Disney Patents 'Interactive Cakes' | Updated 10/3/14 with Interactive Cake Debut

[caryrae]

Not sure where this belongs or if someone posted it already. Kinda strange.


Disney's plan for 'interactive cakes' revealed in patent application

By Thomas Ricker
Engadget
December 20, 2010

Mmm, cake -- no other confectionery can match its range, be it in the form of birthday, wedding, or bundt. But we never expected to see it integrated with a pico projector. Yet that's exactly what the imagineers at Disney seem to be planning according to a US patent application lovingly titled "Projector systems and methods for producing digitally augmented interactive cakes and other food products." The application includes a set of hilarious illustrations depicting over-sized cameras projecting images and video onto the surface of baked goods in order to promote storytelling and / or interactivity that is unique and individualized. Disney envisions images mapped to the 3D topography of the cake allowing it to sense, for example, when a slice is in the process of being cut (initiating a sword fight with Captain Hook) or removed (water rushes in to fill the void). While we doubt that you'll find these in the aisles of your local Best Buy grocer anytime soon, you might want to check for availability the next time that you book a birthday party at a Disneyland resort. Something tells us that these could be a hit with the youngins.

[Figment!]

The Summary of Invention:

[0007]The present invention addresses ... systems for enhancing or augmenting food products such as cakes by using a projector to project images that are mapped to the surfaces of the particular food product. For example, an augmentation media file may be created that maps a movie, which blends a storytelling frame or overlay with person's or celebrant's personal still image or movie clips, onto a three-dimensional (3D) projection surface provided by the surfaces of a cake exposed to and aligned with a digital projector. In some cases, the celebrant is able to select or provide their images to be included in the movie as well as selecting the storytelling portion.

[0008]In other embodiments, interactivity is supported with the augmented food product. For example, a depth sensing mechanism and/or software is used to determine on an ongoing basis the 3D topography of the projection surface (or distance of surface from the projector), and based on this changing topography that may occur when a piece of cake is cut/removed, the augmentation media file is generated anew or modified and projected upon the projection surface. Interactivity may also be provided by tracking movement of the user or utensils/objects (with optical or magnetic markers, for example) near the surface, and based upon detection of such movements or interaction with the projection surface, the augmentation media file may be modified or rendered to include images corresponding to the user actions (e.g., waving a wand near a cake surface that causes flowers to bloom and so on along the detected path of the wand or another responsive change in the projected image).

[0009]More particularly, a method is provided for augmenting or enhancing a food product such as the surface or top of a cake or other edible object. The method may include providing a food product that includes a projection surface (e.g., a planar surface, a 3D surface, or the like) and generating an augmentation media file based on the projection surface. The method may further include aligning a projector with the projector surface and then operating the projector to use the augmentation media file to project a projected image on the projection surface of the food product. The generating of the augmentation media file (e.g., a digital data file corresponding to a movie or the like) may include combining a set of storytelling overlay images and a set of user-selected or provided images to generate a composite digital video file. In some cases, a portion of the overlay images are presented concurrently with the user-selected images on the projection surface such as by providing a story-related frame with the user's images/movies shown within the frame.

[0010]In some embodiments, the projection surface has a 3D topography or contour, and the generating of the augmentation media file includes mapping the projected image to the 3D topography. In some embodiments, a sense of interactivity is provided by having the augmentation media file be scripted such that audio or visual cues are included that are related to performing an interactive function or action on or near the projection surface (such as cutting the cake, holding up a piece of cake, and so on). In such cases, the projected image may then contain content or images that correspond to the performance of the interactive function (such as include characters that fly or move out of the space created by cutting the cake or the like). In some embodiments, the food product may include an ornament on the projection surface that is selectively movable (remotely controllable) in response to control signals and the augmentation media file may include the control signals and include image segments that are mapped to the ornament and transmitted during transmission of the control signals (e.g., the imagery projected on the ornament changes when it is moving).

[0011]In some cases, interactivity is provided by having the method include determining a modification of the 3D topography of the projection surface. Then, based upon the modification of the surface and its shape/contours, the method may further include generating a modified augmentation media file and operating the projector to use the modified augmentation media file to project a modified projected image on the food product. The projected image may include differing sets of images that are each mapped to differing portions of the projection surface such as based on the distance of those surface portions from the projector, based on the topography, or the like. For example, a base image may be projected on one layer/level of the surface, a recessed surface-based image may be projected on the lower or recessed surfaces, and object-based images may be projected upon objects identified by their shape/contours. The method may also provide interactivity by detecting a user interaction with the projection surface and, in response, generating a modified augmentation media file and operating the projector to project a modified projected image on the food product. For example, the modified augmentation media file in such cases may include an image set(s) that is selected for inclusion based on the particular interaction or utensil used in the particular interaction (e.g., differing images if the utensil is a knife versus a magic wand and so on). Here's the full patent application:

Projector systems and methods for producing digitally augmented, interactive cakes and other Food Products (http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220100315491%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20100315491&RS=DN/20100315491)

And one of the concept pictures:

[Ed]

I'm.....uhh....errrr.... I don't think there's a word for it. :shrug:

But I may never look at a cake the same way again.

:confused:

[seanyred]

Coming to a cake near you, the next disney trailer....?
It sounds cooler than that. I just hope the suits don't have the same idea.

[Mousemates]

caryrae "Kinda strange."

An understatement to say the least.

[magicofdisney]

Maybe I need to see it in action, but there's no appeal to me for this, right now.

[teambricker04]

I can't get past the idea of cake enough to, uh, stomach the rest.

[statrai]

I would love to see this in action. Seeing this I thought of the SMARTBOARD used in classrooms. A cake that interacts. My 11 year old daughter thought this would be the coolest. In a class I took we were told to remember todays children are DIGITAL natives. For them this kind of interaction with things around then is normal. Think video games.

Steve:mickey:

My daughter was thinking. Think a Hannah Montana cake the cake shows her room and the birthday girl is asked to select a blue sweater then cut the piece and place it on the plate.

[laysan]

something that scares my 5 year old from sticking his fingers into the icing keeps popping into my head! He is the perfect candidate for the don't push the red button trick...leave him alone long enough and he'll push it...long enough being about 2 seconds!!

[Figment!]

**Update**


Disney has now debuted the "interactive" cake technology they patented almost two years ago (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showpost.php?p=2127098&postcount=2).

The Disney Fairy Tale Weddings program has revealed the first offering of "animated" wedding cakes using projection mapping technology.

Disney has released the following YouTube video of the new offering:

Disney's Animated Wedding Cake
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3ycK8LWEN-c)

[Tekneek]

So odd. You have to get video of the cake for X amount of time to record what it looked like, when you could have used 1 photo in the past. Hard for me to believe that anyone really wants this, although they might be fooled into thinking they do.

[TheVBs]

Saw this video a few days ago and I think it looks amazing! I have no idea what it costs, likely far more than I'd ever be willing to pay for any event, but still, so cool! :mickey:

[Kenny1113]

This sounds weird....
I have no desire to interact with a cake. :confused:


But I guess it is thinking outside of the box....

[TheVBs]

LOL! Well, my main interactive interest in cake is eating it. :) But, if you watch the video, you'll get the interactive part. I do think it looks very magical.

[Terra]

LOL! Well, my main interactive interest in cake is eating it. :) But, if you watch the video, you'll get the interactive part. I do think it looks very magical.

It does!! I love it!
I agree though, far more than I'd ever pay [considering my own wedding cost under $1000 for everything! Gown and cake included!]

[TheVBs]

It does!! I love it!
I agree though, far more than I'd ever pay [considering my own wedding cost under $1000 for everything! Gown and cake included!]

Same here! We didn't do as well as you did, but I would say dress, wedding and reception came in under $2500.

[BrerGnat]

Remember that wedding cakes are on display for a couple hours during the reception. This makes the cake a mini show in whatever corner of the room it sits in. I think it's cool. It can only be added to a Wishes wedding package, and those cost minimum $12,000.

[Tekneek]

It can only be added to a Wishes wedding package, and those cost minimum $12,000.

Ah, that reveals a lot. I would suggest that nobody *needs* a $12,000 wedding either, so clearly this is going way out into the emotional wants and desires and was never intended to be a practical or sensible offering. :)

Credit to those that want it and make it happen, but I'm glad my wife and I kept it all very simple.

[BrerGnat]

Ah, that reveals a lot. I would suggest that nobody *needs* a $12,000 wedding either, so clearly this is going way out into the emotional wants and desires and was never intended to be a practical or sensible offering. :)

Credit to those that want it and make it happen, but I'm glad my wife and I kept it all very simple.

I don't know about that. We had a Disney Fairy Tale wedding way back in 2001. We spent $10,500 total. It was a rather small wedding too, about 35 guests. Wasn't hard to reach the (then) $10k minimum requirement for a custom wedding. Back then, the only choices were Intimate (less than 10 people TOTAL) or Custom weddings.

I am guessing this cake "add on" is around $500-1000. Our cake alone cost $450. It was gorgeous though.

[Terra]

Ah, that reveals a lot. I would suggest that nobody *needs* a $12,000 wedding either, so clearly this is going way out into the emotional wants and desires and was never intended to be a practical or sensible offering. :)

Credit to those that want it and make it happen, but I'm glad my wife and I kept it all very simple.

As a personal opinion I agree. I don't get it and I think it's personally wasteful. But you're talking to someone who thinks people don't really need mansions and need to pay $500+ a night for hotel rooms either! LOL
That said, I understand when others want to do it! More power to them.
I looked into the small 10 person max wedding at Disney some 9 years ago and it was $2500 for just a cake, and using the space for the ceremony only. And of course max 10 people [including wedding party!]
Ummm, no thank you! LOL

[Stu29573]

Weddings have certainly gone crazy. I could add something about half of them not even being permanent, but I will refrain. As far as the cake goes, I think the technology is kind of interesting, but overall I'm not real impressed. I want my cake to look yummy, not "magical."

[TheVBs]

If someone wants it and can make it happen, that's wonderful! :mickey:

I remember getting pricing for our wedding and reception when we were planning for a larger group of people. This was in 1997 (well probably '96 in the planning stages) and we were being quoted prices in the $10k-$15k range, at places no where near as nice as WDW. There was no way we could afford that without going into serious debt. So we opted for a smaller wedding and spent the rest of our budget on a honeymoon to Europe. Even with the honeymoon we STILL came in way under those original quotes. But, it's a personal choice.

Our cake was actually free! There was a pastry chef at the restaurant where we held the reception. She wanted to boost her resume and offered to make the cake for us for free. :cloud9: It was delish.

[Terra]

If someone wants it and can make it happen, that's wonderful! :mickey:

I remember getting pricing for our wedding and reception when we were planning for a larger group of people. This was in 1997 (well probably '96 in the planning stages) and we were being quoted prices in the $10k-$15k range, at places no where near as nice as WDW. There was no way we could afford that without going into serious debt. So we opted for a smaller wedding and spent the rest of our budget on a honeymoon to Europe. Even with the honeymoon we STILL came in way under those original quotes. But, it's a personal choice.

Our cake was actually free! There was a pastry chef at the restaurant where we held the reception. She wanted to boost her resume and offered to make the cake for us for free. :cloud9: It was delish.

That's awesome! Funny enough, ours was as well. My very best friend wanted to get our cake as her present.

Yeah, we were not about to go into debt for a few hours. Had we even had that kind of money I'd opt for a down payment on a home, or a nice trip [something that lasts a little longer] LOL.
Shoot, my own wedding dress was $65 new with tags. And it was the traditional long white with lace, long train. And my chapel length veil was only $15, my tiara only $10! So it's doable! :)

[TheVBs]

That's awesome! Funny enough, ours was as well. My very best friend wanted to get our cake as her present.

Yeah, we were not about to go into debt for a few hours. Had we even had that kind of money I'd opt for a down payment on a home, or a nice trip [something that lasts a little longer] LOL.
Shoot, my own wedding dress was $65 new with tags. And it was the traditional long white with lace, long train. And my chapel length veil was only $15, my tiara only $10! So it's doable! :)

Wow! You did great on the wedding dress! I thought I did well at $300. And the veil! I wish I'd been able to find one at that price. The crazy thing was, all of the veils we looked at, that matched my dress were as much as the dress! DH was so disgusted by the prices that he went to the fabric store and made me one! It was incredible, looked just like it came from the store. He's the ultimate "I can make that" guy. LOL! He does most of our DIY, has made cabinets for our kitchen remodel, makes unbelievable Halloween costumes, etc.

Sorry for hijacking the thread! :blush:

[Terra]

Wow! You did great on the wedding dress! I thought I did well at $300. And the veil! I wish I'd been able to find one at that price. The crazy thing was, all of the veils we looked at, that matched my dress were as much as the dress! DH was so disgusted by the prices that he went to the fabric store and made me one! It was incredible, looked just like it came from the store. He's the ultimate "I can make that" guy. LOL! He does most of our DIY, has made cabinets for our kitchen remodel, makes unbelievable Halloween costumes, etc
Sorry for hijacking the thread! :blush:

Wow!! Way to go DH!!!
I wish we could post pictures here. It would be fun to see.
Funny enough I ordered everything from Ebay [except the tiara].
I resold it all for double the price. LOL.