Multiple Sim Devs (iRacing, Kunos + More) Sued for Patent Infringement?

Multiple sim racing game developers appear to be getting sued by a company for having what I understand from their vague legal-speak to be weather/tire-affected dynamic simulated race track surfaces. I first found evidence of iRacing being involved, but subsequently found legal records all filed in September naming Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc and 505 Games US Inc.

Patent (US) 10,046,241, filed in 2010, has a broad description saying “Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with output production are described. One example system comprises an analysis component configured to analyze a data set to produce an evaluation result. The system also comprises a production component configured to produce a rendered output based, at least in part, on the evaluation result, where the rendered output is stored in a computer-readable medium.”

The patent record cites Gran Turismo 5’s dynamic weather as an example, and it would appear they’re saying that because the track conditions are altered by one tire going over it and saved in a way that they can be transmitted to other multiplayer clients, it is therefore computer readable (and I guess that’s what makes them believe they can enforce the patent).

The “inventors” of this patented technology are listed as Ronald Charles Krosky (a patent attorney) and Brendan Edward Clark (a lawyer) and the company names listed are B&O Gaming LLC and Integrated Technology Solutions LLC. B&O Gaming appears to have formed as a company in 2018 and lists Mr Clark as it’s agent. Integrated Technology Solutions LLC appear to be the ‘patent service’ for B&O Gaming LLC.

I can find no record of any gaming activity, releases, or work-in-progress titles by B&O Gaming LLC. Bang & Olufsen do make a gaming headset, but they appear to be a Danish company with no connections.

Here is the patent claim:

1. A system, that is at least partially hardware, comprising: an identification component configured to identify a racing area for a vehicle set with a tire set in a racing video game; a check component configured to determine an action set of the vehicle set that causes a remnant of the tire set to be laid upon the racing area; a determination component configured to determine where to place the remnant of the tire set on the racing area based, at least in part on the action set of the vehicle set; and a modification component configured to make an alteration to the racing area such that the remnant impacts performance of the vehicle set.

2. The system of claim 1, where the vehicle set comprises a first vehicle with a first tire set and a second vehicle with a second tire set, where the tire set comprises the first tire set and the second tire set, where the remnant is a remnant from the first tire set, and where the second vehicle is impacted by the remnant from the first tire set.

3. The system of claim 2, comprising: an collection component configured to collect an first indicator of a first action of the first vehicle in the racing video game that causes the remnant from the first tire set to be laid upon the racing area from a first playing location and configured to collect a second indicator of a second action of the second vehicle in the racing video game that causes a remnant from the second tire set to be laid upon the racing area from a second playing location; and a broadcast component configured to broadcast the racing area with the alteration in accordance with the remnant from the first tire set and the remnant from the second tire set to the first playing location and configured to broadcast the racing area with the alteration in accordance with the remnant from the first tire set and the remnant from the second tire set to the second playing location, where the first playing location and the second playing location are remote to one another.

4. The system of claim 2, where the first vehicle and the second vehicle are human-controlled vehicles competing against one another in an online gaming session.

5. The system of claim 2, where the first vehicle and the second vehicle are human-controlled vehicles competing against one another in a single-console gaming session.

6. The system of claim 2, where the first vehicle is a human-controlled vehicle competing in an single-console gaming session and where the second vehicle is a console-controlled vehicle competing in the single-console gaming session.

7. The system of claim 1, where the vehicle set comprises exclusively one vehicle, where the remnant is laid on a previous lap, where the vehicle is impacted on a subsequent lap, and where the previous lap and the subsequent lap are part of a single racing session.

8. A system, that is at least partially hardware, comprising: an identification component configured to identify a racing surface of a racing circuit in a racing video game during a racing video game session; a determination component configured to determine a first temperature for a first portion of the racing surface and a second temperature for a second portion of the racing surface; and a modification component configured to cause the first portion of the racing surface to implement with the first temperature and the second portion of the racing surface to implement with the second temperature, where the first temperature and the second temperature are different temperatures, where the first portion of the racing surface and the second portion of the racing surface do not overlap one another, where the first portion of the racing surface being at the first temperature causes a vehicle of the racing video game to have a first response to an action, where the second portion of the racing surface being at the second temperature causes the vehicle of the racing video game to have a second response to the action, and where, due to the difference in temperature, the first response and the second response are not identical.

9. The system of claim 8, comprising: a monitor component configured to monitor an operation of the vehicle as the vehicle traverses the racing surface; and an evaluation component configured to evaluate the operation to produce an evaluation result; where the determination component is configured to determine a change to the first temperature based, at least in part, on the evaluation result, where the modification component is configured to cause the first portion of the racing surface to implemented with the changed first temperature and where the changed first temperature is different from the first temperature.

10. The system of claim 9, where the modification component causes the first portion of the racing surface to implemented with the changed first temperature without a change to the second portion of the racing surface and where operation of the vehicle causes virtual rubber to be placed on the racing surface that impacts performance of the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 9, where the vehicle is a first vehicle, where the racing video game session is an online racing video game session between at least a first player playing at a first gaming apparatus and a second player playing at a second gaming apparatus, where the first player controls the first vehicle, where the second player controls a second vehicle, where an action by the second vehicle produces a first response when the racing surface is at the first temperature, where the action by the second vehicle produces a second response when the racing surface is at the changed first temperature, and where the first response and the second response are not identical.

12. The system of claim 9, where the vehicle is a first vehicle, where the racing video game session is a racing video game session between at least a first player playing at a gaming apparatus and a second player playing at the gaming apparatus, where the first player controls the first vehicle, where the second player controls a second vehicle, where an action by the second vehicle produces a first response when the racing surface is at the first temperature, where the action by the second vehicle produces a second response when the racing surface is at the changed first temperature, and where the first response and the second response are not identical.

13. The system of claim 9, where the vehicle is a gaming-apparatus controlled vehicle, where the racing video game session is a racing video game session between at least a player-controlled vehicle and the gaming apparatus controlled vehicle, where an action by the player-controlled vehicle produces a first response when the racing surface is at the first temperature, where the action by the player-controlled vehicle produces a second response when the racing surface is at the changed first temperature, and where the first response and the second response are not identical.

14. The system of claim 8, where the first temperature is derived, at least in part, from a first level of virtual sun exposure to the first portion, where the first temperature is derived, at least in part, from a second level of virtual sun exposure to the second portion, and where the first level of virtual sun exposure and the second level of virtual sun exposure are not identical.

15. A system, that is at least partially hardware, comprising: an identification component configured to identify a change in a temperature of a racing surface in a racing video game; a determination component configured to determine an impact of the change in the temperature of the racing surface; and a modification component configured to make an alteration to the racing surface in accordance with the impact of the change in the temperature, where the alteration influences performance of a vehicle in the racing video game.

16. The system of claim 15, where the change in temperature occurs during a single racing video game race.

17. The system of claim 16, where the single racing video game race is an online single racing video game race, where a first competitor competes in the online single racing video game race from a first local console, where a second competitor competes in the online single racing video game race from a second local console, where the first local console and the second local console communicate with a remote server that hosts the single racing video game race.

18. The system of claim 16, where the single racing video game race is solo human-player single racing video game race.

19. The system of claim 16, where the change in the temperature is produced, at least in part, by the vehicle travelling over the racing surface during the single racing video game race.

20. The system of claim 15, where the change in temperature occurs between a first racing video game race and a second racing video game race.

Did you just throw up in your mouth a little bit? If not, why not read more about this and make sure it happens. A full description is also available.