INTERPROCESS COMMUNICATION REGARDING MOVEMENT OF GAME DEVICES

• US 20100311493A1
• Filed: 06/08/2009
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Alderucci, Dean P., Miller, Mark A., Bradshaw, Thomas D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,784,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/22
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/02 Cards; Special shapes of cards card-printing methods B41K, B41M
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00643 Electric board games; Electric features of board games electric word or number games A63F3/0421; computer chess G06F; electric raffle games A63F3/081

Abstract

Various card devices and methods involving card devices are described. Other embodiments are also described.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising

a first set of mobile devices, each mobile device of the first set of mobile devices comprising a respective first display,

a second mobile device comprising a second display;

and

a system configured to;

receive respective information identifying a respective first location of each of the first set of mobile devices;

determine a respective hand of a plurality of hands of a game to which each of the first set of mobile devices belongs based on the respective first locations;

receive information identifying a second location of the second mobile device;

determine to which hand of the plurality of hands to the second mobile device belongs based on the second location; and

determine which hand of the plurality of hands is a winning hand of the game based on the hands to which each of the respective mobile devices of the first set of mobile devices and the second mobile device are determined to belong.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the system is configured to

determine a respective card value for each of the mobile devices of the first set of mobile devices based on at least one random event generation,

control each of the card devices of the first set of mobile devices to display the respective card value,

determine a second card value for the second mobile device based on the at least one random event generation, and

control the second mobile device to display the second card value.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, in which determining which hand is a winning hand includes comparing respective sets of card values displayed on the respective mobile devices that make up each respective hand.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the system is configured to:

determine a gaming action based on the second location.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the second location is proximate to the respective first location of a mobile device of the first set of card devices that belongs to the hand to which the second mobile device belongs.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, in which each of the respective first locations includes a respective area of a plurality of areas of a table, and in which each mobile device of the first set of card devices that is associated with a same respective area as any other mobile devices of the first set of card devices is determined to be in the same respective hand as the other mobile devices.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, in which the second location includes a respective one area of the plurality of areas in which the mobile devices of the first set of mobile devices that belong to the same hand to which the second mobile device belongs are located.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, in which each of the respective first locations includes a respective side of a communication device, and in which each mobile device of the first set of mobile devices that is in a same respective side as any other mobile devices of the first set of mobile devices is determined to be in the same respective hand as the other mobile devices.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, in which each card device of the first set of mobile devices and the second mobile device has a respective combined thickness less than about 0.02 inches.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, in which each mobile device of the first set of mobile devices and the second mobile device has a respective combined thickness less than about 0.011 inches.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, in which each mobile device of the first set of mobile devices and the second mobile device includes a respective location device configured to facilitate a determination of a respective location of the mobile device.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, in which each first mobile device includes a respective first substrate having a front face and a back face;

in which each respective first display is coupled to a respective front face of a respective substrate;

in which each first mobile device has a combined length, width, and height substantially similar to a playing card;

in which the second mobile device includes a respective second substrate having a front face and a back face, in which the second display is coupled to the front face of the second substrate, and in which the second mobile device has a combined length, width, and height substantially similar to a playing card.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, in which each substrate is bendable without interfering with operation of a respective display.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, in which each mobile device has a combined structure that is flexible.

15. An apparatus comprising

a plurality of mobile devices, each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices comprising a respective display;

and

a system configured to;

receive information identifying a respective location of each of the plurality of mobile devices; and

determine a respective hand of a plurality of hands of a game to which each of the plurality of mobile devices belongs based on the respective location of the respective mobile device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the system is configured to

determine a respective card value for each of the plurality of mobile devices based on at least one random event generation, and

control each of the mobile devices to display the respective card value on a respective display.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, in which the system is configured to

determine which hand of the plurality of hands is a winning hand of the game based on the card values.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, in which determining which hand is a winning hand includes comparing respective sets of card values displayed on the respective mobile devices that make up each respective hand.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, in which the system is configured to receive an indication of a gaming action, and control at least one of the plurality of mobile devices to display a result of the gaming action.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, in which each respective location include a respective area of a plurality of areas of a table, and in which each mobile device that is associated with a respective location in a same respective area as any other mobile devices of the first set of mobile devices is determined to belong in the same respective hand as the other mobile devices.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, in which each location includes a respective side of a communication device, and in which each mobile device is in a same respective side as any other mobile devices of the card devices is determined to be in the same respective hand as the other mobile devices.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, in which each mobile device has a respective combined thickness less than about 0.02 inches.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, in which each mobile device has a respective combined thickness less than about 0.011 inches.

24. The apparatus of claim 15, in which each mobile device includes a respective location determination device configured to facilitate a determination of a respective location of the mobile device.

25. The apparatus of claim 15, in which each mobile device has a combined structure that is flexible.

26. The apparatus of claim 15, in which each mobile device includes a respective substrate having a front face and a back face, in which each respective display is coupled to a respective front face;

and in which each card device has a combined length, width, and height substantially similar to a playing card.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, in which each substrate is bendable without interfering with operation of a respective display.

28. An apparatus comprising:

a first mobile device comprising a first display;

a second mobile device comprising a second display; and

a system configured to;

receive information identifying a first location of the first mobile device;

receive information identifying a second location of the second mobile device;

determine an action to be taken in a game based on the first location and the second location;

determine gaming information resulting from taking the action; and

control at least one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device to display, on a respective at least one of the first display and the second display, the gaming information.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, in which determining the action includes determining the action based on the first location relative to the second location.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, in which the determining the action includes determining that the first mobile device is a distance away from the second mobile device.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, in which the determining the action includes determining that the first mobile device is in a direction from the second mobile device.

32. The apparatus of claim 28, in which the system is further configured to receive information identifying a third location of the first mobile device, in which the third location includes a location associated with a later time than the first location, and in which determining the action includes determining the action based on the third location relative to the second location and the first location.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, in which the determining the action includes determining that the first mobile device has been moved a distance away from the second mobile device.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, in which the determining the action includes determining that the first mobile device has been moved in a direction from the second mobile device.

35. The apparatus of claim 28, in which the system is configured to

determine a first card value for the first mobile device based on at least one random event generation,

determine a second card value for the second mobile device based on the at least one random event generation,

control the first mobile device to display the first card value before determining the action;

and

control the second mobile device to display the second card value before determining the action.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, in which controlling the at least one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device to display, on a respective at least one of the first display and the second display, information identifying the result, includes controlling the second mobile device to display an indication of the gaming information in place of the second card value.

37. The apparatus of claim 28, in which the system is configured to determine if a hand of the game is a winning hand based on the result.

38. The apparatus of claim 28, in which the second location is proximate to the first location, in which the action includes adding the second mobile device to a hand associated with the first mobile device, and in which the result includes a card value for the second mobile device.

39. The apparatus of claim 28, in which each mobile device has a respective combined thickness less than about 0.02 inches.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, in which each mobile device has a respective combined thickness less than about 0.011 inches.

41. The apparatus of claim 28, in which each card device includes a respective location determination device configured to facilitate a determination of a respective location of the mobile device.

42. The apparatus of claim 28, in which each mobile device has a combined structure that is flexible.

43. The apparatus of claim 28, in which each mobile device includes a respective substrate having a front face and a back face, in which each respective display is coupled to a respective front face;

and in which each card device has a combined length, width, and height substantially similar to a playing card.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, in which each substrate is bendable without interfering with operation of a respective display.

45. An apparatus comprising:

a first mobile device comprising a first display;

a second card device comprising a second display; and

a system configured to;

receive information identifying a first orientation of the first mobile device;

receive information identifying a second orientation of the second mobile device;

determine an action to be taken based on the first orientation and the second orientation;

determine gaming information resulting from taking the action; and

control at least one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device to display, on a respective at least one of the first display and the second display, the gaming information.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, in which determining the action includes determining the action based on the first orientation relative to the second orientation.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, in which the determining the action includes determining that the first mobile device oriented at a particular angle with respect to the second mobile device.

48. The apparatus of claim 45, in which the system is further configured to receive information identifying a third orientation of the first card device, in which the third orientation includes an orientation associated with a later time than the first orientation, and in which determining the action includes determining the action based on the third orientation relative to the second orientation and the first orientation.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, in which the determining the action includes determining that the first mobile device has been moved from a first angle relative to the second mobile device to a second angle relative to the second mobile device.

50. The apparatus of claim 45, in which the system is configured to

determine a first card value for the first mobile device based on at least one random event generation,

determine a second card value for the second mobile device based on the at least one random event generation,

control the first mobile device to display the first card value before determining the action;

and

control the second mobile device to display the second card value before determining the action.

51. The apparatus of claim 50, in which controlling the at least one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device to display, on a respective at least one of the first display and the second display, the gaming information, includes controlling the second mobile device to display an indication of the result in place of the second card value.

52. The apparatus of claim 45, in which the system is configured to determine if a hand of the game is a winning hand based on the result.

53. The apparatus of claim 45, in which each mobile device has a respective combined thickness less than about 0.02 inches.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, in which each mobile device has a respective combined thickness less than about 0.011 inches.

55. The apparatus of claim 45, in which each mobile device includes a respective orientation device configured to facilitate a determination of a respective orientation of the mobile device.

56. The apparatus of claim 45, in which each mobile device has a combined structure that is flexible.

57. The apparatus of claim 45, in which each mobile device includes a respective substrate having a front face and a back face, in which each respective display is coupled to a respective front face;

and in which each card device has a combined length, width, and height substantially similar to a playing card.

58. The apparatus of claim 57, in which each substrate is bendable without interfering with operation of a respective display.