Gaming system and method of gaming

• US 8,845,427 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2009
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia PTY Limited (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia PTY Limited (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Inventors: Timperley, David Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ROSS A
• Application Number:
  US12/502,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20100009748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,904 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/17, 463/18, 463/19, 463 30- 33, 463 40- 42, 463/46, 463/47
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• 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 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games

Abstract

A gaming system comprising: a game controller; and a housing having a display and an enclosure containing a plurality of physical objects capable of movement with or within the enclosure; and a reader that identifies an object from the plurality of objects and communicates data regarding that object to the game controller.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a game controller;

an electronic display;

a mechanical enclosure coupled to the electronic display and which contains a plurality of physical objects capable of movement within the mechanical enclosure, wherein at least a portion of the mechanical enclosure is hidden behind the electronic display; and

a reader that identifies an object from the plurality of objects and communicates data regarding that object to the game controller, wherein the game controller uses the data to create a virtual image of the object on the electronic display when the object is located in the hidden portion of the mechanical enclosure behind the electronic display, and wherein the game controller further uses the data to create an animation of the virtual image upon the electronic display mimicking the movement of the object as it moves within the hidden portion of the mechanical enclosure.

2. The gaming system claimed in claim 1, wherein each object of the plurality of objects comprises an identifier that is readable by the reader and from which each object may be identified.

3. The gaming system claimed in claim 2, wherein the identifier is a transponder carried by the object, wherein the transponder transmits a signal unique to the object.

4. The gaming system claimed in claim 3, wherein the transponder is a passive RFID tag.

5. The gaming system claimed in claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of objects comprise radio frequency shielding to obstruct external interference while also allowing the reader to identify the object.

6. The gaming system claimed in claim 5, wherein the shielding is a metallic mesh surrounding the RFID tag.

7. The gaming system claimed in claim 1, wherein the reader is capable of simultaneously identifying multiple objects.

8. The gaming system claimed in claim 1, wherein the reader is capable of tracking movement of an object.

9. The gaming system claimed in claim 1, wherein the reader comprises a microcontroller and a magnetic loop antenna, wherein the magnetic loop antenna is configured to operate at RFID frequency.

10. The gaming system claimed in claim 1, wherein the reader comprises a camera that visually identifies an object using a distinctive marking on the object.

11. The gaming system claimed in claim 1, wherein the object is a hollow ball marked with alphanumeric characters and/or is coloured.

12. The gaming system claimed in claim 1, wherein the objects move randomly within the mechanical enclosure.

13. The gaming system claimed in claim 1, wherein the mechanical enclosure is a transparent ring around which the objects are propelled in single file.

14. The gaming system claimed in claim 1, wherein the mechanical enclosure is a transparent ring and the plurality of objects are linearly packed within the ring, the transparent ring being capable of rotating relative to the mechanical enclosure to thereby move the plurality of objects relative to the mechanical enclosure.

15. The gaming system claimed in claim 1, wherein the mechanical enclosure is a transparent container in which the objects are randomly jumbled.

16. The gaming system claimed in claim 1, wherein a random number generator pre-determines an object to be selected, the reader identifies the location of the object to be selected and the object is moved to a predetermined location.

17. The gaming system claimed in claim 1, wherein, in use, a physical object moves into the hidden portion of the mechanical enclosure, the corresponding virtual image of that physical object appears on the display.

18. A method of gaming comprising:

moving a plurality of marked physical objects within a mechanical enclosure coupled to an electronic display on housing of a gaming machine, wherein at least a portion of the mechanical enclosure is hidden behind the electronic display; and

reading an identifier of a given physical object of the plurality of marked physical objects to obtain data that distinguishes the given physical object from other ones of the plurality of marked physical objects;

generating a virtual image of the given physical object on the electronic display using the data corresponding to the given physical object when the given physical object is located in the hidden portion of the mechanical enclosure; and

using the data corresponding to the given physical object so that the virtual image of the given physical object is animated and further mimics movement of the given physical object as it moves within the hidden portion of the mechanical enclosure.

19. The method claimed in claim 18, wherein the markings of the plurality of marked physical objects comprise radio frequency identifiers, and wherein the reading of the identifier of the given physical object comprises using radio-frequency identification to identify the given physical object.

20. The method claimed in claim 19, further comprising shielding the plurality of marked physical objects against external interference.

21. The method claimed in claim 18, wherein the markings of the plurality of marked physical objects comprise visual indicia, and wherein the reading of the identifier of the given marked physical object comprises detecting the visual indicia using a camera.

22. The method claimed in claim 18, including introducing the data obtained from the object read as a variable in game play.

23. A gaming system comprising:

a game controller;

an electronic display;

a mechanical enclosure coupled to the electronic display and which contains a plurality of physical objects capable of movement within the mechanical enclosure, wherein at least a portion of the mechanical enclosure is hidden behind the electronic display; and

a reader that identifies a physical object to be differentiated from the plurality of objects located in the hidden portion of the mechanical enclosure, wherein the reader communicates information regarding that physical object to the game controller such that the object can be differentiated from other objects of the plurality of objects, wherein the game controller uses the communicated information to create a virtual image of that physical object on the electronic display, and wherein the game controller further uses the communicated information to create an animation of the virtual image on the electronic display that mimics the movement of the physical object as it moves within the hidden portion of the mechanical enclosure.