Systems and methods for scanning gaming chips placed on a gaming table

• US 20060019739A1
• Filed: 04/15/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming International Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Soltys, Richard, Huizinga, Richard
• Application Number:
  US11/107,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20060019739A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• 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 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A gaming environment comprising a gaming table and a number of optical scanners capable of scanning and decoding machine-readable symbols carried by wagers that are placed approximately within a wagering on the gaming table. The optical scanners operate over specific ranges to capture the reflective light from the wager while excluding reflective light from other objects that are not intended to be scanned. The optical scanners may be located in a chip tray near the dealer, in the gaming table, or in a dealer'"'"'s podium adjacent to a gaming table. Periodic scans of the wagers can produce measurements and information relevant to security, real-time accounting, and providing a basis for automatically allocating player benefits.

Claims

1. A wager monitoring system comprising:

a gaming table having at least one delimited area to receive at least one object bearing a machine-readable symbol; and

a scanner operable to receive light from the at least one object, if any, when the at least one object is located at least partially within a volume extending perpendicularly from the delimited area, the scanner further operable to produce a signal indicative of a reflectance profile of light, wherein the reflectance profile is resolvable if the light is received from the at least one object.

2. The wager monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the delimited area is a wagering area on a playing surface of the gaming table.

3. The wager monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the at least one object bearing the machine-readable symbol is a casino chip placed at least partially within the volume as a wager.

4. The wager monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the reflectance profile of light comprises an optical signal modulated with an amount of information from the machine-readable symbol.

5. The wager monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the scanner is operable to discriminate between light received from the at least one object and light received from another object located outside of the volume.

6. The wager monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising:

a light generating source located within the scanner to produce a beam of light, a rotatable reflector to direct the beam of light toward the volume; and

a detector to receive the light from the at least one object bearing the machine-readable symbol.

7. A method of reading information from a machine-readable symbol, the symbol carried by at least one wager, the method comprising:

locating at least one optical scanning device distally from a wagering area on a gaming table;

calibrating the optical scanning device to have a depth of field region configured to read the machine-readable symbol when the at least one wager is located approximately within the wagering area;

projecting a light source toward at least a portion of the at least one wager;

receiving at least some amount of light reflected from the at least one wager, the light modulated with information carried by the machine-readable symbol; and

processing the amount of reflected light to decode the information from the machine-readable symbol.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

discriminating between light received from the at least one wager when the at least one wager is located approximately within the wagering area and light received from another object located outside of the depth of field region.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein locating at least one optical scanning device distally from a wagering area on the gaming table includes mounting the optical scanning device in a chip tray.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein locating at least one optical scanning device distally from a wagering area on the gaming table includes mounting the optical scanning device proximate to a chip tray.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein locating at least one optical scanning device distally from a wagering area on the gaming table includes mounting the optical scanning device in a fixture configured to be adjacently located to the gaming table.

12. A system for reading information from an object located on a gaming table, the system comprising:

at least one optical scanning device distally located from a wagering region on the gaming table, the optical scanning device calibrated to have a depth of field tailored to read a machine-readable symbol carried by the object when the object is located approximately within the wagering region; and

a processor communicatively coupled with the optical scanning device for processing at least some of the light reflected from the object.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the object is a stack of gaming chips.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one optical scanning device is operable to discriminate between light reflected from the object located approximately within the wagering region and light reflected from another object located outside of the wagering region.