An electronic chess set includes a plurality of conductive chess pieces, a chessboard having a playing surface including a plurality of individually identifiable locations visible to a user on the chessboard, and an electronic system including a capacitive sensing system. In some embodiments, the capacitive sensing system is configured to determine for each of the plurality of individually identifiable locations: when a chess piece included in the plurality of conductive chess pieces is located at a respective one of the plurality of individually identifiable locations and user-contact with the chess piece is absent; when the chess piece located at the respective one of the plurality of individually identifiable locations is in contact with the user; and when each of the plurality of conductive chess pieces is absent from the respective one of the plurality of individually identifiable locations.

A board game comprises one or more game objects such as a game board and game pieces, at least one memory device and at least one controller. Each of the game objects comprise a globally unique identifier and dynamic characteristic values associated with the unique identifier, stored in the memory device, that define the characteristics/attributes of the corresponding game object when used in the game. A user is able to play the game by utilizing the game objects according to their characteristic values. During the course of game play, the events of the game are able to dynamically change the characteristic values of each game object affected by the event. Similarly, outside of game play, external events are also able to dynamically change the characteristic values of a game object. These characteristic values are able to be kept and updated during and in between games.

A board game system comprises one or more game objects, a processing device, a memory device and one or more cameras. Each of the game objects comprise a unique visual marker positioned on a top surface of the game object, wherein the unique visual marker comprises a series of concentric rings that represent data that uniquely identifies the game object. As a result, during the course of game play, the location and identification of the game objects are able to be determined by the processing device by analyzing images captured by the one or more cameras of the visual markers of the game objects on the game board. The processing device is able to compare the data of the visual markers to a table stored in the memory device that associates the data with a specific game object.

Disclosed is an electronic game board system communicating at least one game-play-data to an external device. The system includes a contactless communication unit (CCU), an electronic game board and one or more play items. The contactless communication unit communicates with the external device, and further provides alternating electric field. The electronic game board includes plurality of the play fields to receive the alternating electric field, wherein the playfields serially interconnected with each other. The play item capacitively transmits the game play data to the contactless communication unit. The contactless communication unit generates a processed-game-play-data defining a status of the play item placed on the play field, and the contactless communication unit further transmits the processed-game-play-data to the external device.

An electronic word game uses a plurality of tiles and electronic rack to make one or more words. The tiles are received in a plurality of receivers in the rack enabling electronic communication between the tiles and rack. Each tile includes a display screen, a microprocessor, and communication means. The rack includes an on-off switch, microprocessor, speaker, power source, and a means of communicating with each tile. A capacitor in each tile provides power to keep the display screen on temporarily after the tile is removed from the rack. The microprocessor includes a means for selecting a word to be spelled based on the number of tiles selected to play the game (between 3 and 7 tiles), a means for determining whether a word has been formed, and a means to signal the player that a word has been formed.

The object of the invention is to provide a system that will allow multiple participants in remote locations to participate in a board game. The disclosure presented herein relates to a remote gameplay platform. Multiple instances of the platform may be combined to form a platform network, or a platform may be combined with virtual instances of the platform that would allow remote users to physically manipulate the board from remote locations.

Apparatuses and methods for intelligent game systems for putting intelligence into board and tabletop games including miniatures are disclosed. An intelligent game system comprises one or more sensors, a controller, and a projector, the sensors each having an identifer. The sensors obtain object information from intelligent game piece objects and transfer the object information to a controller where it is associated with a sensor identifier and the sensor identifier is associated with a corresponding portion of an image. The controller interacts with the intelligent game piece objects, for managing game play, and for preparing and transferring a changing image to a projector. Intelligent game piece object features are disclosed, as well as methods of initializing a system for use with the intelligent game piece objects.

The present invention provides a board game system in which an electrostatic-capacitance-based touchscreen that is capable of detecting a plurality of touched positions by detecting changes in electrostatic capacitance is used as a board. The board game system includes an electronic device equipped with the touchscreen; and game pieces that are used while being placed on the touchscreen and that are constituted at least partially of a conductive section. The conductive section is laid out so as to be intervened by a non-conductive section or gaps on the contact face. In the case where the game piece is placed on the touchscreen, the conductive section causes the predetermined or greater amount of change in the electrostatic capacitance at the contact positions of the conductive section on the contact face in the case where the conductive section is touched by the user. The electronic device recognizes the game piece.

The present invention proposes a dot pattern on which code information and x and y coordinate information can be defined even if the dot pattern is extremely small, and proposes an information reproducing method and an information reproducing device based on the dot pattern. More specifically, a medium such as a printed material on which is formed a dot pattern portion by arranging in accordance with a given rule dots generated by a dot code generating algorithm in order to recognize various kinds of multimedia information is scanned as image data by scanning means. Then, the image data is converted into code data. Multimedia information corresponding to the code data is read out of storing means to be reproduced.