Methods and systems for facilitating table games

• US 9,262,885 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walker Digital Table Systems LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital Table Systems LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Moore, Stephen, Besterman, Brian, Bischoff, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US13/513,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20120252564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/06 Card games appurtenances
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00164 Casino tables
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2429 IC card, chip card, smart card
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2489 by radio transmitters, e.g. using RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00157 Casino or betting games horse races A63F3/00082
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players

Abstract

A gaming table provides for use of RFID technology to track chip movement on a table game and to infer an association between a wager and a player position based on a chip identifier of a chip placed on a particular position of the table. In some embodiments, previous position history of the chip is also taken into account in determining a player position associated with a wager.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating a card game, comprising:

a table, the table having positioned thereon

a first antenna associated with a dealer position of the table;

at least one second antenna associated with a first player position of the table; and

at least one third antenna associated with a second player position of the table, wherein each of the first, second and third antennas is operable to determine an RFID-enabled chip within a predetermined range of the respective antenna;

a processor that is a component of the table and is operable to communicate with each of the first, second and third antennas; and

a memory of the table that is accessible to the processor, the memory storing (i) information about RFID-enabled chips used on the table for a card game; and

(ii) a program,

wherein the processor is operable with the program to;

receive an indication that an RFID-enabled chip has been acquired at one of the second or third antennas, the indication including an identifier of the antenna that acquired the RFID-enabled chip and a unique identifier of the RFID-enabled chip, thereby determining a specific RFID-enabled chip and an acquiring antenna;

determine a player identifier associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip;

determine a period of time during which the RFID-enabled chip has been located within a predetermined range of the acquiring antenna;

determine whether the specific RFID-enabled chip has been located within the predetermined range of the acquiring antenna for a period of time that is not less than a predetermined minimum period of time by comparing the period of time to the predetermined minimum period of time;

store in the memory the unique identifier of the specific RFID-enabled chip in association with the identifier of the acquiring antenna, thereby associating the specific RFID-enabled chip with the player position associated with the acquiring antenna; and

register a wager for the player identifier based on the specific RFID-enabled chip only if it is determined that the specific RFID-enabled chip has been located within a predetermined range of the acquiring antenna for a period of time that is not less than the predetermined minimum period of time.

2. The system of claim 1, the table further comprising:

at least one fourth antenna associated with a shared player position, the shared player position for placement of chips previously associated with either or both the first player position and the second player position.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to:

receive an indication that the specific RFID-enabled chip has been acquired at the fourth antenna;

retrieve from the memory, based on the unique chip identifier of the specific RFID-enabled chip, a position history associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip, wherein the position history stores, for the specific RFID-enabled chip, an indication of player positions the specific RFID-enabled chip has been associated with during a current game by storing, in association with the unique identifier of the RFID-enabled chip, an identifier of each antenna that acquired the specific RFID-enabled chip and a time at which the specific RFID-enabled chip was acquired by the antenna;

determine a most recent player position associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip; and

register a wager for the most recent player position associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip based on the specific RFID-enabled chip and the position history.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a monitor associated with the dealer position, the monitor for displaying to the dealer wagers placed on the table, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to;

display on the monitor the wager registered for the most recent player position.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to:

receive, after a predetermined point in a game, an indication that a second RFID-enabled chip has been acquired at the fourth antenna, the indication including an identifier of the acquiring antenna and a unique identifier of the second RFID-enabled chip, thereby determining a second acquiring antenna and a second specific RFID-enabled chip;

retrieve from the memory, based on the unique chip identifier, a position history associated with the second specific RFID-enabled chip, wherein the position history stores, for the specific RFID-enabled chip, an indication of player positions with which the second specific RFID-enabled chip has been associated during a current game by storing, in association with the unique identifier of the second specific RFID-enabled chip, an identifier of each antenna that acquired the second specific RFID-enabled chip and a time at which the second specific RFID-enabled chip was acquired by the antenna;

determine a most recent player position with which the second specific RFID-enabled chip has been associated;

determine a currently outstanding wager previously registered with the most recent player position;

recognize a re-characterization wager for the most recent player position based on the previously registered wager and the indication of the second RFID-enabled chip; and

register the re-characterization wager for the player position.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a monitor associated with the dealer position, the monitor for displaying to the dealer wagers placed on the table, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to;

display on the monitor the wager registered for the player position.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to:

receive, after a predetermined point in a game, an indication that a second RFID-enabled chip has been acquired at one of the second antenna or the third antenna, the indication including an identifier of the acquiring antenna and a unique identifier of the second RFID-enabled chip, thereby determining a second acquiring antenna and a second specific RFID-enabled chip;

determine the player position associated with the second acquiring antenna;

determine a previously registered wager associated with the determined player position associated with the second acquiring antenna for the current game;

recognize a re-characterization wager for the player position based on the previously registered wager and the indication of the second RFID-enabled chip; and

register the re-characterization wager for the player position.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to:

receive an indication from one of the second antenna and the third antenna that the specific RFID-enabled chip is no longer located within a predetermined range of the one of the second antenna and the third antenna, the indication including an identifier of the one of the second antenna and the third antenna providing the indication and the unique identifier of the specific RFID-enabled chip; and

update, in the memory, a position history associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip, wherein the position history stores, for the specific RFID-enabled chip, an indication of player positions the specific RFID-enabled chip has been associated with during a current game by storing, in association with the unique identifier of the specific RFID-enabled chip, an identifier of each antenna that acquired the specific RFID-enabled chip and a time at which the specific RFID-enabled chip was acquired by the one of the second antenna and the third antenna.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to:

remove an indication of the acquiring antenna from a position history associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip if it is determined that the specific RFID-enabled chip has not been located within the predetermined range of the acquiring antenna for the period of time that is not less than the predetermined minimum period of time.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to:

determine an end of a current game; and

clear a position history associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip from the memory.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable with the program to:

determine a time at which the RFID-enabled chip was acquired at the acquiring antenna, thereby determining an acquisition time;

store in the memory an indication of the RFID-enabled chip having been acquired at the acquiring antenna and the acquisition time;

determine a time at which the RFID-enabled chip is determined to no longer be within a predetermined range of the acquiring antenna, thereby determining an expiration time;

store in the memory an indication of the expiration time;

wherein the processor being operable with the program to determine whether the specific RFID-enabled chip has been located within a predetermined range of the acquiring antenna for a period of time that is not less than a predetermined minimum period of time comprises calculating the time between the acquisition time and the expiration time; and

wherein the processor being operable with the program to register a wager comprises the processor being operable with the program to perform one of;

(i) register a wager for the player identifier based on the specific RFID-enabled Chip only if it is determined that the specific RFID-enabled chip has been located within a predetermined range of the acquiring antenna for a period of time that is not less than a predetermined minimum period of time,

(ii) otherwise modify the memory to indicate that the RFID-enabled chip was not within the predetermined range of the acquiring antenna for the period of time that is not less than the predetermined minimum period of time.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for execution by a processor that is a component of a table for facilitating a card game, the instructions causing the processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving an indication that an RFID-enabled chip has been acquired at one of a first antenna or a second antenna, the indication including an identifier of the antenna that acquired the RFID-enabled chip and a unique identifier of the RFID-enabled chip, thereby determining a specific RFID-enabled chip and an acquiring antenna,

wherein the first antenna comprises an antenna associated with a first player position of a table operable to facilitate a card game and the second antenna comprises an antenna associated with a second player position of the table;

determining a player identifier associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip;

determining a period of time during which the RFID-enabled chip has been located within a predetermined range of the acquiring antenna;

determine whether the specific RFID-enabled chip has been located within a predetermined range of the acquiring antenna for a period of time that is not less than a predetermined minimum period of time by comparing the period of time to the predetermined minimum period of time;

storing in the memory the unique identifier of the specific RFID-enabled chip in association with the identifier of the acquiring antenna, thereby associating the specific RFID-enabled chip with the player position associated with the acquiring antenna; and

registering a wager for the player identifier based on the specific RFID-enabled chip only if it is determined that the specific RFID-enabled chip has been located within a predetermined range of the acquiring antenna for a period of time that is not less than the predetermined minimum period of time.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an indication that the specific RFID-enabled chip has been acquired at a third antenna of the table, the third antenna being associated with a shared player position, the shared player position for placement of chips previously associated with either or both the first player position and the second player position;

retrieving from the memory, based on the unique chip identifier of the specific RFID-enabled chip, a position history associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip, wherein the position history stores, for the specific RFID-enabled chip, an indication of player positions the specific RFID-enabled chip has been associated with during a current game by storing, in association with the unique identifier of the RFID-enabled chip, an identifier of each antenna that acquired the specific RFID-enabled chip and a time at which the specific RFID-enabled chip was acquired by the antenna;

determining a most recent player position associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip; and

registering a wager for the most recent player position associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip based on the specific RFID-enabled chip and the position history.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, after a predetermined point in a game, an indication that a second RFID-enabled chip has been acquired at the third antenna, the indication including an identifier of the acquiring antenna and a unique identifier of the second RFID-enabled chip, thereby determining a second acquiring antenna and a second specific RFID-enabled chip;

retrieving from the memory, based on the unique chip identifier, a position history associated with the second specific RFID-enabled chip, wherein the position history stores, for the specific RFID-enabled chip, an indication of player positions with which the second specific RFID-enabled chip has been associated during a current game by storing, in association with the unique identifier of the second specific RFID-enabled chip, an identifier of each antenna that acquired the second specific RFID-enabled chip and a time at which the second specific RFID-enabled chip was acquired by the antenna;

determining a most recent player position with which the second specific RFID-enabled chip has been associated;

determining a currently outstanding wager previously registered with the most recent player position;

determining a re-characterization wager for the most recent player position based on the previously registered wager and the indication of the second RFID-enabled chip; and

registering the re-characterization wager for the player position.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an indication from one of the first antenna and the second antenna that the specific RFID-enabled chip is no longer located within a predetermined range of the one of the second antenna and the third antenna, the indication including an identifier of the one of the second antenna and the third antenna providing the indication and the unique identifier of the specific RFID-enabled chip; and

updating, in the memory, a position history associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip, wherein the position history stores, for the specific RFID-enabled chip, an indication of player positions the specific RFID-enabled chip has been associated with during a current game by storing, in association with the unique identifier of the specific RFID-enabled chip, an identifier of each antenna that acquired the specific RFID-enabled chip and a time at which the specific RFID-enabled chip was acquired by the one of the second antenna and the third antenna.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

removing an indication of the acquiring antenna from a position history associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip if it is determined that the specific RFID-enabled chip has not been located within the predetermined range of the acquiring antenna for the period of time that is not less than the predetermined minimum period of time.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

removing an indication of the acquiring antenna from a position history associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip if it is determined that the specific RFID-enabled chip has not been located within the predetermined range of the acquiring antenna for the period of time that is not less than the predetermined minimum period of time.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a time at which the RFID-enabled chip was acquired at the acquiring antenna, thereby determining an acquisition time;

storing in the memory an indication of the RFID-enabled chip having been acquired at the acquiring antenna and the acquisition time;

determining a time at which the RFID-enabled chip is determined to no longer be within a predetermined range of the acquiring antenna, thereby determining an expiration time;

storing in the memory an indication of the expiration time;

wherein determining whether the specific RFID-enabled chip has been located within a predetermined range of the acquiring antenna for a period of time that is not less than a predetermined minimum period of time comprises calculating the time between the acquisition time and the expiration time; and

wherein registering a wager comprises performing one of;

(i) registering a wager for the player identifier based on the specific RFID-enabled chip only if it is determined that the specific RFID-enabled chip has been located within a predetermined range of the acquiring antenna for a period of time that is not less than a predetermined minimum period of time,

(ii) otherwise modifying the memory to indicate that the RFID-enabled chip was not within the predetermined range of the acquiring antenna for the period of time that is not less than the predetermined minimum period of time.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for execution by a processor that is a component of a table for facilitating a card game, the instructions causing the processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving an indication that an RFID-enabled chip has been acquired at one of a first antenna or a second antenna, the indication including an identifier of the antenna that acquired the RFID-enabled chip and a unique identifier of the RFID-enabled chip, thereby determining a specific RFID-enabled chip and an acquiring antenna,

wherein the first antenna comprises an antenna associated with a first player position of a table operable to facilitate a card game and the second antenna comprises an antenna associated with a second player position of the table;

determining a player identifier associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip;

determining a duration of time during which the RFID-enabled chip has been located within a predetermined range of the acquiring antenna by;

determining a first time associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip, the first time comprising a time at which the specific RFID-enabled chip has acquired by the acquiring antenna;

determining a second time associated with the specific RFID-enabled chip, the second time comprising a time at which the specific RFID-enabled chip has been removed from a vicinity of the acquiring antenna; and

determining the duration of time for which the specific RFID-enabled chip has been located within a detection range of the acquiring antenna by determining a difference between the first time and the second time;

determining whether the duration comprises a period of time that is at least equal to a minimum period of time;

registering in the memory the unique identifier of the specific RFID-enabled chip in association with the identifier of the acquiring antenna, thereby associating the specific RFID-enabled chip with the player position associated with the acquiring antenna; and

registering a wager for the player identifier based on the specific RFID-enabled chip only if it is determined that the duration is a period of time that is at least equal to the predetermined minimum period of time.