Noise, Low Power, Single/Dual Axis MEMS® Accelerometers,” Data Sheet, Rev. 0 (Apr. 1998). |
| Ang, et al., “Design and Implementation of Active Error Canceling in Hand-held Microsurgical Instrument,” Paper presented at 2001 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (Oct./Nov. 2001). |
| Ang, et al., “Design of All-Accelerometer Inertial Measurement Unit for Tremor Sensing in Hand-held Microsurgical Instrument,” Proceedings of the 2003 IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation, Sep. 14-19, 2003, Taipei, Taiwan, pp. 1781-1786, Sep. 14-19, 2003. |
| Apostolyuk, Vladislav, “Theory and Design of Micromechanical Vibratory Gyroscopes,” MEMS/NEMS Handbook, Springer, vol. 1, pp. 173-195 (May 2006). |
| Ascension Technology, 6D Bird Class B Installation and Operation Guide, Apr. 30, 2003. |
| ASCII, picture of one-handed controller, 2 pages, Feb. 6, 2006. |
| Ator, “Image-Velocity Sensing with Parallel-Slit Reticles,” Journal of the Optical Society of America, vol. 53, No. 12, pp. 1416-1422, Dec. 1963. |
| Azarbayejani, et al, “Real-Time 3-D Tracking of the Human Body,” M.I.T. Media Laboratory Perceptual Computing Section Technical Report No. 374, Appears in Proceedings of Image'Com 96, Bordeaux, France, May 1996. |
| Azarbayejani, et al., “Visually Controlled Graphics,” M.I.T. Media Laboratory Perceptual Computing Section Technical Report No. 374, Appears in IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol. 15, No. 6, pp. 602-605, Jun. 1993. |
| Azuma et al., “Improving Static and Dynamic Registration in an Optical See-Through HMD,” Paper Presented at SIGGRAPH '94 Annual Conference in Orlando, FL, Mar. 1994. |
| Azuma, “Predictive Tracking for Augmented Reality,” Ph.D. Dissertation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Computer Science, Feb. 1995. |
| Azuma, et al., “A Frequency-Domain Analysis of Head-Motion Prediction,” Paper Presented at SIGGRAPH '95 Annual Conference in Los Angeles, CA, Feb. 1995. |
| Azuma, et al., “A motion-stabilized outdoor augmented reality system,” Proceedings of IEEE Virtual Reality '99, Houston, TX, Mar. 13-17, 1999, pp. 252-259. |
| Azuma, et al., “Making Augmented Reality Work Outdoors Requires Hybrid Tracking,” Proceedings of the International Workshop on Augmented Reality, San Francisco, CA, Nov. 1, 1998. |
| Bachmann et al., “Inertial and Magnetic Posture Tracking for Inserting Humans into Networked Virtual Environments,” Virtual Reality Software and Technology archive, Paper Presented at ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology in Banff, Alberta, Canada, Dec. 2000. |
| Bachmann et al., “Orientation Tracking for Humans and Robots Using Inertial Sensors” Paper Presented at 199 International Symposium on Computational Intelligence in Robotics & Automation (CIRA '99), Mar. 1999. |
| Bachmann, “Inertial and Magnetic Angle Tracking of Limb Segments for Inserting Humans into Synthetic Environments,” Dissertation, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA (Dec. 2000). |
| Badler, et al., “Multi-Dimensional Input Techniques and Articulated Figure Positioning by Multiple Constraints,” Interactive 3D Graphics, Oct. 1986; pp. 151-169. |
| Baker et al., “Active Multimodal Control of a ‘Floppy’ Telescope Structure,” Proc. SPIE, vol. 4825, pp. 74-81 (2002). |
| Balakrishnan, “The Rockin' Mouse: Integral 3D Manipulation on a Plane,” Published in Proceedings of 1997 ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI'97), pp. 311-318, Jun. 1997. |
| Ballagas, et al., “iStuff: A Physical User Interface Toolkit for Ubiquitous Computer Environments,” Paper presented at SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Apr. 2003. |
| Baraff, “An Introduction to Physically Based Modeling: Rigid Body Simulation I—Unconstrained Rigid Body Dynamics,” SIGGRAPH 97 Course Notes, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University (Aug. 1997). |
| Baudisch, et al., “Soap: a Pointing Device that Works in Mid-air,” Proc. UIST'06, Oct. 15-18, 2006, Montreux, Switzerland (Oct. 2006). |
| BBN Report No. 7661, “Virtual Environment Technology for Training (VETT),” The Virtual Environment and Teleoperator Research Consortium (VETREC), pp. III-A-27 to III-A-40 (Mar. 1992). |
| Behringer, “Improving the Registration Precision by Visual Horizon Silhouette Matching,” Paper presented at First IEEE Workshop on Augmented Reality (Feb. 1998). |
| Behringer, “Registration for Outdoor Augmented Reality Applications Using Computer Vision Techniques and Hybrid Sensors,” Paper presented at IEEE Virtual Reality (VR '99) Conference in Houston, TX (Mar. 1999). |
| BEI GyrochipTM Model QRS11 Data Sheet, BEI Systron Donner Inertial Division, BEI Technologies, Inc., (Sep. 1998). |
| Benbasat, “An Inertial Measurement Unit for User Interfaces,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology Masters Thesis, (Sep. 2000). |
| Benbasat, et al., “An Inertial Measurement Framework for Gesture Recognition and Applications,” Paper Presented at International Gesture Workshop on Gesture and Sign Languages in Human-Computer Interaction (GW '01), London, UK (Sep. 2001). |
| Bhatnagar, “Position trackers for Head Mounted Display systems: A survey” (Technical Report), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Mar. 1993). |
| Bianchi, “A Tailless Mouse, New cordless Computer Mouse Invented by ArcanaTech,” Inc.com, Jun. 1, 1992 (accessed at http://www.inc.com/magazine/19920601/4115.html on Jun. 17, 2010). |
| Bishop, “The Self-Tracker: A Smart Optical Sensor on Silicon,” Ph.D. Dissertation, Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1984), 65 pages. |
| Bjork, Staffan et al., “Pirates! Using the Physical World as a Game Board,” Reportedly presented as part of Interact 2001: 8th TC.13 IFIP International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, Tokyo Japan (Jul. 9-13, 2001). |
| Bluffing Your Way in Pokemon, Oct. 14, 2002, 7 pages. |
| Bona, et al., “Optimum Reset of Ship's Inertial Navigation System,” IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, Abstract only (1965) (accessed at http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb-getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier-AD0908193 on Jun. 17, 2010). |
| Borenstein, et al., “Where am I? Sensors and Methods for Mobile Robot Positioning” (Apr. 1996). |
| Borovoy, R. , et al., “Things that Blink: Computationally Augmented Name Tags,” IBM Systems Journal, vol. 35, Nos. 3 & 4, 1996; pp. 488-495 (May 1996). |
| Borovoy, Richard et al., “Groupware: Nametags That Tell About Relationships,” Chi 98, Apr. 1998, pp. 329-330. |
| Boser, “3-Axis Accelerometer with Differential Sense Electronics,” Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center, available at http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/.about.boser/pdf/3axis.pdf (Feb. 1997). |
| Boser, “Accelerometer Design Example: Analog Devices XL-05/5,” Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center, available at http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/.about.boser/pdf/xl05.pdf (1996). |
| Bowman, et al., “An Introduction to 3-D User Interface Design,” MIT Presence, vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 96-108 (Feb. 2001). |
| Briefs, (New & Improved), (Brief Article), PC Magazine, Oct. 26, 1993. |
| Britton et al., “Making Nested Rotations Convenient for the User,” SIGGRAPH '78 Proceedings of the 5th Annual Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, vol. 12, Issue 3, pp. 222-227 (Aug. 1978). |
| Britton, “A Methodology for the Ergonomic Design of Interactive Computer Graphic Systems, and its Application to Crystallography” Ph.D. Dissertation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Computer Science (1977). |
| Brownell, Richard, Review: Peripheral-GameCube-G3 Wireless Controller, gamesarefun.com, Jul. 13, 2003 (accessed at http://www.gamesarefun.com/gamesdb/perireview.php?perireviewid=1 on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| Buchanan, Levi: “Happy Birthday, Rumble Pak,” IGN.com, Apr. 3, 2008 (accessed at http://retro.ign.com/articles/864/864231p1.html on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| Business Wire, “Feature/Virtual reality glasses that interface to Sega channel,Time Warner, TCI; project announced concurrent with COMDEX,” Nov. 14, 1994 (accessed at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1994_Nov_14/ai_15923497/?tag=content;col1 on Jul. 7, 2010). |
| Business Wire, “Free-space ‘Tilt’ Game Controller for Sony Playstation Uses Scenix Chip; SX Series IC Processes Spatial Data in Real Time for On-Screen,” Dec. 6, 1999 (accessed at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1999_Dec_6/ai_58042965/?tag=content;col1 on Jul. 7, 2010)). |
| Business Wire, “Logitech Magellan 3D Controller,” Apr. 14, 1997 (accessed at http://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/print/PrintArticle.aspx?id=19306114 on Feb. 10, 2011). |
| Business Wire, “Mind Path Introduces Gyropoint RF Wireless Remote,” Jan. 27, 2000 (accessed at http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/operations-office/6381880-1.html on Jun. 17, 2010). |
| Business Wire, “Pegasus' Wireless PenCell Writes on Thin Air with ART's Handwriting Recognition Solutions,” Business Editors/High Tech Writers Telecom Israel 2000 Hall 29, Booth 19-20, Nov. 7, 2000 (accessed at http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-66658008.html on Jun. 17, 2010). |
| Business Wire, “RPI ships low-cost pro HMD Plus 3D Mouse and VR PC graphics card system for CES,” Jan. 9, 1995 (accessed at http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16009561.html on Jun. 17, 2010). |
| Business Wire, “InterSense Inc. Launches InertiaCube2—The World's Smallest Precision Orientation Sensor with Serial Interface,” Aug. 14, 2001 (accessed at http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-77183067.html/print on Sep. 7, 2011.). |
| Buxton et al., “A Study in Two-Handed Input,” Proceedings of CHI '86, pp. 321-326 (1986) (accessed at http://www.billbuxton.com/2hands.html on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| Buxton, Bill, “A Directory of Sources for Input Technologies” (last updated Apr. 19, 2001), http://web.archive.org/web/20010604004849/http://www.billbuxton.com/InputSources.html (accessed on Sep. 8, 2011). |
| Buxton, Bill, “Human input/output devices,” In M. Katz (ed.), Technology Forecast: 1995, Menlo Park, CA: Price Waterhouse World Firm Technology Center, pp. 49-65 (Sep. 1994). |
| Canaday, “R67-26 The Lincoln Wand,” IEEE Transactions on Electronic Computers, vol. EC-16, No. 2, p. 240 (Apr. 1967) (downloaded from IEEE Xplore on Jul. 7, 2010). |
| Caruso, “Application of Magnetoresistive Sensors in Navigation Systems,” Sensors and Actuators, SAE SP-1220, pp. 15-21 (Feb. 1997); text of article accessed at http://www.ssec.honeywell.com/position-sensors/datasheets/sae.pdf. |
| Caruso, “Applications of Magnetic Sensors for Low Cost Compass Systems,” Honeywell, SSEC, Paper presented at IEEE 2000 Position Location and Navigation Symposium (Mar. 2000), accessed at http://www.ssec.honeywell.com/magnetic/datasheets/lowcost.pdf. |
| Caruso, et al., “A New Perspective on Magnetic Field Sensing,” Sensors Magazine, Dec. 1, 1998 (accessed at http://www.sensorsmag.com/sensors/electric-magnetic/a-new-perspective-magnetic-field-sensing-855 on Jun. 17, 2010). |
| Caruso, et al., “Vehicle Detection and Compass Applications using AMR Magnetic Sensors”, Paper presented at 1999 Sensors Expo in Baltimore, Maryland (May 1999), available at http://masters.donntu.edu.ua/2007/kita/gerus/library/amr.pdf. |
| Chatfield, “Fundamentals of High Accuracy Inertial Navigation,” vol. 174 Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. (1997). |
| Cheng, “Direct interaction with Large-Scale Display Systems using Infrared Laser Tracking Devices,” Paper presented at Australasian Symposium on Information Visualisation, Adelaide, Australia (Jan. 2003). |
| Cheok, et al., “Micro-Accelerometer Based Hardware Interfaces for Wearable Computer Mixed Reality Applications,” 6th International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC'02), 8 pages. |
| Cho, et al., “Magic Wand: A Hand-Drawn Gesture Input Device in 3-D Space with Inertial Sensors,” Proceedings of the 9th Intl Workshop on Frontiers in Handwriting Recognition (IWFHR-9 2004), IEEE (Aug. 2004). |
| Clark, James H., “Designing Surfaces in 3-D,” Graphics and Image Processing—Communications of the ACM, Aug. 1976; vol. 19; No. 8; pp. 454-460. |
| Clark, James H., “Three Dimensional Man Machine Interaction,” Siggraph '76, Jul. 14-16 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1 page. |
| CNET News.com, “Nintendo Wii Swings Into Action,” May 25, 2006 (accessed at http://news.cnetcom/2300-1043_3-6070295-4.html on Aug. 5, 2011). |
| Cooke, et al., “NPSNET: Flight simulation dynamic modeling using quaternions,” Presence, vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 404-420, (Jan. 25, 1994). |
| Crecente, Brian, “Motion Gaming Gains Momentum,” kotaku.com, Sep. 17, 2010 (accessed at http://kotaku.com/5640867/motion-gaming-gains-momentum on Aug. 31, 2011). |
| Cruz-Neira, et al., “Scientists in Wonderland: A Report on Visualization Applications in the CAVE Virtual Reality Environment,” 1993 IEEE. |
| CSIDC Winners—“Tablet-PC Classroom System Wins Design Competition,” IEEE Computer Society Press, vol. 36, Issue 8, pp. 15-18, IEEE Computer Society, Aug. 2003. |
| Cutrone, “Hot products: Gyration GyroPoint Desk, GyroPoint Pro gyroscope-controlled wired and wireless mice,” Results from the Comdex Show Floor, Computer Reseller News, Dec. 4, 1995 (accessed from LexisNexis research database on Feb. 17, 2011; see pp. 8 and 9 of reference submitted herewith). |
| Deering, Michael F. , “HoloSketch a Virtual Reality Sketching Animation Tool,” ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, Sep. 1995; vol. 2, No. 3; pp. 220-238. |
| Deruyck, et al., “An Electromagnetic Position Sensor,” Polhemus Navigation Sciences, Inc., Burlington, VT (Nov. 1973) (Abstract from DTIC Online). |
| Dichtburn, “Camera in Direct3D” Toymaker (Feb. 6, 2005), http://web.archive.org/web/20050206032104/http:/toymaker.info/games/html/camera.html (accessed on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| Digital ID Cards the next generation of ‘smart’ cards will have more than a one-track mind. Wall Street Journal, Jun. 25, 2001. |
| Donelson, et al., “Spatial Management of Information”, Proceedings of 1978 ACM SIGGRAPH Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, pp. 203-209 (Aug. 1977). |
| Druin et al., Robots: Exploring New Technologies for Learning for Kids; 2000; Chapter One: To Mindstorms and Beyond; 27 pages (Jun. 2000). |
| Drzymala, Robert E., et al., “A Feasibility Study Using a Stereo-Optical Camera System to Verify Gamma Knife Treatment Specification,” Proceedings of 22nd Annual EMBS International Conference, Jul. 2000; pp. 1486-1489. |
| Durlach, et al., “Virtual Reality: Scientific and Technological Challenges,” National Academy Press (1995). |
| Emura, et al., “Sensor Fusion based Measurement of Human Head Motion,” 3rd IEEE International Workshop on Robot and Human Communication (Jul. 1994). |
| Ewalt, David M., “Nintendo's Wii is a Revolution,” Review, Forbes.com, Nov. 13, 2006 (accessed at http://www.forbes.com/2006/11/13/wii-review-ps3-tech-media-cx_de_1113wii.html on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| Ferrin, “Survey of Helmet Tracking Technologies,” Proc. SPIE vol. 1456, p. 86-94 (Apr. 1991). |
| Fielder, Lauren “E3 2001: Nintendo unleashes GameCube software, a new Miyamoto game, and more,” GameSpot, May 16, 2001 (accessed at http://www.gamespot.com/news/2761390/e3-2001-nintendo-unleashes-gamecube-software-a-new-miyamoto-game-and-more?tag-gallery_summary%3Bstory on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| U.S. Appl. No. 09/520,148, filed Mar. 7, 2000 by Miriam Mawle. |
| Foremski, T., “Remote Control Mouse Aims at Interactive TV” Electronics Weekly, Mar. 9, 1994. |
| Foxlin, “Head-tracking Relative to a Moving Vehicle or Simulator Platform Using Differential Inertial Sensors,” Proceedings of Helmet and Head-Mounted Displays V, SPIE vol. 4021, AeroSense Symposium, Orlando, FL, Apr. 24-25, 2000 (2000). |
| Foxlin, “Inertial Head Tracker Sensor Fusion by a Complementary Separate-bias Kalman Filter,” Proceedings of the IEEE 1996 Virtual Reality Annual International Symposium, pp. 185-194, 267 (Mar./Apr. 3, 1996). |
| Foxlin, “Generalized architecture for simultaneous localization, auto-calibration, and map-building,” IEEE/RSJ Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2002), Oct. 2-4, 2002, Lausanne, Switzerland (Oct. 2002). |
| Foxlin, “Motion Tracking Requirements and Technologies,” Chapter 8, from Handbook of Virtual Environment Technology, Kay Stanney, Ed., Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Jan. 2002) (extended draft version available for download at http://www.intersense.com/pages/44/119/). |
| Foxlin, “Pedestrian Tracking with Shoe-Mounted Inertial Sensors,” IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, vol. 25, No. 6, pp. 38-46, (Nov./Dec. 2005). |
| Foxlin, et al., “An Inertial Head-Orientation Tracker with Automatic Drift Compensation for Use with HMD's,” Proceedings of the 1994 Virtual Reality Software and Technology Conference, Aug. 23-26, 1994, Singapore, pp. 159-173 (1994). |
| Foxlin, et al., “Constellation™: A Wide-Range Wireless Motion-Tracking System for Augmented Reality and Virtual Set Applications,” ACM SIGGRAPH 98, Orlando, Florida, Jul. 19-24, 1998 (1998). |
| Foxlin, et al., “Miniature 6-DOF Inertial System for Tracking HMDs,” SPIE vol. 3362, Helmet and Head-Mounted Displays III, AeroSense 98, Orlando, FL, Apr. 13-14, 1998 (1998). |
| Foxlin, et al., “WearTrack: A Self-Referenced Head and Hand Tracker for Wearable Computers and Portable VR,” Proceedings of International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC 2000), Oct. 16-18, 2000, Atlanta, GA (2000). |
| Foxlin, et al., “FlightTracker: A Novel Optical/Inertial Tracker for Cockpit Enhanced Vision, Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality,” Proceedings of the 3rd IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2004), Nov. 2-5, 2004, Washington, D.C. (2004). |
| Foxlin, et al., “Miniaturization, Calibration & Accuracy Evaluation of a Hybrid Self-Tracker,” IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2003), Oct. 7-10, 2003, Tokyo, Japan (2003). |
| Foxlin, et al., “VIS-Tracker: A Wearable Vision-Inertial Self-Tracker,” IEEE VR2003, Mar. 22-26, 2003, Los Angeles, CA (2003). |
| Frankle, “E3 2002: Roll O Rama,” Roll-o-Rama GameCube Preview at IGN, May 23, 2002 (accessed at http://cube.ign.com/articles/360/360662p1.html on Sep. 7, 2011). |
| Friedmann, et al., “Device Synchronization Using an Optimal Linear Filter,” SI3D '92: Proceedings of the 1992 symposium on Interactive 3D graphics, pp. 57-62 (Mar./Apr. 1992). |
| Friedmann, et al., “Synchronization in virtual realities,” M.I.T. Media Lab Vision and Modeling Group Technical Report No. 157, Jan. 1991 to appear in Presence, vol. 1, No. 1, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA (1991). |
| FrontSide Field Test, “Get This!” Golf Magazine, Jun. 2005, p. 36. |
| Fuchs, Eric, “Inertial Head-Tracking,” MS Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Sep. 1993). |
| Furniss, Maureen, “Motion Capture,” posted at http://web.mit.edu/m-i-t/articles/index_furniss.html on Dec. 19, 1999; paper presented at the Media in Transition Conference at MIT on Oct. 8, 1999 (accessed on Sep. 8, 2011). |
| gamecubicle.com News Article, Nintendo WaveBird Controller, http://www.gamecubicle.com/news-Nintendo_gamecube_wavebird_controller.htm, May 14, 2002 (accessed on Aug. 5, 2011). |
| Geen, et al., “New MEMS® Angular-Rate-Sensing Gyroscope,” Analog Dialogue 37-03, pp. 1-3 (2003). |
| Gelmis, J., “Ready to Play, The Future Way,” Buffalo News, Jul. 23, 1996 (accessed from LexisNexis research database on Sep. 6, 2011). |
| Grimm, et al., “Real-Time Hybrid Pose Estimation from Vision and Inertial Data,” Proceedings of the First Canadian Conference on Computer and Robot Vision (CRV'04), IEEE Computer Society (Apr. 2004). |
| Gyration Ultra Cordless Optical Mouse, Setting Up Ultra Mouse, Gyration Quick Start Card part No. DL-00071-0001 Rev. A. Gyration, Inc., Jun. 2003. |
| Gyration Ultra Cordless Optical Mouse, User Manual, Gyration, Inc., Saratoga, CA (2003). |
| Gyration, “Gyration MicroGyro 100 Developer Kit Data Sheet,” http://web.archive.org/web/19980708122611/www.gyration.com/html/devkit.html (Jul. 1998). |
| Gyration, Inc., GyroRemote GP240-01 Professional Series (Sep. 2003). |
| Harada, et al., “Portable Absolute Orientation Estimation Device with Wireless Network Under Accelerated Situation” Proceedings of the 2004 IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation, New Orleans, LA, Apr. 2004, pp. 1412-1417(Apr. 2004). |
| Harada, et al., “Portable orientation estimation device based on accelerometers, magnetometers and gyroscope sensors for sensor network,” Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Multisensor Fusion and Integration for Intelligent Systems (MFI 2003), pp. 191-196, (Aug. 2003). |
| Haykin, et al., “Adaptive Tracking of Linear Time-Variant Systems by Extended RLS Algorithms, IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing,” vol. 45, No. 5, pp. 1118-1128 (May 1997). |
| Heath, “Virtual Reality Resource Guide AI Expert,” v9 n5 p. 32(14) (May 1994) (accessed at http://ftp.hitl.washington.edu/scivw-ftp/commercial/VR-Resource-Guide.txt on Jun. 17, 2010). |
| HiBall-3100—“Wide-Area, High-Precision Tracker and 3D Digitizer,” www.3rdtech.com/HiBall.htm (accessed on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| Hinckley, “Synchronous Gestures for Multiple Persons and Computers,” Paper presented at ACM UIST 2003 Symposium on User Interface Software & Technology in Vancouver, BC, Canada (Nov. 2003). |
| Hinckley, et al., “A Survey of Design Issues in Spatial Input,” Paper presented at 7th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (Nov. 1994). |
| Hinckley, et al., “Sensing Techniques for Mobile Interaction,” Proceedings of the 13th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (ACM UIST), San Diego, CA, (Nov. 2000). |
| Hinckley, et al., “The VideoMouse: A Camera-Based Multi-Degree-of-Freedom Input Device” ACM UIST'99 Symposium on User Interface Software & Technology, CHI Letters vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 103-112 (Sep. 1999). |
| Hinckley, Ken, “Haptic Issues for Virtual Manipulation,” Ph.D. Dissertation University of Virginia, Dept. of Computer Science (Jan. 1997). |
| Hind, Nicholas, “Cosmos: A composition for Live Electronic Instruments Controlled by the Radio Baton and Computer Keyboard (Radio Baton and Magic Glove),” A Final Project Submitted to the Department of Music of Stanford University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor Musical Arts/UMI Microform 9837187, Jan. 1998. |
| Hoffman, Hunter G., “Physically Touching Virtual Objects Using Tactile Augmentation Enhances the Realism of Virtual Environments,” IEEE Virtual Reality Annual International Symposium '98, Atlanta, Georgia, Mar. 14-18, 1998, 5 pages (Mar. 1998). |
| Hogue, Andrew, “MARVIN: A Mobile Automatic Realtime visual and Inertial tracking system,” Master's Thesis, York University (May 2003), available at http://www.cse.yorku.ca/˜hogue/marvin.pdf. |
| Holden, Maureen K. et al., “Use of Virtual Environments in Motor Learning and Rehabilitation,” Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Handbook of Virtual Environments: Design, Implementation, and Applications, Chap. 49, pp. 999-1026, Stanney (ed), Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Jan. 2002). |
| Holloway, Richard Lee, “Registration Errors in Augmented Reality Systems,” Ph.D. Dissertation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Computer Science (1995). |
| Immersion CyberGlove product, Immersion Corporation, http://www.cyberglovesystems.com (Jul. 2001). |
| Immersion, “Immersion Ships New Wireless CyberGlove(R) II Hand Motion-Capture Glove; Animators, Designers, and Researchers Gain Enhanced Efficiency and Realism for Animation, Digital Prototyping and Virtual Reality Projects,” Business Wire, Dec. 7, 2005 (available at http://ir.immersion.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=181278). |
| Interfax Press Release, “Tsinghua Tongfang Releases Unique Peripheral Hardware for 3D Gaming,” Apr. 2002, 1 page (Apr. 2002). |
| Intersense, “InterSense InertiaCube2 Devices,” (Specification) (image) (2001). |
| Intersense, “InterSense InertiaCube2 Manual for Serial Port Model” (2001). |
| Intersense, “IS-900 Product Technology Brief,” http://www.intersense.com/uploadedFiles/Products/White.sub.--Papers/IS900- .sub.--Tech.sub.--Overview.sub.--Enhanced.pdf (1999). |
| Intersense, “InterSense Inc., The New Standard in Motion Tracking,” Mar. 27, 2004, http://web.archive.org!web12004040500550Z/http://intersense.com (accessed on May 19, 2009). |
| Intersense, “InterSense Mobile Mixed Reality Demonstration,” YouTube Video dated Oct. 2006 on opening screen; uploaded by InterSenseInc. on Mar. 14, 2008 (accessed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daVdzGK0nUE&feature=channel_page on Sep. 8, 2011; digital copy of video available upon request). |
| Intersense, “IS-900 Precision Motion Trackers,” Jun. 14, 2002, http://web.archive.org/web/20020614110352/http://www.isense.com/products/prec/is900/ (accessed on Sep. 8, 2011). |
| Intersense, Inc., “Comparison of Intersense IS-900 System and Optical Systems,” Whitepaper, Jul. 12, 2004., available at http://www.jazdtech.com/techdirect/research/InterSense-Inc.htm?contentSetId=60032939&supplierId=60018705. |
| Jacob, “Human-Computer Interaction—Input Devices,” ACM Computing Surveys, vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 177-179 (Mar. 1996); link to text of article provided at http://www.cs.tufts.edu/˜jacob/papers/. |
| Jakubowski, et al., “Increasing Effectiveness of Human Hand Tremor Separation Process by Using Higher-Order Statistics,” Measurement Science Review, vol. 1, No. 1 (2001). |
| Ji, H. “Study on the Infrared Remote-Control Lamp-Gesture Device,” Yingyong Jiguang/Applied Laser Technology, v. 17, n. 5, p. 225-227, Language: Chinese—Abstract only, Oct. 1997. |
| Jiang, “Capacitive position-sensing interface for micromachined inertial sensors,” Dissertation at Univ. of Cal. Berkeley, 2003. |
| Ju, et al., “The Challenges of Designing a User Interface for Consumer Interactive Television Consumer Electronics Digest of Technical Papers.,” IEEE 1994 International Conference on Volume , Issue , Jun. 21-23, 1994 pp. 114-115 (Jun. 1994) (downloaded from IEEE Xplore on Jul. 13, 2010). |
| Keir, et al., “Gesture-recognition with Nonreferenced Tracking,” IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces, pp. 151-158, Mar. 25-26, 2006. |
| Kennedy, P.J. “Hand-held Data Input Device,” IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 26, No. 11, pp. 5826-5827, Apr. 1984. |
| Kessler, et al., “The Simple Virtual Environment Library: an Extensible Framework for Building VE Applications,” Presence, MIT Press vol. 9, No. 2. pp. 187-208 (Apr. 2000). |
| Kindratenko, “A Comparison of the Accuracy of an Electromagnetic and a Hybrid Ultrasound-Inertia Position Tracking System,” MIT Presence, vol. 10, No. 6, pp. 657-663, Dec. 2001. |
| Klein et al., “Tightly Integrated Sensor Fusion for Robust Visual Tracking,” British Machine Vision Computing, vol. 22, No. 10, pp. 769-776, Feb. 2004. |
| Kohlhase, “NASA Report, The Voyager Neptune travel guide,” Jet Propulsion Laboratory Publication 89-24, (Jun. 1989). |
| Kormos, D.W., et al., “Intraoperative, Real-Time 3-D Digitizer for Neurosurgical Treatment and Planning,” IEEE (Feb. 1993) (Abstract only). |
| Kosak, Dave, “Mind-Numbing New Interface Technologies,” Gamespy.com, Feb. 1, 2005 (accessed at http://www.gamespy.com/articles/584/584744p1.html on Aug. 31, 2011). |
| Krumm et al., “How a Smart Environment can Use Perception,” Paper presented at UBICOMP 2001 Workshop on Perception for Ubiquitous Computing (2001). |
| Kuipers, Jack B., “SPASYN—An Electromagnetic Relative Position and Orientation Tracking System,” IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 462-466 (Dec. 1980). |
| Kunz, Andreas M. et al., “Design and Construction of a New Haptic Interface,” Proceedings of DETC '00, ASME 2000 Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, Sep. 10-13, 2000. |
| La Scala, et al., “Design of an Extended Kalman Filter Frequency Tracker,” IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, vol. 44, No. 3 (Mar. 1996). |
| Larimer et al., “VEWL: A Framework for building a Windowing Interface in a Virtual Environment,” in Proc. of IFIP TC13 Int. Conf. on Human-Computer Interaction.Interact'2003 (Zurich, http://people.os.vt.edu/˜bowman/papers/VEWL_final.pdf, 2003. |
| Laughlin, et al., “Inertial Angular Rate Sensors: Theory and Applications,” Sensors Magazine Oct. 1992. |
| Lee, et al., “Innovative Estimation Method with Measurement Likelihood for all-Accelerometer Type Inertial Navigation System,” IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, vol. 38, No. 1, Jan. 2002. |
| Lee, et al., “Tilta-Pointer: the Free-Space Pointing Device,” Princeton COS 436 Project (Fall 2004); retrieved from Google's cache of http://www.milyehuang.com/cos436/project/specs.html on May 27, 2011. |
| Lee, et al., “Two-Dimensional Position Detection System with MEMS Accelerometer for Mouse Applications,” Design Automation Conference, 2001, Proceedings, 2001 pp. 852-857, Jun. 2001. |
| Leganchuk, et al., “Manual and Cognitive Benefits of Two-Handed Input: An Experimental Study,” ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 326-259, Dec. 1998. |
| Leonard, “Computer Pointer Controls 3D Images in Free Space,” Electronic Design, pp. 160, 162, 165, Nov. 1991. |
| Liang, et al., “On Temporal-Spatial Realism in the Virtual Reality Environment,” ACM 1991 Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (Nov. 1991). |
| Link, “Field-Qualified Silicon Accelerometers from 1 Milli g to 200,000 g,” Sensors, Mar. 1993. |
| Liu, et al., “Enhanced Fisher Linear Discriminant Models for Face Recognition,” Paper presented at 14th International Conference on Pattern Recognition (ICPR'98), Queensland, Australia (Aug. 1998). |
| Lobo, et al., “Vision and Inertial Sensor Cooperation Using Gravity as a Vertical Reference,” IEEE Trans. on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol. 25, No. 12, pp. 1597-1608, Dec. 2003. |
| Logitech, “Logitech Tracker—Virtual Reality Motion Tracker,” downloaded from http://www.vrealities.com/logitech.html on Jun. 18, 2010. |
| Logitech, Inc. “3D Mouse & Head Tracker Technical Reference Manual,” Nov. 1992. |
| Logitech's WingMan Cordless RumblePad Sets PC Gamers Free, Press Release, Sep. 2, 2001 (accessed at http://www.logitech.com/en-us/172/1373 on Aug. 5, 2011). |
| Louderback, J. “Nintendo Wii”, Reviews by PC Magazine, Nov. 13, 2006 (accessed at http://www.pcmag.com/article/print/193909 on Sep. 8, 2011). |
| Luethi, P. et al., “Low Cost Inertial Navigation System” (2000); downloaded from http://www.electronic-engineering.ch/study/ins/ins.html on Jun. 18, 2010. |
| Luinge, “Inertial sensing of human movement,” Thesis, University of Twente, Twente University Press, (Oct. 2002). |
| Luinge, et al., “Estimation of orientation with gyroscopes and accelerometers,” Proceedings of the First Joint BMES/EMBS Conference, 1999, vol. 2, p. 844 (Oct. 1999). |
| Mackenzie, et al., “A two-ball mouse affords three degrees of freedom,” Extended Abstracts of the CHI '97 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 303-304. New York: ACM (Oct. 1997). |
| Mackinlay, “Rapid Controlled Movement Through a Virtual 3D Workspace,” ACM SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics archive, vol. 24, No. 4, pp. 171-176 (Aug. 1990). |
| Maclean, “Designing with Haptic Feedback”, Paper presented at IEEE Robotics and Automation (ICRA '2000) Conference in San Francisco, CA, Apr. 22-28, 2000. |
| Maggioni, C., “A novel gestural input device for virtual reality,” IEEE Virtual Reality Annual International Symposium (Cat. No. 93CH3336-5), 118-24, Jan. 1993. |
| Marks, Richard (Jan. 21, 2004) (Windows Media v7). EyeToy: A New Interface for Interactive Entertainment, Stanford University (accessed at http://lang.stanford.edu/courses/ee380/2003-2004/040121-ee380-100.wmv on Sep. 7, 2011; digital copy of video available upon request). |
| Marrin, “Possibilities for the Digital Baton as a General Purpose Gestural Interface,” Late-Breaking/Short Talks, Paper presented at CHI 97 Conference in Atlanta Georgia, Mar. 22-27, 1997 (accessed at http://www.sigchi.org/chi97/proceedings/short-talk/tm.htm on Aug. 5, 2011). |
| Marrin, Teresa et al., “The Digital Baton: A Versatile Performance Instrument,” Paper presented at International Computer Music Conference, Thessaloniki, Greece (Sep. 1997) (text of paper available at http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/p/pod/dod-idx?c=icmc;idno-bbp2372.1997.083). |
| Marti, et al., “Biopsy navigator: a smart haptic interface for interventional radiological gestures” Proceedings of the Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (CARS 2003) Conference, International Congress Series, vol. 1256, pp. 788-793 (Jun. 2003) (e-copy of text of paper available at http://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/29966/files/CARS03-GM.pdf). |
| Masliah, “Measuring the Allocation of Control in 6 Degree of Freedom Docking Experiment,” Paper presented at SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, The Hague, Netherlands (Apr. 2000). |
| Maybeck, “Stochastic Models, Estimation and Control,” vol. 1, Chapter 1, Introduction (1979). |
| Merians, et al., “Virtual Reality-Augmented Rehabilitation for Patients Following Stroke,” Physical Therapy, vol. 82, No. 9, Sep. 2002. |
| Merrill, “FlexiGesture: A sensor-rich real-time adaptive gesture and affordance learning platform for electronic music control,” Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Jun. 2004. |
| Meyer, et al., “A Survey of Position Tracker,” MIT Presence, vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 173-200, (Nov. 1992). |
| Miller, Paul, “Exclusive shots of Goschy's prototype ‘Wiimote’ controllers,” Engadget, Jan. 15, 2008 (accessed at http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/15/exclusive-shots-of-goschys-prototype-wiimote-controllers/ on Aug. 31, 2011). |
| Miller, Ross, “Joystiq interview: Patrick Goschy talks about Midway, tells us he ‘made the Wii’,” Joystiq.com, Jan. 16, 2008 (accessed at http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/16/joystiq-interview-patrick-goschy-talks-about-midway-tells-us-h/ on Aug. 31, 2011). |
| Mizell, “Using Gravity to Estimate Accelerometer Orientation,” Proceedings of the Seventh IEEE International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC '03), IEEE Computer Society (Oct. 2003). |
| Morgan, C., “Still chained to the overhead projector instead of the podium,” (TV Interactive Corp's LaserMouse Remote Pro infrared mouse) (clipboard) (brief article) (product announcement) Government Computer News, Jun. 13, 1994. |
| Morris, “Accelerometry—a technique for the measurement of human body movements,” J Biomechanics vol. 6, pp. 729-736 (Nov. 1973). |
| Moser, “Low Budget Inertial Navigation Platform (2000),” www.tmoser.ch/typo3/11.0.html (accessed on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| Mulder, “Human movement tracking technology,” Technical Report, NSERC Hand Centered Studies of Human Movement project, available through anonymous ftp in fas.sfu.ca:/pub/cs/graphics/vmi/HMTT.pub.ps.Z., Burnaby, B.C, Canada: Simon Fraser University (Jul. 1994). |
| Myers, et al., “Interacting at a Distance: Measuring the Performance of Laser Pointers and Other Devices,” CHI 2002, Apr. 2002. |
| Naimark, et al., “Encoded LED System for Optical Trackers,” Paper presented at Fourth IEEE and ACM International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2005), Oct. 5-8, 2005, Vienna Austria (2005) (electronic version of text of paper available for download at http://www.intersense.com/pages/44/129/). |
| Naimark, et al., “Circular Data Matrix Fiducial System and Robust Image Processing for a Wearable Vision-Inertial Self-Tracker,” IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2002), Darmstadt, Germany (Sep./Oct. 2002). |
| Navarrette, et al., “Eigenspace-based Recognition of Faces: Comparisons and a new Approach,” Paper Presented at 11th International Conference on Image Analysis and Processing (Sep. 2001). |
| New Strait Times Press Release, “Microsoft's New Titles,” Mar. 1998, 1 page. |
| News Article, “New Game Controllers Using Analog Devices' G-Force Tilt to be Featured at E3”, Norwood, MA (May 10, 1999) (accessed at http://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/print/PrintArticle.aspx?id=54592268 on Jun. 17, 2010). |
| Nintendo Tilt Controller Ad, Electronic Gaming Monthly, 1994, 1 page. |
| Nintendo, Game Boy Advance SP System Instruction Booklet (2003). |
| Nintendo, Nintendo Game Boy Advance System Instruction Booklet (2001-2003). |
| Nintendo, Nintendo Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter, Sep. 26, 2003. |
| Nintendo Feature: History of Pokémon Part 2 1998-1999; Crossing the Pacific, Pokemon style, Posted by Tom East—Official Nintendo Magazine, May 17, 2009. |
| Nishiyama, “A Nonlinear Filter for Estimating a Sinusoidal Signal and its Parameters in White Noise: On the Case of a Single Sinusoid,” IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, vol. 45, No. 4, pp. 970-981 (Apr. 1997). |
| Nishiyama, “Robust Estimation of a Single Complex Sinusoid in White Noise-H∞ Filtering Approach,” IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, vol. 47, No. 10, pp. 2853-2856 (Oct. 1999). |
| Odell, “An Optical Pointer for Infrared Remote Controllers,” (1995) (downloaded from IEEE Xplore on Jul. 7, 2010). |
| Ojeda, et al., “No GPS? No Problem!” University of Michigan Develops Award-Winning Personal Dead-Reckoning (PDR) System for Walking Users, available at http://www.engin.umich.edu/research/mrl/urpr/In_Press/P135.pdf, (2004 or later). |
| Omelyan, “On the numerical integration of motion for rigid polyatomics: The modified quaternion approach” Computers in Physics, vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 97-103 (Jan./Feb. 1998). |
| Ovaska, “Angular Acceleration Measurement: A Review,” Paper presented at IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference, St. Paul, MN, May 18-21, 1998 (1998). |
| Pai, et al., “The Tango: A Tangible Tangoreceptive Whole-Hand Interface,” Paper presented at Joint Eurohaptics and IEEE Symposium on Haptic Interfaces for Virtual Environment and Teleoperator Systems, Pisa, Italy, Mar. 18-20, 2005 (2005). |
| Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside Infogrames, Sep. 6, 2002. |
| Paley, W. Bradford, “Interaction in 3D Graphics,” SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics Newsletter, col. 32, No. 4 (Nov. 1998) (accessed at http://www.siggraph.org/publications/newsletter/v32n4/contributions/paley.html on Aug. 2, 2011). |
| Paradiso, et al., “Interactive Therapy with Instrumented Footwear,” CHI 2004, Apr. 24-29, 2004, Vienna, Austria. |
| Park, Adaptive control strategies for MEMS gyroscopes (Dissertation), Univ. Cal. Berkley (Dec. 2000). |
| PC World, “The 20 Most Innovative Products of the Year,” Dec. 27, 2006 (accessed at http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,128176/printable.html on Aug. 2, 2011). |
| PCTracker, Technical Overview, available at http://www.est-kl.com/fileadmin/media/pdf/InterSense/PCTracker_Tech_Overview.pdf (date unknown). |
| Perry, Simon, “Nintendo to Launch Wireless Game Boy Adaptor,” Digital Lifestyles, http://digital-lifestyles.info/2003/09/26/Nintendo-to-launch-wireless-game-boy-adaptor/, Sep. 26, 2003 (accessed on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| Phillips, “Forward/Up Directional Incompatibilities During Cursor Placement Within Graphical User Interfaces,” Ergonomics, vol. 48, No. 6, May 15, 2005. |
| Phillips, “LPC2104/2105/2106, Single-chip 32-bit microcontrollers; 128 kB ISP/IAP Flash with 64 kB/32 kB/16 kB RAM,” 32 pages, Dec. 22, 2004. |
| Phillips, “Techwatch: On the Right Track: A unique optical tracking system gives users greater freedom to explore virtual worlds,” Computer Graphics World, vol. 23, Issue 4 (Apr. 2000). |
| Pierce, et al., “Image Plane Interaction Techniques in 3D Immersive Environments,” Paper presented at 1997 symposium on Interactive 3D graphics, Providence, RI (Apr. 1997). |
| Pilcher, “AirMouse Remote Controls,” IEEE Conference on Consumer Electronics (Jun. 1992). |
| Pique, “Semantics of Interactive Rotations,” Interactive 3D Graphics, Proceedings of the 1986 workshop on Interactive 3D graphics, pp. 259-269 (Oct. 1986). |
| Piyabongkarn, “The Development of a MEMS Gyroscope for Absolute Angle Measurement,” Dissertation, Univ. Minnesota, Nov. 2004 (Abstract only). |
| Polhemus, “Polhemus 3Space Fastrak devices” (image) (2001). |
| Polson Enterprises Research Services, http://www.virtualpet.com/vp/media/fishing/fishing.htm, “Fishing Games: The Evolution of Virtual Fishing Games and related Video Games/Computer Games,” 15 pages, 2003. |
| PowerGlove product Program Guide, Mattel, 1989 (Text of Program Guide provided from http://hiwaay.net/˜lkseitz/cvtg/power_glove.shtml; the text was typed in by Lee K. Sietz; document created Aug. 25, 1988; accessed on Aug. 2, 2011). |
| PR Newswire, “Five New Retailers to Carry Gyration's Gyropoint Point and Gyropoint Pro,” Jul. 8, 1996 (accessed at http://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/print/PrintArticle.aspx?id=54592268 on Jun. 18, 2010). |
| Pr Newswire, “Three-Axis MEMS-based Accelerometer From STMicroelectronics Targets Handheld Terminals,” Feb. 18, 2003 (accessed at http://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/print/PrintArticle.aspx?id=54592268 on Aug. 3, 2011). |
| Pryor, et al., “A Reusable Software Architecture for Manual Controller Integration,” IEEE Conf. on Robotics and Automation, Univ of Texas, pp. 3583-3588 (Apr. 1997). |
| Raab, et al., “Magnetic Position and Orientation Tracking System,” IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, vol. AES-15, No. 5, pp. 709-718 (Sep. 1979). |
| Radica Legends of the Lake™ Instruction Manual (2003). |
| Rebo, et al., “Helmet-Mounted Virtual Environment Display System,” Proc. SPIE vol. 1116, pp. 80-84, Sep. 1989. |
| Regan, “Smart Golf Clubs,” baltimoresun.com, Jun. 17, 2005. |
| Rekimoto, “Tilting Operations for Small Screen Interfaces,” Tech Note presented at 9th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST'96) (Nov. 1996) (electronic copy available for download at http://www.sonycsl.co.jp/person/rekimoto/papers/uist96.pdf. |
| Resnick, et al., “Digital Manipulatives: New Toys to Think With,” Chi 98; Apr. 1998; pp. 281-287. |
| Response filed May 3, 2010 to Office Action dated Feb. 5, 2010 for U.S. Appl. No. 12/222,787, filed Aug. 15, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,774,155 (including Rule 1.132 Declaration by Steve Mayer). |
| Reunert, “Fiber-Optic Gyroscopes: Principles and Applications,” Sensors, Aug. 1993, pp. 37-38. |
| Ribo, et al., “Hybrid Tracking for Outdoor Augmented Reality Applications,” IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, vol. 22, No. 6, pp. 54-63, Nov./Dec. 2002. |
| Riviere, et al., “Adaptive Canceling of Physiological Tremor for Improved Precision in Microsurgery,” IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, vol. 45, No. 7, pp. 839-846 (Jul. 1998). |
| Roberts, “The Lincoln Wand,” 1966 Proceedings of the Fall Joint Computer Conference (1966), available for electronic download at http://www.computer.org/portal/web/csdl/doi/10.1109/AFIPS, Apr. 1966,105. |
| Robinette, et al., “Implementation of Flying, Scaling, and Grabbing in Virtual Worlds,” ACM Symposium (Jun. 1992). |
| Robinette, et al., “The Visual Display Transformation for Virtual Reality,” University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Sep. 1994). |
| Roetenberg, “Inertial and magnetic sensing of human motion,” Thesis, University of Twente (May 2006). |
| Roetenberg, et al., “Inertial and Magnetic Sensing of Human Movement Near Ferromagnetic Materials,” Paper presented at Second IEEE and ACM International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality, Mar. 2003 (electronic copy available at http://www.xsens.com/images/stories/PDF/Inertial%20and%20magnetic%20sensing%20of%20human%20movement%20near%20ferromagnetic%20materials.pdf. |
| Rolland, et al., “A Survey of Tracking Technology for Virtual Environments,” University of Central Florida, Center for Research and Education in Optics Lasers (CREOL) (Jan. 2001). |
| Romer, Kay et al., Smart Playing Cards: A Ubiquitous Computing Game, Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, Dec. 2002, vol. 6, Issue 5-6, pp. 371-377, London, England. |
| Rothman, Wilson, “Unearthed: Nintendo's Pre-Wiimote Prototype,” gizmodo.com, Aug. 29, 2007 (accessed at http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/exclusive/unearthed-nintendo-2001-prototype-motion+sensing-one+handed-controller-by-gyration-294642.php on Aug. 31, 2011). |
| Rothman, Wilson, “Wii-mote Prototype Designer Speaks Out, Shares Sketchbook,” Gizmodo.com, Aug. 30, 2007 (accessed at http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/exclusive/wii+mote-prototype-designer-speaks-out-shares-sketchbook-295276.php on Aug. 31, 2011). |
| RPI Entertainment Pods Improve Virtual Experience, Computer Business Review, Jan. 17, 1995. |
| Sakai, et al., “Optical Spatial Filter Sensor for Ground Speed,” Optical Review, vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 65-67 (Jan. 1995). |
| Santiago, Alves, “Extended Kalman filtering applied to a full accelerometer strapdown inertial measurement unit,” M.S. Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Santiago (Sep. 1992). |
| Satterfield, Shane, “E3 2002: Nintendo announces new GameCube games,” GameSpot, http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/rollorama/news/2866974/e3-2002-nintendo-announces-new-gamecube-games, May 21, 2002 (accessed on Aug. 11, 2011). |
| Sawada, et al., “A Wearable Attitude-Measurement System Using a Fiberoptic Gyroscope,” MIT Presence, vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 109-118, Apr. 2002. |
| Saxena, et al., “In Use Parameter Estimation of Inertial Sensors by Detecting Multilevel Quasi-Static States,” Berlin: Springer-Verlag, pp. 595-601 (2005). |
| Sayed, “A Framework for State-Space Estimation with Uncertain Models,” IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 46, No. 7, Jul. 2001. |
| Schofield, Jack, et al., Games reviews, “Coming up for airpad,” The Guardian (Feb. 3, 2000) (accessed at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2000/feb/03/online supplement5/print on Jun. 18, 2010). |
| Sega/Sports Sciences, Inc., “Batter Up, It's a Hit,” Instruction Manual, Optional Equipment Manual (1994). |
| Sega/Sports Sciences, Inc., “Batter Up, It's a Hit,” Photos of baseball bat (1994). |
| Selecttech Airmouse, “Mighty Mouse”, Electronics Today International, p. 11 (Sep. 1990). |
| Shoemake, Ken, “Quaternions,” available online at http://campar.in.tum.de/twiki/pub/Chair/DwarfTutorial/quatut.pdf (date unknown). |
| Skiens, Mike, “Nintendo Announces Wireless GBA Link”, Bloomberg, Sep. 25, 2003 (accessed at http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/9011). |
| Smartswing, “SmartSwing: Intelligent Golf Clubs that Build a Better Swing,” http://web.archive.org/web/20040728221951/http://www.smartswinggolf.com/ (accessed on Sep. 8, 2011). |
| Smartswing, “The SmartSwing Learning System Overview,” Apr. 26, 2004, http://web.archive.org/web/2004426215355/http://www.smartswinggolf.com/tls/index.html (accessed on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| Smartswing, “The SmartSwing Learning System: How it Works,” 3 pages, Apr. 26, 2004, http://web.archive.org/web/20040426213631/http://www.smartswinggolf.com/tls/how_it_works.html (accessed on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| Smartswing, “The SmartSwing Product Technical Product: Technical Information,” Apr. 26, 2004, http://web.archive.org/web/20040426174854/http://www.smartswinggolf.com/products/technical_info.html (accessed on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| Smartswing, Training Aid, Austin, Texas, Apr. 2005. |
| Sorenson, et al., “The Minnesota Scanner: A Prototype Sensor for Three-Dimensional Tracking of Moving Body Segments,” IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Animation, vol. 5, No. 4 (Aug. 1989). |
| Star Wars Action Figure with CommTech Chip by Hasbro (1999). |
| Stars Wars Episode 1 CommTech Reader Instruction Manual (1998). |
| Stovall, “Basic Inertial Navigation,” NAWCWPNS TM 8128, Navigation and Data Link Section, Systems Integration Branch (Sep. 1997). |
| Sulic, “Logitech Wingman Cordless Rumblepad Review,” Gear Review at IGN, Jan. 14, 2002 (accessed at http://gear.ign.com/articles/317/317472p1.html on Aug. 1, 2011). |
| Sutherland, “A Head-Mounted Three Dimensional Display,” Paper presented at AFIPS '68 Fall Joint Computer Conference, Dec. 9-11, 1968, (1968); electronic copy of paper available at www.cise.ufl.edu/˜lok/teaching/dcvef05/papers/sutherland-headmount.pdf. |
| Sutherland, Ivan E., “Sketchpad: A Man-Machine Graphical Communication System,” Proceedings of the AFIPS Spring Joint Computer Conference, Detroit, Michigan, May 21-23, 1963, pp. 329-346 (source provided is reprinting of text accessed at http://www.guidebookgallery.org/articles/sketchpadamanmachinegraphicalcommunicationsystem on Sep. 8, 2011). |
| Tech Designers Rethink Toys: Make Them Fun Wall Street Journal, Dec. 17, 2001. |
| Templeman, James N., “Virtual Locomotion: Walking in Place through Virtual Environments,” Presence, vol. 8, No. 6, pp. 598-617, Dec. 1999. |
| Timmer, “Modeling Noisy Time Series: Physiological Tremor,” International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, vol. 8, No. 7 (1998). |
| Timmer, et al., “Characteristics of Hand Tremor Time Series,” Biological Cybernetics, vol. 70, No. 1, pp. 75-80 (May 1993). |
| Timmer, et al., “Cross-Spectral Analysis of Tremor Time Series,” International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, vol. 10, No. 11 pp. 2595-2610 (Nov. 2000); electronic copy of text available at http://www.fdmold.uni-freiburg.de/groups/timeseries/tremodpubs/cs_review.pdf. |
| Timmer, et al., “Pathological Tremors: Deterministic Chaos or Nonlinear Stochastic Oscillators?” Chaos, vol. 10, No. 1 pp. 278-288 (Mar. 2000). |
| Timmer, et al., Cross-Spectral Analysis of Physiological Tremor and Muscle Activity: II Application to Synchronized Electromyogram, Biological Cybernetics, vol. 78 (Jun. 1998) (copy provided obtained from http://arxiv.org/abs/chao-dyn/9805012). |
| Titterton, et al., “Strapdown Inertial Navigation Technology,” Peter Peregrinus Ltd., pp. 1-56 and pp. 292-321 (May 1997). |
| Toy Designers Use Technology in New Ways as Sector Matures, WSJ.com, Dec. 17, 2001. |
| Traq 3D, “Healthcare,”http://www.traq3d.com/Healthcare/Healthcare.aspx (accessed on Jan. 21, 2010). |
| Ulanoff, Lance, “Nintendo's Wii is the Best Product Ever,” PC Magazine, Jun. 21, 2007 (accessed at http://www.pcmag.com/print_article2/0,1217,a=210070,00.asp?hidPrint=true on Aug. 1, 2011). |
| UNC Computer Science Department, “News & Notes from Sitterson Hall,” UNC Computer Science, Department Newsletter, Issue 24, Spring 1999 (Apr. 1999) (accessed at http://www.cs.unc.edu/NewsAndNotes/Issue24/ on Jun. 18, 2010). |
| Urban, “BAA 96-37 Proposer Information,” DARPA/ETO (1996) (accessed at http://www.fbodaily.com/cbd/archive/1996/08(August)/19-Aug-1996/Aso1001.htm on Jul. 27, 2010). |
| US Dynamics Corp, “Spinning Mass Mechanical Gyroscopes,” Aug. 2006. |
| US Dynamics Corp, “The Concept of ‘Rate’, (more particularly, angular rate pertaining to rate gyroscopes) (rate gyro explanation),” Aug. 2006. |
| US Dynamics Corp, “US Dynamics Model 475 Series Rate Gyroscope Technical Brief,” Dec. 2005. |
| US Dynamics Corp, “US Dynamics Rate Gyroscope Interface Brief (rate gyro IO)” Aug. 2006. |
| Van Den Bogaard, Thesis, “Using linear filters for real-time smoothing of rotational data in virtual reality application,” dated Aug. 2, 2004, available at http://www.science.uva.nl/research/ias/alumni/m.sc.theses/theses/RobvandenBogaard.pdf. |
| Van Laerhoven et al., “Using an Autonomous Cube for Basic Navigation and Input,” Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Multimodal interfaces, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, pp. 203-210, Nov. 5-7, 2003. |
| Van Rheeden, et al., “Noise Effects on Centroid Tracker Aim Point Estimation,” IEEE Trans. on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 177-185 (Mar. 1988). |
| Vaz, et al., “An Adaptive Estimation of Periodic Signals Using a Fourier Linear Combiner,” IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 1-10 (Jan. 1994). |
| Verplaetse, “Inertial-Optical Motion-Estimating Camera for Electronic Cinematography,” Master's Thesis, MIT, Media Arts and Sciences (Jun. 1997). |
| Villoria, Gerald, “Hands on Roll-O-Rama Game Cube,” Game Spot, http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/rollorama/news.html?sid=2868421&com_act=convert&om_clk=newsfeatures&tag=newsfeatures;title;1&m, May 29, 2002 (accessed on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| Virtual Fishing, Operational Manual, 2 pages, Tiger Electronics, Inc. (1998). |
| Vorozcovs, et al., “The Hedgehog: A Novel Optical Tracking Method for Spatially Immersive Displays,” MIT Presence, vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 108-121, Feb. 2006. |
| VTI, Mindflux-Vti CyberTouch, http://www.mindflux.com/au/products/vti/cybertouch.html (1996). |
| Wang, et al., “Tracking a Head-Mounted Display in a Room-Sized Environment with Head-Mounted Cameras,” Paper presented at SPIE 1990 Technical Symposium on Optical Engineering and Photonics in Aerospace Sensing (Apr. 1990). |
| Ward, et al., “A Demonstrated Optical Tracker With Scalable Work Area for Head-Mounted Display Systems,” Paper presented at 1992 Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics (Mar. 1992). |
| Watt, Alan, 3D Computer Graphics, Chapter 1: “Mathematical fundamentals of computer graphics,” 3rd ed. Addison-Wesley, pp. 1-26 (Dec. 2000). |
| Welch, “Hawkeye Zooms in on Mac Screens with Wireless Infrared Penlight Pointer,” MacWeek, May 3, 1993 (excerpt of article accessed at http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article/print/1G1-13785387 on Jun. 18, 2010). |
| Welch, et al., “High-Performance Wide-Area Optical Tracking: The HiBall Tracking System,” MIT Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments (Feb. 2001). |
| Welch, et al., “SCAAT: Incremental Tracking with Incomplete Information,” Paper presented at SIGGRAPH 97 Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (Aug. 1997), available at http://www.cs.unc.edu/˜welch/media/pdf/scaat.pdf. |
| Welch, et al., “The HiBall Tracker: High-Performance Wide-Area Tracking for Virtual and Augmented Environments,” Paper presented at 1999 Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology in London, Dec. 20-22, 1999, available at http://www.cs.unc.edu/˜welch/media/pdf/VRST99_HiBall.pdf. |
| Welch, et al., “Complementary Tracking and Two-Handed Interaction for Remote 3D Medical Consultation with a PDA,” Paper presented at Trends and Issues in Tracking for Virtual Environments Workshop at IEEE Virtual Reality 2007 Conference (Mar. 2007), available at http://www.cs.unc.edu/˜welch/media/pdf/Welch2007_TwoHanded.pdf. |
| Welch, et al., “Motion Tracking: No Silver Bullet, but a Respectable Arsenal,” IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, vol. 22, No. 6, pp. 24-38 (Nov./Dec. 2002), available at http://www.cs.unc.edu/˜tracker/media/pdf/cga02_welch_tracking.pdf. |
| Welch, Hybrid Self-Tracker: An Inertial/Optical Hybrid Three-Dimensional Tracking System, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Department of Computer Science, TR 95-048 (1995). |
| Widrow, et al., “Fundamental Relations Between the LMS Algorithm and the DFT,” IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems, vol. CAS-34, No. 7 (Jul. 1987). |
| Wiley, M., “Nintendo Wavebird Review,” Jun. 11, 2002, http://gear.ign.com/articles/361/361933p1.html (accessed on Aug. 1, 2011). |
| Williams, et al., “Physical Presence: Palettes in Virtual Spaces,” Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Series, vol. 3639, No. 374-384 (May 1999), available at http://www.fakespacelabs.com/papers/3639_46_LOCAL.pdf. |
| Williams, et al., “Implementation and Evaluation of a Haptic Playback System,” vol. 3, No. 3, Haptics-e, May 2004. |
| Williams, et al., “The Virtual Haptic Back Project,” presented at the Image 2003 Conference, Scottsdale, Arizona, Jul. 14-18, 2003. |
| Wilson, “Wireless User Interface Devices for Connected Intelligent Environments,” http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/awilson/publications/old/ubicomp%202003.pdf (Oct. 2003). |
| Wilson, “WorldCursor: Pointing in Intelligent Environments with the World Cursor,” http://www.acm.org/uist/archive/adjunct/2003/pdf/demos/d4-wilson.pdf (2003). |
| Wilson, “XWand: UI for Intelligent Environments,” http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/awilson/wand/default.htm, Apr. 2004. |
| Wilson, et al., “Demonstration of the Xwand Interface for Intelligent Spaces,” UIST '02 Companion, pp. 37-38 (Oct. 2002). |
| Wilson, et al., “Gesture Recognition Using the Xwand,” http://www.ri.cmu.edu/pub_files/pub4/wilson_daniel_h_2004_1/wilson_daniel_h_2004_1.pdf (Apr. 2004). |
| Wilson, et al., “Xwand: UI for Intelligent Spaces,” Paper presented at CHI 2003 Conference, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Apr. 5-10, 2003, available at http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/awilson/publications/WilsonCHI2003/CHI%202003%20XWand.pdf (2003). |
| Wired Glove, Wikipedia article, 4 pages, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wired_glove, Nov. 18, 2010. |
| Wormell, “Unified Camera, Content and Talent Tracking in Digital Television and Movie Production,” Presented at NAB 2000, Las Vegas, NV, Apr. 8-13, 2000 (available for download at http://www.intersense.com/pages/44/116/) (2003). |
| Wormell, et al., “Advancements in 3D Interactive Devices for Virtual Environments,” Presented at the Joint International Immersive Projection Technologies (IPT)/Eurographics Workshop on Virtual Environments (EGVE) 2003 Workshop, Zurich, Switzerland, May 22-23, 2003 (available for download at http://www.intersense.com/pages/44/123/) (2003). |
| Worringham, et al., “Directional Stimulus-Response Compatibility: A Test of Three Alternative Principles,” Ergonomics, vol. 41, Issue 6, pp. 864-880 (Jun. 1998). |
| Yang, et al., “Implementation and Evaluation of ‘Just Follow Me’: An Immersive, VR-Based, Motion-Training System,” MIT Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, vol. 11, No. 3, at 304-23 (MIT Press), Jun. 2002. |
| You, et al., “Hybrid Inertial and Vision Tracking for Augmented Reality Registration,” http://graphics.usc.edu/cgit/pdf/papers/Vr1999.PDF (Mar. 1999). |
| You, et al., “Orientation Tracking for Outdoor Augmented Reality Registration,” IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, IEEE, vol. 19, No. 6, pp. 36-42 (Nov. 1999). |
| Youngblut, et al., “Review of Virtual Environment Interface Technology,” Institute for Defense Analyses (Mar. 1996). |
| Yun, et al., “Recent Developments in Silicon Microaccelerometers,” Sensors, 9(10) University of California at Berkeley, Oct. 1992. |
| Zhai, “Human Performance in Six Degree of Freedom Input Control,” Ph.D. Thesis, University of Toronto (1995). |
| Zhai, “User Performance in Relation to 3D Input Device Design,” Computer Graphics 32(4), pp. 50-54, Nov. 1998; text downloaded from http://www.almaden.ibm.com/u/zhai/papers/siggraph/final.html on Aug. 1, 2011. |
| Zhou, et al., “A survey—Human Movement Tracking and Stroke Rehabilitation,” Technical Report: CSM-420, ISSN 1744-8050, Dept. of Computer Sciences, University of Essex, UK, Dec. 8, 2004. |
| Zhu et al., “A Real-Time Articulated Human Motion Tracking Using Tri-Axis Inertial/Magnetic Sensors Package,” IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, vol. 12, No. 2, Jun. 2004. |
| Zowie Playsets, http://www.piernot.com/proj/zowie/ (accessed on Jul. 29, 2011). |
| “HyperScan”, release date Oct. 2006. Source http://www.giantbomb.com/hyperscan/3045-1 041. |
| “Smart Card News Online”, published Oct. 25, 2006, source www.smartcard.co.ukINOLARCH/2006/October/251006.html. |
| “Gatemaster Features”, “Gatemaster Main Screen”, “Gatemaster: So You're a Computer Geek eh?”, and “Gatemaster Pricing” by Gate Master Management System, internet article, Jul. 9, 1997; http://web.archive.org/web/19970709135000/www.gatemaster.com/gmfeat.htm (accessed on Dec. 11, 2008). |
| “Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands.” Dec. 2, 2002. [online] [retrieved on Mar. 30, 2005], Retrieved from Internet (URL:http//www.cim.mcgill.edu/ljer/courses/hci/assignments/2002/www.ece.mcgill.ca/%7Euryd). |
| 23-mm Glass Encapsulated Transponder, Reference Guide, Texas Instruments, Jul. 1996, 22 pages. |
| International Preliminary Examination Report, International App. No. PCT/US00/09482; dated Apr. 24, 2001; 4 pages. |
| International Search Report and Written Opinion, International App. No. PCT/US04/08912; dated Aug. 26, 2004. |
| International Search Report and Written Opinion, International App. No. PCT/US05/34831; dated Jul. 2, 2008; 11 pages. |
| International Search Report and Written Opinion; International Appl. No. PCT/US2006/043915; dated Mar. 9, 2007; 8 pages. |
| Laser Tag: General info: History of Laser Tag, http://lasertag.org/general/history.html (accessed on Mar. 13, 2008; historical dates start on Mar. 1984). |
| Laser Tag: Laser Tag Branded Gear; last update Sep. 26, 2006, http://home.comcast.net/˜ferret1963/Laser_Tag_Brand.HTML (accessed on Mar. 13, 2008; historical dates start in 1986). |
| Mattern, “State of the Art and Future Trends in Distributed Systems and Ubiquitous Computing”, published on or before Aug. 31, 2000 and printed from URL <http://www.vs.inf.ethz.ch/publ/papers/DisSysUbiComp_Report.pdf >, 14 pages. |
| Owl Magic Wand & Owl Magic Orb Raving Toy Maniac, Nov. 19, 2001. [online] [retrieved on Mar. 30, 2005], Retrieved from the Internet (URL:http://www.toymania.com/news/messages/1358.shtm1). |
| Tag-it™ Inlays by Texas Instruments, Product Bulletin, Copyright 2000 Texas Instruments Incorporated, Data Sheet 05/00 2 pages. |
| U.S. Pat. No. 8,475,275 issued on Jul. 2, 2013 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 13/469,443). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 8,702,515 issued on Apr. 22, 2014 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 13/440,812). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 8,790,180 issusd on Jul. 29, 2014 (filed as U.S. App. No. 13/757,462). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 8,814,688 issued on Aug. 26, 2014 (filed as U.S. Appl. No 13/801,955). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 9,039,533 issued on May 26, 2015 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 14/464,652). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 9,162,149 issued on Oct. 20, 2015 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 14/479,222). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 9,272,206 issued on Mar. 1, 2016 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 13/944,773). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 9,393,491 issued on Jul. 19, 2016 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 14/885,934). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 9,393,500 issued on Jul. 19, 2016 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 14/720,080). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 9,463,380 issued on Oct. 11, 2016 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 15/009,555). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 9,616,334 issued on Apr. 11, 2016 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 14/204,330). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 9,737,797 issued on Aug. 22, 2017 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 15/211,506). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 9,770,652 issued on Sep. 26, 2017 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 15/211,910). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 9,993,724 issued on Jun. 12, 2018 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 15/268,331). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 10,010,790 issued on Jul. 3, 2018 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 15/255,691). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 10,022,624 issued on Jul. 17, 2018 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 15/669,684). |
| U.S. Pat. No. 10,179,283 issued on Jan. 15, 2019 (filed as U.S. Appl. No. 15/629,238). |
| “History of Video Games: Four Decades of Video Entertainment”, Nov. 24, 2010, 691 pages total, Part 1 of 4 (175 pages). |
| “History of Video Games: Four Decades of Video Entertainment”, Nov. 24, 2010, 691 pages total, Part 2 of 4 (174 pages). |
| “History of Video Games: Four Decades of Video Entertainment”, Nov. 24, 2010, 691 pages total, Part 3 of 4 (172 pages). |
| “History of Video Games: Four Decades of Video Entertainment”, Nov. 24, 2010, 691 pages total, Part 4 of 4 (170 pages). |
| Complaint for Patent Infringement, MQ Gaming, LLC, et al. v. Lego Systems, Inc.et al., Case No. 1:19-cv-00905-MN, filed May 14, 2019, in 153 pages. |
| Answer, Affirmative Defenses, and Counterclaims to Complaint for Patent infringement, MQ Gaming, LLC, et al. v. Lego Systems. Inc.et al., Case No. 1:19-cv-00905-MN, filed Sep. 27, 2019, in 38 pages. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190009171 A1 | Jan 2019 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15268331 | Sep 2016 | US |
| Child | 15972940 | US | |
| Parent | 14751026 | Jun 2015 | US |
| Child | 15268331 | US | |
| Parent | 14464652 | Aug 2014 | US |
| Child | 14720080 | US | |
| Parent | 13801955 | Mar 2013 | US |
| Child | 14464652 | US | |
| Parent | 13469443 | May 2012 | US |
| Child | 13801955 | US | |
| Parent | 13037200 | Feb 2011 | US |
| Child | 13469443 | US | |
| Parent | 11777874 | Jul 2007 | US |
| Child | 13037200 | US | |
| Parent | 11274760 | Nov 2005 | US |
| Child | 11777874 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14720080 | May 2015 | US |
| Child | 14751026 | US | |
| Parent | 10954025 | Sep 2004 | US |
| Child | 11274760 | US | |
| Parent | 10397054 | Mar 2003 | US |
| Child | 10954025 | US |
