Determining gaming information

• US 20030220136A1
• Filed: 02/04/2003
• Published: 11/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walker Digital Table Systems LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: MindPlay LLC (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Soltys, Richard, Huizinga, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,404,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• 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: G06V 10/7515 Shifting the patterns to accommodate for positional errors
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

A method for determining wagers by applying a chip denomination representation, having at least one angle associated with at least one color transition, against a working chip template. A related system includes, but is not limited to, circuitry and/or programming for effecting the foregoing-referenced method; the circuitry and/or programming can be virtually any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware configured to effect the foregoing-referenced method embodiments depending upon the design choices of the system designer.

Claims

1. A method for use with identifying wagers in gaming comprising:

acquiring an image of a gaming table having a bet circle;

selecting an area of the image proximate to the bet circle;

detecting color transitions at least partially in the area;

conforming the color transitions to the area to create area-conformed color transitions;

constructing a working chip template from the area-conformed color transitions;

recalling a first chip denomination representation from a chip denomination representation library, the first chip denomination representation having at least one angle associated with at least one color transition;

applying the first chip denomination representation against the working chip template; and

calculating a first chip score responsive to said applying the first chip denomination.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting color transitions comprises:

detecting a first color pixel adjacent to a second color pixel.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one angle associated with at least one color transition comprises:

a single angle measured relative to at least one of a preceding angle associated with a preceding line of color transition and a succeeding angle associated with a succeeding line of color transition.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first chip denomination representation having at least one angle associated with at least one color transition comprises:

a sequential listing of lines of color transition on a cylindrical surface; and

a listing of angles demarked by the lines of color transition on the cylindrical surface, the angles measured from the center of the cylinder formed by the cylindrical surface.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said conforming the color transitions to the area to create area-conformed color transitions comprises:

determining a median bottom-of-lines value based on one or more bottom positions of any color transitions in the area; and

fitting any color transitions in the area to the median bottom-of-lines value.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said fitting any color transitions in the area to the median bottom-of-lines value comprises:

removing a color transition whose bottom is not within a defined threshold of the calculated median bottom-of-lines value.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said fitting any color transitions in the area to the median bottom-of-lines value comprises:

adjusting a bottom of a color transition in the area to be within a predefined distance from the median bottom-of-lines value.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining a median height-of-lines value based on the one or more color transitions in the area; and

sizing the one or more color transitions to the median height-of-lines value.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said sizing the one or more color transitions to the median height-of-lines value comprises:

comparing a top of a color transition in the one or more color transitions against the median height-of-lines value; and

disregarding, and saving for subsequent processing, an uppermost portion of the color transition when the top of the color transition exceeds a predefined threshold relative to the median height-of-lines value.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said sizing the one or more color transitions to the median height-of-lines value comprises:

adjusting a top of a color transition in the one or more color transitions to be within a predefined distance from the median height-of-lines value.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the first chip score in association with the first chip denomination representation.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said constructing a working chip template from the area-conformed color transitions comprises:

determining a mean horizontal position based on individual horizontal positions of color transitions;

selecting, in left right alternating fashion, from the area-conformed color transitions a previously unselected area-conformed color transition that is most nearly proximate to the mean horizontal position; and

populating the working chip template with the previously unselected area-conformed color transition.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said applying the first chip denomination representation against the working chip template comprises:

identifying a sequence of one or more working-chip template color bands formed by one or more color transitions populating the working chip template;

identifying a sequence of one or more color bands of the first chip denomination representation that correlate with the sequence of one or more working-chip template color bands;

determining at least one of a mean radius value, a radius variance value, and a circle center value responsive to (a) the identified sequence of one or more working-chip template color bands and (b) the identified sequence of one or more color bands of the first chip denomination representation that correlate with the sequence of one or more working-chip template color bands; and

saving at least one of the mean radius value, the circle center value, and the radius variance value in association with the first chip denomination representation.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said calculating a chip score responsive to said applying further comprises:

basing the chip score on at least one of a calculated radius compared against at least one of an expected radius, a calculated color score, and a number of color transitions used.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recalling a second chip denomination representation from a chip denomination representation library, the second chip denomination representation having at least one angle associated with at least one color transition;

applying the second chip denomination representation against the working chip template; and

calculating a second chip score responsive to said applying the second chip denomination representation.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising

determining a horizontal position of a betting chip relative to the bet circle;

determining a depth position of the betting chip relative to the bet circle; and

determining a wager amount based on at least one of the horizontal and depth position of the betting chip relative to the bet circle.

17. A computer-readable medium containing instruction for causing a computer to monitor wagering on a gaming table by:

acquiring an image of a gaming table having a bet circle;

selecting an area of the image proximate to the bet circle;

detecting color transitions at least partially in the area;

conforming the color transitions to the area to create area-conformed color transitions;

constructing a working chip template from the area-conformed color transitions;

recalling a first chip denomination representation from a chip denomination representation library, the first chip denomination representation having at least one angle associated with at least one color transition;

applying the first chip denomination representation against the working chip template; and

calculating a first chip score responsive to said applying the first chip denomination.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the instructions cause the computer to construct a working chip template by:

calculating a mean horizontal position based on individual horizontal positions of color transitions;

selecting, in left right alternating fashion, from the area-conformed color transitions a previously unselected area-conformed color transition that is most nearly proximate to the mean horizontal position; and

populating the working chip template with the previously unselected area-conformed color transition.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the instructions cause the computer to apply the first chip denomination representation against the working chip template by:

identifying a sequence of one or more working-chip template color bands formed by one or more color transitions populating the working chip template;

identifying a sequence of one or more color bands of the first chip denomination representation that correlate with the sequence of one or more working-chip template color bands;

calculating at least one of a mean radius value, a radius variance value, and a circle center value responsive to (a) the identified sequence of one or more working-chip template color bands and (b) the identified sequence of one or more color bands of the first chip denomination representation that correlate with the sequence of one or more working-chip template color bands; and

saving at least one of the mean radius value, the circle center value, and the radius variance value in association with the first chip denomination representation.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the instructions cause the computer to calculate a chip score responsive to said applying by:

basing the chip score on at least one of a calculated radius compared against at least one of an expected radius, a calculated color score, and a number of color transitions used.

21. A wager monitoring system comprising:

a table imager positioned to acquire an image of a gaming table having a bet circle;

a recognition unit coupled to receive image data from the table imager and configured to select an area of the image proximate to the bet circle, detect color transitions at least partially in the area, conform the color transitions to the area to create area-conformed color transitions, recall a first chip denomination representation from a chip denomination representation library—

the first chip denomination representation having at least one angle associated with at least one color transition, apply the first chip denomination representation against the working chip template, and calculate a first chip score.

22. The wager monitoring system of claim 21 wherein the recognition unit comprises at least one of electrical circuitry having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one application specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having a general purpose computing device configured by a computer program, electrical circuitry having a memory device, and electrical circuitry having a communications device.

23. A method for use with identifying wagers in gaming, the method comprising:

illuminating a portion of a gaming table having a bet circle with monochromatic light;

acquiring an image of the gaming table having the bet circle;

constructing a working chip template from intensity transitions in the image;

recalling a first chip denomination representation from a chip denomination representation library, the first chip denomination representation having at least one angle associated with at least one intensity transition;

applying the first chip denomination representation against the working chip template; and

calculating a first chip score responsive to said applying the first chip denomination.

24. A system for use with identifying wagers in gaming comprising:

means for illuminating a portion of a gaming table having a bet circle with monochromatic light;

means for acquiring an image of the gaming table having the bet circle;

means for constructing a working chip template from intensity transitions in the image;

means for recalling a first chip denomination representation from a chip denomination representation library, the first chip denomination representation having at least one angle associated with at least one intensity transition;

means for applying the first chip denomination representation against the working chip template; and

means for calculating a first chip score responsive to said means for applying the first chip denomination.

25. A wager monitoring system comprising:

means for acquiring an image of a gaming table having a bet circle;

means for selecting an area of the image proximate to the bet circle;

means for detecting color transitions at least partially in the area;

means for conforming the color transitions to the area to create area-conformed color transitions;

means for constructing a working chip template from the area-conformed color transitions;

means for recalling a first chip denomination representation from a chip denomination representation library, the first chip denomination representation having at least one angle associated with at least one color transition;

means for applying the first chip denomination representation against the working chip template; and

means for calculating a first chip score responsive to said applying the first chip denomination.

26. The wager monitoring system of claim 25 wherein the means for constructing a working chip template from the area-conformed color transitions further comprise:

means for calculating a mean horizontal position based on individual horizontal positions of color transitions;

means for selecting, in left right alternating fashion, from the area-conformed color transitions a previously unselected area-conformed color transition that is most nearly proximate to the mean horizontal position; and

means for populating the working chip template with the previously unselected area-conformed color transition.