SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTEGRATING INTERACTIVE OBJECTS AND ATTRACTIVE EXPERIENCES - Patent application

Abstract

A system and method for integrating interactive objects and attraction experiences is provided. An entertainment system includes a first storage area and a second storage area. The system further includes a first communicator and a second communicator, each configured to read information from an interactive object, the first communicator configured to monitor the first storage area, and the second communicator configured to monitor the second storage area. A controller of the system includes a processor and memory. The controller is configured to receive data from the communicators, query a database to determine one or more profiles associated with the data, determine special effects associated with the first profile and special effects associated with the second profile, and provide a command to present the first special effect at a first location based on the first storage area and a command to present the second special effect at a second location based on the second storage area.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] A system and method for integrating interactive objects and attraction experiences. [Background technology]

[0002] This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. As such, these statements should be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

[0003] Entertainment companies offer ride shows that often incorporate special effects to enhance guests' experiences throughout the ride. In recent years, entertainment companies have also begun to provide interactive objects that can be utilized throughout the entertainment environment (e.g., open areas and waiting lines) to broaden entertainment opportunities. For example, guests may be provided with toys that are detectable or operable to interact with game elements within the theme park to encourage them to enjoy the park more. Prior to experiencing a particular ride, guests may carry an interactive object (e.g., a toy sword detectable by radio frequency identification technology) while waiting in line for the ride and temporarily store the object in a storage area before entering the ride vehicle and / or the ride environment. Storing the interactive object may be necessary to avoid the possibility of losing the interactive object or otherwise disrupting the ride. However, it is now recognized that traditional storage methods can create an undesirable disconnect between a particular entertainment experience and the opportunities associated with the interactive object. Summary of the Invention

[0004]

[0013] The following summarizes certain embodiments commensurate with the subject matter of the original claims. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, but rather merely to provide a brief summary of some disclosed embodiments. Indeed, the disclosure may include a variety of forms that may be similar to or different from the embodiments set forth below.

[0005] In one embodiment, an entertainment system includes a first storage area and a second storage area, and a first communicator and a second communicator configured to read information from the interactive objects, the first communicator configured to monitor the first storage area and the second communicator configured to monitor the second storage area. The entertainment system also includes a controller including a processor and a memory, the controller configured to receive data from the first communicator and the second communicator, query a database to determine one or more profiles associated with the data, and determine a first special effect associated with the first profile and a second special effect associated with the second profile. The controller is further configured to provide a command to present the first special effect at a first location based on the first storage area and a command to present the second special effect at a second location based on the second storage area.

[0006] In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, via a receiver, first data from a first communicator associated with a first storage area and second data from a second communicator associated with a second storage area. The method further includes querying a database via a processor to determine a first profile associated with the first data and a second profile associated with the second data. The method also includes determining, via the processor, a first special effect associated with the first profile and a second special effect associated with the second profile, and issuing, via a transmitter, a command to present the first special effect at a first location associated with the first storage area and a command to present the second special effect at a second location associated with the second storage area.

[0007] In one embodiment, a locker system includes a first storage area and a second storage area, and a first communicator and a second communicator configured to read information from interactive objects, the first communicator configured to monitor the first storage area and the second communicator configured to monitor the second storage area. The system further includes a controller including a processor and a memory, the controller configured to receive first data from the first communicator, receive second data from the second communicator, query a database to determine a first profile associated with the first data and a second profile associated with the second data, determine a first special effect associated with the first profile and a second special effect associated with the second profile, and initiate presentation of the first special effect at a first location associated with the first storage area and initiate presentation of the second special effect at a second location associated with the second storage area.

[0008] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will be better understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a storage area (e.g., lockers, storage bins, shelves) and ride show system in accordance with the present technology. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of a storage area and ride show system in accordance with the present technology; [Figure 3] 1 is a flow diagram of a method for linking user interactive objects to guest locations in a ride show system in accordance with the present technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In the interest of brevity in describing these embodiments, not all features of the implementations are described herein. It should be understood that the development of any such implementation, as in any engineering or design project, requires numerous implementation-specific decisions to achieve the developer's particular objectives, including compliance with system- and business-related constraints that may vary from implementation to implementation. Moreover, it should be understood that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

[0011] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean the presence of one, two, or more of the element. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. One or more specific embodiments of the present embodiments described herein are described below. In the interest of brevity, not all features of an actual implementation may be described herein. It should be noted that the development of any such implementation, as in any engineering or design project, requires numerous implementation-specific decisions to achieve the developer's particular objectives, including compliance with system- and business-related constraints that may vary from implementation to implementation. Moreover, while such a development effort may be complex and time-consuming, it would be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

[0012] Guests within a theme park may carry one or more interactive objects (e.g., handheld objects, wearable objects) throughout one or more areas within the theme park. Each interactive object may be linked to an individual guest and used to track the guest's experience throughout one or more rides, shows, and / or interactive areas of the theme park. For example, in addition to enabling guests to interact with games or entertainment interfaces throughout a theme park or other entertainment venue, interactive objects may also facilitate tracking of achievements, locations, interactions, and the like by enabling monitoring of the interactive objects and their use.

[0013] In some situations, it may not be desirable for guests to maintain physical possession of interactive objects during a particular entertainment experience, such as a ride show. For example, it may be desirable to store the interactive objects (e.g., in a locker) to prevent them from being lost, such as along the ride route. However, it is now recognized that guests may also desire their ride show experience to be personalized for individual guests through linking guest interactive objects to their location while inside the ride show (e.g., their seat location on the ride vehicle). In this way, the ride show may display personalized special effects based on the guest's location within the ride show. Thus, it is now understood that linking guest interactive objects to guest location within the ride show can enable a more personalized and enjoyable ride show experience.

[0014] According to this embodiment, an interactive object (or one or more systems that detect the interactive object) may update a profile associated with a guest based on the guest's movements and / or experiences within an entertainment experience system, such as a ride show and / or interactive area. For example, the ride show and / or interactive area may receive guest profile data from the guest's interactive object or a system that detects and identifies the interactive object, and personalize special effects within the ride show and / or interactive area based on the guest profile.

[0015] Within a ride show and / or interactive environment, it may be difficult to individually track one or more guests using interactive objects because it may be necessary to separate users from the interactive objects. Guests may wait in one or more queues and / or ride queue areas before boarding a ride vehicle or entering an interactive area. Guests may have the opportunity to use and enjoy the interactive objects during such waiting times (e.g., while in the queue area). Thus, guests are incentivized to retain possession of the interactive objects. However, guests may be required to transfer the interactive objects to a locker or storage area before boarding a ride vehicle and / or entering an interactive area, for example, to avoid potentially losing the interactive objects. This may result in limited functionality associated with the interactive objects (e.g., limited communication with and tracking of the interactive objects). To address this, according to the present embodiment, the storage area (e.g., lockers) may include a detection system (e.g., including radio frequency isolation hardware) that can receive (e.g., obtain) a guest profile for the guest. The guest profile may be received directly from the interactive object or from a computer system (e.g., a server, database, and cloud network) based on detecting the interactive object and identifying a guest profile associated with the detected interactive object. The present embodiments may also operate to link guests to guest locations (e.g., seats in a ride vehicle and / or locations within the interactive environment). For example, a queue or queue in which a guest is standing may correspond to a particular series of lockers and / or storage compartments that correspond to guest locations throughout the ride show experience (e.g., based on a predetermined correspondence).

[0016] The disclosed interactive object technology enables user identification and / or interactive object identification and targeting to support elements of a ride show. For example, when a guest enters a queue area and / or queue for a ride show, the guest can be assigned a specific shelf and / or locker for an interactive object associated with a specific seat and / or location within the ride vehicle and / or interactive environment. The locker and / or storage area can include hardware that enables near-field communication (NFC) between the interactive object and a communicator (e.g., a sensor, detector, barcode reader, NFC device) in the locker and / or storage area, and the interactive object can be placed within such locker and / or storage area, with the communicator operable to detect and convey information related to the interactive object. Such hardware can also include a charger for a rechargeable interactive object. The communicator can receive or determine a guest profile associated with a guest present in a specific seat and / or location within the ride vehicle based on a correlation between an identifier of the interactive object (detected by the communicator) and the guest profile. The communicator can transmit guest profile and / or identification information along with guest ride location information to the central controller. The central controller can then target special effects within the ride show to specific guests in their ride seats based on the guest profile received via the interactive object. The central controller can also update the guest profile associated with the interactive object based on the guest experience and special effects displayed within the ride show system.

[0017] In some embodiments, such interactive objects can be props or toys used within an interactive environment to increase variability in special effect control through the use of individual guest interactions. The interactive objects can include barcodes, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, near field communication (NFC), and the like, which facilitate one-way or two-way communication. Accordingly, user-interactive objects can enable the association of a guest profile with the interactive object. The guest profile can then be identified and used to select special effects based on the guest profile. For example, guest preferences can be taken into account for variable effects. Furthermore, while embodiments of the present disclosure are described in the context of toys, props, or handheld objects such as swords, wands, tokens, books, balls, or figurines, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments can also be used with other types of objects. Such objects can include wearable objects (e.g., clothing, jewelry, bracelets, headgear, medals, eyeglasses) or other non-wearable objects (e.g., smartphones).

[0018] The disclosed systems and methods are not limited to any particular environment, but may include at least one ride show system in a themed area having a common theme, and may further include different ride show systems within a single themed area. Additionally, the disclosed systems and methods may include additional or other ride show systems having different themes but contained within a theme park or entertainment venue.

[0019] Some aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to FIG. 1 , which is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a ride show system 8 according to the present disclosure. In one embodiment, a central controller 10 of the ride show system 8 is configured to receive interactive object information (e.g., unique device identification numbers) from one or more interactive objects 14A, 14B, 14C (collectively referred to as interactive objects 14) stored in a locker system 16. The locker system 16, which may include multiple locker systems or lockers (e.g., lockers 16A, 16B, 16C), may function as a secured storage location (e.g., lockable storage location) for the interactive objects 14. However, the locker system 16 may represent any storage area (e.g., storage area 16). For example, in other embodiments, the locker system 16 may include shelves, compartments, drawers, or the like, which may or may not be lockable. The locker system 16 may be employed to store the interactive objects 14 prior to entry into a ride or other entertainment experience where it is desirable to store the interactive objects 14.

[0020] The interactive objects 14 may include features that facilitate guest interaction with interfaces at various locations (e.g., open areas, queues, restaurants, attractions) in a controlled environment (e.g., a theme park). For example, the interactive objects 14 may be used to control a video display or a video game. The interactive objects 14 may include processing and memory, or may simply be detectable by an external computer-based system. The interactive objects 14 may be specifically associated with a particular individual or guest and may be used to track progress, experiences, and the like with respect to games, attractions, venues, and the like. For example, the guest's identification information may be stored on or accessed on the particular interactive object's device (e.g., a radio frequency identification tag or memory) or on another device (e.g., a database correlating the guest's identification information with the interactive object's readable serial number).

[0021] As described above, the interactive object 14 can be simply detectable by a particular system, but in some embodiments, the interactive object can include memory and / or processing features that require power. Thus, according to this embodiment, the interactive object 14 can include an energy source, such as a battery. These energy sources can be rechargeable energy sources (e.g., batteries, supercapacitors) that can buffer and store energy from a power source in the locker system 16, such as the communicator 18 or a separate charger. The rechargeable energy source can be used to achieve a power boost effect and can facilitate providing output regardless of the location of the interactive object 14. In one embodiment, the interactive object 14 can be recharged while it is placed in the locker system 16, such as via a near-field communication device that can be incorporated into the locker system 16.

[0022] As described above, the interactive object 14 may store interactive object information or may otherwise have a detectable link to the interactive object information. The interactive object information may be detected and conveyed in accordance with this embodiment. For example, the barcode of the interactive object may be scanned for operational control purposes, or the memory of the interactive object 14 may be read to identify relevant information. In practice, in accordance with this embodiment, the central controller 10 may receive interactive object information from the interactive object 14 via a communicator 18 (e.g., a reader, a receiver). The communicator 18, which may include multiple independent communicators 18A, 18B, 18C, is positioned to communicate with the interactive object 14 while the interactive object 14 is stored in the locker system 16. For example, when the interactive object 14A is placed in the locker 16A, the communicator 18A may be integrated with the interactive object 14A, positioned within the interactive object 14A, targeted to the interactive object 14A, or otherwise positioned to communicate with the interactive object 14A. In some embodiments, walls or other boundaries of locker system 16 may operate to block wireless communications other than those available via communicators 18. Additionally, locker system 16 may include signal shielding constructed of materials capable of blocking wireless communications other than those provided by each communicator 18 located within locker system 16 (e.g., communicator 18A located within locker 16A, etc.). For example, locker system 16 may operate like a Faraday cage. This may facilitate increased certainty of the determined correlation between detection and location of interactive object 14.In practice, detection / location correlation can be enhanced by configuring certain communicators 18 to access (e.g., observe, read, monitor) certain storage areas (e.g., lockers 16A, 16B, 16C, etc.) and not access other storage areas.

[0023] The communicators 18 may communicate with one or more interactive objects 14 using near field communication (NFC) or similar operations (e.g., radio frequency identification (RFID) operations) to receive interactive object information (e.g., guest profile information, identification numbers, identification codes) from within the locker system 16 and then pass the interactive object information to the central controller 10. Transmission from the communicators 18 to the central controller 10 may be performed wirelessly or via a wired connection. Additionally, the communicators 18 may include charging functionality for recharging the energy storage (e.g., batteries) of the interactive objects 14. This recharging may occur via induction or other charging technologies. In the illustrated embodiment, the communicators 18 each represent a charger in addition to a communication mechanism, although in other embodiments, the charger is provided separately from the communicators 18.

[0024] As shown, the ride show system 8 may include multiple ride queue areas 12A, 12B, and 12C (collectively referred to as ride queue areas 12). It should be understood that, according to this embodiment, any suitable number of ride queue areas 12 and / or locker systems 16 may be implemented based on the occupancy rate and / or layout of the ride show system. The ride queue areas 12 may each correspond to a guest location within the ride show system 8. For example, each ride queue area 12A, 12B, and 12C may lead to a particular guest location, such as a seat or row within a ride car 19. Thus, a guest may enter a particular one of the ride queue areas 12 and ultimately sit in a particular ride car (e.g., the front car of a roller coaster train) or a seat within the ride car. By way of example, the guest location may be within a ride car 19 of the ride show system 8 and / or may be a standing or seated location within the ride show system 8.

[0025] The ride queue areas 12 may include or have access to one or more locker systems 16 corresponding to each ride queue area 12. Thus, for example, a guest boarding a ride vehicle from a queue area may store their interactive object in a locker accessible from the queue area and associated with the ride vehicle. By locating a particular locker so that it is accessible from a particular ride queue area, such locker may be effectively associated with the ride queue area and the corresponding guest location (e.g., a ride vehicle or a seat within the ride vehicle). For example, a particular locker in the locker system 16 may be located prior to a particular entrance point of the ride vehicle 19. Thus, it may be concluded that when an interactive object associated with a guest is placed in such a locker, information associated with the interactive object may be linked to the associated guest location. For example, one or more lockers 16A, 16B, 16C may each include a communicator 18A, 18B, 18C that communicates with a respective guest interactive object 14A, 14B, 14C stored therein. For example, when communicator 18A detects interactive object 14A within locker 16A, interactive object 14A (and corresponding guest data) can be associated with the corresponding guest location. Thus, information obtained via communicator 18 (e.g., communicator 18A) can be used to personalize the experience of the guest at the associated guest location.

[0026] As described above, each locker in locker system 16 (e.g., lockers 16A, 16B, 16C) may include a communications isolation (e.g., radio frequency isolation) feature (e.g., a Faraday cage) to prevent identification information from multiple interactive objects 14 in locker system 16 from being received by a single one of the communicators 18. As a result, location confusion based on a particular one of the communicators 18 detecting an interactive object 14 that is not stored in the corresponding locker may be avoided. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, communicator 18A is positioned such that it can only read data from within locker 16A, and may be prevented from detecting interactive object information from interactive object 14B because a characteristic or function of locker 16B prevents communicator 18A from reading data from within locker 16B. Additionally, to avoid confusion associated with potentially detecting multiple interactive objects 14, the lockers (e.g., lockers 16A, 16B, 16C) of locker system 16 may be configured (e.g., shaped and sized) to only receive a single interactive object 14. Due to this feature of the present embodiment, central controller 10 can reliably associate information from communicator 18A with locker 16A and its associated location.

[0027] The communicator 18 (e.g., a radio frequency sensor) can transmit identification information and locker location information associated with the interactive object to the central controller 10 of the ride show system 8. The locker location information can simply be the identification information of a particular communicator 18, and the central controller 10 can store and / or recognize an association between the particular communicator 18 and a particular one of the lockers 16. The central controller 10 can use the identification information to look up a guest profile associated with the guest interactive object 14, as stored in one or more guest profile databases. The central controller 10 can then direct special effects corresponding to the guest location based on the guest's interactive object profile, which can include past guest experiences across one or more ride show systems 8. In this manner, the guest experience across the ride show system 8 can be personalized based on past guest experiences across multiple ride show systems 8.

[0028] It is understood that guests may exchange their interactive objects 14. Thus, possession and detection of a particular interactive object 14 may not conclusively indicate the presence of a particular guest associated with a guest profile. Nevertheless, in accordance with this embodiment, detection of a particular interactive device associated with a particular guest can be treated as properly associated with the physical presence of the particular guest. Those skilled in the art will understand that the systems and methods of the present disclosure will operate accordingly.

[0029] As an example of how this embodiment may operate, a first guest 20A may enter a first queue area 12A corresponding to a first locker system. For illustrative purposes, the first locker system may be represented by a locker 16A. The first guest 20A may place their interactive object 14A within the locker 16A, which may include a communicator 18A that transmits an identification number associated with the first guest's interactive object 14A along with guest location data, which may be implicit from detection by the communicator 18A. For example, the guest location data may correlate to or include an indication that the interactive object 14A (associated with the first guest 20A) is present within the first queue area 12A, which corresponds to a first seat within the ride vehicle 19. Thus, the first guest 20A may be considered to be located in the first seat within the ride vehicle 19. At the same time, a second guest 20B may enter the second queuing area 12B and a third guest 20C may enter the third queuing area 12C. The second queuing area 12B may correspond to a second locker system (represented by locker 16B), and the third queuing area 12C may correspond to a third locker system (represented by locker 16C). The second guest 20B and the third guest 20C may place a second guest interactive object 14B and a third guest interactive object 14C in their respective lockers 16B and 16C. Respective communicators 18B and 18C in each locker 16B and 16C may detect and transmit second guest interactive object information and third guest interactive object information, along with the second guest's location within the ride vehicle 19 and the third guest's location within the ride vehicle 19, to the central controller 10.

[0030] Continuing with the above example, the central controller 10 can query one or more databases for guest profiles corresponding to the first guest interactive object information, the second guest interactive object information, and the third guest interactive object information, and customize the effects of the ride show system 8 to specifically entertain or otherwise accommodate the first guest 20A, the second guest 20B, and the third guest 20C based on the guest profiles and their expected seating arrangements. In this manner, specialized effects can be provided to multiple different guests within the same ride. For example, the first guest 20A may prefer a first theme setting, while the second guest 20B may prefer a second theme setting; therefore, effects can be independently tailored to include theme settings appropriate for each guest on the same ride show system 8. When the first guest 20A and the second guest 20B exchange interactive objects 14, the present embodiment can treat them as if they were the other guest.

[0031] This embodiment may address a lack of information from the interactive objects by continuing by default or by utilizing a different technique for identifying the guest profile. For example, in one embodiment, a locker input may not be detected for a first guest 20A in the first queuing area 12A. In this case, the communicator 18A associated with the first locker 16A may send a signal to the central controller 10 indicating that a guest interactive object 14 has not been identified for the locker 16A associated with a particular ride car, seating area, etc. Based on the provision of this data, the central controller 10 may send an instruction to display a default special effect (or not display a special effect) to the guest in the location associated with the locker 16A. The special effect may include any visual effect, haptic effect, sound effect, animated figure effect, or any other special effect associated with the ride show system 8. In some instances, some special effects of the ride show system may be the same for all guests (e.g., all guests seated in the ride car 19), or selected one or more effects may be customized for each guest based on guest profile data associated with each of the guest's interactive objects 14A, 14B, 14C. As another example, facial recognition and other identification mechanisms may be used to associate particular guests with guest profiles and special effects preferences.

[0032] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of a ride show system 8 in accordance with the present technology. As shown in FIG. 2, the ride show system 8 may include a ride vehicle 19 having a locker system 16 therein such that guests may utilize lockers (e.g., lockers 16A, 16B, 16C) within the ride vehicle 19 (e.g., beneath the seats of the ride vehicle 19) for storing interactive objects 14. Similar to the embodiments disclosed above, communicators 18 within the locker system 16 may detect stored interactive objects 14. By identifying a particular communicator (e.g., communicators 18A, 18B, 18C) that detects a particular interactive object (e.g., interactive object 14A, 14B, 14C), a possible user location (e.g., seat location within the vehicle) may be communicated to the central controller 10. In effect, guests may be prompted or instructed to store their interactive objects in their seat locations. Furthermore, in some embodiments, barriers and physical structures may prevent guests from storing interactive objects outside of predetermined locations. Thus, if an interactive object 14A associated with guest 20A is detected within locker 16A, central controller 10 can associate a profile for guest 20A with the seat location corresponding to locker 16A. Specifically, central controller 10 can receive interactive object information (e.g., unique device identification numbers) from communicators 18 to identify the associated guest profile. Information corresponding to the guest profile can be associated with a particular location (e.g., seating area) based on where each communicator 18 is located and what interactive object information is detected, respectively. This can enable the individualization of special effects throughout ride show system 8 based on the guest profile of guests within each seat of ride vehicle 19.Similar to the embodiments described above, each locker in the locker system 16 can include a communications isolation (e.g., radio frequency isolation) feature to prevent identification information of the interactive objects 14A, 14B, 14C in the locker system 16 from being transmitted beyond a specified boundary.

[0033] As a further example of operation according to this embodiment, upon detecting interactive object information from interactive object 14A, communicator 18A (e.g., a radio frequency sensor) may transmit interactive object information or correlation information (e.g., the identity of the associated guest) and location information (e.g., the associated seat) to central controller 10 of ride show system 8. Because communicator 18A is in a particular location relative to the seat (e.g., below guest 20A's seat) and is prevented from detecting interactive objects 14 in other parts of locker system 16, central controller 10 may determine the location of guest 20A (i.e., the guest associated with interactive object 14A). Again, guests may replace their interactive objects 14. Thus, possession and detection of a particular interactive object 14 may not conclusively indicate the presence of a particular guest associated with the guest profile. Nevertheless, detection of a particular interactive device associated with a particular guest may be treated as properly associated with the particular guest, and one skilled in the art will understand that the systems and methods of the present disclosure will operate accordingly.

[0034] The central controller 10 can use the information provided by the communicator 18A to retrieve a guest profile associated with the guest interactive object 14A stored in one or more guest profile databases. The central controller 10 can then direct special effects corresponding to the guest location based on the guest's interactive object profile, which includes past guest experiences across one or more ride show systems 8. In this manner, the guest experience across the ride show systems 8 can be personalized based on past guest experiences across multiple ride show systems 8.

[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 20 for linking a guest's interactive object 14 to a guest's location within a ride show system 8 in accordance with the present technology. The method 20 includes a process for detecting an interactive object 14 located within a locker system 16 that corresponds to a particular guest location within a ride vehicle 19. The locker system 16 determines an identity for the interactive object 14 and transmits the identity to the central controller 10, which can use the identity to determine a guest profile associated with the interactive object 14 and target ride show system special effects based on the guest profile to the particular guest location within the ride vehicle 19.

[0036] At block 22, the method 20 includes the central controller 10 receiving identification information associated with the interactive objects 14 and guest locations associated with the interactive objects 14 from hardware of the locker system 16. The hardware of the locker system 16 may include receiver hardware that implements an NFC method to receive identification information from the interactive objects 14 located within the locker system 16. The interactive objects 14 may communicate the interactive object information via radio frequency identification (RFID) tags or other suitable wireless and / or wired communication methods. The identification information may include an identification number associated with the guest of the interactive object, a symbol associated with the guest of the interactive object, or other suitable identification information. The locker system 16 may be located within the ride vehicle 19 or may be located outside the ride vehicle 19 within a queuing system and / or waiting area of ​​the ride show system 8.

[0037] Location information may be transmitted based on the location of the locker and the associated ride vehicle seat. For example, each seat in the ride vehicle may correspond to a specific locker. In other embodiments, each queue may include a series of lockers, with each queue corresponding to a specific seat in the ride vehicle. In this manner, the locker system 16 may transmit guest location along with the guest's interactive object data.

[0038] Based on the interactive object identification information, the central controller 10 queries one or more databases containing guest profiles associated with the interactive objects 14, in block 24. The central controller 10 can determine the guest profile corresponding to the interactive object 14. The guest profile can be included in a memory of the central controller 10 that can store guest profiles for multiple guests who have previously matched with multiple interactive objects 14. The guest profile can then be updated based on the guest's experiences occurring throughout the ride show system. This historical data can then be used to provide various different experiences or make other such adjustments based on the historical data.

[0039] In some embodiments, the central controller 10 can update a guest profile based on the guest's experience throughout one or more ride show systems. This allows for differentiation of special effects based on guest profile data throughout the ride show systems 8 and within multiple visits to the same ride show system 8. The guest profile can also include information related to the guest, which can include guest-specific characteristics predetermined before and after the first use of the interactive object 14. These characteristics can further differentiate special effect commands based on the particular guest in the ride vehicle 19. For example, if a guest requests a particular affiliation to a group or selects a particular category from a selection of pre-defined categories, the guest profile can be updated to display this information. The central controller 10 can then send commands to the special effects of the ride show systems 8 to display special effect signals based in part on the guest profile. The special effect signals can include the output of a particular colored LED, sound effects, haptic effects, visual projections, or any combination thereof.

[0040] Based on the guest profile associated with each guest identified (e.g., assumed) as being located in a ride seat, the central controller 10, in block 26, sends commands to one or more special effects systems of the ride show system 8 to display a particular special effect for each ride seat in the ride vehicle. As a result, guests may perceive different special effects (e.g., visual, auditory, tactile) throughout the ride show system. The central controller 10 may then update one or more guest profiles associated with the guests in the ride vehicles 19 based on the special effects displayed for each guest during their experience throughout the one or more ride show systems. By storing data associated with past special effect experiences, future effects may be tailored to the guest to encourage variety or focus on effects that the guest is likely to prefer. It should be understood that the guest profile may be updated throughout a guest's experience in one or more ride show systems 8.

[0041] While only certain features of the embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art and it is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes which comply with the true spirit of the present disclosure.

[0042] The technology shown and claimed herein refers to and applies to tangible objects and specific examples of a practical nature that will materially improve the art, and thus are not abstract, intangible, or purely theoretical. Furthermore, where any claim appended at the end of this specification contains one or more elements designated as "means for [performing] ... [function]" or "step for [performing] ... [function]," such elements are to be construed pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 112(f). Conversely, for any claim containing elements designated in any other manner, such elements are not to be construed pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 112(f). [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 8 Ride Show System 10 Central Controller 12A~C Queue area 14A~C Interactive Objects 16 Locker System Lockers 16A~C 18A~C Communicator 19 Vehicles 20A First Guest 20B Second Guest 20C Third Guest

Claims

1. 1. An entertainment system comprising: a first storage area and a second storage area; a first communicator and a second communicator configured to read information from an interactive object; a controller including a processor and a memory; wherein the first communicator is configured to monitor the first storage area, the second communicator is configured to monitor the second storage area, and the controller receiving data from the first communicator and the second communicator; querying a database to determine one or more profiles associated with said data; determining a first special effect associated with the first profile and a second special effect associated with the second profile; providing a command to present the first special effect at a first location based on the first storage area, and providing a command to present the second special effect at a second location based on the second storage area; It is configured as follows: An entertainment system characterized by:

2. the first storage area includes a signal shield that blocks wireless communications not originating from the first communicator; 10. The entertainment system of claim 1.

3. the first communicator is integrated with or located within the first storage area; 10. The entertainment system of claim 1.

4. the first storage area includes a locker configured to lock; 4. The entertainment system of claim 3.

5. a ride show system, wherein the first storage area is a first locker and the second storage area is a second locker; 10. The entertainment system of claim 1.

6. the controller is configured to receive location data indicative of the first location from the first communicator; 10. The entertainment system of claim 1.

7. the first storage area includes a series of one or more lockers accessible from a first queuing area, the first queuing area configured to direct guests to the first location; 10. The entertainment system of claim 1.

8. the first storage area and the second storage area are located within or integrated with one or more ride vehicles; 10. The entertainment system of claim 1.

9. the first storage area and the second storage area each include a radio frequency isolation device; 10. The entertainment system of claim 1.

10. the first storage area comprises one or more racks, one or more shelves, one or more compartments, or any combination thereof; 10. The entertainment system of claim 1.

11. the first communicator is configured to read the information using near field communication (NFC); 10. The entertainment system of claim 1.

12. the controller is configured to update the one or more profiles based on determining a ride show system associated with the entertainment system.

10. The entertainment system of claim 1.

13. 1. A special effects method comprising: receiving, via the receiver, first data from a first communicator associated with the first storage area and second data from a second communicator associated with the second storage area; querying a database via a processor to determine a first profile associated with the first data and a second profile associated with the second data; determining, via the processor, a first special effect associated with the first profile and a second special effect associated with the second profile; providing, via a transmitter, a command to present the first special effect at a first location associated with the first storage area and a command to present the second special effect at a second location associated with the second storage area; A method comprising:

14. the first data includes interactive object data associated with one or more objects; The method of claim 13.

15. the one or more objects are stored in the first storage area and the second storage area; 15. The method of claim 14.

16. determining, via the processor, that third data has not been received from a third communicator associated with a third storage area; providing a command via the transmitter to present a default special effect at a third location associated with the third storage area; 14. The method of claim 13, comprising:

17. the first data and the second data respectively include first location data indicating the first location from the first communicator and second location data indicating the second location from the second communicator; The method of claim 13.

18. 1. A locker system comprising: a first storage area and a second storage area; a first communicator and a second communicator configured to read information from an interactive object; a controller including a processor and a memory; wherein the first communicator is configured to monitor the first storage area, the second communicator is configured to monitor the second storage area, and the controller receiving first data from the first communicator and second data from the second communicator; querying a database to determine a first profile associated with the first data and a second profile associated with the second data; determining a first special effect associated with the first profile and a second special effect associated with the second profile; initiating the presentation of the first special effect at a first location associated with the first storage area and initiating the presentation of the second special effect at a second location associated with the second storage area; It is configured as follows: A locker system characterized by:

19. the first storage area includes a series of one or more lockers accessible from a first queuing area, the first queuing area configured to direct guests to the first location; 20. The locker system of claim 18.

20. the controller includes a central controller associated with a vehicle system; 20. The locker system of claim 18.

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