Gaming machine with proximity sensing touchless display

• US 9,452,351 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konami Gaming Incorporated (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Gaming Incorporated (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: George, Jeffrey, Sepich, Edward, Soukup, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): MYHR, JUSTIN L
• Application Number:
  US14/014,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20140135118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 463 36- 38
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/20 Input arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• 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: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players

Abstract

A device for providing a proximity sensing touchless display to a gaming machine is provided. The device includes a processor, a display coupled to the processor, and a touchless input interface coupled to the processor and being implemented by the display for receiving input from the player. The input interface employs proximity sensing technology, such as but not limited to proximity button activation. For example, the display can be operable to sense a player'"'"'s approaching finger entering an electrical field (e.g., corresponding to one or more electrodes) such that a particular button or function on the interface can be activated without the player'"'"'s finger having to ever physically contact a button, push pad, keypad, touch screen, and/or the like.

Claims

1. A player tracking device for providing a player interface to a player of a gaming machine, the player tracking device coupled to the gaming machine, comprising:

a processor;

a touchless display coupled to the processor, the touchless display configured to display a plurality of images within a display area, the plurality of images including input images displaying corresponding gaming input parameters and non-input informational images displaying gaming information, the input images being displayed in a different area of the display area than the non-input informational images; and

a touchless input interface including a proximity sensor, the touchless input interface coupled to the processor and being implemented by the touchless display, the touchless input interface configured to register a proximity of a player'"'"'s finger with respect to the touchless display and sense the player'"'"'s finger at a first proximity depth and at a second proximity depth that is nearer to the touchless display than the first proximity depth, the processor configured to;

detect the player'"'"'s finger being a predefined proximity depth away from the touchless display;

determine a location of the player'"'"'s finger within the display area;

determine if the player'"'"'s finger is positioned over a non-input informational image and responsively modify the non-input informational images to enlarge the gaming information being displayed with the non-input informational images when the player'"'"'s finger is at the first proximity depth; and

determine if the player'"'"'s finger is positioned over an input image and responsively;

initiate an activating feature including providing a tactile feedback to the player when the player'"'"'s finger is at the first proximity depth; and

indent the input image displayed by the touchless display, determine an input parameter associated with the input image, and generate and transmit the input parameter to a host computer to initiate a corresponding player command when the player'"'"'s finger is at the second proximity depth.

2. The device, as in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to provide an aural sound effect to notify the player of a player'"'"'s selection of the input image when the player'"'"'s finger is at the second proximity depth.

3. The device, as in claim 1, the proximity sensor including a plurality of spaced electrodes, each of the spaced electrodes being associated with each of the plurality of images, the processor configured to select an image associated with the player'"'"'s finger as a function of the loading difference associated with each of the electrodes.

4. The device, as in claim 1, wherein the touchless input interface detects a person passing near the gaming machine, and communicates to the processor to affect the display by displaying at least one of lights, sounds, videos, and animations.

5. The device, as in claim 1, wherein the modification of the non-input informational image is a function of the size of the non-input informational image displayed in relation to the player'"'"'s proximity to the interface.

6. The device, as in claim 5, the processor further configured to increase the size of the non-input informational image displayed by the touchless display as a function of the player'"'"'s proximity to the interface.

7. The device, as in claim 5, the processor further configured to display the non-input informational image including information associated with game rules.

8. The device, as in claim 1, wherein the modification of the non-input informational image is a function of the scale of the non-input informational image displayed in relation to the player'"'"'s proximity to the interface.

9. The device, as in claim 8, the processor further configured to increase the scale of the non-input informational image displayed by the touchless display as a function of the player'"'"'s proximity to the interface.

10. The device, as in claim 8, the processor further configured to increase the scale of the non-input informational image to a predefined size.

11. The device, as in claim 1, wherein the input image is a button with a specific function for the processor to carry out.

12. The device, as in claim 11, wherein the specific function for the processor to carry out is one of selecting a game, placing a wager, and requesting casino services.

13. The device, as in claim 11, the touchless display including a bezel coupled to the display having a modifiable parameter for indicating information.

14. The device, as in claim 13, the modifiable parameter being color.

15. A method of using a player tracking device including a processor, a touchless display, and a touchless input interface including a proximity sensor and comprising the steps of:

coupling the touchless display to the processor;

coupling the touchless input interface to the processor;

displaying, by the processor, a plurality of images within a display area on the touchless display, the plurality of images including input images displaying corresponding input parameters and non-input informational images displaying gaming information, the input images being displayed in a different area of the display area than the non-input informational images;

associating the images with the touchless input interface;

registering a proximity of a player'"'"'s finger in relation to the touchless display including sensing the player'"'"'s finger at a first proximity depth and at a second proximity depth that is nearer to the touchless display than the first proximity depth;

detecting the player'"'"'s finger being a predefined proximity depth away from the touchless display;

determining a location of the player'"'"'s finger within the display area;

determining if the player'"'"'s finger is positioned over a non-input informational image and responsively modifying the non-input informational image to enlarge the gaming information being displayed with the non-input informational image when the player'"'"'s finger is at the first proximity depth; and

determining if the player'"'"'s finger is positioned over an input image and responsively;

initiating an activating feature including providing a tactile feedback to the player when the player'"'"'s finger is at the first proximity depth; and

indenting the input image on the touchless display, determining an input parameter associated with the input image, and generating and transmitting the input parameter to a host computer to initiate a corresponding player command when the player'"'"'s finger is at the second proximity depth.

16. The method, as in claim 15, the method further including the steps of providing an aural sound effect to notify the player of a player'"'"'s selection of the input image when the player'"'"'s finger is at the second proximity depth.

17. The method, as in claim 15, including the steps of:

detecting a person passing near the gaming machine and displaying by displaying at least one of lights, sounds, videos, and animations.

18. The method, as in claim 15, the proximity sensor further including a including a plurality of spaced electrodes, each of the spaced electrodes being associated with each of the plurality of images, the method further including the steps of:

detecting a loading difference of each of the electrodes; and

selecting an image associated with the player'"'"'s finger as a function of the loading difference associated with each of the electrodes.

19. The method, as in claim 15, wherein the modification of the non-input informational image is a function of the size of the non-input informational image displayed in relation to the player'"'"'s proximity to the interface.

20. The method, as in claim 19, the method further including the step of increasing the size of the non-input informational image displayed by the touchless display as a function of the player'"'"'s proximity to the interface.

21. The player tracking device, as in claim 15, the method further including the step of displaying the non-input informational image including information associated with game rules.

22. The method, as in claim 15, wherein the modification of the non-input informational image is a function of the scale of the non-input informational image displayed in relation to the player'"'"'s proximity to the interface.

23. The method, as in claim 22, the method further including the step of increasing the scale of the non-input informational image displayed by the touchless display as a function of the player'"'"'s proximity to the interface.

24. The method, as in claim 22, the method further including the step of increasing the scale of the non-input informational image to a predefined size.

25. The method, as in claim 15, the method further including the step of displaying the input image including a button with a specific function for the processor to carry out.

26. The method, as in claim 25, wherein the specific function for the processor to carry out is one of selecting a game, placing a wager, and requesting casino services.

27. The method, as in claim 25, the touchless display including a bezel coupled to the display having a modifiable parameter for indicating information.

28. The method, as in claim 25, wherein the modifiable parameter is color, the method including the step of modifying the color of the bezel as a function of the player'"'"'s game play.

29. A non-transitory information recording medium on which a computer readable program is recorded that causes a computer to function as a player tracking device for providing a player interface to a player of a gaming machine, the player tracking device coupled to the gaming machine, comprising:

a processor;

a touchless display coupled to the processor, the touchless display configured to display a plurality of images within a display area, the plurality of images including input images displaying corresponding input parameters and non-input informational images displaying gaming information, the input images being displayed in a different area of the display area than the non-input informational images; and

a touchless input interface including a proximity sensor, the touchless input interface coupled to the processor and being implemented by the touchless display, the touchless input interface configured to register a proximity of a player'"'"'s finger with respect to the touchless display and sense the player'"'"'s finger at a first proximity depth and at a second proximity depth that is nearer to the touchless display than the first proximity depth, the processor configured to;

detect the player'"'"'s finger being a predefined proximity depth away from the touchless display;

determine a location of the player'"'"'s finger within the display area;

determine if the player'"'"'s finger is positioned over a non-input informational image and responsively modify the non-input informational image to enlarge the gaming information being displayed with the non-input informational image when the player'"'"'s finger is at the first proximity depth; and

determine if the player'"'"'s finger is positioned over an input image and responsively;

initiate an activating feature including providing a tactile feedback to the player when the player'"'"'s finger is at the first proximity depth; and

indent the input image displayed by the touchless display, determine an input parameter associated with the input image, and generate and transmit the input parameter to a host computer to initiate a corresponding player command when the player'"'"'s finger is at the second proximity depth.