Remote Game System Using Digital Image Copying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional games like 'I Spy' require players to be in the same location to share a scene, limiting their ability to play when they are remote from each other.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows users to play games remotely by sending images and hints between mobile devices via a centralized game server, enabling multiple users in different locations to participate in games like 'I Spy' using mobile devices connected to a network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If players use traditional games like 'I Spy' requiring physical proximity to share a scene, then the game can be played with shared visual observation, but the players must be in the same location which limits remote participation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the copying principle by transmitting digital images from one mobile device to another via a server. Instead of requiring players to physically share the same visual scene, the system creates and transmits digital copies of the image, allowing the guessing player to view an identical copy remotely. This resolves the contradiction by enabling remote play while maintaining the essence of shared visual observation through digital reproduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a server as an intermediary to facilitate image transmission between players. The server receives images from one player's device and forwards them to the guessing player's device, enabling remote communication without requiring direct peer-to-peer connection. This intermediary approach allows players to be in different locations while still sharing the visual scene through the server-mediated transmission channel.
2Adaptability or versatility
If players are in the same location to play traditional games, then shared visual observation is easy, but the device complexity and network infrastructure requirements increase when enabling remote play
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal game platform that can accommodate multiple game types and play modes (one-on-one, team-based, round-robin) through a single system architecture. The mobile application and server infrastructure are designed to be multi-functional, handling image transmission, game logic, scoring, and various game modes within one unified system. This reduces overall complexity by avoiding the need for separate specialized systems for each game variant.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs self-service mechanisms where the mobile application automatically handles image capture, processing, and transmission without requiring manual intervention. The server automatically receives images, manages game state, and distributes content to players. This automation reduces the operational complexity and infrastructure burden by having the system serve itself rather than requiring complex manual management.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method of playing a game includes receiving, at a user computing device, an image and a hint from a location remote to the user across a network, displaying the image and the hint on a user interface of the user computing device, receiving, from a user input device on the user computing device, a guess from a user, transmitting the guess from the user computing device across the network to a server, receiving, from the server, an indication of a correctness of the guess at the user computing device, and repeating the receiving, transmitting and receiving from the server until a predetermined limit expires or a guess having a correctness of a particular type is received. A computer-implemented method of playing a game includes taking a photograph at a first user computing device, receiving a hint associated with a scene in the photograph, transmitting the photograph and the hint to a second user through a game server, receiving, at the first user device, an indication of correctness of an answer received from the second user at the server, repeating the receiving, transmitting and receiving from the server until one of either a predetermined limit expires or the indication of correctness indicates a correct answer, and updating a user profile of the first user to reflect an outcome of the game.