Patent Application
20210215464
This invention relates to a wearable vest comprising a vessel and an optical sensor; and more particularly relates to a wearable vest that is configured to emit liquid towards a wearer when an optical sensor is successfully targeted in a gaming environment, and providing feedback to the user and others regarding the targeting.
Laser tag is a popular game and competitive sport that is typically played indoors in relatively dark, enclosed areas large enough to allow game players to run around and hide from opponents during a game. Individuals or groups are often divided into teams that compete against each other to target optical sensors with the laser guns. A large number of game variations are available, but the ultimate goal is typically for an individual or team to successfully target the optical sensors of their opponents the greatest number of times.
The use of large, enclosed areas to play laser tag can increase the cost of playing the game as well as the cost of hosting the games. In addition, laser tag can be seasonal, with large indoor laser tag centers being used infrequently during warm summer months. This can increase the cost of hosting and playing laser tag.
With the above and other related objectives in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described below. The following explanation provides specific details for a thorough understanding of and enabling description for these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without such details. In some instances, well-known structures, processes, and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments.
It shall be noted that unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” “include,” “including,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number, respectively while adhering to the concepts of the present invention. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” and “an embodiment” are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features.
A wearable vest is disclosed that carries a vessel and an optical sensor. The vessel is configured to hold water or another desired liquid. A nozzle is connected to the vessel. The nozzle can direct the desired liquid from the vessel towards a user (i.e. wearer) of the vest. In one example, multiple players can each be outfitted with the wearable vests for a game of laser tag. The game can be played outside. Individuals or groups of players can be divided into two or more teams. Each vest can be associated with a selected team. Laser guns can also be associated with a selected team. When the optical sensor of the wearable vest is successfully targeted by a laser gun of a player on another team, the liquid in the vessel can be directed for a period of time through the nozzle at the wearer of the successfully targeted wearable vest. The liquid directed from the nozzle on the wearable vest at the player provides feedback to the player letting the player know that their vest has been successfully targeted by an opposing player. Additional feedback can be provided by sounds and lights emitted by the successfully targeted vest, informing other players that the wearable vest was successfully targeted. Game rules can be implemented to determine how many times a player is to be successfully targeted (i.e. hit by an opposing player's laser gun) before the player is ejected from the game. The last individual or team member in the game can be declared the winner.
The use of the wearable vest that carries the vessel and the optical sensor in the example laser tag game enables the laser tag game to be expanded for use in an outdoor environment. The desired liquid directed through the nozzle from the vessel upon a successful targeting of the wearable vest by an opponent provides a simple, sudden, tactile feedback that enables a player to instantly know when they have been successfully targeted. Unlike traditional sounds, lights, and buzzers used as feedback in a game of laser tag, the use of the liquid allows the laser tag game to be played in a bright, open, noisy environment while still enabling the player to understand when they have been successfully targeted by an opponent on another team. The player can then respond to the physical consequences of being sprayed by a liquid from the vessel by altering their play to reduce the chances of being successfully targeted again. The physical consequences can make the game seem more realistic and encourage individuals and teams to play. The activity provided by gameplay outside can encourage healthy physical exercise in lieu of the typical use of sedate, indoor electronics such as video games. In addition, the wearable vest can provide cooling to the players in the outside environment. The cooling effect can be significant for active players on a hot summer day.
The use of the wearable vest in an outside environment can significantly reduce the cost of playing laser tag relative to the cost of playing in an indoor, enclosed environment. For example, kids in a family or neighborhood can each use a wearable vest with a vessel and optical sensor to play laser tag games at locations throughout their neighborhood without the need to pay for each game, as is typical for indoor laser tag games. The wearable vest can combine the water fight industry with the infrared tag industry.
Referring to
As illustrated in
In one example, the breastplate 104 can include a side attachment accepter 118, illustrated in
The wearable vest 100 can carry a vessel 130 that is configured to hold the selected liquid, such as water. The vessel 130 can be comprised of a waterproof material, such as a plastic, a composite, or a metal. In one embodiment, the vessel 130 can be formed as a bulbous protrusion extending from the front surface 108 of the breastplate 104, as shown in
In one aspect, the vest 100 and the breastplate 104 can have a protrusion 144 extending from a front surface 108 of the breastplate 104. The protrusion 144 can have a lateral dimension occupying a majority of a lateral dimension of the breastplate 104. In addition, the protrusion 144 can be bulbous and shaped as a hemisphere. In another aspect, the vest 100 and the breastplate 104 can have an aperture 146 in the front surface 108 of the breastplate 104. In one aspect, the aperture 146 can be at least partially formed in and located in the protrusion 144. In another aspect, the protrusion 144 and the front surface 108 of the breastplate 104 can have upper and lower lobes 135 and 137 extending from the front surface 108. The aperture 146 can be formed in the bulbous protrusion 144 between the lobes 135 and 137.
In another aspect, the vessel 130 can be at least partially located in the bulbous protrusion 144. The vessel 130 can have a hemispherical dome extending from the front surface 108 of the breastplate 104 and filling the protrusion 144. The upper lobe 135 can extend from the front surface 108 of the breastplate 104 and over an upper portion of the hemispherical dome of the vessel 130. Similarly, the lower lobe 137 can extend from the front surface 108 of the breastplate 104 and over a lower portion of the hemispherical dome of the vessel 130. Thus, the lobes 135 and 137 can help retain the vessel 130 in the breastplate 104, while providing for the aperture 146. The protrusion 144 can provide a greater volume in the breastplate 104, and can allow for the vessel 130 to have a greater volume in order to contain more water. In another aspect, the vessel 130 can close the aperture 146 in order to close the vest 100. In another aspect, at least a portion of the vessel 130, such as the hemispherical dome, can be exposed through and visible through the aperture 146 and between the lobes 135 and 137. In one aspect, at least a portion of the vessel 130 can be at least light translucent. Thus, a water volume of the vessel 130 can be ascertained visibly through the aperture 146 in the front surface 108 and bulbous protrusion 144.
The portion of the vessel 130 visible through the aperture 146 can further define an illumination portion. A light source 192 can be carried by the breastplate 104 and electrically coupled to a power source or battery 184. In addition, the light source 192 can be positioned to illuminate the illumination portion of the vessel 130. Thus, a greater surface area of the vest 100 and the breastplate 104, such as the illumination portion of the vessel 130 in the aperture 146, can be illuminated.
The breastplate 104 can be configured to contain a power supply, such as a plurality of batteries 184 (
The vest electronics 182 illustrated in
The breastplate 104 can be configured to securely hold the vessel 130 between the front surface 108 and the back surface 106. In one example, at least a portion of the vessel 130 can be displayed. The upper lobe 135 and the lower lobe 137 can be used to secure the vessel 130 to a front body 5 (
The wearable vest 100 can include an On/team selector switch 142. A single switch or multiple switches may be used. In one example, a single On/team selector switch 142 can be a button mounted on and carried by the front surface 108 of the breastplate 104. The button can be referred to as a team selection button. A single On/team selector switch (team selection button) 142 can be configured to turn the wearable vest 100 to an “On” state when the switch 142 is depressed a first time. Each additional depression of the switch 142 can change the wearable vest 100 to a different team. In one embodiment, the team for the wearable vest can be selected by depressing the single On/team selector switch 142 a first to an nth time to select a first to an nth team, respectively, for the wearable vest.
The controller 188 can be comprised of one or more digital processors and memory. The memory can be coupled to the one or more digital processors. The one or more digital processors can be general purpose processors, specialized processors such as very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits, field programmable gate array processors (FPGAs), or other types of specialized processors, as well as baseband processors used in transceivers to send, receive, and process wireless communications. In one example, the controller 188 can be configured to change a color of the light source 192 for each team selected by depressing the On/team selector switch 142. In one embodiment, the light source 192 can be a single or multiple LED(s) 12 (
In another example, the controller 188 can be configured to send audio signals to the speaker 188. The speaker can generate audio to inform the wearer 103 which team is selected. For instance, each time the On/team selector switch 142 is depressed the speaker can be configured to say the selected color, such as “green”, “orange”, “blue”, or “red” to refer to the team selected for the wearable vest 100. The audio from the speaker 188 and the color from the light source 192 can both be used to identify the team selected for the wearable vest. The colors used in this example are not intended to be limiting. The controller 188 and light source 192 can be configured to provide any desired color for a selected team. The controller 188, comprised of one or more processors and memory, can also be configured to send a predetermined audio message based on information received in an encoded optical signal at the optical sensor 190. For example, the audio message may pertain to which team successfully targeted the optical sensor 190, such as “Hit! Red Team”. The encoded optical signal can also include information related to the type of optical signal source used to target the optical sensor 190. The controller 188 can send a predetermined audio message based on the type of optical signal source that successfully targeted the optical sensor 190, such as “Hit! Grenade” or “Hit! Land mine”, or another predetermined audio message. The controller 188 can also send a predetermined audio message reminding the wearer 103 of the wearable vest 100 how many hits they have left based on the hits received in a selected game, such as “Two hits remaining”. The audio can be provided in multiple languages.
In one example, the wearable vest 100 can include a pump 196, such as a water pump. One embodiment of the pump 196 is illustrated in
The two gears 15 are configured to spin in opposite directions within the volume created between the pump front end 14 and the rear portion of the pump 17. For example, one of the gears 15 can turn in a clockwise manner and the other gear can turn in a counterclockwise manner. The movement of the gears causes the water in each of the gear compartments between the pump front end 14 and the rear portion of the pump 17 to spin in opposite directions. As the gears 15 in the pump are turning at a predetermined speed, a centrifugal force will push the selected liquid in the direction in which the gears are turning. At the same time, the liquid will be sucked into the pump housing from the opposite side. In the example of
In the example of
The position of the nozzle 32 can be selected by the wearer 103 of the wearable vest 100 to ensure comfort and safety when the liquid is streamed out of the nozzle 32 towards the wearer 103. The volume and velocity of the liquid 206 being directed out of the nozzle 32 can be selected to allow the wearer 103 of the wearable vest 100 to instantly recognize when the liquid 206 comes in contact with the wearer 103 or with clothing worn by the wearer 103. The velocity can be selected to enable the liquid 206 to come in contact with the wearer's chin, neck, face, and/or or chest, as shown in
In one aspect, the nozzle 32 can be positioned on the bulbous protrusion 144 and on the upper lobe 135. Thus, the protrusion 144 and the upper lobe 135 can extend from the breastplate 104 to position the nozzle 32. Similarly, the sealable aperture 132 can be positioned on the bulbous protrusion 144 and on the upper lobe 135. For example, the sealable aperture 132 can comprise a nipple extending through the front wall of the breastplate 104 on the upper lobe 135.
In the example of
Continuing with the exploded view of
The example of the laser gun 200 is not intended to be limiting. Other types of optical signal sources can be used to direct an encoded optical signal towards the optical sensor 190. For instance, a multidirectional optical source, such as a LED lantern can be used to simulate an optical hand grenade 198 that can direct the encoded optical signal towards any wearable vest 100 within a selected distance from the LED lantern when it is turned on. For example, the optical hand grenade 198 can be configured, similar to the wearable vest 100, to be selected for a certain team, such as the red team. The optical hand grenade 198 can be configured so that it does not emit light until it is activated by a user. When the optical hand grenade 198 is activated, the optical hand grenade 198 will emit red light as the optical signal. Alternatively, an additional light emitting diode (LED) may be used other than an LED emitting the team color. For example, an infrared LED may be used to transmit the encoded optical signal. The encoded optical signal from the optical hand grenade 198 will travel towards the optical sensor 190 of each of the wearable vests that are located within a predetermined range of the optical hand grenade. Every wearable vest 100 that is not on the red team will score a hit from the optical hand grenade 198. The encoded optical signal transmitted from the optical hand grenade can include binary information that informs the controller 188 in each wearable vest 100 the team that the optical hand grenade is assigned to (red in this example), and the type of device that the encoded optical signal is sent from (i.e. an optical hand grenade). The controller 188 in each wearable vest 100 will record the number of hits based on the type of device (i.e. optical hand grenade) that the optical signal was transmitted from and the team that the device is assigned to. In this example, wearable vests that are assigned to the red team will not record a hit from the optical grenade.
Similarly, a pressure activated light source placed on the ground, used to simulate an optical land mine 199, can be configured to direct the encoded optical signal upwards towards the optical sensor 190 on any wearable vest 100 within a selected distance when the pressure activated light source is stepped on and activated.
While a laser gun, optical hand grenade, and optical land mine have been given as examples, they are not intended to be limiting. Other types of light sources can also be used to direct the encoded optical signal at the optical sensor 190 of a wearable vest 100. Each optical signal source can be set to be on a selected team and display a color of the team when activated. Each optical signal source is capable of communicating information. The optical signal source can be a coherent light source, such as a laser, or an incoherent light source such as an LED. The type of optical encoding and decoding used can be determined based on the type of light source used.
The optical sensor 190 can receive the encoded optical signal, and decode and demodulate the signal to determine the binary information in the signal. The binary information can be communicated to the controller 188. In one example, the binary information can identify which team the optical signal source that sent the optical signal is associated with. The controller 188 of the wearable vest 100 can compare the selected team of the optical signal source with the selected team of the wearable vest 100. When the selected team of the optical signal source is different from the selected team of the wearable vest 100, then a signal can be sent by the controller 188 to activate the pump 196 and direct water out of the vessel 130 through the nozzle 32. In one embodiment, when the selected team of the optical signal source is the same as the selected team of the wearable vest 100, then the controller is configured to not send a signal to the pump and no water is directed from the nozzle 32. This minimizes friendly fire hits from a user's own team members.
Each nozzle 32 can have two openings, including a fluid opening 201 that is fluidly coupled with a selected liquid, such as water. In
In another embodiment, a pneumatic pump 204 can be attached to the vessel 130, as illustrated in the front view of the wearable vest illustrated in the example of
In an alternative embodiment, the selected liquid 206 can be the pressurized air. Rather than adding a selected liquid, such as water, to the vessel 130, the vessel can be filled with pressurized air using the pneumatic pump. The valve 186 can then be opened for the selected period of time to emit the selected liquid (pressurized air) at the user for the selected period of time. The use of pressurized air as the selected liquid 206 can allow the wearable vest to be used in an indoor environment. In one example of this embodiment, the pump 196 can be a pneumatic pump configured to fill the vessel 130 with pressurized air.
The controller 188 of the wearable vest 100 can keep track of the number of times that the optical sensor 190 receives an encoded optical signal from an optical signal source that is assigned to a different team than the wearable vest. The controller is configured to select a set reaction of the wearable vest based on the number of times. For example the amount of time that the pump 196 is activated to emit the selected liquid out of the nozzle 32 towards the user can be based on the number of times. In one embodiment, the pump 196 can be activated causing water can be directed out of the nozzle for a set amount of time, such as 0.5 seconds, for the first eight times that the encoded optical signal is received from another team. The controller 188 can turn on the pump 196 for a longer amount of time, such as 2 seconds, at the 9th time the encoded optical signal is received from another team. The actual amount of time the pump 196 is activated can vary from a very short burst, such as 0.1 seconds, to a longer time such as 5 seconds. Shorter bursts can allow the water in the vessel 130 to last for longer, enabling multiple games to be played. In one embodiment, the time period for each burst can be selected such that the vessel 130 can hold sufficient water for two games to be played, with approximately 18 water bursts occurring using the water in the vessel 130. The length of the burst can be selected to allow a typical person to feel the water or other liquid in the vessel as it hits the person's skin. When the valve 186 is used in place of the pump 196, the valve 186 can be opened for a similar amount of time as the pump 196 would be operated to allow water to be directed out of the air opening of the nozzle 32 towards the user wearing the wearable vest 100.
The controller 188 of the wearable vest 100 can also cause other actions to be performed each time the encoded optical signal is received at the optical sensor 190 from another team than the team of the wearable vest. In one example, a laser gun on the green team can successfully target the optical sensor 190 of the wearable vest 100 on the blue team. The light source 192 can be changed temporarily from blue to green to show that a member of the green team successfully targeted the wearable vest 100. In addition, the controller can direct a selected prerecorded sound to be played on the speaker 194 of the wearable vest 100 each time it is successfully targeted. The sound can include information that a hit (successful target) occurred, the color of the team that hit the wearable vest, the number of hits that has occurred in the current game, and other desired information. The controller can also be configured to select a reaction based on the type of optical signal source. For example, it can take 9 hits for a laser gun to knock a player out of the game, 3 hits from a grenade, and two hits from a land mine. The duration that the water is turned on can be selected based on the predetermined rules of the game.
The controller 188 can include one or more processors configured as a baseband processor for a transceiver configured to communicate via a selected wireless transmission standard, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or ZigBee. The wireless transceiver can be configured to communicate with the transceivers of other wearable vests to allow additional communication. In addition, the wireless transceiver can be configured to communicate with a portable computing device, such as a cell phone or tablet. The portable computing device can run an application configured to communicate with the transceiver in the wearable vest. The application can allow different types of game play to be selected, the rules of the game play to be identified (i.e. the number of hits for each type of optical signal source to eject the user of a wearable vest from the game), and updates to firmware in the wearable vest allowing new types of games to be played. The same app can also be used to communicate with the optical signal sources, such as a laser gun, hand grenade, land mine, or other desired optical signal source.
The foregoing description conveys the best understanding of the objectives and advantages of the present invention. Different embodiments may be made of the inventive concept of this invention. It is to be understood that all matter disclosed herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.
Various techniques, or certain aspects or portions thereof, can take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, compact disc-read-only memory (CD-ROMs), hard drives, non-transitory computer readable storage medium, or any other machine-readable storage medium wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the various techniques. Circuitry can include hardware, firmware, program code, executable code, computer instructions, and/or software. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium can be a computer readable storage medium that does not include signal. In the case of program code execution on programmable computers, the computing device can include a processor, a storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input device, and at least one output device. The volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements can be a random-access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), flash drive, optical drive, magnetic hard drive, solid state drive, or other medium for storing electronic data. One or more programs that can implement or utilize the various techniques described herein can use an application programming interface (API), reusable controls, and the like. Such programs can be implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system. However, the program(s) can be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case, the language can be a compiled or interpreted language, and combined with hardware implementations.
As used herein, the term processor can include general purpose processors, specialized processors such as VLSI, FPGAs, or other types of specialized processors, as well as baseband processors used in transceivers to send, receive, and process wireless communications.
It should be understood that many of the functional units described in this specification have been labeled as modules, in order to more particularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, a module can be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom very-large-scale integration (VLSI) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. A module can also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices or the like.
In one example, multiple hardware circuits or multiple processors can be used to implement the functional units described in this specification. For example, a first hardware circuit or a first processor can be used to perform processing operations and a second hardware circuit or a second processor (e.g., a transceiver or a baseband processor) can be used to communicate with other entities. The first hardware circuit and the second hardware circuit can be incorporated into a single hardware circuit, or alternatively, the first hardware circuit and the second hardware circuit can be separate hardware circuits.
Modules can also be implemented in software for execution by various types of processors. An identified module of executable code can, for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions, which can, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identified module need not be physically located together, but can comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations which, when joined logically together, comprise the module and achieve the stated purpose for the module.
Indeed, a module of executable code can be a single instruction, or many instructions, and can even be distributed over several different code segments, among different programs, and across several memory devices. Similarly, operational data can be identified and illustrated herein within modules, and can be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The operational data can be collected as a single data set, or can be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices, and can exist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network. The modules can be passive or active, including agents operable to perform desired functions.
A method of using the vest 100 described above can comprise: filling the vessel 130 with water; donning the vest 100 or breastplate 104; and avoiding infrared light incident on the sensor 190 from a gun 200. In addition, the method can further comprising firing infrared light from the gun 200 at the infrared sensor 190 of an opponent's vest 100 to cause water to squirt from the opponent's vest at the opponent.
Reference throughout this specification to “an example” or “exemplary” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in an example” or the word “exemplary” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositional elements, and/or materials can be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based on their presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary. In addition, various embodiments and example of the present invention can be referred to herein along with alternatives for the various components thereof. It is understood that such embodiments, examples, and alternatives are not to be construed as defacto equivalents of one another, but are to be considered as separate and autonomous representations of the present invention.
Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of layouts, distances, network examples, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, layouts, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.
While the forgoing examples are illustrative of the principles of the present invention in one or more particular applications, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications in form, usage and details of implementation can be made without the exercise of inventive faculty, and without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the claims set forth below.
