Table game management system, substitute currency for gaming, and inspection device

• US 10,600,279 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2016
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Angel Group Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Angel Playing Cards Co Ltd (Angel Group Company Limited)
• Inventors: Shigeta, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B
• Application Number:
  US15/777,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20190206177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A44C 21/00 Coins coins specially adapted to operate coin-freed mechanisms G07F1/06; Emergency money; Beer or gambling coins or tokens, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/18 Score computers; Miscellaneous indicators time-testing devices G07C
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 11/0002 Dispensing or collecting devices for tokens or chips dispensers for game pieces in chain reaction games A63F9/28; coin freed apparatus for games G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00164 Casino tables
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00835 The characteristic being the colour
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00892 Manufacturing of playing pieces
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2419 Optical
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2489 by radio transmitters, e.g. using RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2011/0006 adapted for chips
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/58 Antifraud or preventing misuse
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00157 Casino or betting games horse races A63F3/00082
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00697 Playing pieces
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/382 absorbing or reflecting infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/047 the record carrier being shaped as a coin or a gambling token
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

Since a game token (chip) on a game table has a complicated design, it is difficult for an image analysis technology to judge whether a dealer correctly redeems chips corresponding to betted chips at the time of redemption and there has been a problem that mistake prevention is not sufficient.

A table game management system according to the present invention includes: a camera (4) that images a game token (100) placed on a game table (1); and a management control device (9) that grasps a type (10 points, 20 points, 100 points, 1,000 points, or the like) of the game token (100) placed on the game table (1) based on a color of a side face of the game token (100) imaged by the camera (4).

Claims

1. A table game management system comprising:

a camera that images a game token placed on a game table; and

a management controller, wherein;

the management controller is configured to use an image of a game token generated by the camera when the game token is on a game table to identify a type of the game token based on a color of a side face of the game token as captured in the image;

the color, on the basis of which the management controller is configured to identify the type, is a first color of a pattern on the side face of the game token captured in the image,

the pattern being made up of the first color, which corresponds to the type of the game token, and a second color that is not dependent on the type of the game token; and

each of the first color of the pattern and the second color of the pattern extends in a direction that is circumferential about the game token.

2. The table game management system according to claim 1, wherein the side face of the game token has a portion whose color changes in a thickness direction of the game token.

3. The table game management system according to claim 1, wherein:

the pattern is a striped pattern made up of at least one layer characterized by the first color, which corresponds to the type of the game token, and at least one layer characterized by the second color that is not dependent on the type of the game token; and

the management controller is configured to identify a number of the at least one layer characterized by the first color or of the at least one layer characterized by the second color in the striped pattern of the game token and, based on the identified number of the at least one layer, determine how many of the game token are present on the game table.

4. The table game according to claim 3, wherein the layers of the striped pattern include layers characterized by the second color arranged on both sides of a layer characterized by the first color.

5. The table game according to claim 3, wherein at least one layer of the pattern of the game token includes a plurality of layers characterized by the first color.

6. The table game management system according to claim 1, wherein the image is of the game token captured while the game token is held in a chip tray on the game table.

7. The table game according to claim 1, wherein the pattern of the game token is formed by a plastic layer of the first color and a plastic layer of the second color being laminated together.

8. The table game according to claim 7, wherein the plastic layer of the first color and the plastic layer of the second color are thermocompression bonded.

9. The table game according to claim 1, wherein a sign representing the type of the game token is on the side face.

10. The table game according to claim 9, wherein the sign is formed of ultraviolet (UV) ink or carbon black ink.

11. The table game according to claim 1, wherein an outermost layer of the game token is transparent.

12. The table game according to claim 11, wherein the transparent layer is embossed.

13. The table game according to claim 11, wherein an end of the transparent layer is rounded.

14. The table game according to claim 1, wherein a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is embedded in the game token.

15. The table game management system according to claim 1, wherein the management controller is configured to additionally identify the type of the game token in another manner that is not based on the color of the side face of the game token as captured in the image, and is configured to determine whether the type identified based on the color of the side face of the game token as captured in the image matches the type identified in the other manner.

16. The table game management system according to claim 1, wherein the extension of the first color is continuous about an entire circumference of the game token.

17. The table game management system according to claim 1, wherein the extension of the second color is continuous about an entire circumference of the game token.

18. The table game management system according to claim 1, wherein the extensions of the first color and the second color are each continuous about an entire circumference of the game token.