Coordinated gaming machine attract via gaming machine cameras

• US 9,412,222 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2013
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Traphagen, Brandon
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel, Matthew D
• Application Number:
  US14/032,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20150087413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards

Abstract

Systems and methods for initiating attract sequences on gaming machines based on a determined presence of a player through a camera are described. The gaming machine includes a cabinet. The gaming machine further includes a display coupled to the cabinet. The gaming machine includes a user input coupled to the cabinet. The gaming machine includes a video camera coupled to the cabinet, the video camera configured to output video data, wherein the video camera is positioned to capture video data of players walking by the gaming machine. The gaming machine includes a master gaming controller. The master gaming controller is configured to receive the video data from the video camera, determine the presence of a player in the vicinity of the gaming machine, and initiate an attract feature based on the determined presence of the player.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a cabinet;

a display device coupled to the cabinet;

a user input coupled to the cabinet;

a video camera coupled to the cabinet, the video camera configured to capture video data of a vicinity of the gaming machine; and

a master gaming controller configured to;

receive the captured video data from the video camera,

determine whether a game is being actively played,

if no games are determined to be actively played and a bystander is determined, based on the captured video data, to be in the vicinity of the gaming machine, initiate an attract feature, and

if the game is determined to be actively played and the bystander is determined, based on the captured video data, to be in the vicinity of the gaming machine, not initiate the attract feature.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the master gaming controller is further configured to determine a line of sight of the bystander.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the master gaming controller is further configured to determine a direction of travel of the bystander in at least two dimensions.

4. The gaming machine of claim 3, wherein the master gaming controller is further configured to send information relating to a presence of the bystander to an adjacent gaming machine which is predicted to be within a line of sight of the bystander based at least in part on the at least two-dimensional direction of travel of the bystander.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the attract feature is part of a coordinated attract feature performed by a plurality of gaming machines.

6. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of electronic gaming machines, each of the plurality of electronic gaming machines including;

a cabinet,

a display device coupled to the cabinet,

a user input coupled to the cabinet,

a video camera coupled to the cabinet, the video camera configured to capture video data of a vicinity of the electronic gaming machine, and

a master gaming controller configured to determine whether a game is being actively played on the electronic gaming machine;

a server configured to receive the captured video data from each of the plurality of electronic gaming machines, the server including a processing circuit configured to;

receive the captured video data from the plurality of video cameras,

if no games are determined to be actively played on one of said electronic gaming machines and a bystander is determined, based on the captured video data, to be in the vicinity of said electronic gaming machine, initiate an attract feature on said electronic gaming machine, and

if the game is determined to be actively played on said electronic gaming machine and the bystander is determined, based on the captured video data, to be in the vicinity of the electronic gaming machine, not initiate the attract feature on said electronic gaming machine.

7. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of electronic gaming machines are arranged in a bank such that each of the video cameras has a field of view that overlaps with at least another field of view of another one of the video cameras.

8. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the server further includes a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store the captured video data from the plurality of electronic gaming machines on a first-in first-out basis.

9. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to determine a location of the bystander in at least two dimensions with respect to the plurality of electronic gaming machines.

10. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to determine a two-dimensional direction of travel of the bystander with respect to the plurality of electronic gaming machines.

11. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to predict one of the plurality of electronic gaming machines that will be within a line of sight of the bystander based at least in part on the two-dimensional direction of travel of the bystander.

12. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the attract feature is initiated on the predicted electronic gaming machine.

13. A method of operating a gaming system, the method comprising:

receiving, at a processing circuit, video data of a vicinity of a gaming machine captured from a video camera of the gaming machine;

determining, by the processing circuit, whether a game is being actively played;

initiating an attract feature if no games are determined to be actively played and a bystander is determined, based on the captured video data, to be in the vicinity of the gaming machine;

not initiating the attract feature if the game is determined to be actively played and the bystander is determined, based on the captured video data, to be in the vicinity of the gaming machine.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the processing circuit is located on a server in communication with the gaming machine.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the processing circuit is part of the gaming machine.

16. The method of claim 13, further including determining a direction of travel of the bystander in at least two dimensions.

17. The method of claim 16, further including determining a line of sight of the bystander based at least in part on the at least two-dimensional direction of travel of the bystander.

18. The method of claim 13, further including determining a line of sight of the bystander based on a facial recognition analysis of the bystander.

19. The method of claim 13, which includes receiving captured video data from a plurality of cameras of a plurality of gaming machines.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the attract feature is performed on a calculated subset of the plurality of gaming machines.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the attract feature is a coordinated attract feature performed on the plurality of gaming machines.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the attract feature is independently performed by each gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines.

23. The method of claim 13, further including selecting the attract feature from a plurality of attract features.