PORTAL UNIT FOR TOYS, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING A PORTAL UNIT

Abstract

A portal unit for toys, the portal unit having a housing, a display apparatus that is arranged at a portion of the housing, a receptacle for at least one toy, and a toy recognition device. In embodiments, the display apparatus has a liquid crystal display and a background illumination device; wherein the liquid crystal display is transparent; wherein the display apparatus forms an interior space, of which at least one inner wall is visible from the outside; and wherein the background illumination device is arranged at a distance from the liquid crystal display on a rear wall of the interior space.

Claims

1. A portal unit for toys, comprising: a housing; a display apparatus arranged at a portion of the housing, the display apparatus having a liquid crystal display and a background illumination device; a receptacle for at least one toy; and a toy recognition device; wherein the liquid crystal display is transparent; wherein the display apparatus forms an interior space, of which at least one inner wall is visible from the outside; and wherein the background illumination device is arranged at a distance from the liquid crystal display on a rear wall of the interior space.

2. The portal unit according to claim 1, wherein the display apparatus has at least one switchable polarization filter.

3. The portal unit according to claim 1, wherein the portal unit has a computational unit for controlling the display apparatus and/or the toy recognition device.

4. The portal unit according to claim 1, wherein the toy recognition device comprises at least one of an NFC scanner, a camera, an optical scanner and/or a near-field communication apparatus.

5. The portal unit according to claim 1, wherein a distance between surfaces that are aligned with respect to one another between the background illumination device and the liquid crystal display is between 1/10 and ¾ or ¼ and ½ or ⅓ of the height of the liquid crystal display.

6. The portal unit according to claim 1, wherein the portal unit has an interface with a computer, via which data are bidirectionally transmittable between the computer and the portal unit.

7. The portal unit according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle has a door or a flap for the toy, wherein the toy recognition device is positioned such that a toy placed in the receptacle is recognizable and/or wherein the receptacle has a lift for the toy, wherein the lift is guided past the toy recognition device such that the toy recognition device can recognize the toy placed on the lift.

8. The portal unit according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle is arranged on a different side than the display apparatus.

9. The portal unit according to claim 1, wherein the display apparatus has a touch-sensitive surface.

10. A system comprising at least one portal unit according to claim 1 and at least one toy.

11. A method for using a portal unit according to claim 1, wherein a toy is recognized using the toy recognition device, at least one data set assigned to the recognized toy is loaded from the computational unit, and a reproduction of a virtual toy corresponding to the recognized toy is displayed using the display apparatus.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein a virtual light source is emulated, and a shadow of the virtual toy is displayed on the display apparatus based on a relative position of the virtual light source with respect to the toy.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein a data set identifying the recognized toy is sent to the computer; at least one game scenario is selected, created, or processed on the computer; and the game scenario is displayed on the display apparatus.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein at least one further toy is recognized and displayed using the toy recognition device.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the virtual toy is displayed such that the virtual toy is positioned on the at least one visible inner wall.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] Further features, details and advantages of the invention are apparent from the wording of the claims and from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0063] FIG. 1 generally illustrates a schematic side view of a portal unit;

[0064] FIG. 2 generally illustrates a schematic frontal view of the portal unit such as shown in FIG. 1;

[0065] FIG. 3 generally illustrates a computer that is connectable to the portal unit such as shown in FIG. 1; and

[0066] FIG. 4 generally illustrates different phases of a sequence for porting a playing figure into a portal unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] FIG. 1 generally illustrates an embodiment of a portal unit 2.

[0068] The portal unit 2 has a housing 4, which is substantially cuboid. A display apparatus 6 is arranged on a front side 4.1.

[0069] The display apparatus 6 has a transparent liquid crystal display 8 having a touch-sensitive surface 10. The touch-sensitive surface 10 can have a capacitive design, for example.

[0070] A polarization filter 12 is arranged behind the liquid crystal display 8. The polarization filter is switchable and can thus change the transmittance of the background illumination device, with the result that the display apparatus 6 can appear brighter or darker.

[0071] A background illumination device 14 is located recessed at a distance d, which in the present case is ⅓ of the height h of the liquid crystal display 8. The background illumination device 14 illuminates the liquid crystal display 8 from the rear. Light emitted by the background illumination device 14 can pass through the liquid crystal display 8 to the outside. In the present case, the background illumination device 14 uses, as the light-emitting means, a matrix of LEDs.

[0072] The display apparatus 6 furthermore has an interior space 16 with a rear wall 18, wherein the background illumination device 12 is arranged on the rear wall 16.

[0073] The interior space 14 additionally has a bottom 18 that is visible from the outside. The bottom 18 can be incorporated in the presentation and the game play, as is described below.

[0074] The portal unit 2 furthermore has a computational unit 22 with a processor 24 and a nonvolatile memory 26. Among other things, an operating system, control programs for the display apparatus 6, a toy recognition device (not illustrated in FIG. 1) and codecs for reading and interpreting image and video data for reproducing such graphical information on the display apparatus 6 are stored in the non-volatile memory 26. Furthermore, a database with compatible toys and accessories and their graphical representation, degrees of freedom, manipulation options and the like are stored.

[0075] Furthermore, an interface 28 with a computer (not illustrated in FIG. 1) is provided. The interface 28 in the present case has a wireless design, but can in alternative configurations have a wired design. Various interfaces are also possible, for example USB and WLAN in one configuration.

[0076] FIG. 2 shows the portal unit 2 viewed from the front side 4.1.

[0077] A playing FIG. 30, which is positioned such that it appears to be standing on the bottom 20, is illustrated on the display apparatus 6. The display apparatus 6 furthermore generates a shadow 32, which enhances a depth effect.

[0078] The fact that the display apparatus presents substantially nothing but the playing FIG. 30 and the shadow 32 and the fact that the background illumination device 14 is used in connection with the positioning of the playing FIG. 30 on the display apparatus and of the shadow 32 gives the impression of the playing FIG. 30 being a hologram located in the interior of the interior space 16.

[0079] FIG. 3 shows a computer 34.

[0080] The computer 34 has a screen 36. Via an interface 38 belonging to the computer 34, it is possible to establish a connection to the interface 28 of the portal unit 2 and to transmit data in both directions between the portal unit 2 and the computer 34.

[0081] In addition to the playing FIG. 30, a reproduction of the interior space 16 of the portal unit 2 is displayed on the screen 38 of the computer 34. A virtual light source 40 is additionally presented. The user of the computer 34 can then for example change the position of the virtual light source 40, as a result of which the display apparatus 6 is prompted to adapt the shadow of the virtual playing FIG. 30 accordingly. Furthermore, the light color can be adapted, for example, and further manipulations on the virtual playing FIG. 30, such as dynamic effects and the like, can be performed. It is also possible to conceive and edit videos etc.

[0082] The synchronization between the computer 34 and the portal unit 2 can take place simultaneously or with a time lag, with the result that the portal unit 2 can also be used independently of the computer 34 by using the data transmitted by the computer 34.

[0083] FIG. 4 shows a sequence of the use of the portal unit 2 in connection with a real playing FIG. 42.

[0084] FIG. 4 here shows a typical sequence of a method for using the portal unit 2. The upper row in each case shows a sectional side view of the portal unit 2, and the lower row in each case shows a view of the portal unit 2 from the front side 4.1.

[0085] Step a) shows the portal unit in an initial state. A lift 44 having two platforms 46.1, 46.2 arranged one above the other is arranged on a side with respect to a rear side 4.2 as a receptacle for the playing FIG. 42. The lift 44 is guided linearly in the vertical direction along rails (not illustrated) and can be pushed out from an upper side 4.3 of the housing 4 of the portal unit 2.

[0086] An NFC scanner 50 is arranged on the rear side of the lift 44, in the present exemplary embodiment on a shaft wall of a lift shaft 48 of the lift 44. The NFC scanner 50 is embodied to read an NFC tag 52 of the playing FIG. 42, invisibly located on the playing FIG. 42. In the corresponding method step a), nothing is displayed on the display apparatus 6.

[0087] In the method step b), the lift 44 has been moved completely to the top, which means that the lower platform 46.1 is now accessible and can be populated. The playing FIG. 42 can then be placed on the lower platform 46.1.

[0088] The NFC tag 52 contains information relating to the type of playing FIG. 42. Each playing figure may have its own identifier, which in some embodiment variants can be unique, and in other embodiment variants can be dependent on the type. For example, different playing figures of the same type can each use the same NFC tag and are thus interchangeable. The use of unique identifiers allows further functions.

[0089] In method step d), the lift 44 is moved downwards, and the playing FIG. 42 is thus lowered in the lift shaft 48. In doing so, the NFC tag 52 is guided directly past the NFC scanner 50. The NFC scanner 50 can then read the NFC tag 52 and pass on said information to the computational unit 22.

[0090] The computational unit 22 can subsequently evaluate said data. As the playing FIG. 42 is pushed further into the lift shaft 48, the computational unit 22 can load suitable data from the non-volatile memory 26 and process them using the processor 24 to prepare a display of the virtual playing FIG. 30.

[0091] Once the playing FIG. 42 has been pushed in completely, as is illustrated in method step e), and the lift 44 is back in its initial position, the display apparatus 6 is activated and the virtual playing FIG. 30 is displayed on the display apparatus 6. To detect that the lift 44 has been pushed in completely, a switch arrangement (not illustrated) may be used for example.

[0092] The user of the portal unit 2 is now able to interact with the virtual playing FIG. 30 via the touch-sensitive surface 10 of the display apparatus 6.

[0093] Method step f) is optional. The user of the portal unit 2 can position on the other platform 46.2 among other things an accessory, in this case a drinking cup 54, which is likewise provided with an NFC tag 56. Owing to the fact that the upper platform 46.2 is arranged in the vicinity of the NFC scanner 50, the NFC tag 56 is located within the transmitting and receiving range of the NFC scanner 50.

[0094] As soon as the NFC scanner 50 has detected that an accessory, here the drinking cup 54, is located on the upper platform 46.2, this information is transmitted to the computational unit 22 and processed by it. Accordingly, a virtual drinking cup 58 appears on the display apparatus 6. The user of the portal unit 2 can then use the virtual drinking cup 58 and incorporate it into the game play.

[0095] The invention is not limited to any one of the previously described embodiments but is modifiable in a variety of ways.

[0096] All of the features and advantages, including design features, spatial arrangements and method steps, that are derived from the claims, the description and the drawing may be essential to the invention both individually and in a very wide variety of combinations.