Control of wager-based game using gesture recognition

• US 8,684,839 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2007
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Mattice, Harold E., Griswold, Chan, Stockdale, James, Wilder, Richard, Gadda, Chris, Nguyen, Binh
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuff, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US11/825,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20070259716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,461 Days
• Field of Search: 463/36
• US Class Current: 463/36
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques

Abstract

Various techniques are described for controlling a wager-based game played at a gaming system. In one embodiment the gaming system may include a gesture input interface device operable to detect movements gestures associated with one or more persons, and a gesture interpretation component operable to identify selected movements or gestures detected by the gesture input interface device. In at least one embodiment, the gesture interpretation component may also be operable to generate gesture interpretation information relating to interpretation of the selected movements or gestures. In at least one embodiment, the gaming system may be operable to automatically detect a gesture by a player participating in a game session at the gaming system; interpret the gesture with respect to a set of criteria; generate gesture interpretation information relating to the interpretation of the gesture; and advance a state of the game session using at least a portion of the gesture interpretation information. In at least one embodiment, the system may include a handheld device which is operable to perform one or more of the functions relating to gesture recognition and/or interpretation.

Claims

1. A gaming system in a casino gaming network, comprising:

a gaming controller;

a memory;

at least one interface configured to communicate with at least one other device in the gaming network;

a first gesture input interface device configured to detect movements of the first gesture input interface device associated with one or more persons, wherein the first gesture input interface device is included within a first mobile handheld device in communication with the gaming controller; and

a first gesture interpretation component configured to identify selected movements or gestures detected by the first gesture input interface device and to generate gesture interpretation information relating to interpretation of the selected movements or gestures,

wherein the gaming system is configured to;

detect one or more identification gestures by a first player via the first gesture input interface, wherein the one or more identification gestures are detected by the first gesture input interface device and comprise movement of the first gesture input interface device,

determine an identity of the first player based on the detected one or more identification gestures,

detect a first gesture by the first player participating in a first game session at the gaming system, wherein the first gesture is detected by the first gesture input interface device, and wherein the first gesture comprises movement of the first gesture input interface device,

interpret the first gesture with respect to a first set of criteria;

generate gesture interpretation information relating to the interpretation of the first gesture,

advance a state of the first game session using at least a portion of the gesture interpretation information, and

communicate the advancement of the state of the first game session to the first player via the first mobile handheld device.

2. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the gesture interpretation information includes a first portion of information selected from a group consisting of:

game play instructions, wager instructions, command instructions for initiating execution of one or more commands, and function instructions for initiating execution of one or more functions.

3. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the first set of criteria includes a first portion of criteria selected from a group consisting of:

criteria relating to one or more characteristics of the first gesture, game state criteria, location criteria, player profile criteria, player tracking criteria, player account criteria, gaming system status criteria, and game rule criteria.

4. The gaming system of claim 1 being further configured to:

associate the first gesture with at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session; and

advance the state of the first game session in accordance with the at least one first game play instructions.

5. The gaming system of claim 1:

wherein the gaming system is further configured to associate the first gesture with at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session;

wherein the gesture interpretation information includes information relating to the at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session; and

wherein the gaming system is further configured to store at least a portion of the gesture interpretation information, including the information relating to the at least one first game play instruction, at a first data structure.

6. The gaming system of claim 1 being further configured to:

associate the first gesture with at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session; and

store information relating to the at least one first game play instruction in a first data structure.

7. The gaming system of claim 1 being further configured to:

associate the first gesture with at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session;

create a first player input/game state association which associates the at least one first game play instruction with the advance of the state of the first game session; and

store, in at least one data structure, information relating to the at least one first game play instruction, information relating to the advance of the state of the first game session, and information relating to the first player input/game state association.

8. The gaming system of claim 1 being further configured to:

verify an identity of the first player using information relating to detected movements of the first gesture input interface device associated with the first player.

9. The gaming system of claim 1 being further configured to:

generate first player movement profile information using information relating to detected movements of the first gesture input interface device associated with the first player;

compare the first gesture to the first player movement profile information; and

modify access to at least one game play feature provided by the gaming system based on the comparison of the first gesture to the first player movement profile information.

10. The gaming system of claim 1 being further configured to:

determine a current state of the first game session at the gaming system; and

interpret the first gesture based at least in part upon the current state of the first game session at the gaming system.

11. The gaming system of claim 1 being further configured to:

determine an active game type of the first game session at the gaming system; and

interpret the first gesture based at least in part upon the active game type of the first game session at the gaming system.

12. The gaming system of claim 1 being further configured to:

determine an active game theme of the first game session at the gaming system; and

interpret the first gesture based at least in part upon the active game theme of the first game session at the gaming system.

13. The gaming system of claim 1 being further configured to:

determine at least one rule associated with game play activity relating to the first game session; and

interpret the first gesture based at least in part upon the at least one rule.

14. The gaming system of claim 1 being further configured to:

associate the first gesture with a first game play instruction relating to the first game session; and

wherein the gesture interpretation information includes the first game play instruction.

15. The gaming system of claim 1 being further configured to:

record information describing the first gesture as part of a game history relating to the first game session.

16. The gaming system of claim 1 being further configured to:

record at least a portion of the gesture interpretation information as part of a game history relating to the first game session.

17. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the first gesture includes a first movement of the first player.

18. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the first gesture includes a first sequence of movements of the first player.

19. The gaming system of claim 1 further comprising a first game table.

20. The gaming system of claim 1 further comprising a first gaming machine.

21. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming system is configured or designed as a hand-held, mobile computing device.

22. A method for controlling a wager-based game played at a gaming system, the method comprising:

detecting one or more identification gestures by a first player participating in a first game session at the gaming system;

identifying the first player based on the detected one or more identification gestures;

automatically detecting a first gesture by the first player;

interpreting the first gesture with respect to a first set of criteria;

generating gesture interpretation information relating to the interpretation of the first gesture;

advancing a state of the first game session using at least a portion of the gesture interpretation information; and

communicating the advancement of the state of the first game session to the first player via a mobile, handheld device.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the gesture interpretation information includes a first portion of information selected from a group consisting of:

game play instructions, wager instructions, command instructions for initiating execution of one or more commands, and function instructions for initiating execution of one or more functions.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

associating the first gesture with at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session; and

advancing the state of the first game session in accordance with the at least one first game play instruction.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

associating the first gesture with at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session, wherein the gesture interpretation information includes information relating to the at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session; and

storing at least a portion of the gesture interpretation information, including the information relating to the at least one first game play instruction, at a first data structure.

26. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

associating the first gesture with at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session; and

storing information relating to the at least one first game play instruction in a first data structure.

27. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

associating the first gesture with at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session;

creating a first player input/game state association which associates the at least one first game play instruction with the advance of the state of the first game session; and

storing, in at least one data structure, information relating to the at least one first game play instruction, information relating to the advance of the state of the first game session, and information relating to the first player input/game state association.

28. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

verifying an identity of the first player using information relating to detected movements of the first gesture input interface device associated with the first player.

29. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

generating first player movement profile information using information relating to detected movements of the first gesture input interface device associated with the first player;

comparing the first gesture to the first player movement profile information; and

modifying access to at least one game play feature at the gaming system in response to the comparison of the first gesture to the first player movement profile information.

30. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

determining a current state of the first game session at the gaming system; and

interpreting the first gesture based at least in part upon the current state of the first game session at the gaming system.

31. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

determining an active game type of the first game session at the gaming system; and

interpreting the first gesture based at least in part upon the active game type of the first game session at the gaming system.

32. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

determining an active game theme of the first game session at the gaming system; and

interpreting the first gesture based at least in part upon the active game theme of the first game session at the gaming system.

33. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

determining at least one rule associated with game play activity relating to the first game session; and

interpreting the first gesture based at least in part upon the at least one rule.

34. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

associating the first gesture with a first game play instruction relating to the first game session;

including the first game play instruction in the gesture interpretation information.

35. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

recording information describing the first gesture as part of a game history relating to the first game session.

36. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

recording at least a portion of the gesture interpretation information as part of a game history relating to the first game session.

37. The method of claim 22 wherein the first gesture includes a first movement of the first player.

38. The method of claim 22 wherein the first gesture includes a first sequence of movements of the first player.

39. A system for controlling a wager-based game played at a gaming system, the system comprising:

a gaming controller configured to provide a wager-based game;

a gesture input interface device configured to detect;

a first gesture by a first player participating in a first game session of the wager-based game, and

one or more identification gestures by the first player; and

a gesture interpretation component configured to;

identify the first gesture with respect to a first set of criteria, and

identify the one or more identification gestures with respect to a set of identification criteria;

generate gesture interpretation information relating to the interpretation of the first gesture, and

generate identification gesture interpretation information relating to the interpretation of the one or more identification gestures;

wherein the gaming controller is configured to;

determine an identity of the first player using the identification gesture information,

advance a state of the first game session using at least a portion of the gesture interpretation information,

associate the first gesture with at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session,

store information relating to the at least one first game play instruction at a first data structure, and

communicate the advancement of the state of the first game session to the first player via a first mobile handheld device.

40. A mobile hand-held device for use in a casino gaming network, comprising:

a gaming controller;

a memory;

at least one interface configured to communicate with at least one other device in the gaming network;

a first gesture input interface device configured to detect movements of the first gesture input interface device associated with one or more persons, wherein the first gesture input interface device is included within a first mobile handheld device in communication with the gaming controller; and

a first gesture interpretation component configured to identify selected movements or gestures detected by the first gesture input interface device and generate gesture interpretation information relating to interpretation of the selected movements or gestures;

wherein the mobile hand-held device is configured to;

detect one or more identification gestures by a first player participating in a first game session provided by the hand-held device via the first gesture input interface, wherein the one or more identification gestures are detected by the first gesture input interface device and comprise movement of the first gesture input interface device,

determine an identity of the first player using information relating to the detected one or more identification gestures,

detect a first gesture by the first player, wherein the first gesture is detected by the first gesture input interface device, and wherein the first gesture comprises movement of the first gesture input interface device;

interpret the first gesture with respect to a first set of criteria;

generate gesture interpretation information relating to the interpretation of the first gesture;

advance a state of the first game session using at least a portion of the gesture interpretation information; and

communicate the advancement of the state of the first game session to the first player via the first mobile handheld device.

41. The hand-held device of claim 40 wherein the gesture interpretation information includes a first portion of information selected from a group consisting of:

game play instructions, wager instructions, command instructions for initiating execution of one or more commands, and function instructions for initiating execution of one or more functions.

42. The hand-held device of claim 40 wherein the first set of criteria includes a first portion of criteria selected from a group consisting of:

criteria relating to one or more characteristics of the first gesture, game state criteria, location criteria, player profile criteria, player tracking criteria, player account criteria, hand-held device status criteria, and game rule criteria.

43. The hand-held device of claim 40 being further configured to:

associate the first gesture with at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session; and

advance the state of the first game session in accordance with the at least one first game play instructions.

44. The hand-held device of claim 40:

wherein the hand-held device is further configured to associate the first gesture with at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session;

wherein the gesture interpretation information includes information relating to the at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session; and

wherein the hand-held device is further configured to store at least a portion of the gesture interpretation information, including the information relating to the at least one first game play instruction, at a first data structure.

45. The hand-held device of claim 40 being further configured to:

associate the first gesture with at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session; and

store information relating to the at least one first game play instruction in a first data structure.

46. The hand-held device of claim 40 being further configured to:

associate the first gesture with at least one first game play instruction relating to the first game session;

create a first player input/game state association which associates the at least one first game play instruction with the advance of the state of the first game session; and

store, in at least one data structure, information relating to the at least one first game play instruction, information relating to the advance of the state of the first game session, and information relating to the first player input/game state association.

47. The hand-held device of claim 40 being further configured to:

verify an identity of the first player using information relating to detected movements of the first gesture input interface device associated with the first player.

48. The hand-held device of claim 40 being further configured to:

generate first player movement profile information using information relating to detected movements of the first gesture input interface device associated with the first player;

compare the first gesture to the first player movement profile information; and

modify access to at least one game play feature provided by the hand-held device based on the comparison of the first gesture to the first player movement profile information.

49. The hand-held device of claim 40 being further configured to:

determine a current state of the first game session at the hand-held device; and

interpret the first gesture based at least in part upon the current state of the first game session at the hand-held device.

50. The hand-held device of claim 40 being further configured to:

determine an active game type of the first game session at the hand-held device; and

interpret the first gesture based at least in part upon the active game type of the first game session at the hand-held device.

51. The hand-held device of claim 40 being further configured to:

determine an active game theme of the first game session at the hand-held device; and

interpret the first gesture based at least in part upon the active game theme of the first game session at the hand-held device.

52. The hand-held device of claim 40 being further configured to:

determine at least one rule associated with game play activity relating to the first game session; and

interpret the first gesture based at least in part upon the at least one rule.

53. The hand-held device of claim 40 being further configured to:

associate the first gesture with a first game play instruction relating to the first game session; and

wherein the gesture interpretation information includes the first game play instruction.

54. The hand-held device of claim 40 being further configured to:

record information describing the first gesture as part of a game history relating to the first game session.

55. The hand-held device of claim 40 being further configured to:

record at least a portion of the gesture interpretation information as part of a game history relating to the first game session.

56. The hand-held device of claim 40 wherein the first gesture includes a first movement of the first player.

57. The hand-held device of claim 40 wherein the first gesture includes a first sequence of movements of the first player.