Gaming social communication

• US 9,691,221 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2014
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Hamlin, Vernon W., Trego, Mark K., Block, Rory L., Greenberg, Jacob C., Sylla, Craig J., Lasseter, Laurie E.
• Primary Examiner(s): SKAARUP, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US14/259,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20140235332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players

Abstract

Disclosed herein are one or more examples of generating a communication directed to a contact of a wagering game player account. In some embodiments, a gaming system can perform operations to determine an identity of an individual located within a given physical location and present, on a display device, a virtual identifier associated with the contact. The individual is indicated as a contact in a wagering game player account. The display device is associated with the wagering game player account. The gaming system can further perform an operation to detect a user input related to the virtual identifier presented on the display device. Further, the gaming system can perform an operation to send a communication to a device associated with the contact in response to detecting the user input.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

sensing, by one or more electronic sensing devices of the gaming system, a physical area of a gaming environment, wherein the sensing the physical area comprises recording, by the one or more electronic sensing devices, one or more images of an individual within the physical area;

electronically analyzing, by at least one of one or more electronic processing units of the gaming system, electronic information obtained from the one or more electronic sensing devices in response to the sensing, wherein the electronic information is related to the physical area, and wherein the electronically analyzing the electronic information comprises analyzing, by at least one of the one or more electronic processing units, the one or more images against an image of a contact stored in the wagering game player account;

automatically determining, in response to the electronically analyzing, an identity of an individual located within the physical area, wherein the individual is indicated as the contact in a wagering game player account, and wherein the automatically determining the identity of the individual comprises, based on the analyzing, determining, by at least one of the one or more electronic processing units, that the identity of the individual is that of the contact stored in the wagering game player account;

presenting, by at least one of the one or more electronic processing units, a virtual identifier associated with the contact on an electronic display device in response to the automatically determining the identity of the individual within the physical area, wherein the electronic display device is associated with the wagering game player account;

detecting, by at least one of the one or more electronic processing units, a user input related to the virtual identifier presented on the electronic display device; and

in response to the detecting the user input, automatically transmitting an electronic communication, via a network communication interface of the gaming system, to a device associated with the contact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically determining the identity of the individual comprises:

monitoring, by the one or more electronic sensing devices, the individual within the physical area;

based on the monitoring, determining, via the electronically analyzing by at least one of the one or more electronic processing units, one or more unique characteristics of the individual;

comparing, by at least one of the one or more electronic processing units, the one or more unique characteristics to data for the contact stored in the wagering game player account, wherein the data is associated with the identity of the individual; and

determining, by at least one of the one or more electronic processing units, the identity based on the comparing.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more unique characteristics comprise one or more of a fingerprint of the individual, a radio frequency identifier associated with the individual, a gait of the individual, a retinal image of the individual, and a voice pattern of the individual.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronically analyzing the one or more images against the image of the contact stored in the wagering game player account comprises:

determining, by at least one of the one or more electronic processing units, one or more unique visual characteristics of the individual depicted in the one or more images; and

determining, by at least one of the one or more electronic processing units, that the image of the contact includes the one or more unique visual characteristics.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting the virtual identifier associated with the contact on the electronic display device comprises:

generating, by at least one of the one or more electronic processing units, a virtual representation of the individual based on the identity of the individual; and

presenting the virtual representation of the individual on a virtual representation of the physical area.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the user input related to the virtual identifier presented on the electronic display device comprises:

automatically detecting, via an additional electronic communication received via the network communication interface, a selection of the virtual identifier via the electronic display device, wherein the virtual identifier indicates a feature to generate the electronic communication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically transmitting the electronic communication to the device associated with the contact comprises:

detecting, from data stored in the wagering game player account related to the contact, a type of contact data for the device associated with the contact;

generating a communication associated with the type of contact data; and

electronically transmitting, via the network communication interface, the communication associated with the type of contact data to the device associated with the contact using the type of contact data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the type of contact data comprises a telephone number for the device associated with the contact, wherein the generating the communication associated with the type of contact data comprises generating a text message, and wherein the transmitting the communication associated with the type of contact data to the device associated with the contact using the type of contact data comprises transmitting the text message to the telephone number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the device associated with the contact comprises one or more of a mobile wagering game machine associated with the individual, a cell phone associated with the individual, and a personal mobile device associated with the individual.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication comprises one or more of an invitation to participate in a wagering game and directions to a location in a casino.

11. One or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors of a gaming system cause the set of the one or more processors to perform operations for operating the gaming system, the instructions comprising:

instructions to sense, via one or more electronic sensing devices of the gaming system, a physical area of a gaming environment, wherein the instructions to sense the physical area include instructions record, by the one or more electronic sensing devices, one or more images of the individual within the physical area;

instructions to electronically analyze, by at least one of the one or more processors, electronic information obtained from the one or more electronic sensing devices in response to the sensing, wherein the electronic information is related to the physical area, and wherein the instructions to electronically analyze the electronic information includes instructions to analyze, by at least one of the one or more processors, the one or more images against an image of the contact stored in the wagering game player account;

instructions to automatically determine, in response to the electronically analyzing, an identity of an individual located within the physical area, wherein the individual is indicated as a contact in a wagering game player account, wherein the instructions to automatically determine the identity of the individual includes instructions to, based on the analysis, determine, by at least one of the one or more processors, that the identity of the individual is that of the contact stored in the wagering game player account;

instructions to presenting, by at least one of the one or more processors, a virtual identifier associated with the contact on an electronic display device in response to the automatically determination of the identity of the individual within the physical area, wherein the electronic display device is associated with the wagering game player account;

instructions to detecting, by at least one of the one or more processors, a user input related to the virtual identifier presented on the electronic display device; and

instructions to in response to the detection of the user input, automatically transmit an electronic communication, via a network communication interface of the gaming system, to a device associated with the contact.

12. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the instructions to automatically determine the identity of the individual-includes operations comprising:

instructions to monitor, by the one or more electronic sensing devices, the individual within the physical area;

instructions to, based on the monitoring, determine, via the electronic analysis, by at least one of the one or more processors, one or more unique characteristics of the individual;

instructions to compare, by at least one of the one or more processors, the one or more unique characteristics to data for the contact stored in the wagering game player account, wherein the data is associated with the identity of the individual; and

instructions to determine, by at least one of the one or more processors, the identity based on the comparison.

13. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the one or more unique characteristics comprise one or more of a fingerprint of the individual, a radio frequency identifier associated with the individual, a gait of the individual, a retinal image of the individual, and a voice pattern of the individual.

14. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the instructions to analyze the one or more images against the image of the contact stored in the wagering game player account comprise:

instructions to determine, by at least one of the one or more processors, one or more unique visual characteristics of the individual depicted in the one or more images; and

instructions to determine, by at least one of the one or more processors, that the image of the contact includes the one or more unique visual characteristics.

15. A gaming system comprising:

one or more electronic sensing devices;

a network communication interface;

one or more processors;

an electronic display device; and

one or more memory storage devices configured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more processors cause the gaming system to perform operations to perform operations for controlling the gaming system, the instructions including,

instructions to sense, by at least one of the one or more electronic sensing devices, a physical area of a gaming environment, wherein the instructions to sense include instructions to record, by the one or more electronic sensing devices, one or more images of the individual within the physical area;

instructions to electronically analyze electronic information obtained from the at least one of the one or more electronic sensing devices in response to sensing the physical area, wherein the electronic information is related to the physical area, and wherein the instructions to analyze the electronic information include instructions to analyze, by at least one of the one or more processors, the one or more images against an image of a contact stored in a wagering game player account;

instructions to automatically determine, based on electronic analysis of the electronic information, an identity of an individual located within the physical area, wherein the individual is indicated as the contact in the wagering game player account, wherein the instructions to automatically determine the identity of the individual includes instructions to, based on the analysis, determine, by at least one of the one or more processors, that the identity of the individual is that of the contact stored in the wagering game player account;

instructions to present a virtual identifier associated with the contact on the electronic display device in response to the identity of the individual being automatically determined;

instructions to detect a user input related to the virtual identifier presented on the electronic display device; and

instructions to in response to the user input being detected, automatically transmit an electronic communication, via the network communication interface, to a device associated with the contact.

16. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions to detect, via an additional electronic communication received via the network communication interface, a selection of the virtual identifier via the electronic display device, wherein the virtual identifier indicates a feature to generate the electronic communication.

17. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions to automatically detect, from data stored in the wagering game player account about the contact, a type of contact data for the device associated with the contact; and

instructions to generate a communication associated with the type of contact data.

18. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the type of contact data comprises a device identifier for one or more of a mobile wagering game machine associated with the individual, a cell phone associated with the individual, and a personal mobile device associated with the individual, and wherein the one or more memory storage devices are configured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more processors cause the gaming system to perform an operation to send a message using the device identifier.

19. The gaming system of claim 18, wherein the message specifies one or more of an invitation to participate in a wagering game associated with the wagering game player account and directions to a location in a casino for a bank of wagering game machines associated with the wagering game player account.