Control of wager-based game using gesture recognition

• US 9,230,395 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2014
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• 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): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US14/172,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20140155162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 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 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.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

a housing;

a display device supported by the housing;

an input device supported by the housing;

a processor supported by the housing;

an accelerometer supported by the housing that detects motion of the housing; and

a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate with the display device, the input device, and the accelerometer to;

(a) display a game;

(b) detect motion of the housing;

(c) analyze the detected motion of the housing and determine whether the detected motion corresponds to any of a plurality of different designated gestures; and

(d) if the detected motion corresponds to one of the plurality of designated gestures;

(i) determine a game input associated with said designated gesture, said determined game input being one of a plurality of different game inputs;

(ii) determine at least one aspect of the game to modify based on the determined game input; and

(iii) modify the determined at least one aspect of the game.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of designated gestures includes a first designated gesture and a second different designated gesture, and the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate with the display device, the input device, and the accelerometer to:

(A) if the detected motion corresponds to the first designated gesture;

(1) determine a first game input associated with said first designated gesture,

(2) determine at least one first aspect of the game to modify based on the determined first game input, and

(3) modify the determined at least one first aspect of the game; and

(B) if the detected motion corresponds to the second designated gesture;

(1) determine a second game input associated with said second designated gesture,

(2) determine at least one second different aspect of the game to modify based on the determined second game input, and

(3) modify the determined at least one second aspect of the game.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate with the input device to enable a player to associate one of the plurality of designated gestures with one of the plurality of game inputs.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein, for a first designated gesture:

(A) said first designated gesture is associated with a first game input when the game is in a first game state, and

(B) said first designated gesture is associated with a second different game input when the game is in a second different game state.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein, for a first designated gesture:

(A) said first designated gesture is associated with a first game input when the game is a first game, and

(B) said first designated gesture is associated with a second different game input when the game is a second different game.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the detected motion includes one of:

(a) a single movement of the housing, and (b) a sequence of a plurality of movements of the housing.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the determined at least one aspect of the game includes a location of at least one displayed game object during a play of the game.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the determined at least one aspect of the play of the game includes a game state.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to modify the game state by changing a current game state to a different game state.

10. A method of operating a mobile device, said method comprising:

(a) causing a processor to execute a plurality of instructions to operate with a display device to display a game;

(b) detecting, via an accelerometer, motion of a housing of the mobile device;

(c) causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to analyze the detected motion of the housing and determine whether the detected motion corresponds to any of a plurality of different designated gestures; and

(d) if the detected motion corresponds to one of the plurality of designated gestures;

(i) causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine a game input associated with said designated gesture, said game input being one of a plurality of different game inputs;

(ii) causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine at least one aspect of the game to modify based on the determined game input; and

(iii) causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to modify the determined at least one aspect of the game.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of designated gestures includes a first designated gesture and a second different designated gesture, and which includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with the accelerometer to:

(A) if the detected motion corresponds to the first designated gesture;

(1) determine a first game input associated with said first designated gesture,

(2) determine at least one first aspect of the game to modify based on the determined first game input, and

(3) modify the determined at least one first aspect of the game; and

(B) if the detected motion corresponds to the second designated gesture;

(1) determine a second game input associated with said second designated gesture,

(2) determine at least one second different aspect of the game to modify based on the determined second game input, and

(3) modify the determined at least one second aspect of the game.

12. The method of claim 10, which includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to operate with an input device to enable a player to associate one of the plurality of designated gestures with one of the plurality of game inputs.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein, for a first designated gesture:

(A) said first designated gesture is associated with a first game input when the game is in a first game state, and

(B) said first designated gesture is associated with a second different game input when the game is in a second different game state.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein, for a first designated gesture:

(A) said first designated gesture is associated with a first game input when the game is a first game, and

(B) said first designated gesture is associated with a second different game input when the game is a second different game.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the detected motion includes one of:

(a) a single movement of the housing, and (b) a sequence of a plurality of movements of the housing.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the determined at least one aspect of the game includes a location of at least one displayed game object during a play of the game.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the determined at least one aspect of the game includes a game state.

18. The method of claim 17, which includes causing the processor to execute the plurality of instructions to modify the game state by changing a current game state to a different game state.