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Justia Patents Patents Assigned to Nearlife, Inc.
Patents Assigned to Nearlife, Inc.
Method and apparatus for coordinating an interactive computer game with a broadcast television program
Patent number: 6783460
Abstract: In order to allow viewers to interact with a television broadcast, a central control establishes a virtual environment in which viewers participate with characters designed by them. Viewers can create a character with the aid of a computer and then submit the character to the television show on disk or transmit the character via a web site. In order to create characters, a user “preprograms” a character by setting certain parameters and characteristics. Thereafter, the character would operate autonomously. During the television broadcast, some of the characters submitted to the television show or web site can be selected for appearance on the show by any conventional means, such as by lottery, sequentially or based on the merits of characters submitted to the television show, etc. Characters may also be submitted before the show and selected based on a “virtual interview.
Type: Grant
Filed: August 26, 2002
Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
Assignee: NearLife, Inc.
Inventors: Tinsley A. Galyean, III, Sheri Galyean, Henry Kaufman, Christopher Kline
Method and apparatus for coordinating an interactive computer game with a broadcast television program
Publication number: 20030013526
Abstract: In order to coordinate an interactive computer game with a television broadcast, a central control establishes a large virtual environment in which viewers participate with characters either controlled or designed by them. Each user can directly control or influence characters within a “active region” which encompasses part of the virtual environment that is much less than the total environment. The broadcast portion of the system also has an active region, at least a portion of which is shown on a broadcast television show. The locations of the active regions are controlled by the central control. In accordance with one embodiment, the central control moves the active regions of selected users so that these active regions coincide or overlap the broadcast active region. The selected users are then allowed to control characters that appear on the broadcast television show.
Type: Application
Filed: August 26, 2002
Publication date: January 16, 2003
Applicant: NearLife, Inc.
Inventors: Tinsley A. Galyean, Sheri J. Galyean, Henry Kaufman, Christopher Kline
Method and apparatus for coordinating an interactive computer game with a broadcast television program
Patent number: 6447396
Abstract: In order to coordinate an interactive computer game with a television broadcast, a central control establishes a large virtual environment in which viewers participate with characters either controlled or designed by them. Each user can directly control or influence characters within a “active region” which encompasses part of the virtual environment that is much less than the total environment. The broadcast portion of the system also has an active region, at least a portion of which is shown on a broadcast television show. The locations of the active regions are controlled by the central control. In accordance with one embodiment, the central control moves the active regions of selected users so that these active regions coincide or overlap the broadcast active region. The selected users are then allowed to control characters that appear on the broadcast television show.
Type: Grant
Filed: October 17, 2000
Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
Assignee: NearLife, Inc.
Inventors: Tinsley A. Galyean, III, Sheri Galyean, Henry Kaufman, Christopher Kline
Interactive game apparatus with game play controlled by user-modifiable toy
Patent number: 6290565
Abstract: A three dimensional physical toy that can be manipulated by a user is connected to a computer. Interchangeable accessory parts can be plugged into the toy via mechanisms which identify the accessory parts immediately when they are plugged into the toy body. A software program running in the computer displays a graphical character representation of the toy, including the accessory parts that have been plugged into the toy in a virtual environment on a monitor screen. The toy and the accessory parts interact dynamically with the software program so that the graphical character representation of the toy appears on the screen exactly as it physically appears to the user. The toy interacts with the virtual environment in each stage of construction an as each accessory part is added or removed. Therefore, as various accessory parts are inserted into, or removed from, the toy, the graphical character representation of the toy interacts with the virtual environment in different ways.
Type: Grant
Filed: July 21, 1999
Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
Assignee: Nearlife, Inc.
Inventors: Tinsley A. Galyean III, Henry Kaufman, Bruce M. Blumberg, David C. O'connor
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