Transparent card display

• US 8,905,834 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Wells, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): D'AGOSTINO, PAUL ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US11/938,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20090124379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,587 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/36, 463/39, 463/47, 345/175
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means

Abstract

Interactive gaming tables are provided that include one or more video displays. The interactive gaming tables are operable to detect and distinguish between various types of physical objects placed on the interactive gaming table, associate a function with at least one type of physical object and generate a video display window on a video display that is viewable through a transparent portion of the one type of physical object. Video images including content associated with the function can be provided in the video display window. The interactive gaming tables can be used to provide a wager-based table game where the function associated with one of the physical objects can be a function related to play of the wager-based table game or a function related to a particular player playing the wager-based game. A mostly transparent, credit-card sized object designed to be carried by a game player is one example of one type of physical object that can be utilized with the interactive gaming table.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing a master gaming table controller to execute a plurality of instructions to initiate for at least a first active player, a wager-based game at an interactive gaming table, said game involving granting monetary awards based on results of the wager-based game, said interactive gaming table including;

     1) a first surface adapted for a play of the wager-based game wherein the interactive gaming table is operable to enable one or more active players to play the wager-based game on the first surface,

     2) a plurality of video display areas on the first surface wherein at least one video display area is associated with each active player,

     3) an object detection system operable to acquire information regarding at least one of a position, a shape, an orientation, and combinations thereof for one or more physical objects placed on the first surface, and

     4) a memory storing information regarding the one or more physical objects;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to receive information from the object detection system indicating that a first physical object is located in the at least one video display area associated with the first active player, wherein the first physical object includes a transparent portion configured as a video display window that enables information generated in the at least one video display area on the first surface of the gaming table to be viewed through the transparent portion;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to determine one or more of a position, a shape, and an orientation of the video display window of the first physical object;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to determine an identity of the first active player;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the at least one video display area associated with the first active player to control a display of first video images in the video display window configured for viewing by the first active player, wherein the first video images are at least partly customized to the determined identity of the first active player; and

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the at least one video display area associated with the first active player to control a display, in the at least one video display area associated with the first active player outside of the video display window, of second video images, including information related to the play of the wager-based game;

wherein, the master gaming table controller is configured to dynamically alter a content of the first video images, responsive to an input from the first active player.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the display device to determine that the first physical object is associated with a type of interface and provide video images associated with the type of interface in the first video display window.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the type of interface is one of a player tracking interface, a cashless gaming interface or a game playing interface.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the at least one video display area to display one or more game objects in the first video display area.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the at least one video display area to display video images of one or more game objects used to play the wager-based table game in the first video display window.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more game objects are one or more of a chip, a marker, a die, a playing card or a marked tile.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, when placed on the first surface, a footprint of the first physical object on the first surface is one of a rectangular shaped or a circular shaped.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity of the first active player is determined using information obtained from the first physical object.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to determine the information displayed in the first video display window includes critical game information;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to store to a power-hit tolerant non-volatile memory the critical game information;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to store the position, the shape, the orientation or the combinations thereof of the first video display window in which the critical game information is displayed;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with at least one input device to receive a request to display the critical game information previously displayed in the first video display window;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to retrieve from the power-hit tolerant non-volatile memory the critical game information and the position, the shape, the orientation or the combinations thereof of the first video display window;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to generate the position, the shape, the orientation or the combinations thereof of the first video display window in which the critical game information was previously displayed first display window in the position; and

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the at least one video display area to control the display of the critical game information in the first video display window.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to provide the first physical object wherein the first physical object includes a first display;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to select information to display to the first active player;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the at least one video display area to generate video images including the information selected for the first active player in the first video display window;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to send from the master gaming table controller to the first physical object the information selected for first active player to enable the information selected for the first active player to be displayed at the same time on the first display and the first video display window.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the information selected for the first active player is an award, promotional credits or an offer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first physical object includes a first display.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the transparent portion of the first physical object includes a dynamically adjustable display.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein light-transmissive properties of the first physical object are dynamically adjustable.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to send to the first physical object a command for the first physical object to adjust its light-transmissive properties.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the at least one video display area and at least one input device to control a display of first video images including a touch activated button in the first display window that is viewable through the transparent portion of the first physical object;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the at least one input device to receive information indicating a selection of the touch activated button; and

in response to the selection of touch activated button, causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to control a display of second video images.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first physical object includes a first transparent portion and a second transparent portion and further comprising:

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the at least one video display area to control a display of first video images visible through the first transparent portion and a display of second video images visible through the second transparent portion.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to determine the first physical object is not located within an acceptable area of the first video display area;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the at least one video display area to control a display of video images in the first video display area to indicate the first physical object is not within the acceptable area;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to halt the play of the wager-based game;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to determine the first physical object is within the acceptable area of the first video display area; and

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to continue the play of the wager-based game.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during the play of the wager-based game, causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the at least one video display area to determine one of a second position and a second orientation of the transparent portion of the first physical object in the first video display area;

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the at least one video display area to determine one of a second position and a second orientation of the first video display window in the first video display area to enable information generated in the first video display window to be viewable through the transparent portion of the first physical object.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the master gaming table controller to execute the plurality of instructions to determine a first orientation of the first video images to be displayed in the first video display window.