The invention relates to controlling computer software .

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Location based applications have become popu ^¬ lar during recent years. Location information is used in a wide variety of different software implemented applications. For example, in navigation applications the application must know the location of the end user and the location of the destination in order to be able to guide the end user to the destination.

Location information has been used also for recreational purposes. The first location information based recreational activity was most probably geocach- ing, which is an orienteering type activity. In geo- caching a person places an item to a place that is searched by other persons in order to see what the item is. It is typical to change the item. Recently also geocaching has been typically managed in an In ^¬ ternet based society where information of caches and items is maintained. The cache can be found by using GPS-coordinates or there are further steps with small tasks to be done in order to get a tip on how to find the cache .

Also other orienteering based activities have been introduced. Some of the activities include a com ^¬ petition between teams. A plurality of teams are com- peting in a track that includes a plurality of check ^¬ points which may have tasks that need to be performed. The teams may enter the track with time intervals in order to provide fluent action at the check points. The other possibility is to arrange the start so that the teams are moving at the same time and start from different checkpoints. One example of such activity is an "Amazing Race" type event. Amazing race is a television show in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with each other. Typically each team has a pre-planned route and time schedule in the event. The routes should be of about an equal length and diffi ^¬ culty to give each team an equal opportunity to win. The teams' progress on the routes and checkpoints should be scheduled so that the teams do not overcrowd any of the checkpoints. Notice that often there is one organizer at each checkpoint giving the team a task to perform. Many times there are limits on how many teams can be at each checkpoint at the same time. Most often this limit is one team.

To secure a smooth event, several game mas ^¬ ters usually take one or more days to carefully plan the overall event. In addition to the routes, the planning includes a checkpoint schedule that needs to be followed. For example, at each checkpoint there is a maximum time that each team is allowed to stay there. After this time the team needs to be sent for ^¬ ward. Otherwise the planning fails during the rest of the route. In addition to maximum times, there may al ^¬ so be absolute times that need to be followed. For ex- ample, if a certain team is planned to be at a check ^¬ point A from 1pm till 1:30pm, this needs to be fol ^¬ lowed; otherwise the team would take some other team's turn .

As the number of teams and checkpoints in- creases, the planning and execution becomes exponentially harder. Mistakes are no exceptions. As the exe ^¬ cution and scoring are organized manually, mistakes also happen quite often during the event. Some teams consider being treated unfairly, and some teams are unhappy with the long wait for the final results.

A conventional solution to the problem would be to increase resources in planning and implementa- tion; however, it is very hard to increase resources when fluent cooperation is expected and at the same time the costs of implementation are critical. SUMMARY

A mechanism for providing instructions to teams or individuals on a predetermined route compris ^¬ ing checkpoints is disclosed. In the mechanism, the teams or individuals are instructed to the checkpoints in such a manner that fluent action at the checkpoint is guaranteed. When needed, the teams or individuals are sent new instructions so that they would proceed on the route without disturbing fluent action at the checkpoints. If the further instructions involve addi- tional efforts, they may be compensated for. Thus, the present invention replaces the previously needed dif ^¬ ficult design by using a system that controls the ac ^¬ tion in real time.

The present invention discloses a method for controlling the movement of a team having a terminal device in a predetermined environment with a plurality of teams. In the method, the location information from a team is first received. Then a need for further in ^¬ structions for at least one team is determined. If there is a need for further instructions, then new in ^¬ structions for said at least one team are computed and transmitted to the terminal device of the team.

The instructions may comprise location coor ^¬ dinates, a photograph, or another similar tip for reaching the next destination. The new instructions may cause a need for compensation. In case of a need for compensation, the compensation will be computed. The compensation may be computed for one team that re ^¬ ceived the instructions or for other teams. The prede- termined environment comprises a plurality of graphs and the movement between the graphs is dynamically in ^¬ structed, wherein the graphs comprise at least one node. The connections between the graphs may be par ^¬ tially determined; however, the method according to the present invention determines at least a portion of the connections dynamically. In case of partial deter- mination of the connections the graphs are typically grouped into bundles and the graphs are traversed in accordance with said bundles.

In an embodiment the present invention is im ^¬ plemented as an apparatus, such as a server. The appa- ratus comprises at least a network connection, a memory configured to store a computer program to be executed and a processor configured to execute comput ^¬ er programs. The executing of a computer program according to the present invention is configured to cause the apparatus to receive location information from a team using said network connection, determine a need for further instructions for at least one team based on said predetermined route and received loca ^¬ tion information using said processor, compute new in- structions for said at least one team by using said processor and transmit said computed instructions to a terminal device by using said network connection. The executed computer program is further configured to implement the method described above.

In an embodiment of the invention the present invention is implemented as a computer program that comprises a code adapted to cause the method described above when executed on a data-processing system. In an embodiment of the invention the computer program is stored on a computer readable medium, such as a CD-ROM or similar media or it is arranged on a mass storage device of a server from where it can be downloaded.

A further embodiment of the present invention comprises an apparatus as described above and a plu- rality of terminal devices, wherein the terminal de ^¬ vices are configured to send the location coordinates to said apparatus. The terminal devices are configured to display instructions received from the apparatus. The instructions comprise, for example, a coordinate and the terminal device is configured to guide the us ^¬ er of the device to said coordinate.

The method according to the present invention provides a method for controlling the movement of a plurality of teams or individuals in recreational or educational activities, wherein a plurality of check ^¬ points is used. The invention facilitates fluent ac- tion at the checkpoints in such a manner that the teams or individuals do not have to wait for addition ^¬ al periods of time before entering a checkpoint. A further benefit of this is that the teams or individu ^¬ als cannot see other teams or individuals when they are at a checkpoint or orienteering. A benefit of the present invention is that it is suitable for real time use and is able to manage also unpredictable events that cannot be taken into account when determining the route. A further benefit of the invention is that the activity can be stored for later analysis.

A further benefit of the present invention is that it enables unmanned checkpoints, wherein the ter ^¬ minal device used by the team may be used in giving instructions and controlling the action. If scoring is used in the activity it can be done in real time and stored for later analysis.

A further benefit of the invention is that it replaces the previously needed human activity in plan ^¬ ning as the route planning is disposed of almost com- pletely. In case of unexpected delays and deviations the system will compute new instructions for teams. It is important to notice that the present invention guarantees fluent action also in the cases wherein a failure in the design would cause delays in the ac- tion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and constitute a part of this specification, illus ^¬ trate embodiments of the invention and together with the description help to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a flowchart of an embodiment ac ^¬ cording to the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment according to the present invention, and

Fig. 3 is an illustration of a further embodiment according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 discloses a method according to the present invention. The method is applied to a system comprising a controller and a plurality of terminal devices. The controller and the terminal devices are connected by a telecommunication connection. For example, the controller is a computer connected to the In ^¬ ternet and the terminal devices are mobile phones or similar mobile devices that use a mobile data communi ^¬ cation connection for communicating with other devices. The terminal devices are location aware. This is typically implemented by using the GPS-system; howev ^¬ er, other positioning means may also be used.

In figure 1, a method for controlling a rec ^¬ reational activity is disclosed. The recreational ac ^¬ tivity is typically a game involving teams or individ ^¬ uals competing against each other. The process is ini ^¬ tiated by determining a route to be followed, step 10. The route typically comprises a plurality of check ^¬ points which first have to be found and then a task at the checkpoint has to be completed. It is common that the task relates to the place where the checkpoint is. Thus, the designer of the route is not always able to choose the optimal route so that the teams on the route would come to the checkpoints one at a time. The route may be naturally used many times. The route may comprise a GPS-trail that is to be followed, a map, a trail of visible landmarks that need to be found, a photograph of a scene to be found, or similar. Natu ^¬ rally the route may also be a combination of different instruction types.

The actual recreational activity is started by sending the instructions to the teams involved, step 11. The teams may be in the same location or start the game in different locations. Correspondingly the teams may be sent to the route simultaneously or at small intervals.

The teams are followed all the time by the controller, step 12. For example, the controller may receive the location of a team, compute the average speed for the team and determine whether the team has arrived to a checkpoint. The controller may also send a question to the device if the required measurement cannot be done automatically.

Based on the information gathered on follow- ing the step described above, the controller then de ^¬ termines a need for further instructions, step 13. For example, if a team arrives at a checkpoint, a task may be sent to the device. The task may be fully automa ^¬ tized but it may also involve the presence of task staff. Thus, it is not always necessary to send in ^¬ structions when a checkpoint is arrived at. A further example of a need for instructions is that the team is lost and they need new instructions on how to get back to the route. The information may be, for example, a tip for a visible landmark from which the route can be found or direct GPS coordinates that the device in ^¬ structs the team to follow. A further example of a need for instructions is that the controller deter ^¬ mines a situation wherein a team, at the current average speed, would arrive at the next checkpoint too early and the earlier team would not have enough time to complete the task before the arrival of the new team. A need for further instructions may also emerge because other teams have been sent new instructions that need to be compensated for. For example, a longer route may be instructed in order to compensate for the effort of other teams.

When the situation described above occurs, the new instructions are computed for at least one team, step 14. As mentioned, the instructions may in ^¬ clude a detour, additional checkpoints or tasks, wait- ing or similar. The purpose of the instructions is to maintain fluent operation at the checkpoints and at the same time to treat the teams equally.

Then the instructions are sent to the respec ^¬ tive teams, step 15. If the recreational activity is not finished, the method returns to step 12 and con ^¬ tinues following the teams. If all teams have per ^¬ formed all tasks the activity may be finished, step 16.

Figure 2 discloses an embodiment according to the present invention. The example of figure 2 is a game involving an orienteering like activity. The gaming system involves a controller 211, such as a game server, and terminal devices 28, 29, 210 belonging to the teams involved. The controller comprises a proces- sor 212, a memory 213 and a network connection 214. The processor is for executing computer programs and performing other computational tasks. The memory 213 is for storing computer programs and the data they need. The network connection 214 is for communicating with other devices. The controller may comprise fur ^¬ ther components according to the respective needs. Circles 20 - 23 represent checkpoints or a plurality of checkpoints arranged into a graph. In the embodi ^¬ ment of figure 2, each circle has only one checkpoint; however, as will be disclosed later with regard to figure 3, the circle may comprise a graph comprising a plurality of checkpoints. The team with the device 210 has left the checkpoint represented by circle 23 in the figure and is travelling along path 24 to checkpoint 21. The team is soon arriving at the checkpoint 21. The team with the device 29 is leaving the check- point 21 and is instructed to travel along path 25 to checkpoint 20. The team with the device has left checkpoint 22 and is travelling to the checkpoint 20 along path 26.

As it can be seen from figure 2, the teams having the devices 28 and 29 are both initially in ^¬ structed to the checkpoint 20 and would be there at the same time. When the controller 211 notices this, it determines a need for further instructions. In the embodiment of figure 2, the controller decides to send new instructions to the device 29. This decision may be based, for example, on the estimated arrival time. It is also possible that the team having the device 28 has already visited checkpoint 23, and as the team having the device 210 is already arriving at check- point 21 the team having the device 28 cannot be re ^¬ routed and, thus, the team having the device 29 must be rerouted.

The rerouting may be, for example, performed in the following manner. In the figure, north is up and south is down as in a normal map. The rerouting uses landmarks A and B that can be seen in the figure. The team having the device 29 is sent further instruc ^¬ tions to proceed west until landmark A is exactly in the north. The team is then instructed to turn south and proceed until landmark B is exactly in the west. The team is instructed to walk towards B until check ^¬ point 22 is reached. In a further embodiment the nodes of figure 2 comprise a graph as disclosed in figure 3. The graph may comprise a plurality of different checkpoints that are linked to each other by directional edges. The difference between the circles of figure 2 and the nodes of figure 3 is that the circles of figure 2 are not necessarily connected to each other and the system may send the team any of the circles that the team has not already completed. The circle may comprise a standalone checkpoint or a graph as explained in the following. In figure 3 the nodes are connected by di ^¬ rectional edges that limit the movement. When the team reaches a terminal node, the graph is considered com ^¬ pleted. It is possible to configure a node as a termi- nal node even if there were possibilities for further movement. It may be upon discretion of the team to leave the graph or continue.

In figure 3, the node 30 is defined as a starting node. From the node 30 it is possible to move to nodes 31, 32, 33 and 34. The node 34 is defined as a terminal node. From the node 34 it is possible to move to the node 35. From the node 35 it is possible to move to the node 36, which is a terminal node, or to node 32. It can be seen that from the node 32 it is possible to move to the node 36; however, it is possi ^¬ ble to configure the edge so as to change the bidirec ^¬ tional edge into a unidirectional edge when the team has moved along it. Thus, if desired, returning may be prevented. As it can be seen from the figure, the ter- minal node 37 can be reached by moving from nodes 32 or 38. The movements may be based on a free will or on the results at each checkpoint. In the embodiment of figure 3 there may be more than one team in the graph at the same time; however, the graph must have been designed in such a manner that it allows the presence of multiple teams. In the simplest case the graph com- prises only one node. The situation where all of the graphs have only one node corresponds to figure 2.

In a further embodiment, the graphs, or cir ^¬ cles of figure 2, are arranged into bundles. For exam- pie, circles 21, 22 and 23 are geographically close to each other and they are arranged into a bundle. Circle 20 is located far. Thus, the best solution is first to traverse circles 21, 22 and 23 and only after that proceed to circle 20.

The invention is preferably implemented as software applications that are executed in the con ^¬ troller and the terminal devices, respectively. The computer program executed in the controller is configured to communicate with the computer program executed in the terminal devices. Based on the received commu ^¬ nication, the computer program executed in the controller is further configured to determine a need for further instructions, compute new instructions and then communicate again with the terminal devices in order to transmit the instructions to the terminal de ^¬ vices. The computer program executed in the terminal device is configured to receive instructions from the controller, display the instructions to the user of the device and send information from the device to the controller. The sent information comprises, for example, the location of the device. The software is em ^¬ bodied on a computer readable medium so that it can be provided to the computing device. The computer reada ^¬ ble medium can include any suitable medium that par- ticipates in providing instructions to a processor of the respective device for execution.

It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that with the advancement of technology, the basic idea of the invention may be implemented in various ways. The invention and its embodiments are thus not limited to the examples described above; instead they may vary within the scope of the claims.