Patent Grant
9305423
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 U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present disclosure relates generally to wagering games, as well as wagering game terminals and gaming systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to convenience features for users of wagering game terminals and gaming systems.
Gaming terminals, 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. Thus, gaming manufacturers continuously strive to develop new games and improved gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player.
Traditionally, a person who wishes to play an electronic wagering game will visit a casino or other known gaming establishment and play such wagering games on a free-standing electronic or electro-mechanical gaming terminal. With such gaming terminals, the user plays the wagering game while standing or sitting in front of the terminal, inserting coins or other forms of credit, and manipulating one or more player input devices to interact with the game. Oftentimes, a patron will stay at a single gaming terminal for several hours, attempting to build up large cumulative winnings Notwithstanding the widespread use and presence of these machines, most prior art gaming terminals fail to provide adequate, much less convenient, storage for personal effects, such as coats and purses, or resting places for food, drinks, or other items that players often have with them while patronizing a casino or gaming establishment.
With the increased popularity and profitability of casinos throughout the country, casino operators are attempting to make their establishments as “user friendly” as possible to increase patronage and, thus, maximize the profitability of the casino. In this regard, some prior art gaming terminals have been designed with convenience features, such as ash trays, cup holders, and food trays, to provide a secure and convenient place to rest a cigarette, drink, or snack while playing a game of chance in the casino. Very little attention has been paid to convenience features for patrons who wish to safely and securely stow personal valuables, such as purses, jackets, and the like. This issue is exacerbated by criminals who target players who carelessly stow their personal effects on the floor or in the space between adjacent terminals, and patrons who hang their purses and jackets on the back of a stool or chair, all of which are out of the player's immediate line of sight. Additionally, players have been known to forget purses and other personal effects after they finish playing a wagering game and leave the gaming terminal.
Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to wagering game systems and, more particularly, gaming terminals with a utility hook and sensor assembly which addresses one or more of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art. One aspect is directed to a cabinet for a gaming terminal with a retractable hook that projects from a lower portion of the cabinet to allow the patron to hang a handbag, coat, etc., during game play. To ensure that the patron does not forget to take their belonging(s) with them when they are done playing, the gaming terminal or system will alert the player before they leave the terminal. To that effect, the cabinet can incorporate sensors in the cabinet door, utility hook, and/or gaming chair that would detect the presence of the handbag and/or the presence of a player. These items can operate together with system software to alert the player if they leave (or are about to leave) without their belongings.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a gaming terminal for playing a wagering game is disclosed. The gaming terminal includes a cabinet, at least one display device that is configured to display aspects of the wagering game, and at least one input device that is configured to receive an input from a player to play the wagering game. The gaming terminal also includes a support mechanism that is attached to the cabinet and configured to support a personal belonging of the player. An alert system is configured to detect a presence or absence, or both, of at least one of the personal belonging and the player at the gaming terminal, and generate an alert signal in response to the detected presence or absence. The gaming terminals disclosed herein can include other hardware and software, as well as other peripheral componentry.
Other aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a gaming machine. The gaming machine includes a cabinet with an input device that is operatively connected to the cabinet and configured to receive an input to play a wagering game. A display device is operatively mounted to the cabinet and configured to display a randomly determined outcome of the wagering game. The gaming machine also includes a retractable hook that projects from the cabinet and is configured to support a personal belonging of a player. The gaming machine further comprises an alert system that is configured to: detect a presence or an absence, or both, of the personal belonging hanging on the hook and the player at the gaming machine; and generate an alert signal in response to a detected presence of the personal belonging and a detected absence of the player.
Another aspect of this disclosure is directed to a gaming system for playing a wagering game. The gaming system includes, inter alia, an input device, a display device, a processor, and a cabinet. A support mechanism is attached to the cabinet and configured to support a personal belonging of the player. The gaming system also includes an alert system that is configured to detect a presence or absence, or both, of at least one of the personal belonging and the player at the gaming terminal, and generate an alert signal in response to the detected presence or absence.
Yet another aspect of this disclosure presents a gaming system. The gaming system includes a processor, a cabinet, an input device that is operatively connected to the cabinet and configured to receive an input to play a wagering game, and a display device that is operatively mounted to the cabinet and configured to display a randomly determined outcome of the wagering game. The gaming system also includes a retractable hook that projects from the cabinet and is configured to support a personal belonging of a player. An alert system is configured to: detect a presence or an absence, or both, of the personal belonging hanging on the hook and the player at the gaming machine; and, generate an alert signal in response to a detected presence of the personal belonging and a detected absence of the player.
The above summary is not intended to represent each embodiment or every aspect of the present disclosure. Rather, the summary merely provides an exemplification of some of the novel features presented herein. The above features and advantages, and other features and advantages of the present disclosure, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments and modes for carrying out the present invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.
While aspects of this disclosure are 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.
This invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms. There are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail representative 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 aspects of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. To that extent, elements and limitations that are disclosed, for example, in the Abstract, Summary, and Detailed Description sections, but not explicitly set forth in the claims, should not be incorporated into the claims, singly or collectively, by implication, inference or otherwise. For purposes of the present detailed description, unless specifically disclaimed: the singular includes the plural and vice versa; 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.” Moreover, words of approximation, such as “about,” “almost,” “generally,” “approximately,” and the like, can be used herein in the sense of “at, near, or nearly at,” or “within 3-5% of,” or “within acceptable manufacturing tolerances,” or any logical combination thereof, for example.
Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like features throughout the several views, there is shown in
The gaming terminal 10 illustrated in
Input devices, such as the touch screen 18, buttons 20, a mouse, a joystick, a gesture-sensing device, other sensing devices, 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 CPU for processing. The electronic data signals can be 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 a random number generator (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 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 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 an 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.
To offer a more user friendly and convenient environment, the gaming terminal 100 of
The utility hook 162 is attached to the cabinet 100 and configured to support one or more personal belongings of the player, such as a purse, coat, backpack, sweater, laptop bag, and the like. As shown, the utility hook 162 is cantilevered by the cabinet 111, projecting generally horizontally from a forward portion of the cabinet 111 (e.g., a front surface 113 of an access door of the cabinet base) underneath the button panel 120 and, in some embodiments, above a coin chute area and/or a knee well. The utility hook 162 of
Within the scope of this disclosure, the support mechanism may take on different sizes, numbers and geometric configurations from the illustrated embodiment. It is also envisioned that the support mechanism project from other locations of the cabinet 111 without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In some optional alternative embodiments, the support mechanism may include multiple utility hooks (e.g., a rack), one or more hangers, one or more pegs, one or more trays, etc. Some additional geometric and location options are provided in
To prevent accidental breakage of the support mechanism and to prevent players from accidentally hitting the support mechanism while entering or alighting from a gaming chair or stool, for example, the support mechanism may be retractable, foldable or collapsible. In the embodiment illustrated in
The alert system 160 is designed to detect the presence or absence of the player's personal belonging(s) and/or the player at the gaming terminal, and generate an alert signal in response to the detected presence or absence. In some embodiments, the alert system 160: detects the presence or absence, or both, of a personal belonging hanging on the utility hook 162; detects the presence or absence, or both, of the player at the gaming terminal 100; and, generates an alert signal in response to a detected presence of the personal belonging and a detected absence of the player. The alert system 160 of
In some optional arrangements, the alert system 160 can omit one or more of the sensors 164, 168. For example, the alert system 160 need not monitor the player's physical presence at the gaming terminal 100, but rather can determine from other indicators that the player has left or intends to leave the gaming terminal 100. As some non-limiting examples, the alert system 160 can generate an alert signal if a personal belonging is detected when the player “cashes out,” or when the player removes a player card from the gaming terminal, or after a predetermined lapse of time without any player inputs, or when the player depletes all of their gaming credits, or any combination thereof, etc. In this optional arrangement, the alert system 160 can omit the second sensor 168.
To ensure that a player does not forget their belonging(s) when they are done playing, the gaming terminal 100 will alert the player, e.g., before, during and/or after they leave the terminal. Responsive to the alert signal generated by the alert system 160, the controller 130 can generate various outputs from the gaming terminal 100. For example, the display device(s) may be configured to display a visual alert in response to the alert signal generated by the alert system 160. The visual alert may be a picture of a stop sign or other well-known sign, symbol or indicia of warning, which may be accompanied (or replaced) by a textual notification. In addition, or as an optional alternative, the speaker(s) may be configured to generate an audible alert (e.g., “STOP! You forgot something!”) in response to the alert signal generated by the alert system 160. As another option or alternative, the processor 130 may, in response to the alert signal, transmit an electronic notification or warning message to the player or an attendant or other personnel of the gaming establishment. The technology used for this alert may include, for example, a web push, text, email etc.
The alert systems disclosed herein can benefit players by reducing or eliminating the potential for losing their personal items after playing a wagering game. The alert systems can also help to reduce the possibility of theft if the handbag is accidentally left unattended. In the same vein, the disclosed location of the support mechanism—between the cabinet and the player—can help to minimize pickpocketing or theft that may result from personal belongings that would otherwise be placed out of the player's immediate line of sight.
Turning next to
The gaming terminal 200 includes a cabinet 211 that may house various input devices, output devices, and input/output devices. The output device(s) may be in the nature of one or more display devices (e.g., primary display 12 and secondary display 14 of
The utility hook 262 is attached to the cabinet 200 and configured to support one or more personal belongings of the player. As shown, the utility hook 262 of
The utility hook 262 of
Similar to the alert system 160 of
Prior to, contemporaneously with, or after the player leaves the gaming terminal 200, the terminal 200 is configured to alert the player if an item is accidentally left hanging on the utility hook 262. Responsive to the alert signal generated by the alert system 260, the controller 230 can generate various outputs from the gaming terminal 200, including any of those outputs identified above or below. For example, the display device(s) may be configured to display a visual alert in response to the alert signal generated by the alert system 260. In addition, or as an optional alternative, the speaker(s) may be configured to generate an audible alert in response to the alert signal generated by the alert system 260. As another option or alternative, the processor 230 may transmit an electronic notification or warning message to the player or an attendant or other personnel of the gaming establishment.
With reference now to
A gaming terminal cabinet 311 houses various input devices, output devices, and input/output devices, such as display devices (e.g., primary display 12 and secondary display 14 of
The utility hook 362 is attached to the cabinet 200 and configured to support one or more personal belongings of the player. The utility hook 362 of
The utility hook 362 of
Similar to the alert systems 160 and 260 of
Prior to, contemporaneously with, or after the player leaves the gaming terminal 300, the terminal 300 is configured to alert the player if an item is accidentally left hanging on the utility hook 362. Responsive to the alert signal generated by the alert system 360, the controller 330 can generate various outputs from the gaming terminal 300, including any of those outputs identified above or below. For example, the display device(s) may be configured to display a visual alert in response to the alert signal generated by the alert system 360. In addition, or as an optional alternative, the speaker(s) may be configured to generate an audible alert in response to the alert signal generated by the alert system 360. As another option or alternative, the processor 230 may transmit an electronic notification or warning message to the player or an attendant or other personnel of the gaming establishment.
In accordance with another embodiment of the disclosed concepts, a gaming terminal could include a utility hook comprising a weighted lever that is pivotally mounted on a vertical or substantially vertical surface of the cabinet. In some embodiments, the weighted lever of the utility hook is an elongated body that is rotatably mounted to the cabinet via a hinge or other pivoting attachment mechanism located between the distal ends of the elongated body. The bottom end of the weighted lever, below the pivot point of the elongated body, is weighted such that a player can push on the lower portion of the weighted lever, below the pivot point, to cause the top of the weighted lever to protrude from the cabinet. In at least some embodiments, removal of the player's purse or other personal belonging would cause the hook to automatically return to a retracted position flush with the cabinet. A cherry-type switch or other sensor device is incorporated to determine if the hook is open, and in use, or stowed, and not in use.
While many representative embodiments and exemplary modes for carrying out the present invention have been described in detail above, those familiar with the art to which this invention relates will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention within the scope of the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/653,662, which was filed on May 31, 2012, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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