Gaming device with personality

• US 9,697,677 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2016
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acres Technology
• Original Assignee: Patent Investment & Licensing Company
• Inventors: Acres, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): TORIMIRO, ADETOKUNBO OLUSEGUN
• Application Number:
  US15/225,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20160335840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 337 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16, 463 20, 463 25, 463 30, 463 31, 463 42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• 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 17/3246 involving coins and/or banknotes
• 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

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to gaming devices that provide audio-visual animated characters in response to game play. The character has a personality that may be encouraging, taunting or another quality. A plurality of expressions of the personality is presented, between one extreme and another, dependant upon the history of game outcomes.

Claims

1. A method for operating a network of gaming devices comprising:

receiving currency at each of the gaming devices via a physical item acceptor, the currency having a monetary value;

receiving a wager from the currency in response to actuation of an input device at each of the gaming devices;

initiating play of a game at a plurality of the gaming devices in response to actuation of an input device at each of the gaming devices;

tracking outcomes of at least some plays of at least some of the gaming devices;

associating a game personality level with each of at least some of the tracked outcomes;

generating an audio-visual presentation of a character speaking at least one short phrase who in at least one of appearance and tone of voice exhibits a first personality associated with one of the game personality levels;

displaying the generated presentation to a player of one of the gaming devices so that the character appears to be speaking to the player;

changing the game personality level responsive to a change in at least one of the outcomes;

generating an audio-visual presentation of the character speaking at least one short phrase who in at least one of appearance and tone of voice exhibits a second personality different from the first personality, the second personality being associated with a different one of the game personality levels; and

displaying the generated presentation of the character exhibiting the second personality to the player so that the character appears to be speaking to the player.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second personalities are selected from a plurality of personalities, the method further comprising storing a plurality of different character personalities ranging from one level indicating a history of generally losing outcomes to another level indicating a history of generally winning outcomes.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

associating a character expression with each of at least some of the game personality levels; and

displaying one of the associated character expressions.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising selecting a personality level adjacent to the personality level associated with the displayed one of the associated character expressions responsive to a further change in at least one of the outcomes and displaying the character expression associated with the adjacent personality level.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

initiating a playing session on one of the gaming devices; and

associating the occurrence of the first game personality level in the playing session with a personality level about midway in the level range.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the audio-visual presentations comprise a voice having a character selected from a group comprising a supportive voice, a taunting voice, a nagging voice, and a suggestive voice.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein changing the game personality level responsive to a change in at least one of the outcomes comprises changing at least one of a tone and volume of the voice.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the audio-visual presentations comprise at least one of displayed text and displayed animation.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising allowing a player of one of the gaming devices to select the personality of the character.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a character that incorporates an expression associated with the game personality level.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein plays of the gaming device are made by a player and wherein the method further comprises resetting the game personality level to a predefined level responsive to an indication that the player has stopped playing the gaming device.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising changing the game personality level of the second personality responsive to a change in at least one of the outcomes.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises:

associating one of the character personalities with the player; and

displaying the associated character personality on different ones of the gaming devices played by the player.

14. A method for operating a network of gaming devices comprising:

receiving currency at each of the gaming devices via a physical item acceptor, the currency having a monetary value;

receiving a wager from the currency in response to actuation of an input device at each of the gaming devices;

initiating play of a game at a plurality of the gaming devices in response to actuation of an input device at each of the gaming devices;

tracking outcomes of at least some of the plays of the gaming devices;

generating a first audio-visual presentation of a character speaking at least one short phrase who in at least one of appearance and tone of voice exhibits a personality associated with an occurrence of a winning outcome;

displaying the first generated presentation to a player of one of the gaming devices so that the character appears to be speaking to the player in response to a winning outcome generated as a result of game play;

generating a second audio-visual presentation of the character speaking at least one short phrase who in at least one of appearance and tone of voice exhibits a personality associated with an occurrence of a losing outcome; and

displaying the second generated presentation to the player of the gaming device so that the character appears to be speaking to the player in response to a losing outcome generated as a result of game play.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the audio-visual presentations each comprises a voice having a character selected from a group comprising a supportive voice, a taunting voice, a nagging voice, and a suggestive voice.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the first audio-visual presentation has a voice tone or volume that is different from the voice tone or volume of the second audio-visual presentation.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein at least one of the audio-visual presentations comprise at least one of displayed text and displayed animation.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising allowing a player of one of the gaming devices to select at least one of the audio-visual presentations.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the first and second audio-visual presentations are selected from a plurality of audio-visual presentations, the method further comprising:

storing a plurality of different character personalities ranging from one level indicating a history of generally losing outcomes to another level indicating a history of generally winning outcomes; and

wherein generating the second audio-visual presentation comprises providing a selected one of the character personalities.

20. A method for operating an electronic gaming machine of the type that generates a random outcome in response to an input from a player to play a game on the electronic gaming machine, the method comprising:

storing in an electronic memory connected to the electronic gaming device a plurality of audio-visual presentations of a character in which at least some of the stored presentations include the character speaking at least one short phrase, the stored presentations differing from one another in at least one of appearance of the character and tone of voice of the character;

receiving currency at the electronic gaming machine via a physical item acceptor, the currency having a monetary value;

receiving a wager from the currency in response to actuation of an input device at the electronic gaming machine;

initiating play of a game at the electronic gaming machine in response to actuation of an input device at the electronic gaming machine;

tracking the random outcome of at least one game played on the electronic gaming machine;

selecting one of the stored presentations as a function of the outcome of the at least one game; and

displaying the selected first one of the stored presentations to the player of the electronic gaming device so that the character appears to be speaking to the player.