Land-based, on-line poker system

• US 7,727,060 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2006
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RealDeck, Inc. (World Poker Fund Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RealDeck, Inc. (World Poker Fund Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mills, Maurice
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones; Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hall; Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US11/388,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20070178955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463/46, 463/1, 463 9- 13, 463 16- 22, 463/29, 463 40- 42, 273/274, 273/108.1, 273/138.1, 273/139, 273/142.B, 273/141.A, 273/142.A, 273/142.J, 273/148.A, 273/148.R, 273/148.B, 273/149.P, 273/149.R, 273/145.R, 273/147, 273292-293, 273/304, 273/306, 273/309, 273/317.1, 273/351, 273454-456, 273460-461, 705/14, 705/26, 705/35, 705/36.R, 705/37, 705/42, 705/77, 902/10, 902/23, 709203-207, 709217-219, 709/225, 709/FOR.106, 709/FOR.115, 709/FOR.122, 709/FOR.130, 709/FOR.131, 709/FOR.132, 709/FOR.141, 709/FOR.148, 709/FOR.149, 709/FOR.153, 715/706, 715/738, 715/744, 715757-758, 715762-764, 704/E15.047
• US Class Current: 463/13
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/00 Card games aspects of games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions showing representations related to the game A63F13/00; card games played on a gaming machine G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/067 Tables or similar supporting structures
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/18 Score computers; Miscellaneous indicators time-testing devices G07C
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/005 Poker
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2435 using a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2488 Remotely playable
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

An on-line poker game system includes a poker table staffed with a live dealer with a plurality of designated seats assigned to at least one a remote player and one or more live players or to a plurality of remote players. Remote players connect to the system via a wide area network. Located at each designated seat is a private card camera that produces and transmits images of face down cards dealt thereto. A public card camera produces and transmits images of all face up cards dealt on the poker table. A table camera constantly provides an image of the entire table and dealer. A deck of cards with an identifying RFID tag is used with images to verify the identity of the private and public cards. A game logic server connects to a network server and host and client-side software programs enable the remote players to connect to the server.

Claims

1. An on-line poker game system, comprising:

a. a card room containing a poker table with designated seats to be assigned to physically located and remotely located players;

b. at least one dealer assigned to said poker table, said dealer not assigned to a designated seat to be assigned to players physically located or players remotely located, said dealer deals playing cards to designated seats on said poker table;

c. at least two players assigned to said designated seats at said poker table with at least one player being located at a remote location from said card room,

d. a wide area network;

e. a means for imaging face down playing cards includes a transparent panel located on said poker table at or near said designated seat and a private card camera aimed to view the bottom surface of a playing card placed face down on said transparent panel, said means for imaging located at each said designated seat assigned to each said player at a remote location, said private card camera being coupled to said wide area network to transmit an image of the face down cards only to said remote player assigned to said designated seat;

f. a single deck of fifty-two standard size playing cards to be played at said poker table;

g. at least one public card camera located above said poker table or at or near each said designated seat used to create and transmit an image of face up cards dealt on said poker table;

h. a game logic server including working memory with at least one poker game managing software program loaded therein, said poker game managing software program enabling said game logic server to act as a state machine to managing a poker game played between said players assigned to said designated seats at said poker table;

i. a web server connected to said wide area network and to said game logic server;

j. a remote computer operated by said each player at a remote location and assigned to one said designated seat on at said poker table, said remote computer including working memory, said remote computer connected to said wide area network, and a display; and

,

k. a client side software program loaded into said working memory of each said remote computer operated by a player located at a remote location, said client side software program used to present a menu listing the type of poker game or the number of poker tables available, said client side software program used to connect via said wide area network to said game logic server and to receive instructions and data from said game logic server, said client side software program also used to communicate with said public card camera to display the images of face-up playing cards dealt on said poker table and to communicate with said means for imaging face down playing cards to display the face-down playing cards dealt to said designated seat assigned to said player at said remote location, said client side software program also used to input poker game instructions from said player at said remote location via said remote computer to said game logic server.

2. The on-line poker game system, as recited in claim 1, further including means for verifying the identity of said face down playing cards dealt to each said designated seat.

3. The on-line poker game system, as recited in claim 2, wherein said means for verifying the identity of said face down playing cards is a deck of playing cards with each card including an identifying RFID tag located thereon and at least one RFID detecting device used to detect said RFID tag when the playing card is swiped through said RFID detecting device.

4. The on-line poker game system, as recited in claim 2, wherein said means for verifying the identity of said playing cards dealt in a face down matter and an image recognition software program configured to process the image information from said scanner and creating a transferable, readable image file that can be sent to said player at a remote location.

5. The on-line poker game system, as recited in claim 4, further including a database server connected to said game logic server, said database server being used to record specific game information.

6. The on-line poker game system, as recited in claim 2, wherein said means for verifying the identity of said playing cards dealt in a face down matter to each said designated player seat currently assigned to a remote player is a deck of cards with an identifying barcode associated with each playing card and a barcode reader located near said dealer.

7. The on-line poker game system, as recited in claim 6, further including at least one public card camera used to create an image of face up cards dealt on said poker table.

8. The on-line poker game system, as recited in claim 6, further including a database server connected to said game logic server, said database server being used to record specific game information.

9. The on-line poker game system, as recited in claim 2, further including a database server connected to said game logic server, said database server being used to record specific game information.

10. The on-line poker game system, as recited in claim 1, further including at least one table camera used to create an image of said dealer when dealing cards at said poker table, said table camera being coupled to each said remote computer enabling remote players to view said dealer dealing aid playing cards on said poker table.

11. The on-line poker game system, as recited in claim 10, wherein said client side software program creates an interface on said display that presents a separate image of face-up cards on said table from said public card camera, a separate image of said dealer when dealing cards from said table camera, a separate image of face-down playing cards dealt to said designated seat assigned to said remote player from said private card camera.

12. The on-line poker game system, as recited in claim 1, further including at least one table camera located above said poker table used to create an image of all of the face up cards on said poker table and said designated seats and said dealer, said table camera being coupled to each said remote computer enabling said players to view said face up cards and said dealer.

13. The on-line poker game system, as recited in claim 1, further including a database server connected to said game logic server, said database server being used to record specific game information.

14. A method for playing on-line poker game, comprising the following steps:

a. selecting a remote computer using a display, said remote computer includes a client side software program used to communicate with an on-line poker game system, said client side software program used to present a menu listing the types of poker games or poker tables available for playing;

b. connecting said remote computer to a wide area network;

c. connecting said remote computer to an on-line poker game system connected to said wide area network, said game system includes one or more poker games, each said poker game includes a poker table with a card dealer who deals playing cards for a game of poker to be played at said poker table, said poker table includes a plurality of designated seats, each said designated seat being assigned to a player located at said poker table or to a player located at a remote location and connected to said game system using said remote computer, each said designated seat assigned either to a player adjacent to said table or assigned to a player at a remote location, each said designated seat includes a transparent panel located on said poker table at or near said designated seat and a private card camera configured to view the bottom surface of face down playing cards dealt onto said transparent panel, said transparent panel and said private card camera located at each said designated seat assigned to each said player at a remote location, said poker game system also includes at least one public card camera that transmits images of playing cards dealt face-up on said poker table, said poker game system also a game logic server connected to said wide area network with a poker game managing software program loaded therein, said poker game managing software program configured to manage a poker game played at said poker table by remote players assigned to said designated seats;

d. logging onto said system using said remote computer;

e. receiving a menu containing a list of poker games or poker tables currently available on said poker game system;

f. selecting a specific poker game or a poker table from said list of poker games or poker table shown in said menu;

g. receiving, using a client side software program, a game menu presented on said display when a poker game or poker table is selected, said game menu includes a simulated poker table that shows the location of said designated seats occupied by a player located at said poker table or at a remote location, said game menu also includes a plurality of poker game action buttons used to select different activities or decisions made during a poker game;

h. choosing an unassigned designated seat on said poker table, and;

i. playing a game of poker with a card dealer assigned to said poker table, with a single deck of fifty-two standard size playing cards; and

with one or more other players assigned to another said designated seat at said poker table, wherein said client side software program is loaded into working memory of said remote computer operated by said player located at a remote location, said client side software program used to connect via said wide area network to said game logic server and to receive instructions and data from said game logic server, said client side software program also used to communicate with said public card camera to display the images of face-up playing cards dealt on said poker table and to communicate with said transparent panel and said private card camera to obtain images of said face down playing cards so as to display the face-down playing cards dealt to said designated seat assigned to said player at said remote location, said client side software program also used to input poker game instructions from said player at said remote location via said remote computer to said game logic server.

15. A method for playing on-line poker game, as recited in claim 14, wherein said system on-line poker game system further includes a table camera that transmits an image of the dealer dealing cards at said poker table to each said remote computer.

16. An on-line poker game system, comprising:

a. a card room containing a poker table with designated seats located thereon;

b. at least one dealer assigned to said poker table, said dealer deals playing cards used in a poker game to designated seats on said poker table assigned to players physically located at said poker table or players remotely located from said card room;

c. at least two players assigned to said designated seats at said poker table with at least one player being located at a remote location from said card room;

d. a wide area network;

e. a means for imaging face down playing cards includes a transparent panel located on said poker table at or near said designated seat and a private card camera aimed to view the bottom surface of a playing card placed face down on said transparent panel, said means for imaging located at each said designated seat assigned to each said player at a remote location, said private card camera being coupled to said wide area network to transmit an image of the face down cards only to said remote player assigned to said designated seat;

f. a deck of fifty-two playing cards to be played on said poker table;

g. at least one public card camera located above said poker table or at or near each said designated seat used to create and transmit an image of face up cards dealt on said poker table;

h. at least one table camera used to transmit images of said dealer when dealing cards at said poker table;

i. a game logic server including working memory with at least one poker game managing software program loaded therein, said poker game managing software program enabling said game logic server to act as a state machine configured to manage a poker game played between said players assigned to said designated seats at said poker table;

j. a web server connected to said wide area network and to said game logic server;

k. a remote computer operated by said each player at a remote location and assigned to one said designated seat at said poker table, said remote computer including working memory, said remote computer connected to said wide area network, and a display; and

,

l. a client side software program loaded into said working memory of each said remote computer operated by a player located at said remote location and configured to connect to said game logic server via said web server and said wide area network, said client side software program used to send and receive instructions and data from said game logic server, said client side software program used to present a menu that lists the types of poker game available or a list of poker tables available, said client side software program used to display an interface that presents a simulated poker table showing the locations of said designated seats occupied by players at said poker table or at a remote location, said menu also presents a separate image of face-up cards on said table from said public card camera, a separate image, which is received from said table camera, of said dealer when said dealer is dealing cards, and a separate image, which is received from said means for imaging face down playing cards, of face-down playing cards dealt to said designated seat assigned to said remote player, said client side software program also used to input poker game instructions from said player at said remote location to said game logic server.