Methods of Receiving Electronic Wagers in a Wagering Game Via a Handheld Electronic Wager Input Device

• US 20120329553A1
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: GAGNER, Mark B., GRONKOWSKI, Timothy T., LESLEY, Paul M., LOOSE, Timothy C., MOTYL, Jim, RASMUSSEN, James M., SHI, Victor T., THOMAS, Alfred, SMITH, Jesse
• Granted Patent: US 8,956,224 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/29
• 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 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming system for conducting a multi-player wagering game includes a multi-touch table surface that is touched by a handheld electronic wager input device (EWID) carried by a player for placing wagers on a wagering game displayed on the multi-touch table surface. Each EWID carried by a player has an associated unique identification code, which is linked to the respective player'"'"'s account. Players indicate an amount to be wagered by touching the EWID to designated wager amount areas, then place the wager by touching the EWID to a designated wagering area. Because each EWID is uniquely associable with distinct player accounts, the gaming system can support any number of players placing wagers. The funds remain safe in the player account and no funds are stored on the EWID. Only the identification code is detected, which is compared with the associated player account before allowing that player to place wagers.

Claims

1-120. -120. (canceled)

121. A method of capturing a code to play a wagering game, comprising:

capturing, using an imaging sensor on a portable electronic device, a code displayed on a medium;

decoding, by the portable electronic device, a uniform resource locator (URL) encoded in the code, the URL being associated with a wagering game;

responsive to the decoding, retrieving the wagering game encoded in the code;

displaying the wagering game; and

permitting the portable electronic device to participate in the wagering game.

122. The method of claim 121, wherein the code is a two-dimensional (2D) code.

123. The method of claim 122, wherein the 2D code is a Quick Response (QR) code.

124. The method of claim 121, wherein the medium is a printed medium or a video display device.

125. The method of claim 124, wherein the printed medium is a sticker.

126. The method of claim 121, further comprising displaying by a gaming terminal the code.

127. The method of claim 121, wherein the permitting includes receiving a wager at the portable electronic device to play the wagering game.

128. The method of claim 121, further comprising using the portable electronic device to place a wager on the wagering game.

129. The method of claim 121, wherein the displaying is carried out at least in part on the portable electronic device.

130. The method of claim 121, wherein the portable electronic device operates as a thin client to display results of the wagering game whose outcomes are randomly determined by a gaming server external to the portable electronic device, the gaming server executing game code corresponding to the wagering game.

131. The method of claim 121, wherein the code further encodes an object identifier that includes information about an object on which the code is displayed.

132. The method of claim 121, wherein the code further encodes data relating to a wagering game environment.

133. A method of capturing a code to play a wagering game, comprising:

capturing, using a camera on a portable electronic device, a Quick Response (QR) code displayed on a medium;

decoding, by the portable electronic device, a uniform resource locator (URL) encoded in the QR code, the URL being associated with a wagering game;

responsive to the decoding, displaying on the portable electronic device the wagering game encoded in the QR code and permitting the portable electronic device to participate in the wagering game;

displaying the wagering game at least in part on a video display external to the portable electronic device and at least in part on a display of the portable electronic device;

using the portable electronic device to place a wager on the wagering game; and

operating the portable electronic device as a thin client to display results of the wagering game whose outcomes are randomly determined by a gaming server external to the portable electronic device, the gaming server executing game code corresponding to the wagering game.

134. The method of claim 133, wherein the medium is a printed medium or a video display device.

135. The method of claim 134, wherein the printed medium is a sticker.

136. The method of claim 133, further comprising displaying by a gaming terminal the code.

137. One or more physical machine-readable storage media including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations for capturing a code to play a wagering game, the operations comprising:

capturing, using an imaging sensor on a portable electronic device, a code displayed on a medium;

decoding, by the portable electronic device, a uniform resource locator (URL) encoded in the code, the URL being associated with a wagering game;

responsive to the decoding, retrieving the wagering game encoded in the code;

displaying the wagering game; and

permitting the portable electronic device to participate in the wagering game.

138. The one or more physical machine-readable storage media of claim 137, wherein the code is a Quick Response (QR) code.

139. The one or more physical machine-readable storage media of claim 137, wherein the medium is a printed medium or a video display device.

140. The one or more physical machine-readable storage media of claim 137, the operations further comprising displaying by a gaming terminal the code.

141. The one or more physical machine-readable storage media of claim 137, wherein the permitting includes receiving a wager at the portable electronic device to play the wagering game.

142. The one or more physical machine-readable storage media of claim 137, further comprising receiving from the portable electronic device an indication of a wager to play the wagering game.

143. The one or more physical machine-readable storage media of claim 137, wherein the portable electronic device operates as a thin client to display results of the wagering game whose outcomes are randomly determined by a gaming server external to the portable electronic device, the gaming server executing game code corresponding to the wagering game.