Casino card handling system with game play feed

• US 10,504,337 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2018
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Grauzer, Attila, Bourbour, Feraidoon, Yoseloff, Mark L., Haushalter, Todd M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US16/017,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20180308319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 463 11, 463 12, 463 13
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/005 Poker
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/00 ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

A card game monitor manages play of a game with a video feed of casino table game play. A dealer deals a game using a card-handling device that randomizes and dispenses cards, which may be grouped into sets of hands by the card-handling device. A card recognition system recognizes card information including rank and suit of each card dispensed by the card-handling device while each card is under control of the card-handling device. A camera captures a video feed of casino table game play, which is transmitted to a computing device operated by a player. A control system receives the card information from the card recognition device and manages control of the game using hand information associated with players. Player action elections from the computing device are displayed to a dealer. The player provides a player action through the computing device, which is used to facilitate play of the casino table game.

Claims

1. A gaming system configured to conduct a casino table game with a live dealer at a table and one or more players located remotely from the live dealer, each of the one or more players participating in the casino table game via a respective mobile device connected for communication with the gaming system via a network, the gaming system comprising:

a card-handling device configured to randomize one or more decks of cards;

a card-recognition system configured to read card information of cards under control of the card-handling device, the card information including card rank and card suit; and

game-logic circuitry configured to;

direct the card-handling device to dispense cards of a player hand for each of the one or more players to a table position associated with the respective player;

transmit, to the mobile device of each of the one or more players, the card information corresponding to the player hand of the respective player, and one or more of video image data of the live dealer at the table during play of the casino table game, audio data from a location of the live dealer table, or text communication from the live dealer; and

receive, from an input device of each mobile device, an input indicative of a player election responsive to the transmitted card information.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, further comprising a camera configured to capture the video image data of the live dealer at the table.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the card-handling device is configured to dispense the cards of the player hand to the live dealer for distribution to the table position associated with the respective player.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game-logic circuitry is further configured to receive a user-selection of a pre-programmed set of executable instructions for conducting one or more different casino table games, wherein the pre-programmed set includes instructions for one or more of randomizing cards, dispensing cards of one or more player hands, or reading card information of cards in the dispensed hands.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming system is further configured to provide at least one of two-way voice communication between the live dealer and the one or more players or two-way text communication between the live dealer and the one or more players via the mobile devices of the one or more players.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least one mobile device is a cell phone.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming system is further configured to receive, from the input device of each mobile device, a player selection of at least one of a live dealer from a plurality of live dealers, a casino table game from a plurality of casino table games, or a table position from a plurality of table positions.

8. A computer-implemented method of conducting a casino table game by a gaming system, the casino table game including a live dealer at a table and one or more players located remotely from the live dealer, the gaming system being connected for communication over a network, the gaming system including a card-handling device, a card-recognition system, and a network interface, the method comprising:

connecting, via the network interface, to a mobile device associated with each of the respective one or more players to a gaming system;

receiving, from an input device of each mobile device, a player-selection of a table position at the table;

randomizing, via the card-handling device, one or more decks of cards;

reading, via the card-recognition system, card information including card rank and card suit of the cards under control of the card-handling device;

dispensing, via the card-handling device, cards of a player hand for each of the one or more players to the table position associated with the respective player;

transmitting, via the network interface to each mobile device, the card information corresponding to the player hand of the respective player, and one or more of video image data of the live dealer at the table during play of the casino table game, audio data from a location of the live dealer table, or text communication from the live dealer; and

receiving, from the input device of each mobile device, an input indicative of a player election responsive to the transmitted card information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each mobile device includes one or more of a video display device and a microphone.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one mobile device associated with a player is a cell phone.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the transmitted card information is displayed to a respective player via a display device of the player'"'"'s mobile device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the audio data further comprises voice communication between the live dealer and at least one of the one or more players via a microphone and speaker proximal the table and a microphone and speaker of the respective mobile device and the text communication further comprises communication from at least one of the one or more players to the live dealer via the at least one player'"'"'s respective mobile device.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the transmitted card information is displayed as images of the dispensed cards on a display device of the player'"'"'s mobile device.

14. A gaming system configured to conduct a casino table game with a live dealer at a table and one or more players located remotely from the live dealer, each of the one or more players participating in the casino table game via a respective mobile device configured to communicate with the gaming system via a network, the gaming system comprising:

a card-handling device at the table configured to randomize one or more decks of cards;

a card-recognition system configured to read card information of cards under control of the card-handling device, the card information including card rank and card suit;

a table-management system configured to monitor video image data and/or sound data at the table; and

a control system configured to;

direct operations of the table-management system, the card-handling device, and the card-recognition system;

execute user-selected functions including one or more of shuffling operations, sorting operations, dealing operations, or recalling the card information;

transmit, to the mobile device of each of the one or more players, the card information corresponding to a player hand of the respective player and one or more of video image data of the live dealer at the table during play of the casino table game, audio data from a location of the live dealer table, or text communication from the live dealer; and

receive, from an input device of each mobile device, an input indicative of a player election responsive to the transmitted card information.

15. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the control system is further configured to receive, from the input device of each mobile device, a player selection of at least one of a live dealer from a plurality of live dealers, a casino table game from a plurality of casino table games, or a table position from a plurality of table positions.

16. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the card-handling device is configured to dispense the cards of the player hand to the live dealer for distribution to the respective player position at the table.

17. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the gaming system is further configured to provide at least one of two-way voice communication between the live dealer and the one or more players and two-way text communication between the live dealer and the one or more players via the mobile devices of the one or more players.

18. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein at least one mobile device is a cell phone.

19. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein each mobile device includes one or more of a video display device and a microphone.

20. The gaming system of claim 14, wherein the audio data comprises two-way voice communication between the live dealer and at least one of the one or more players transmitted via the table-management system and a microphone and speaker of the respective mobile device.