Patent Application
20140323192
This invention relates to gaming machines and, in particular, to a gaming machine having a camera and software that causes a displayed image (e.g., animation) to be adapted to a detected player or observer.
Gaming machines, such as slot machines, are frequently video gaming machines where animated virtual reels are displayed on a flat panel screen. The screen may also display animated bonus games and any information needed to play the games. The screen may be a touch screen where the player can make selections by touching icons (e.g., virtual buttons) displayed on the screen.
Conventional video gaming machines of the same theme (i.e., same proprietary game), made by the same manufacturer, display the same animation to all players. When there is no active player, the gaming machines of the same theme display the same attract mode. In other words, the display animation does not automatically adapt to the particular player or to a particular spectator, such as a passerby.
It is known to add a camera in a gaming machine for identifying a player for security reasons, where certain digitized optical features of a player are compared to a stored image of the player to ensure the player is using her own player tracking card. Cameras, microphones, and speakers have also been installed in gaming machines for enabling one player to communicate, verbally and visually, with another player in the casino. Such cameras and their software do not affect the game animation or attract mode animation.
What is needed is a way to draw more attention to a particular gaming machine, to promote additional play of that gaming machine, by automatically customizing the gaming machine's display animation for a particular player or spectator.
What is also needed is a way to make a particular gaming machine more fun to play by detecting movements of the player and adapting such movements in the displayed animation.
A gaming machine console (included in the term “gaming machine”) incorporates a conventional video and/or still-frame camera at the front of the console. The camera periodically takes a picture or takes a video of the player or other people in its field of view, and software processes the frames. The frames are then analyzed and are used to adapt the gaming machine's displayed animation to the player or people detected.
In one embodiment, the player's face is analyzed by face recognition software to determine the player's age. The displayed game animation and the game itself may then automatically be adapted to the player's detected age.
In another embodiment, the face recognition software also detects the gender of the player, and the displayed game animation and the game itself may then automatically be adapted to the player's detected gender.
The player's detected face (i.e., a set of standard digital markers) may also be compared to stored images (stored digital markers) of registered players. If there is a match, the player's identification and stored gaming history are then known to the system. The gaming machine may then display a personalized message such as, “Welcome Back” and offer the player the option to present content based on the player's previous playing preferences (e.g., specific games in a multigame). The message may also identify the player by name.
The camera and software may also detect non-players that are spectators or just passing by the gaming machine. In such a case, it is desirable for the gaming machine to attract that potential player by adapting its display to the particular detected person. For example, a stored character “looks” in the direction of a moving spectator and may address the spectator, such as by referring to the spectator's actual appearance (e.g., refer to a detected logo on the spectator's clothes, etc.). A particular amusing character may selected that generally looks like the detected player, and the software may combine stored features to generally recreate the detected player.
Motion detection software may also be applied to video frames taken by the camera to adapt the player's motions to animations displayed on the gaming machine.
Many other examples are given herein. The invention may also be applied to home computers, laptops, smartphones, and other computing devices with cameras that are temporarily used a gaming machines for carrying out a game of chance.
Elements that are the same or equivalent are labeled with the same numeral.
Although the invention can typically be implemented by installing a software program and camera in most types of modern video gaming machines, one particular gaming machine platform will be described in detail.
A second display 14 provides game data or other information in addition to display 12. Display 14 may provide information such as an advertisement for the game, an attract mode animation, the rules of the game, pay tables for each bet amount and winning symbol combination, or other information, or may even display the main game or the bonus games along with display 12. Possible other uses of the displays in accordance with the invention are discussed below. Alternatively, the area for display 14 may be a display glass for conveying relevant information.
Display 12 or 14 may have a touch screen lamination that includes a transparent grid of conductors. Touching the screen changes the capacitance between the conductors, and thereby the X-Y location of the touch may be determined. The processor associates this X-Y location with a function to be performed. Such touch screens are very well known in the field of slot machines.
A coin slot 16 accepts coins or tokens in one or more denominations to generate credits within machine 10 for playing games. An input slot 18 for an optical reader and printer receives machine readable printed tickets and outputs printed tickets for use in cashless gaming. A bill acceptor 20 accepts various denominations of banknotes.
A coin tray 22 receives coins or tokens from a hopper upon a win or upon the player cashing out.
A card reader slot 24 accepts any of various types of cards, such as smart cards, magnetic strip cards, player tracking cards, or other types of cards conveying machine readable information. The card reader reads the inserted card for player and credit information for cashless gaming. The card reader may also include an optical reader and printer for reading and printing coded barcodes and other information on a paper ticket.
A keypad 26 accepts player input, such as a personal identification number (PIN) or any other player information. A display 28 above keypad 26 displays a menu for instructions and other information and provides visual feedback of the keys pressed.
Player control buttons 30 include any buttons needed for the play of the particular game or games offered by machine 10 including, for example, one or more bet buttons, a repeat bet button, a spin reels button, a maximum bet button, a cash-out button, a display payout tables button, select icon buttons, free game play buttons, and any other suitable button. Buttons 30 may be replaced by a touch screen with virtual buttons. In one embodiment, to simplify betting, there are only a limited number of betting options, such as five, and each betting option has a separate button 30.
Speakers 32 generate stereo sound. A microphone 34 may allow the player to interact with the gaming machine software.
A camera 36 periodically takes digital pictures and video frames, as described in detail below.
A coin/credit bet detector 48 enables the CPU 40 to initiate a next game and generate credits. A paytable ROM 49 detects the outcome of the game and identifies awards to be paid to the player. A payout device 50 pays out an award to the player in the form of coins, a coded paper ticket, credits on a smart card or magnetic strip card, or any other form upon termination of the game or upon the player cashing out. A display controller 52 receives commands from the CPU 40 and generates signals for the various displays 54. If a display 54 is a touch screen, player commands may be input through the display screen into the CPU 40. All components may be connected to a single bus.
In one embodiment, the player's face is analyzed using the digital camera 36 and the face recognition program 44 to determine the player's age.
The operation of the gaming machine 10 when using face recognition of the player 58 is described with respect to the flowchart of
In step 60, the software detects that a new player 58 has just deposited money for credits or has inserted her player tracking card into the gaming machine 10, and the camera 36 is controlled to take a picture of the player (step 62).
The picture is analyzed using any suitable face recognition software (step 64), such as the SHORE™ (Sophisticated High-Speed Object Recognition Engine) program commercially available from Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits. This particular program detects the positions of the person's face and eyes, determines the gender and age, determines the expression (e.g., happy, surprised, confused, etc.), and other information.
In the example of
The gaming program contains a variety of rules that are automatically triggered by the player's detected gender and age group. These different rules cause the displayed animation on the displays 12 and 14 to change as described below.
Regarding age-related rules, the displayed game animation, sounds, and the game itself may automatically be adapted to what are typical characteristics of a player in one of the age groups. The changes in the animation, sound, or game may relate to the music (or sound effects) presented, the game theme (e.g., themes relating to events/styles from the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s, 2000s, etc.), the increasingly poor eyesight as a player ages, the complexity of the game, etc. For example, as shown in step 68, the following features may be adapted to the detected age group: the selection of games (e.g., in a multigame gaming machine); the game content (game characters, symbols, game theme, sounds, rumble feature, haptic responses, etc . . . ); alpha-numeric font sizes (enlarged with detected ages over 40); color scheme and screen contrast/brightness; the user interface and game symbols (size/position of buttons, varying timeouts for decision making, size of symbol/reels/reel shape, etc.); and sound volume adjustments may be made.
Regarding gender-related rules, the displayed game animation and the game itself may automatically be adapted to what are typical preferences of a male or female player in the detected age group. For example, as shown in step 70, the game theme and/or graphic style changes accordingly such as the use of male/female game-characters and male game themes (e.g., car, sport, action) vs. female themes (e.g., nature, fantasy); the color scheme adapts to gender; voice-overs of game change accordingly such as from male to female; cabinet ergonomics adapt accordingly; and sound volume adapts accordingly (assuming males want louder sounds).
The various adaptions that are most preferred for certain ages and genders may be determined by empirical testing.
The game designer may have any number of stored alternative animations (displayed images) in the RAM/ROM 43 for each combination of age and gender. The animation may be part of the main game, the bonus game, and/or the user interface. In the context of this disclosure, the term “animation” refers to any displayed image (including letters, numbers, characters, etc.) on the display screen.
The animation may also be adapted to the player's detected facial expression. For example, a message or animation may be selected in an attempt to cause the player to smile, and the animation adapts to whether the software recognizes that the player is smiling.
As shown in the flowchart of
The camera and software may also detect non-players that are spectators or just passing by the gaming machine.
Spectators who are recognized from a comparison to stored images (step 102) may be identified on screen and asked to play by an animated character or a message. If the spectator is recognized, the game offered by the GM may be changed to be a historically preferred game by the spectator. The GM may present a customized message to a recognized spectator on an overhead display (e.g., during a community game with linked GMs).
As shown in
The various animations may be displayed on either of the displays 12 or 14 in
The inventions are not limited by the various examples given herein. Other examples of using a visual capture by the camera include:
The camera system detects the brightness of its environmental light and adjusts screen settings accordingly to increase player convenience and save energy
If a group of spectators observes a community game playoff, they get recognized as such, they get specific content (messages, games, etc.) on the overhead display to “onboard” them to the community game
Use of an array of several cameras that are viewing different areas of a room
The camera recognizes brands of player's clothing and adapts animation to show characters with similar clothing (e.g., by modification of game content)
If a player's glass gets empty, the GM recognizes this early enough to automatically call for the waiter to come to the player
The camera acts as a mirror, so the player and spectators can see the player's face on the gaming machine's display screen or on an overhead display
The camera reads various codes (QR, barcode, logos, etc.) and processes the data and/or modifies the displayed content
The camera records special moments of the players sessions (audio, video, stills) and provides a functionality
Offer a “replay” functionality of important game situations
Use a 360 degree rotatable chair in combination with a camera to record a 3D-model of a player's head or body
Use two cameras on both edges of a gaming machine to create a stereoscopic 3D-picture/video of a player
The term gaming machine, as used herein, includes any computer device that is a dedicated gaming machine, typically housed in a special cabinet for security, or any computing device that has multiple uses but is temporarily configured (by programming) as a gaming device, such as a home computer, a laptop computer, or a smartphone. The term gaming machine console, as used herein, refers to a gaming machine console of the type used in a licensed establishment (e.g., a casino). The gaming machine displays at least a game of chance involving a pseudo-random element, such as a video reels game, a card game, a wheel spinning game, or any other game of chance.
A gaming machine, in the context of the present invention, is distinguished from an interactive amusement game (not considered “gaming”) where the player's movements directly control an image (an avatar), such as for playing a simulated sports game. It is known to use a camera for directly controlling an avatar in an amusement game to emulate movement of the player; however, such controlling of an avatar does not relate to the very different uses of the present invention in the field of gaming, such as configuring a game of chance for the detected age or gender of the player, or attracting passersby to a gaming machine, etc.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.
