SYSTEM AND DIGITAL TABLE FOR BINDING A MOBILE DEVICE TO A POSITION AT THE TABLE FOR TRANSACTIONS

• US 20180108207A1
• Filed: 09/22/2017
• Published: 04/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Scientific Games Corporation
• Inventors: LYONS, Martin, HILBERT, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 10,643,423 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• 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 17/3265 Influencing the position of stopped moving members to achieve a winning arrangement, e.g. nudging, shuffling, holding
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A system, digital table and method for binding a mobile device to a location on the digital table are disclosed. The digital table has a transparent substrate, a diffuse cloth layer having the feel of felt and suitable for backlighting with an interposed compressible layer. A wireless table transceiver is provided to detect a mobile device on the table and to cause the mobile device to emit a code with its camera flash detected by an optical receiver to bind the mobile device to a specific location on the gaming table surface. Content such as digital images or lighting arrangements are directed through the substrate and compressible layer to the underside of the cloth where they are visible at the cloth layer adjacent to the mobile device location. In an embodiment the orientation of the mobile device may be determined for configuring content. Interaction between the mobile device and table is supported to move virtual items such as gaming chips between the mobile device and the digital table.

Claims

1. A system for binding a mobile device to a location at a table for the exchange of data with one or more processors, the mobile device including a wireless device transceiver, a device camera with a flash, the system comprising:

the table having an upper surface, a lower surface and including at least one light transmissive location to register with the user'"'"'s mobile device resting at the top surface;

an optical receiver;

a wireless surface transceiver associated with the table; and

a said one or more processors in communication with the optical receiver and the surface transceiver and configured to;

receive, at the surface transceiver, one or more of (a) a wireless beacon signal from the device transceiver or (b) a wireless response signal from the device transceiver to a surface transceiver transmitted beacon signal that the mobile device is at the top surface;

receive at the optical receiver device camera flash signals transmitted through the table; and

based upon a location of the flash signals, determine the detected mobile device location at the surface.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile device includes apparatus for determining the orientation of the device as laying upon the surface and to transmit the beacon signal or response signal in response thereto.

3. The system of claim 1 comprising the surface includes at least a non-opaque window to pass the emitted device flash signals to the optical receiver.

4. The system of claim 1 comprising the surface is non-opaque.

5. The system of claim 4 comprising a projector disposed to project content to be displayed at the surface, the processor configured to receive signals from the optical receiver and process the same to determine the location of the device flash signals and a footprint of the shadow for the position of the emitting device laying on the surface.

6. The system of claim 5 comprising said processor configured to control the projector to display content at position associated with the device.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the device includes an input device comprising the surface transceiver configured to receive wireless signals from the input device to provide data from the mobile device to the one or more processors.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the device includes a touch screen display input device comprising the surface transceiver configured to receive wireless signals from the input touch screen display device to provide data from the mobile device to the one or more processors.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the mobile device has access to an eWallet which displays a funds icon at the touch screen display input device, the processor configured to receive wireless signals from the input touch screen display device to transmit data to the one or more processors for the transfer of funds.

10. The system of claim 1 comprising the table is a table for hosting a game.

11. A system for binding two or more users mobile devices to a location at a table and to distinguish the location of each mobile device from the others for exchanging data, the devices each including a wireless device transceiver and a device camera with a flash, the system comprising:

the table having an upper surface, a lower surface and including at least one light transmissive location to register with each user'"'"'s mobile device resting at the top surface;

an optical receiver;

a wireless surface transceiver to receive a beacon signal consisting of one or more of (1) an original wireless finding signal from a device or (2) a return wireless finding signal from a device in response to an interrogating signal from the surface transceiver;

one or more processors associated in communication with the optical receiver and surface transceiver;

the processor configured to (i) receive the wireless beacon signal indicative that a device is at a transmissive location at the surface, (ii) receive from the optical receiver data signals representing a coded flash signal from a device camera flash passed through the table transmissive location and (iii) based upon the location of the flashes and received data signals from the optical receiver determine the location of the detected device at the surface.

12. The system of claim 11 comprising the surfaces are substantially horizontal.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the mobile devices include apparatus for determining the orientation of the device as laying upon the surface and to transmit the beacon signal in response thereto.

14. A method for binding a mobile device to a location on a transmissive surface where the mobile device includes a wireless device transceiver, a device camera with a flash, the method comprising:

providing an optical receiver and a wireless surface transceiver associated with the surface;

receiving at the surface transceiver, one or more of (a) a beacon signal from the device transceiver or (b) a response signal from the device transceiver to a surface transceiver transmitted beacon signal that the mobile device is in proximity to the surface;

causing the mobile device flash to emit an identifier signal through the transmissive surface for reception by the optical receiver, the optical receiver configured for generating data indicative of the location of the mobile device flash on the surface; and

providing for the processing of the signal and location data to locate he specific mobile device to a location at the surface.

15. The method of claim 14 where the transmissive surface is substantially horizontal comprising providing the optical receiver below the surface.

16. The method of claim 15 comprising determining that the mobile device is lying upon the surface.

17. The method of claim 14 comprising projecting content to the location for display at the surface.

18. The method of claim 17 comprising providing the surface as a rigid transparent substrate sheet selected from the group consisting of tempered soda float glass, PMMA, polycarbonate, or plate glass, a transparent compressible layer and a cloth layer selected from the group consisting of woven fabric, polymer or glass composite.

19. The method of claim 18 comprising providing the surface including touch sensing functionality.

20. The method of claim 14 where the mobile device has a touch screen display, the method comprising the wireless transceiver receiving touch input signals from the mobile device touch screen display to cause the mobile device touch screen display and the surface to appear to move content between them.