Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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IMMERSIVE LIVE-ACTION GAMING FACILITY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to amusement attractions, and
more particularly to gaming facilities comprising live-action game rooms in
which
participants partake in an immersive live-action gaming experience.
BACKGROUND
In recent years, escape rooms have become a popular form of immersive,
live-action amusement attraction, providing an alternative to more
conventional indoor
amusement attractions such as laser tag, and to large scale amusement parks
that are
cost prohibitive, particularly in smaller markets and/or those where outdoor
parks are
subject to seasonal constraints in climates of notable temperature variation.
At escape room facilities, visitors are admitted to a locked room and
tasked with solving a series of puzzles within an allotted period of time,
which if
successfully solved, reveal a means of escape from the room. In some
instances,
instead of a singular room, the escape game spans a series of multiple rooms,
where
successful escape from one room enables access to a subsequent room with a new
set of puzzles.
The significant popularity of such escape rooms has confirmed a hunger
by the general public for alternative amusement experiences, in response to
which
there exists a need for new and unique immersive live-action gaming solutions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an immersive
gaming facility comprising:
a plurality of game rooms that are each independently accessible from a
common area of said facility and that each comprise:
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a respective interactive gaming space situated inside said game
room and separated from said common area;
a respective entrance through which a waiting group of one or
more participants are admissible to the respective interactive gaming space
from said
common area;
a respective set of interactive game elements installed in the
respective interactive gaming space for interaction therewith by said
participants once
admitted thereto; and
a respective room control system comprising a respective
admission control device that guides or facilitates admission to the
interactive gaming
space through the respective entrance, said respective game control system
being
configured to:
independently of an occupied or unoccupied status of any
other one of the plurality of game rooms, control or guide admission of the
waiting group
into the interactive gaming space through said respective entrance, including
switching
of said admission control device from an admission-denial state to an
admission-
allowance state to permit or guide entrance of said waiting group into the
interactive
gaming space through the respective entrance; and
after said admission of said waiting group, switch said
admission control device back into the admission-denial state and perform
execution of
a game session involving controlled operation of the interactive game elements
and
monitoring of participant interaction therewith.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a gaming
facility comprising:
a plurality of interactive gaming spaces, each having associated
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therewith:
a respective set of interactive game elements installed in said
interactive gaming space for interaction therewith by a group of one or more
participants
occupying the interactive gaming space; and
a respective game control system configured to perform execution
of a game session involving controlled operation of the interactive game
elements and
monitoring of participant interaction therewith;
wherein the gaming facility is further characterized by at least one of the
following features:
(a) configuration of the respective game control system of each interactive
gaming space to, after termination of the game session, present to the group a
selectable replay option, subject to confirmation that another group of one or
more
participants is not awaiting authorized admittance to the interactive gaming
space;
(b) for each game control system, inclusion of a respective sign-in station
.. installed outside, but proximate, the respective interactive gaming space,
and
configuration of said sign-in station to, prior to execution of the game
session, compile
a game sign-in list composed of one or more members of the group by collecting
identifying information from said one or more members via a scanner or reader
of the
sign-in station, and based on collection of said identifying information via
said scanner
or reader, adding identities of said on or more members to the game sign-in
list;
(e) use of the identifying information from the scanner or reader of the
sign-in station to check a participant's time block status, and based thereon
either
authorize a participant's participation in the game session upon confirmation
of an
unexpired time block status, or deny a participant's participation in the game
session
upon confirmation of an expired time block status;
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(d) use of the identifying information from the scanner or reader of the
sign-in station to check if a participant's attempted sign-in is a
participant's first sign-in,
and upon determining that the attempted sign-in is the participant's first
sign-in,
recording a current time as a start time of a paid block of facility time,
against which
said expired and unexpired time block statuses are gauged;
(e) communicable connection of the respective game control system of
each interactive gaming space with a management server that hosts, or is
communicable with,, a participant database in which participant profiles with
respective
scoring records are stored, and wherein:
the respective game control system of each interactive gaming
space is connected to the interactive game elements therein to control the
interactive
game elements in accordance with programmed gaming logic, and monitor
participant
interaction with said interactive game elements to derive game results
therefrom;
the management server is communicable with the respective game
control system of each game room to update the scoring records in the
participant
profiles based on said game results; and
the facility comprises at least one score-checking station that
resides separately of the sign-in stations, comprises an additional scanner or
reader,
and is configured to retrieve the identifying information of any participant
via said
additional scanner or reader, and communicate with the management server to
query
the scoring records of said participant profile and display score data
therefrom to said
participant; and
(f) at least one scanner-equipped or reader-equipped participant
registration station residing separately of the sign-in stations, and
configured to scan or
read the identifying information from each participant during an initial
registration
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procedure prior to sign-in at any of the sign-in stations, and comprising a
user-interface
operable to receive sign-up or sign-in information from the participant and to
create or
retrieve a new or existing participant profile in the participant database, to
which the
participant registration station assigns the unique identifier.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of an immersive, live-action gaming
facility of the present invention, featuring a plurality of independently
accessible game
rooms each hosting a distinct gaming environment and each having a respective
room
control system for managing player admission, gameplay and departure at said
room.
Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram representative of each game room
of the facility and the associated control system.
Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the process by which the room control
system and a cooperating facility management system manage said player
admission,
gameplay and player departure at each game room.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Figure 1 shows a live-action, immersive, indoor gaming facility 10
according to preferred embodiments of the present invention. Visitor-
accessible areas
of the indoor environment of the facility include a reception area 12 that
resides off a
main entrance 14 of the facility, a common area 18 joined to the reception
area 12 by
an accessway 16, and a plurality of game rooms 20 that are all directly and
independently accessible from the common area 18. Accordingly, entrance and
exit to
and from each and every game room 20 is gained via the common area 18, not via
another of the game rooms 20. The reception area 12 features a front reception
desk
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22 where visiting participants are first welcomed by facility personnel, who
collect
payment from the visiting participants, and some embodiments, dispense
facility-
provided mobile devices to the visiting participants for use in wireless
identification and
authentication of the participants as they navigate the facility.
This mobile device carried by the visiting participant may comprise an
RFID (radio-frequency identification) or NFC (near field communication)
device, for
example a passive RFID or NFC device storing a unique identifier thereon for
reading
by co-operable RFID or NFC readers distributed at various locations in the
facility where
identification and authentication of the participants is required. In some
embodiments,
the mobile device is a wearable device, such as a wristband or tag, worn on
the person
of the participant, but could alternatively be a card or other small item
carried in a pocket
of the participant. Though use of low-cost passive RFID or NFC devices lacking
an
onboard battery is beneficial, active devices (whether RFID-based, NFC-based,
or
otherwise) similarly capable of wirelessly transmitting a unique identifier to
a co-
operable reader may alternatively be used.
As an alternative, instead of facility-provided mobile devices, personal
mobile devices (e.g. smartphones) of the visiting participants may be used for
identification and authentication purposes, for example with participants
downloading
an app on their device that uses near-field communication (NFC) or other short-
range
wireless communication capabilities of the device to communicate identifying
information to compatible NFC readers distributed throughout the facility. As
an
alternative to NFC, another means of using a smartphone or other personal
mobile
device for identification and authentication purposes may employ display of a
scannable
code (e.g. QR-code) on the screen of the mobile device for reading by optical
scanners
distributed throughout the facility. Similarly, such scannable codes could be
used on a
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facility-provided wearable, card or other passive carried device as an
alternative to
RFID/NFC or other transmission device on the participant-carried mobile
device.
As another alternative, instead of using RFID or NFC readers, or optical
scanners, distributed throughout the facilities for use as
identification/authentication
devices, biometric scanners using fingerprint detection or facial recognition
could
alternatively be used to identify and authenticate users at various locations
within the
facility. So although the drawings feature readers 24 labeled "RIF" to refer
to the
example of an RFID reader, the readers may be of any of the foregoing, or
other known
types suitable for the functional purposes described herein. Accordingly, the
expression "ID reader" is used herein to refer generally to such readers.
The facility employs a computerized facility management system
featuring a facility management server 26 that hosts, or is communicable with,
a local
participant database for storing participant profiles and associated scoring
records of
the participants. In the illustrated embodiment, there is also a central
participant
.. database that is hosted remotely of the facility, for example in a cloud
server
environment 28, and is communicable with the facility management server 26 via
the
internet or another wide area network so that participant profiles from the
local
participant database can be used to populate the central participant database.
The
facility management servers of additional facilities 10' can thus access and
populate
the central participant database, whereby a participant can attend multiple
facilities and
the scoring results from games played at multiple facilities can be compiled
together.
The computerized facility management system further comprises a
respective room control system 30 for each game room 20, all of which are
communicably connected to the main facility management server 26 through
appropriate network switches. Each room control system 30 features a
collection of
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control hardware 32, preferably stored in a utility closet 34 situated outside
the
interactive gaming space 36 of the game room 20, as shown in Figure 2. In the
illustrated embodiment, the control hardware 32 includes a local computer 38,
battery
backup 40, audio control components 42 including at least an audio amplifier,
microcontrollers 44, component PCBs 46, and power supplies 48 through which
the
other control hardware components are powered via main power breakers 50
further
upstream in the facility's electrical system. Based on input commands from the
local
computer during execution of game-control software thereon, the micro-
controllers 44
drive the component PCBs of various game elements 52a-52f installed inside the
interactive gaming space 36 of the room for interaction therewith by
participants during
gameplay. The audio control components 42 are connected to one or more
loudspeakers 54 likewise installed in the interactive gaming space 36 of the
room for
playback of game-related audio to the participants during such gameplay.
Each game room 20 features an entranceway 56 with an electronically
controlled access door or gate to enable automated locking, unlocking,
closing, and
optional opening, thereof. Preferably, each game room 20 also has a separate
exit 58
by which participants can depart the interactive gaming space at the end of a
gaming
session. To ensure that entrance and exit are gained only via the entranceway
and exit
respectively, the doors or gates of the entranceway and exit may lack an
interior handle
and exterior handle, respectively, whereby the entranceway door or gate can
only be
opened from outside the room, and the exit door can only be opened from inside
the
room. For purposes described below in greater detail, the entranceway 56 and
exit 58
preferably both include a sensor operable to detect passage of a participant
therethrough.
The room control system 30 for each game room 20 further includes a
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sign-in station 60 residing near the entranceway 56 in a respective waiting
area 62
situated outside the interactive gaming space 36 of the game room. The waiting
areas
62 of the different game rooms may be partially sectioned off from the larger
common
area through which they are accessed so that a group of participants awaiting
admission to a given game room in the waiting area thereof is non-obstructive
to other
participants walking through the common area toward other game rooms. The sign-
in
station 60 preferably includes a sign-in display 64 (e.g. touchscreen monitor)
and one
of the ID readers 24 used to identify and authenticate registered participants
who wish
to sign-up for participation in the interactive game space 36 of the given
game room 20.
The respective room control system 30 for each game room 20 also
includes a replay button 66 mounted within the interactive gaming space 36 of
the room
20, for example near the exit 58 thereof, to present occupants of the
interactive gaming
space with a selectable replay option for restarting gameplay in the same room
after
termination of a prior gaming session by the same occupants. As described in
more
detail below, presentation of the replay option to the room occupants may be
made
subject to confirmation that another group of participants is not awaiting
admission to
the interactive gaming space 36 in the waiting area 62 outside.
The interactive gaming space 36 of each game room 20 further includes
at least one performance display operable to display performance feedback to
the
group of participants during gameplay within said interactive gaming space,
for example
showing a score tally of incrementing points values during successful
completion of
gameplay tasks, and/or a status meter whose level is incremented or
decremented in
response to detected gameplay failures, similar to a life-meter or health-bar
of a video
game. In the illustrated embodiment, the score tally is shown on a score
display 68, for
example a wall-mounted flat-screen monitor, and the status meter is shown in a
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separate status display 70, for example in the form of a plurality of discrete
illuminable
indicators each representing a respective life or hit point that changes from
one status
to another (lit or unlit) in response to a detected gameplay failure. For
example, a series
of heart-shaped indicators may initially occupy a fully lit state representing
a full-life or
full-health status of maximum lives or hit-points, and then be turned off one-
by-one in
response to each gameplay failure detected in the game session, until none of
the
indicators are lit. Alternatively, rather than the discrete indicators being
heart-shaped
to denote health or livelihood when illuminated, they may be X-shaped or skull-
shaped
to denote health damage or loss of life, thus all starting in an unlit state
and then being
illuminated one-by-one in response to gameplay failures until all indicators
are
illuminated. Either way, once all the indicators have changed state, this
denotes an
early loss and early termination of the game, i.e. "game over" status.
Turning back to Figure 1, the front reception desk 22 includes payment
facilitation equipment to accept payment from visiting participants for a
block of facility
time. The payment facilitation equipment may be in the form of one or more
tablet
desktop, or laptop computers 72 running Point of Sale (POS) software and
communicable with the facility management server 26 on a local wireless or
wired
network via a wireless access point, and with remote or cloud server 28 via
the internet
or other wide area network. Where RFID/NFC wristbands or other facility-
provided
mobile devices are employed, they may be distributed to the visiting
participants at the
front reception desk after payment completion. In such instances, the front
reception
desk features at least one of the ID readers 24, at which facility personnel
scans each
mobile device before handing it off to the paid participant. This is an
activation scan
that reads a unique identifier from the mobile device, and populates this
unique identifier
into an active-device database in the facility management system. Whenever a
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participant leaves the facility, the facility-provided mobile device is
returned to the facility
personnel, and then deleted from the active-device database by either a
subsequent
deactivation scan, or by lapse of predetermined time period. Automatic
deactivation
based on time lapse helps with loss prevention, ensuring that a stolen mobile
device
.. removed from the facility will not be active if brought back for attempted
re-use at a later
time.
A participant registration station 72 also located in the reception area 12
features a plurality of user interfaces, for example in the form of a
plurality of
touchscreen tablet computers or computer monitors mounted to a wall or other
structure
and connected to the facility management server 26 by the local network. Each
computer of the registration station is connected to a respective ID reader
24. A
participant having paid for and obtained a facility- provided mobile device
approaches
the registration station 72 and scans the mobile device at one of the ID
readers 24, in
response to which the user interface first checks the unique identifier of the
mobile
device against the active-device database. If a positive match is found, this
confirms
the activated (i.e. paid for) status of the mobile device, at which point the
user interface
prompts the participant to select either a "new player" sign-up option, or
"returning
player" sign-in option, or asks for a unique user ID (e.g. email address or
phone number)
and queries the local participant database for such user ID to automatically
determine
whether the participant is a new player or returning player. For new player
sign-up, the
participant is asked to enter user profile details (e.g. real name, user name,
email
address, phone number, street address, etc.), which are used to generate a new
participant profile in the local participant database. The sign-up process
preferably
includes digital execution of a liability waiver. The newly generated
participant profile
created for the new player, or the existing participant profile already stored
for the
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returning player, is assigned the unique identifier of the currently carried
or worn facility-
provided mobile device, whereby reading of that mobile device at any other ID
reader
24 in the facility can be used to identify that participant from their stored
user profile. If
no positive match is found in the active-device database, then the participant
is denied
opportunity to sign-up or sign-in to protect the facility against use by
unpaid customers.
While the illustrated embodiment involves sign-up or sign-in at a separate
registration
station from the front reception desk where payment is made, these steps may
optionally be performed at the same location. Each participant profile in the
local
participant database of the facility is assigned a geotag or other unique
facility identifier
before being copied into the central database. Accordingly, a visitor of
multiple facilities
completes a new registration at each facility, and the central participant
database stores
multiple facility-specific profiles for that visitor, each of which is tagged
with the geotag
or other unique facility identifier.
If personal mobile devices are used instead of facility-provided mobile
device, activation at the front reception desk may instead involve loading of
a unique
visit-activation code onto the personal mobile device of the participant, and
entry of this
same code into the active-device database of the facility management system.
Accordingly, optical scanning, wireless communication (e.g. by NIFC) or manual
entry
of the visit-activation code at the registration station can then be used to
authenticate
the participant as a paid visitor, and enable the same sign-up or sign-in
process
described above. The same visit-activation code loaded onto the personal
mobile
device of the participant may be used as the unique identifier by which the
participant
is identified and authenticated at the other readers of the facility during
their visit,
whether again by optical scanning of an on-screen representation (e.g. barcode
or QR
code), or by wireless radio frequency communication (e.g. NFC).
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If biometrics are used instead of mobile devices, then fingerprint
scanning, facial image recognition or other biometric scan may be performed
for arriving
participants at the front reception desk. Like the unique identifier of
facility-provided
mobile devices or the visit-activation code of the personal mobile devices
contemplated
above, the scanned biometric data, once payment for a block of facility time
has been
confirmed, is uploaded to an active-visitor database, whereby the new player
can be
authenticated as a paid customer at the registration station by scanning of
their
biometric feature (e.g. fingerprint or face) by a biometric reader of the
registration
station, and then can complete the sign-up process in the same manner
described
above to create a local participant profile. The Ibiometric data resulting
from each scan
of the user's biometric feature thus serves as the unique identifier by which
the
participant is identified and authenticated at the various readers throughout
the facility.
Like the active device databases referenced above for mobile device
embodiments, the
active-user database may be wiped clean of the participant's unique identifier
either
upon confirmed departure from the facility, or lapse of a predetermined amount
of time.
Inside the common area, there is at least one score-checking station 74
that features a number of user interfaces, for example in the form of a
plurality of
touchscreen tablet computers or monitors mounted to a wall or other structure
and
connected to the facility management server 26 and the remote/cloud server 28
via the
local and wide area networks. Each computer is connected to a respective ID
reader
24. Here, a participant can scan their mobile device or biometric feature, in
response
to which the scoring-check station computer forwards the unique identifier to
the local
participant database to identify the local participant profile, retrieve score
information
therefrom for display at the scoring-check station, and optionally retrieve
stored
.. identification information (e.g. email address) form the local participant
database, which
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the facility management system can then use to query the central database for
scoring
records from other facility-specific profiles stored in the central database
for that
participant. The scoring information may include any one or more of the
following: per-
visit room scores for each game room in which the participant has participated
during
the current visit, a per-visit facility-wide score accumulated from among all
the game
rooms in which the participant has participated during the current visit,
historical room
scores from prior visits to the same facility, historical facility-wide scores
from prior visits
to the same facility, a lifetime accumulated room score for each game room the
participant has ever participated in over any number of visits to the same
facility, and a
lifetime accumulated facility-wide score accumulated at the same facility over
any
number of visits. For a participant who has visited multiple facilities, room
and facility
scores from the different facility-specific profiles stored in the central
participant
database may optionally be accessible from the score-checking station, and
network-
wide lifetime accumulated scores may be calculated and stored by summing the
facility-
wide scores from all the facility-specific profiles stored in the central
database. Like the
facility-specific scores, these network-wide scores may be optionally
accessible from
the score-checking station. The cloud server 28 may be remotely accessible to
registered participants via an online portal through which those participants
can log-in
with their participant profile details and view all or some of the forgoing
score records.
Referring to Figure 2, game elements may include any combination of
LEDs or other illuminable components, for example including one or both
conventional
RBG LEDs 52c and digitally addressable LEDs 52d (e.g. Adafruit NeoPixelTM
LEDs);
contact sensors 52b, for example including mechanical switches and/or
capacitive
touch or other touch sensors; movement sensors 52a, for example including
LIDAR or
other laser sensors, pnotoresistors, and/or infrared break beam sensors;
motorized
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components 52e, for example employing any combination of stepper motors, servo
motors, and/or linear actuator motors; and/or magnetically controlled
components 52f.
In some preferred embodiments, the interactive gaming space 36 of each game
room
20 is darkened environment, in which the only illumination is provided by one
or more
of the score display 68, status/life display 70, and game elements 52a-52f,
without any
other illumination source.
The local computer 38 of the game room 20 executes programmed
gaming logic, during which control of the various game elements is performed
through
the micro-controllers and component PCBs connected thereto according to the
gaming
.. logic, and monitoring the participant interaction with game elements to
detect and
differentiate between successful completion and failed attempts of tasks
assigned to
the participants. The executed game logic may include playback of audible
instructions
or hints within the interactive gaming space 36 via the loudspeaker(s) 54 to
aid in
participant-understanding of the tasks that need to be performed to succeed in
the
.. game. The gaming logic attributes respective score values to successful
completion of
the different tasks, and updates the score display in the interactive gaming
space 36
with incrementing score values in response to successful task completion. In
response
to each detected failure of a task, the status/life display is incremented or
decremented
accordingly. A game session is terminated by one of the following scenarios:
the
participants' successful completion of all the tasks within an allotted period
of time,
elapse of the allotted period of time with one or more of the tasks remaining
incomplete,
or loss of all lives/hit-points on the status meter. In the first of these
scenarios, the
game has been won by the participants. In the latter two scenarios, the
participants
have lost the game. In the instance where the game is won, the accumulated
points
from that game session are attributed to the score records of the participant
profile of
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each participant that occupied the game room 20 during that game session. In
one
preferred embodiment, if the game is lost, the accumulated points are
discarded, and
not added to the score records.
In other embodiments, alternative scoring
methodologies may be employed.
Figure 3 illustrates the process by which a group of participants interact
with any selected game room 20 they wish to participant in. At a first step
100 in the
process, the group of participants arrive at the waiting area of the selected
game room
20, and interact with the sign-in station 60 to request automated admission
into the
game room 20 by scanning their mobile device or biometric feature at the ID
reader 24
of the sign-in station 60, thereby conveying their unique identifier to the
local computer
38 of the room control system, which passes said unique identifier on to the
facility
management server 26, which, at step 102, then checks whether this is first
room sign-
in requested during the participant's current visit to the facility. If so,
then at step 104,
the current time is recorded as a start time of the block of facility time for
which the
participant has paid. An expiration time of the paid block is automatically
calculated,
and likewise stored. If it is not the participant's first room sign-in
request, then at step
106, the facility management server 26 instead checks whether the paid time
block has
expired. Having either just started the participant's time block, or having
determined
that the participant's previously started time block hasn't expired, the
facility
management server 26 reports back to the room's local computer 38 with an
authentication signal granting the participant permission to access the game
room.
On receipt of such authentication, the game room's local computer 38
compiles an identity of the participant into a room sign-in list, which is
displayed on the
display screen 64 of the sign-in station 60, thus giving visual confirmation
to the
participant that they have been queued for access to the game room. These
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authentication steps 100, 102, 104 are repeated for each participant in the
group.
Should authentication fail for any participant at step 106, the display screen
64 of the
sign-in station 60 displays an indication that the participant's paid time
block has
expired, and instructs their return to the reception area to either purchase
an additional
time block, or exit the facility, as shown at step 108. Once all members of
the group,
up to a maximum permitted number of room entrants, have been successfully
authenticated and added to the sign-in list, the group requests entry to the
room, for
example by selection of a touch-screen start button on the sign-in station
display 64.
Receipt of this entry request is monitored for at step 111.
In response to the entry request, the room's local computer 38 checks, at
step 110, whether the game room is already in use by another group of
participants. If
the room is occupied, the waiting group of participants are instructed to
wait, for
example by way of a "wait" command visually displayed and/or audibly emitted
by the
sign-in station display 64, or by a dedicated enter/wait indicator, or by a
combination
thereof. Once an unoccupied state of the room 20 is detectedõ automatic
unlocking
(and optional opening) of the entranceway 56 is performed, as shown at step
112, and
is accompanied by display and/or audible emission of an "enter" command by the
sign-
in station display 64 and/or the optional dedicated enter/wait indicator. In
response to
this enter command, the waiting group of participants enter the interactive
gaming
space 36 through entranceway 56.
In one embodiment, the entranceway 56 features a manually opened door
or gate, a sensor operable to detect opening thereof, and an actuator operable
to close
the door or gate, whereby, at step 114, the room control system monitors for
opening
of the door or gate, which the game control system uses as confirmation that
the
participants are entering the interactive game space, and therefore starts
execution of
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a timed game session. The detected open state of the gate or door of the
entranceway
starts a door/gate closure countdown timer, upon expiry of which the room
control
system actuates the door/gate closure actuator of the entranceway 56 to close
the
entranceway door or gate, and electronically locks the entranceway door or
gate in its
closed position. As shown at step 116, if triggering of the entranceway sensor
is not
detected within a predetermined time limit from display of the enter command,
then a
reset procedure is performed to clear the room sign-up list, and restart the
room sign-
in procedure.
In the forgoing example, the sensor merely uses detected opening of the
entranceway door or gate as feedback on the admission of participants who
signed-in
to the game room, without actually confirming the individual admission of each
participant. In another implementation, the sensing arrangement at the
entranceway
may additionally or alternatively employ a sensor operable to detect passage
of each
participant therethrough, whereby, at step 114, the room control system
monitors for a
triggered state of the door sensor, counts the number of participants who walk
through
the unlocked entranceway in response to the enter command, and upon confirming
that
the number of admitted participants equals the number of participants in the
sign-in list,
starts execution of the timed game session, actuates the door/gate closure
actuator,
and electronically locks the entranceway door or gate in that closed position.
Once
again, if triggering of the entranceway sensor is not detected at step 116
within a
predetermined time limit from display of the enter command, then a reset
procedure is
performed to clear the room sign-up list, and restart the room sign-in
procedure.
At step 118, with admission of the group confirmed, the timed game
session starts,. If the group of participants successfully complete all tasks
in the game
session before timed expiration thereof, then at step 120, the participants
are
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-12-31
19
considered to have won the game, and the scored points accumulated during that
game
session are added to the scoring records of those participants' profiles in
the local
participant database, as shown at step 122. If the admitted group of
participants don't
win the game, whether due to timed expiration of the game session or loss of
all
lives/hit-points in the life status meter, then the room control system checks
at step 124
whether another group of participants are awaiting admission to the same game
room,
i.e. whether a new sign-in list and start command have been compiled and
selected at
the sign-in station. If another group is not waiting, the room control system
has the
facility management server 26 check whether the paid time block of any current
room
occupant has expired, as shown at step 126. If another group is not waiting,
and the
room occupants have time remaining in their paid blocks, then the replay
button 66 is
illuminated, and an audible announcement informing the room occupants of the
ability
to replay the game is announced via the loudspeaker 54, thereby presenting the
room
occupants with a selectable replay option, as shown at step 128. Depression of
the
replay button by a room occupant confirms selection of the replay option at
step 130, in
response to which the closed and locked state of the entranceway 56 is
maintained,
and game replay is restarted at step 118.
If replay is not selected, or if another group was waiting and no replay
option was presented, then an exit procedure is initiated at step 132. The
occupants of
the room depart through the exit 58, which like the entranceway, is equipped
with a
sensor operable to detect opening of a gate or door of the exit, and/or
passage of each
participant through the exit. The room control system may optionally use this
sensing
arrangement at the exit to count the number of participants exiting
therethrough at step
134, thus more accurately confirming a fully evacuated status of the game room
once
the exit count equals the prior entrance count. Alternatively, evacuation
status may be
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-12-31
20
confirmed simply by detected opening of the exit door/gate. Either way, this
confirmation serves as notice of the "available" or "unoccupied" state of the
room,
against which the requested access of a subsequent group awaiting admission to
the
room is checked at step 110.
As an alternative to checking whether each room sign-in attempt is a
participant's first such request in their paid time block, and using this to
signal the start
of that paid time block, the accessway 16 between the reception area and
common may
be a restricted access point that features a reader that checks the unique
identifier of
the participant, confirms the active status thereof in the active-device or
active-user
database before allowing otherwise prohibited entry, and records the start
time and
automatically calculated expiration time in response to confirmation of the
active
device/user status. Either way, a participant's time spent in the reception
area
completing the registration process doesn't count against the participant's
paid block of
facility time, as the tracked facility time only starts counting down upon the
participant's
entry to the common area 18, or the participant's first entry to a game room
20.
The disclosed use of both a local participant profile database at each
facility and a central participant profile database populated by the different
facilities has
benefits in terms of backup redundancy and ability to garner network-wide
scoring
records. Such redundancy allows a facility to operate in an isolated local
fashion in the
event of an outage or communication failure that prevents the local facility
management
system from communicating with the central database. The inclusion of a geotag
or
other facility identifier also helps prevent inadvertent overwriting of
records from
different facilities in the central database, for example in the instance of a
sustained
network outage during which a participant visits and registers at two
different facilities,
thus creating two facility-specific profiles with the same usemame, email
address and
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-12-31
21
other identifying information, which might otherwise be problematic when
network
communication with the central database is re-established. However, it will be
appreciated that other embodiments may omit such beneficial redundancy, and
may
employ only a facility-specific profile database for each facility (whether
locally or
remotely situated) without a shared central profile database, or may employ
only a
shared central profile database without a set of facility-specific profile
databases.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above
described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made, it
is
intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be
interpreted
.. as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-12-31
