Superstitious gesture enhanced gameplay system

• US 9,415,307 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2014
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Kelly, Bryan M., Lyons, Martin S., Patton, Stephen E., Savage, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): D'Agostino, Paul A
• Assistant Examiner(s): YEN, JASON TAHAI
• Application Number:
  US14/538,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20150065250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• 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

Abstract

Various embodiments disclosed herein are directed to a gesture enhanced game play system that includes a display system, a sensor system, a feedback system, and one or more computing systems. The sensor system is configured to detect at least one touch gesture when the touch gesture is at least proximate the virtual game layout. During play of the game, a player'"'"'s touch gestures are evaluated as either a functional gameplay touch gesture or non-functional gameplay touch gestures. Each functional gameplay touch gesture relates directly to reaching an outcome of a current game. Each non-functional gameplay touch gesture may be associated with a feedback system that responds to the non-functional gameplay touch gestures by the player with visual, audio, tactile feedback or the altering of certain game parameters and displays, giving at least the impression that the non-functional gestures affect game outcomes.

Claims

1. A gesture enhanced game play system, comprising:

a physical network that enables communication between gaming machines in the gesture enhanced game play system, each gaming machine comprising;

(i) at least one display device;

(ii) a plurality of input devices including;

(a) an acceptor of a wager associated with a first monetary value;

(b) a cashout button actuatable to cause an initiation of a payout associated with a credit balance;

(iii) at least one gaming machine controller; and

(iv) at least one gaming machine memory device storing a plurality of game play code;

a server connected to the physical network and including neural network architecture that acquires, stores, and utilizes experiential information to learn touch gestures;

a display system configured to display images related to one or more games, the images including a virtual game layout including at least one area associated with the play of the one or more games;

a sensor system configured to detect at least one touch gesture when the touch gesture is at least proximate the virtual game layout, wherein touch gesture information is updated using the neural network architecture;

a computing system, the computing system communicatively coupled to the display system to control the images displayed by the display system and communicatively coupled to the sensor system to receive information indicative of the at least one touch gesture detected by the sensor system;

wherein during play of the one or more games, the at least one touch gesture is categorized by the computing system as either a functional gameplay touch gesture or a non-functional gameplay touch gesture; and

wherein a frequency table of detected non-functional gameplay touch gestures is maintained by the computing system, the most frequently occurring non-functional gameplay touch gesture designated as a lucky gesture which, when made by a player during gameplay of a winning game, triggers the computing system to provide at least an impression via the display system that the lucky gesture affects game outcomes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-functional gameplay touch gestures are associated with a feedback system that responds to the non-functional gameplay touch gestures by the player with visual, audio, or tactile feedback.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein non-functional gameplay touch gestures may activate the feedback system when a symbol is touched, a general area of the display system is touched, a graphic is touched, or an area within a proximity of a symbol or graphic is touched.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a game that has a higher bonus hit frequency has a lower prize pay range and a game that has a lower hit frequency has a higher prize pay range, and wherein making the lucky gesture motion does not change an overall return to the player of the game.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-functional gameplay touch gestures correlate to a database of predetermined non-functional gameplay touch gestures in the feedback system that associate each non-functional gameplay touch gesture with a predetermined feedback to the player.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a non-functional gameplay touch gesture is identified by the feedback system a set number of times before the feedback system associates the non-functional gameplay touch gesture with a predetermined feedback to the player.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a non-functional gameplay touch gesture is identified by the feedback system that associates the non-functional gameplay touch gesture with a predetermined feedback to the player, and wherein the feedback to the player is personalized for each specific player in response to receiving player identification information.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes a virtual button having an available state which demonstrates that sufficient credits are available to enable selection of the button in its available state.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes a virtual button having an inactive button state which demonstrates that sufficient credits are not available to enable selection of the button in its inactive state.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes a virtual button having a mouse/finger over button state, wherein if a player touches and slides from one button location to another button location, a potential button/selection is activated, but a selection is not committed by the player without a secondary player action.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further includes a sound effects package that synchronizes sound effects with use of a physical button or virtual button.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein lower frequency tones are associated with lower bet amounts and higher frequency tones are associated with higher bet amounts.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the display system includes at least one display device selected from the group consisting of a cathode ray tube display, a liquid crystal (LCD) display, a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) display, a plasma display, a digital light processing (DLP) display or a projector.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least a first game playing surface on which at least a portion of the one or more games is playable, the first game playing surface forming a portion of a table top or a bar top.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least a first game playing surface on which at least a portion of the one or more games is playable, and wherein the first game playing surface is part of a slant top or vertical gaming machine.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least a first game playing surface on which at least a portion of the one or more games is playable; and

at least a second game playing surface on which at least a portion of the one or more games is playable, where the sensor system is configured to detect at least one physical aspect of the at least one game-related piece when the game-related piece is located on the first game playing surface and when the game-related piece is located on the second game playing surface.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least a first game playing surface on which at least a portion of the one or more games is playable; and

at least a second game playing surface on which at least a portion of the one or more games is playable, wherein the display system includes a first display device and at least a second display device, the first display device positioned to display the images on or under the first game playing surface and the second display device positioned to display the images on or under the second game playing surface.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the display system and the sensor system are remotely located from the computing system.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the display system and the sensor system are located in a wireless communications device.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the display system and the sensor system are co-located remotely from a gaming floor of a gaming establishment.