Wagering game

• US 8,235,804 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2008
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gagner, Mark B., Prohl, Anthony, Rigsby, Gene, Schaefer, Patrick, Simmons, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US12/600,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20100291993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 25, 463/31, 463/37
• US Class Current: 463/25
• 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 17/3211 Display means
• 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: G07F 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games

Abstract

A method of conducting a community-based wagering game event includes the acts of displaying images associated with a community-based wagering game on a surface, sensing a player'"'"'s movement using a sensing device, the player'"'"'s movement comprising a game input, and outputting to a controller a signal bearing data relating to the player'"'"'s movement. The method also includes the acts of determining, using the controller, a relation between the player'"'"'s movement and the displayed images on the surface and adapting the displayed images responsive to the player'"'"'s movement.

Claims

1. A wagering game system, comprising:

a display device configured to display on a surface a gaming field with a plurality of symbols associated with outcomes of a wagering game, each of the symbols being located at a respective distinct location on said surface, said surface comprising at least one of a floor, a wall, a ceiling, a stage, or a projection screen;

at least one sensing device disposed to detect a player'"'"'s input to the wagering game, the player'"'"'s input comprising a player'"'"'s movement relative to and proximal to the gaming field on the surface from a first location of a first one of the symbols to a second location of a second one of the symbols, the at least one sensing device being configured to output from an associated communication device a signal corresponding to the player'"'"'s input; and

a controller configured to communicate with the sensing device and the display device, the controller being programmed to cause the display device to display on the surface images associated with the player'"'"'s input responsive to the signal output from the sensing device.

2. A wagering game system according to claim 1, wherein each of the symbols associated with the player'"'"'s input to the wagering game comprises a respective randomly selected outcome.

3. A wagering game system according to claim 1, wherein the player'"'"'s input further comprises contact with the surface at the respective location of the symbol corresponding to a desired input.

4. A wagering game system according to claim 3, wherein the at least one sensing device is configured to register the player'"'"'s input following the player'"'"'s contact with the surface, for a predetermined period of time, at the respective location of the symbol corresponding to the desired input.

5. A wagering game system according to claim 1, wherein the signal corresponding to the player'"'"'s input comprises at least one of a directional component, a velocity component, or an acceleration component.

6. A wagering game system according to claim 1, wherein the sensing device comprises an optical sensing device, a magnetic sensing device, or a radio frequency device.

7. A wagering game system according to claim 6, wherein the sensing device comprises at least one of a camera or an infrared camera.

8. A wagering game system according to claim 6, wherein the display device comprises a projector.

9. A wagering game system according to claim 1, wherein the display device is further configured to display in the gaming field a virtual game object associated with the outcomes of the wagering game, the at least one sensing device being further configured to sense a player'"'"'s movement relative to the virtual game object and output signals indicative thereof, and wherein the controller is further configured, responsive to the output signals, to cause the display device to display the virtual game object moving within the gaming field.

10. A wagering game system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a physical game object comprising one or more graphical elements; and

at least one second sensing device configured to sense a state of the physical game object and output signals indicative thereof;

wherein the controller is communicatively connected to the at least one sensing device and further configured to award to the player, responsive to the sensed state of the physical game object, an award corresponding to the sensed state.

11. A wagering game system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a game die comprising a plurality of faces, each face including a respective distinct number of pips; and

at least one second sensing device configured to detect a state of the game die, the state representing the respective distinct number of pips of a presented one of the game die faces;

wherein the controller is communicatively connected to the at least one second sensing device and configured to determine, responsive to the detected state of the game die, one or more of the displayed symbols to associate with the player and an award corresponding to the one or more symbols associated with the player.

12. A method of conducting a community-based wagering game event with a gaming system having at least one display device, at least one sensing device, and at least one controller, the method comprising:

displaying, on a surface via the at least one display device, a gaming field with a plurality of symbols associated with outcomes of the community-based wagering game, each of the symbols being located at a respective distinct location on said surface;

sensing a player'"'"'s movement proximal to the gaming field from a first location of a first one of the symbols to a second location of a second one of the symbols using the at least one sensing device, the player'"'"'s movement comprising a game input;

outputting to the at least one controller a signal bearing data relating to the player'"'"'s movement;

determining, using the at least one controller, a spatial relation between the player'"'"'s movement and the displayed symbols on the surface; and

adapting the displayed symbols responsive to the player'"'"'s movement.

13. A method of conducting a community-based wagering game event according to claim 12, wherein the adapting the displayed symbols further comprises one of revealing a randomly determined outcome, registering a player'"'"'s input, activating an inactive element of a displayed image, or de-activating an active element of a displayed image.

14. A method of conducting a community-based wagering game event according to claim 12, wherein the adapting the displayed symbols further comprises revealing a randomly determined outcome, and wherein the method further comprises awarding to the player an award corresponding to the randomly determined outcome.

15. A method of conducting a community-based wagering game event according to claim 12, wherein the at least one display device includes a projector, wherein the displaying the gaming field further comprises projecting the plurality of symbols onto the surface using the projector, and wherein the surface comprises at least one of a floor, a wall, a ceiling, a stage, or a projection screen.

16. A method of conducting a community-based wagering game event according to claim 12, wherein the sensing a player'"'"'s movement using the at least one sensing device further comprises sensing one or more of a location of a player or a player'"'"'s body part, a velocity of a player or a player'"'"'s body part, or an acceleration of a player or a player'"'"'s body part.

17. A method of conducting a community-based wagering game event according to claim 12, wherein the sensing a player'"'"'s movement using the at least one sensing device further comprises using one or more of a remote optical sensing device, a remote magnetic sensing device, a remote receiver, a signal transmitting device borne by a player.

18. A method of conducting a community-based wagering game event according to claim 17, wherein the optical sensing device, magnetic sensing device, or receiver is used to determine a location of a player'"'"'s body, location of a player'"'"'s body part, a velocity of a player'"'"'s body, a velocity of a player'"'"'s body part, an acceleration of a player'"'"'s body, an acceleration of a player'"'"'s body part, a location of a signal transmitting device borne by a player, a velocity of a signal transmitting device borne by a player, or an acceleration of a signal transmitting device borne by a player.

19. A computer program product comprising one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media encoded with instructions, the instructions being configured to cause, upon execution by one or more controllers, a gaming system to perform the acts of:

displaying, on a surface via at least one display device, a gaming field with a plurality of symbols associated with outcomes of a wagering game, each of the symbols being located at a respective distinct location on the surface;

sensing, via at least one sensing device, a player'"'"'s movement proximal to the gaming field from a first location of a first one of the symbols to a second location of a second one of the symbols;

outputting to at least one controller a signal bearing data relating to the player'"'"'s movement from the first location to the second location;

determining, via the at least one controller, a spatial relation between the player'"'"'s movement and the displayed symbols on the surface; and

adapting the displayed symbols responsive to the player'"'"'s movement.

20. A method of conducting a wagering game, the method comprising:

conducting a base game of the wagering game at a gaming machine;

qualifying a player to play a bonus game separate from the gaming machine; and

conducting the bonus game, the conducting of the bonus game comprising;

displaying, on a surface via one or more display devices, a gaming field with a plurality of symbols associated with outcomes of the bonus game, each of the symbols being located at a respective distinct location on said surface;

sensing a player'"'"'s movement proximal to the gaming field from a first location of a first one of the symbols to a second location of a second one of the symbols using a remote sensing device;

outputting to a controller a signal bearing data relating to the player'"'"'s movement, said data comprising location data identifying a location of the player'"'"'s movement relative to the surface;

using a controller to determine a relation between at least the location data relating to the player'"'"'s movement and the displayed symbols on the surface; and

adapting the displayed symbols responsive to the player'"'"'s game input.

21. A method of conducting a wagering game according to claim 20, wherein the adapting the displayed symbols further comprises one of revealing a randomly determined outcome, registering a player'"'"'s game input, activating an inactive element of a displayed image, or de-activating an active element of a displayed image.

22. A method of conducting a wagering game according to claim 20, wherein the adapting the displayed symbols further comprises revealing a randomly determined outcome, and further comprises awarding to the player an award corresponding to the randomly determined outcome.

23. A method of conducting a wagering game according to claim 20, wherein the surface comprises one or more of a floor, a wall, a ceiling, a horizontal surface, a vertical surface, an inclined surface, an elevated horizontal surface, an elevated inclined surface, or an elevated vertical surface.

24. A wagering game system, comprising:

one or more projectors configured to project a gaming field with a plurality of symbols onto a floor, the plurality of symbols including first and second player-selectable symbols each being associated with a respective randomly determined outcome of a wagering game and each being located at a respective distinct location within the gaming field;

one or more motion sensing devices configured to sense movements of a player within the gaming field relative to the first and second player-selectable symbols, the one or more motion sensing devices being configured to output signals indicative of the movements of the player within the gaming field; and

one or more controllers communicatively connected with the one or more projectors and the one or more motion sensing devices, the one or more controllers being configured to, responsive to movement signals indicating the player'"'"'s interaction with at least one of the player-selectable symbols, cause the one or more projectors to modify the gaming field to indicate a selection of the at least one player-selectable symbol and award an award corresponding to the selection of the at least one player-selectable symbol.

25. A method of conducting a wagering game with a gaming system having one or more projectors, one or more motion sensing devices, and one or more controllers, the method comprising:

displaying, on a floor via the one or more projectors, a gaming field with a plurality of symbols, the plurality of symbols including first and second player-selectable symbols each being associated with a respective randomly determined outcome of the wagering game and each being located at a respective distinct location within the gaming field;

sensing, via the one or more motion sensing devices, movements of a player within the gaming field relative to the first and second player-selectable symbols;

outputting from the one or more motion sensing devices to the one or more controllers signals indicative of the movements of the player within the gaming field;

determining, via the one or more controllers, movement signals indicating the player'"'"'s interaction with at least one of the player-selectable symbols; and

in response to movement signals indicating the player'"'"'s interaction with at least one of the player-selectable symbols, modifying display of the gaming field to indicate a selection of the at least one player-selectable symbol and awarding an award to the player corresponding to the selection of the at least one player-selectable symbol.