Patent Application
20140080593
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates generally to gaming apparatus and methods and, more particularly, to a system having a juxtaposed mirror and video display to enhance a player's reflected image with accessories and symbols for enhanced game play.
Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines, features, and enhancements available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator. Therefore, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to continuously develop new games and improved gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player.
Typical gaming machines have game play using consistent images that are independent of the physical characteristics of the players of the gaming machines. Consequently, each player has a consistent, relatively generic game play experience. Current gaming machines are generally not equipped with hardware and software functionality where the physical characteristics of the player can be captured and integrated into the game play offered at the gaming machine to provide a tailored game play experience for the player. In view of this, a need exists for enhanced gaming machines providing a customized game play experience reflecting certain characteristics of the players using the gaming machines to provide a tailored gaming experience for each player.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a gaming system comprises a motion tracking sensing device, a user image reproduction device configured to display a minor image of a user operating the gaming system, a user image enhancement display device disposed in proximity to the user image reproduction device, and one or more memory devices storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the gaming system to sense, via the motion tracking sensing device, a first relative position of the user, generate first graphical images and first graphical image locations based on the sensed first relative position of the user, and output the first graphical images at the first graphical image locations on the user image enhancement display device so that the graphical images overlay corresponding portions of the mirror image of the user when viewed from the sensed first relative position of the user.
According to another aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented method in a gaming system comprises displaying a minor image of a user operating the gaming system on a user image reproduction device of the gaming system, sensing, via an input device, a first relative position of the user, generating, by one or more processors, first graphical images and first graphical image locations based on the sensed first relative position of the user, and outputting the first graphical images at the first graphical image locations at an output device so that the graphical images overlay corresponding portions of the minor image of the user when viewed from the sensed first relative position of the user.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a gaming system comprises a mirror for displaying a mirror image of a user operating the gaming system, a motion tracking sensing device, a user image enhancement display device disposed in proximity to the minor, and one or more memory devices storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the gaming system to sense, via the motion tracking sensing device, a first relative position of the user, generate first graphical images and first graphical image locations based on the sensed first relative position of the user, and output the first graphical images at the first graphical image locations on the user image enhancement display device so that the graphical images overlay corresponding portions of the minor image of the user when viewed from the sensed first relative position of the user.
Additional aspects of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. For purposes of the present detailed description, the singular includes the plural and vice versa (unless specifically disclaimed); the words “and” and “or” shall be both conjunctive and disjunctive; the word “all” means “any and all”; the word “any” means “any and all”; and the word “including” means “including without limitation.”
Referring to
The gaming terminal 10 illustrated in
Input devices, such as the touch screen 18, buttons 20, a mouse, a joystick, a gesture-sensing device, a voice-recognition device, and a virtual input device, accept player input(s) and transform the player input(s) to electronic data signals indicative of the player input(s), which correspond to an enabled feature for such input(s) at a time of activation (e.g., pressing a “Max Bet” button or soft key to indicate a player's desire to place a maximum wager to play the wagering game). The input(s), once transformed into electronic data signals, are output to a central processing unit (CPU) for processing. The electronic data signals are selected from a group consisting essentially of an electrical current, an electrical voltage, an electrical charge, an optical signal, an optical element, a magnetic signal, and a magnetic element.
Turning now to
The CPU 30 is also connected to an input/output (I/O) bus 36, which can include any suitable bus technologies, such as an AGTL+frontside bus and a PCI backside bus. The I/O bus 36 is connected to various input devices 38, output devices 40, and input/output devices 42 such as those discussed above in connection with
The external system 48 includes, in various aspects, a gaming network, other gaming terminals, a gaming server, a remote controller, communications hardware, or a variety of other interfaced systems or components, in any combination. In yet other aspects, the external system 48 may comprise a player's portable electronic device (e.g., cellular phone, electronic wallet, etc.) and the external system interface 46 is configured to facilitate wireless communication and data transfer between the portable electronic device and the CPU 30, such as by a near-field communication path operating via magnetic-field induction or a frequency-hopping spread spectrum RF signals (e.g., Bluetooth, etc.).
The gaming terminal 10 optionally communicates with the external system 48 such that the terminal operates as a thin, thick, or intermediate client. In general, a wagering game includes an RNG for generating a random number, game logic for determining the outcome based on the randomly generated number, and game assets (e.g., art, sound, etc.) for presenting the determined outcome to a player in an audio-visual manner. The RNG, game logic, and game assets are contained within the gaming terminal 10 (“thick client” gaming terminal), the external system 48 (“thin client” gaming terminal), or are distributed therebetween in any suitable manner (“intermediate client” gaming terminal).
The gaming terminal 10 may include additional peripheral devices or more than one of each component shown in
Referring now to
In response to receiving an input indicative of a wager, the reels 52 are rotated and stopped to place symbols on the reels in visual association with paylines such as paylines 58. The wagering game evaluates the displayed array of symbols on the stopped reels and provides immediate awards and bonus features in accordance with a pay table. The pay table may, for example, include “line pays” or “scatter pays.” Line pays occur when a predetermined type and number of symbols appear along an activated payline, typically in a particular order such as left to right, right to left, top to bottom, bottom to top, etc. Scatter pays occur when a predetermined type and number of symbols appear anywhere in the displayed array without regard to position or paylines. Similarly, the wagering game may trigger bonus features based on one or more bonus triggering symbols appearing along an activated payline (i.e., “line trigger”) or anywhere in the displayed array (i.e., “scatter trigger”). The wagering game may also provide mystery awards and features independent of the symbols appearing in the displayed array.
In accord with various methods of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system in accord with the present concepts, the wagering game includes a game sequence in which a player makes a wager and a wagering game outcome is provided or displayed in response to the wager being received or detected. The wagering game outcome is then revealed to the player in due course following initiation of the wagering game. The method comprises the acts of conducting the wagering game using a gaming apparatus, such as the gaming terminal 10 depicted in
In the aforementioned method, for each data signal, the CPU (e.g., CPU 30) is configured to process the electronic data signal, to interpret the data signal (e.g., data signals corresponding to a wager input), and to cause further actions associated with the interpretation of the signal in accord with computer instructions relating to such further actions executed by the controller. As one example, the CPU causes the recording of a digital representation of the wager in one or more storage media (e.g., storage unit 44), the CPU, in accord with associated computer instructions, causing the changing of a state of the storage media from a first state to a second state. This change in state is, for example, effected by changing a magnetization pattern on a magnetically coated surface of a magnetic storage media or changing a magnetic state of a ferromagnetic surface of a magneto-optical disc storage media, a change in state of transistors or capacitors in a volatile or a non-volatile semiconductor memory (e.g., DRAM), etc. The noted second state of the data storage media comprises storage in the storage media of data representing the electronic data signal from the CPU (e.g., the wager in the present example). As another example, the CPU further, in accord with the execution of the instructions relating to the wagering game, causes the primary display area 12, other display device, or other output device (e.g., speakers, lights, communication device, etc.) to change from a first state to at least a second state, wherein the second state of the primary display comprises a visual representation of the physical player input (e.g., an acknowledgement to a player), information relating to the physical player input (e.g., an indication of the wager amount), a game sequence, an outcome of the game sequence, or any combination thereof, wherein the game sequence in accord with the present concepts comprises acts described herein. The aforementioned executing of computer instructions relating to the wagering game is further conducted in accord with a random outcome (e.g., determined by a RNG) that is used by the CPU to determine the outcome of the game sequence, using a game logic for determining the outcome based on the randomly generated number. In at least some aspects, the CPU is configured to determine an outcome of the game sequence at least partially in response to the random parameter.
The user's game play experience with gaming systems in accordance with the present disclosure may be enhanced by providing game play content that is customized for each individual user. The customization and enhancement may be accomplished by interjecting the user's own image into the game and allowing the user to interact with their image during game play. Referring now to
The gaming terminal 100 further includes a motion tracking sensing device 116 aimed at a user operating position in front of the gaming terminal 100 at which the user should be disposed when playing games offered at the gaming terminal 100. The motion tracking sensing device 116 may be a sensing device of any appropriate motion tracking system utilizing technology such as that provided in the Kinect adjunct to Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 gaming system, the Leap three-dimensional computer interaction system commercially marketed by Leap Motion of San Francisco, Calif., and the like, that senses the position, shape and movements of a user and converts the sensed user information into controls and graphics for execution and displaying a game or other programming functionality provided in the motion tracking system. In an exemplary implementation, a user may occupy the user operating position in front of the gaming terminal 100 to play a primary gambling game using inputs such as the buttons 104 and touch screen 108. Upon the occurrence of a bonus round triggering event in the primary wagering game, such as the occurrence of a specified bonus combination of reel symbols 118 on reels 120, the gaming terminal 100 may enter a bonus game mode in which a bonus game is displayed at the secondary display area 110. The bonus game display may include displaying the minor image 112 of the user with the user image enhancing graphics 114 overlaid, along with additional bonus game graphics 122. The information from the motion tracking sensing device 116 provides the position and orientation of the user to the CPU 30 so that the user image enhancing graphics 114 are overlaid in the appropriate position with respect to the minor image 112. The user performs the bonus game to completion using the buttons 104, touch screen 108 and/or if provided as a touch screen, the secondary display area 110, with the minor image 112 moving along with the user and the user image enhancing graphics 114 moving and reorienting with respect to the minor image 112 to maintain their proper positioning as viewed by the user from the user's position relative to the gaming terminal 100. When the bonus game is complete, the game action returns to the primary display area 106, and the mirror image 112 and graphics 114 may continue to be displayed, or be replaced on the secondary display area 110 by other graphics related to the primary wagering game or to attracting others to play the game.
The user's image may be integrated into the game play at the gaming terminal 100 using a combination of a user image reproduction device for displaying the minor image 112 of the user, and a user image enhancement device for displaying the graphics 114 that partially overlay the mirror image 112 of the user.
The motion tracking sensing device 116 is mounted in the cabinet 102 above the secondary display area 110, but may be located at any appropriate location on the gaming terminal 100 to sense the presence and motion of a user 134. The motion tracking sensing device 116 is aimed at a user operating position in front of the gaming terminal 100 where the user 134 will be disposed when playing the wagering game. When the user 134 is present within the user operating position, the sensing information from the motion tracking sensing device 116 is output over the I/O bus 36 to the CPU 30 for interpretation and determination of the position, shape and orientation of the user 134. Based on this information, the CPU 30 executes motion tracking software stored at the main memory 32 to generate the user image enhancing graphics 114 and to determine the locations at which the graphics 114 will be positioned on the video display 132.
The generated graphics 114 and positions are output to the video display 132 and are overlaid on the mirror image 112 of the user 134 as shown in
As the user 134 plays the wagering game at the gaming terminal 100, the user 134 will move around within the user operating position. Correspondingly, the minor image 112 displayed by the minor 130 will move and change. To maintain a degree of cohesiveness and realism, the user image enhancing graphics 114 are also updated and repositioned to maintain their relationship with the minor image 112. Movement of the user 134 to the left or right, or up and down, is detected at the motion tracking sensing device 116. The CPU 30 determines the new location of the user 134 and the corresponding new locations for the graphics 114 to align with the minor image 112 when viewed from the perspective of the user 134 at the new playing position. The new locations are output to the video display 132 so that the graphics 114 move with the minor image 112. As shown, for example, in
In addition to movements parallel to the secondary display area 110, the user 134 may move toward or away from the gaming terminal 100 so that the minor image 112 increase or decreases in size, respectively. Upon receiving data from the motion tracking sensing device 116, the CPU 30 may generate enlarged or reduced graphics 114 as appropriate and output the updated graphics 114 to the video display 132 so the graphics 114 appear to move in and out with the minor image 112.
Depending on the sophistication of the motion tracking technology implemented at the gaming terminal 100, changes in the orientation of the user 134 may be detected, such as the user 134 turning their head or body from side-to-side. In
The secondary display area 110 in accordance with the present disclosure capable of displaying graphics 114 overlaying a mirror image 112 of a user 134 may be implemented with alternative combinations of user image reproduction devices and user image enhancement devices. For example, the mirror 130 shown in
In further embodiments, the positions of the user image reproduction device and the user image enhancement device may be reversed while still displaying the minor image 112 of the user 134 with the graphics 114 overlaid. As shown, for example, in
The above-described embodiments discuss a single secondary display area 110 providing the mirror image 112 of the user 134 with overlaid graphics 114, but the gaming terminal 100 may be provided with multiple displays similar to those described above having a user image reproduction device and a user image enhancement device. For example,
The motion tracking and graphics generation software stored at the main memory 32 may be configured to interpret the user position and orientation information from the motion tracking sensing device 116 to generate the graphics 114 for both display areas 106, 110. Alternatively, the gaming terminal 100 may be provided with an additional motion tracking sensing device 140 disposed proximate the primary display area 106 and oriented to correspond to the position of the primary display area 106 in a similar manner that the motion tracking sensing device 116 is positioned relative to the secondary display area 110. In this arrangement, the software stored at the main memory 32 is configured to receive the user position and orientation information from both motion tracking sensing devices 116, 140 and generating the graphics 114 for the video display 132 at each display area 110, 106, respectively. In further embodiments, other display areas may be provided at the gaming terminal 100 to provide the desired game play and user image enhancement. For example, additional display areas may be provided on either side of the secondary display area 110 and oriented similar to a three-panel or tri-fold dressing mirror configuration to provide three minor image views of the user 134 with overlaid graphics 114. Other multi-display area configurations of the gaming terminal 100 will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are contemplated by the inventors as having use in gaming terminals 100 in accordance with the present disclosure.
The secondary display area 110 having a user image reproduction device and user image enhancement device as described above may be used in game play where in the user 134 is integrated into the game play to provide a customized personal experience for the user 134 at the gaming terminal. The following examples describe the user 134 and their minor image 112 being integrated into the game play for various bonus games, but those skilled in the art will understand that the user 134 may be integrated into the primary wagering games offered at the gaming terminal 100 as well. As discussed above in relation to
Where a player loyalty program is implemented and the user 134 identifies themselves via a player loyalty card or other identification device at the information reader 24, port 26 or other input device, the awarded accessories may be saved with the information for the user 134 and the previously-awarded accessories may be displayed for the user 134 during subsequent sessions at the gaming terminal 100 or other gaming terminals 10, 100 offering the same wagering game or other games wherein the user 134 is integrated into the game play. In such systems, the accessories may correspond to complimentary goods and services provided by the game operator to the users 134 at the gaming establishment, such as food and beverage credits, tournament admissions, rooming credits and the like. For example, accumulation of the hat, mustache and tie may entitle the user 134 to merchandise credit in a shop located at the gaming establishment that may be redeemed by presenting the player identification device at the time of purchase. Once the credit is redeemed, the corresponding accessories may be removed from the player's account of the user 134 and no longer displayed at a gaming terminal 100 until the accessories are again awarded to the user 134 when the bonus round is triggered.
Alternative bonus award game play is contemplated where the user 134 participates in the bonus game by interacting with the minor image 112 and graphics 114.
In addition to the mirror image 112 and graphics 150-154, the CPU 30 may generate and cause the video display 132 to display additional graphics related to the bonus game play, such as bonus game instruction graphics 156 and bonus total graphics 158. In the illustrated bonus game play, the user 134 may in turn select from the various accessories 150-154 overlaid on the minor image 112 to accumulate bonus awards. The selections may be made through any appropriate input mechanism provided for the bonus game, such as the buttons 104 and/or the touch screen 108 of the primary display area 106, or at the video display 132 where the video display 132 is a touch screen having soft keys at the accessories 150-154 and moving with the minor image 112 and accessories 150-154 to maintain their relationship with the accessories 150-154. Using the latter input method, the user 134 may make a bonus game selection by touching the video display 132 at one of the accessories, such as the hat 150. After the hat 150 is selected, the CPU 30 may cause the video display 132 to display a transition (fading as shown in
In further alternatives, the motion tracking sensing device 116 and associated software may further integrate the hand motion of the user 134 into the bonus game play. The user 134 may be instructed to remove one of the accessories 150-154 to reveal a bonus game element graphic. The motion tracking sensing device 116 and motion tracking software may track the motion as the hand of the user 134 moves to and virtually grabs one of the accessories 150-154. When the user 134 then opens their hand, the selected accessory 150-154 may transition to a bonus element graphic indicting the result of the selection.
The bonus game may continue with the user 134 selecting from the remaining graphics 152, 154 until a bonus game ending triggering event occurs that will return control to the primary wagering game. In one bonus game, the user 134 may select a predetermined number of accessories 150-154 to arrive and a cumulative bonus total after which the gaming terminal 100 returns to the primary wagering game. In other bonus games, each of the accessories 150-154 may be associated with either a monetary bonus element or an end game element, and the user 134 may continue to pick accessories 150-154 until the user 134 picks two accessories 150-154 associated with matching end game elements, with the monetary bonus elements selected prior to the match being totaled for the bonus for the user 134. In a further alternative bonus game, the user 134 may select accessories 150-154 until selecting one of the end game elements. When the mustache 152 is selected by the user 134, the mustache 152 may transition by fading (
During the execution of the bonus game play depicted in
The gaming terminals 100 and associated game play disclosed herein integrate the player's physical characteristics and movements into the display and game play at the gaming terminals 100. Consequently, each player has a unique and personalized game play experience that is tailored to their appearance and movements at the gaming terminal 100. This integration should enhance the player's experience at the gaming terminal 100, making the gaming experience more memorable and more likely to cause the player to choose to return to the gaming terminal for subsequent gaming sessions.
Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims. Moreover, the present concepts expressly include any and all combinations and subcombinations of the preceding elements and aspects.
