SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR GAMING DATA ANALYSIS

• US 20110128382A1
• Filed: 12/01/2009
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Bin, Pennington, Richard
• Application Number:
  US12/628,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20110128382A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/153
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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: G08B 13/19613 Recognition of a predetermined image pattern or behaviour pattern indicating theft or intrusion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19671 Addition of non-video data, i.e. metadata, to video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19673 Addition of time stamp, i.e. time metadata, to video stream

Abstract

A system for analyzing data generated by surveillance of a casino is provided. The system includes a plurality of cameras. Each camera is positioned with respect to a corresponding section of the casino and configured to digitally record a video segment upon detection of at least one defined trigger within the corresponding section and generate a signal indicative of the recorded video segment. A video surveillance center is in signal communication with each camera and includes a database configured to store a plurality of defined behaviors and a plurality of defined indicators that are each associated with at least one trigger. The video surveillance center is configured to receive content including the recorded video segment from at least one camera and analyze the content to identify the at least one defined trigger.

Claims

1. A system for analyzing data generated by surveillance of a casino, said system comprising:

a plurality of cameras, each of said plurality of cameras is positioned to survey a corresponding section of the casino and is configured to digitally record a video segment upon detection of at least one pre-defined trigger within the corresponding section and generate a signal indicative of the recorded video segment; and

a video surveillance center in communication with each said camera, said video surveillance center comprising a database configured to store at least one of a plurality of defined behaviors and a plurality of defined indicators, said at least one pre-defined trigger associated with at least one of said plurality of defined behaviors and said plurality of defined indicators, said video surveillance center configured to receive content including the recorded video segment from at least one of said plurality of cameras and to analyze the content to identify the at least one defined trigger.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of cameras is programmed to digitally record the video segment upon detection of the at least one defined trigger.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said video surveillance center is further configured to automatically generate at least one metadata annotation corresponding to the at least one defined trigger.

4. A system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said video surveillance center is further configured to identify the at least one metadata annotation corresponding to the at least one defined trigger.

5. A system in accordance with claim 4 wherein the at least one identified metadata annotation is stored in said database.

6. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the content includes a plurality of timecodes associated with the recorded video segment, each timecode of the plurality of timecodes corresponding to a portion of the recorded video segment, the video surveillance center configured to analyze the content to identify at least one timecode of the plurality of timecodes corresponding to the at least one defined trigger.

7. A system in accordance with claim 6 wherein the plurality of timecodes are stored in said database.

8. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said video surveillance center is further configured to receive a query from an operator, wherein the query is directed to at least one of a stored metadata annotation corresponding to the at least one defined trigger and a stored timecode of the plurality of timecodes corresponding to a portion of the recorded video segment.

9. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said video surveillance center is further configured to assign a weight to the at least one metadata annotation, and rank results of the query.

10. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said video surveillance center is further configured to reanalyze the recorded video segment after said database is updated with additional defined triggers.

11. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said video surveillance center is further configured to assign a weight to the at least one metadata annotation, wherein the weight is rankable to provide a result for a query received by said video surveillance center from an operator.

12. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of cameras includes a unique identifier to facilitate consolidation of data received by said video surveillance center from said plurality of cameras.

13. A method for monitoring activity on a casino property, the method comprising:

defining a plurality of triggers, wherein each of the triggers is associated with at least one of a plurality of behaviors and a plurality of indicators;

defining a metadata annotation corresponding to each defined trigger of the plurality of defined triggers;

receiving from a camera positioned on the casino property a video stream including a plurality of timecodes associated with the video stream, each timecode of the plurality of timecodes corresponding to a portion of the received video stream;

analyzing the received video stream to identify at least one defined trigger of the plurality of defined triggers at a corresponding timecode within the received video stream; and

storing a corresponding metadata annotation at a corresponding timecode.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13 wherein the corresponding metadata annotation is stored in one of the video stream and an independent video file.

15. A method in accordance with claim 13 further comprising:

receiving a query request to identify at least one defined trigger;

performing a query on stored metadata annotations corresponding to the at least one identified defined trigger at the corresponding timecode in the received video stream; and

providing query results to a user.

16. A method in accordance with claim 13 further comprising:

analyzing a plurality of video streams;

storing metadata annotations for the plurality of video streams; and

performing a query on the stored metadata annotations.

17. A method in accordance with claim 13 further comprising:

storing a plurality of metadata annotations for each timecode; and

assigning a weight to each metadata annotation of the plurality of metadata annotations to facilitate sorting the plurality of timecodes.

18. A method for monitoring activity on a casino property, the method comprising:

accessing at least one defined trigger from a database including a plurality of defined triggers that are each associated with at least one of a plurality of behaviors and a plurality of indicators;

accessing at least one metadata annotation corresponding to the at least one defined trigger;

receiving from a camera positioned on the casino property content having a plurality of timecodes associated with the content, each timecode of the plurality of timecodes corresponding to a portion of the received content;

analyzing the received content to identify the at least one accessed defined trigger within the received content;

identifying the at least one metadata annotation and at least one timecode of the plurality of timecodes corresponding to the at least one accessed defined trigger; and

storing the at least one identified metadata annotation and the at least one corresponding timecode in the database.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18 further comprising defining the plurality of triggers.

20. A method in accordance with claim 18 further comprising defining the at least one metadata annotation.

21. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein receiving from a camera positioned on the casino property content having a plurality of timecodes associated with the content comprises receiving at least one of video content and audio content.

22. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein receiving from a camera positioned on the casino property content having a plurality of timecodes associated with the content comprises receiving a stream of video data in real-time.

23. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein the at least one identified metadata annotation and the at least one corresponding timecode are stored within the received content.

24. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein storing the at least one identified metadata annotation and the at least one corresponding timecode are stored separately from the received content.

25. A method in accordance with claim 18 further comprising:

receiving, from a user, a query directed to at least one of the at least one stored metadata annotation and the at least one corresponding timecode;

performing the received query to generate query results; and

providing the query results to the user.

26. A method in accordance with claim 25 wherein performing the received query comprises assigning a weight to the at least one defined trigger to enable sorting of the plurality of defined trigger.