Disney Enterprises, the merchandising and licensing arm of The Walt Disney Company, has filed some new patents that could be applied to video games, specifically games featuring Marvel characters.
Many of the new patents mention action figures that would interact with a video game. For example, an Iron Man figure could be hitting the Incredible Hulk figure with infrared beams or foam missiles. The Hulk figure would react appropriately based on the action in the video game or how many times it was hit.
Disney filed for other video game related patents late last year that also related to using physical objects or figures that would interact with the game, including one that included inserting a GPS receiver inside the toy figure that could be used to tell the video game when Iron Man, for example, reached a specific geographic location, such as a Disneyland attraction.
Disney files many patents, not only related to video games, but theme park attractions as well. Not all of the patents filed make their way into the theme parks or your living room.
Source: Orlando Sentinel
