Peripheral device and method of detecting illegal action

• US 9,852,577 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2015
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Okada, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): D'AGOSTINO, PAUL ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US14/847,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20150379815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

A peripheral device (sandwiched device) to be installed adjacent to a gaming machine, including an imaging unit (CCD camera) configured to image a player who is playing a game with the gaming machine and output face image data for identifying the face of the player obtained by imaging, and a CPU configured to: obtain information about a game the player played with the gaming machine; determine whether or not an illegality condition is met based on the obtained information about the game; and set whether or not to activate the imaging unit based on the determination result.

Claims

1. An illegal action monitoring apparatus for a wagering machine, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of cameras, each including a lens and an actuator moving the lens to adjust an imaging direction; and

a controller operating the plurality of cameras,

wherein each of the plurality of cameras is positioned to capture a facial image of a player of the wagering machine, and

wherein the controller is configured to;

(a) when the player plays a game at the wagering machine, activate the actuator of each of the plurality of cameras, after a predetermined information is generated, to move the lens of each of the plurality of cameras until imaging regions of the plurality of cameras are coincident with each other and to stop the lens of each of the plurality of cameras after the imaging regions of the plurality of cameras are coincident with each other;

(b) control the plurality of cameras to capture facial image data of the player after completing the movement of the lens of each of the plurality of cameras;

(c) receive the captured facial image data from the plurality of cameras;

(d) generate a resultant image data of the player based on the captured facial image data from the plurality of cameras, the resultant image data representing a face of the player stereoscopically; and

(e) compare the output resultant image data with stored facial image data.

2. The illegal action monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to compare and compute predetermined reference data and comparison data which is obtained from a wagering game implemented by the wagering machine.

3. An illegal action monitoring apparatus installed adjacent to a gaming machine, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of cameras for imaging a player playing a game at the gaming machine to output facial image data for stereoscopically specifying a face of the player imaged and acquired, each of the plurality of cameras including a lens and an actuator moving the lens to adjust an imaging direction; and

a controller configured to

compute reference playing time for consuming a predetermined game medium at the gaming machine;

determine whether actual playing time of the player at the gaming machine exceeds the reference playing time;

activate the actuator of each of the plurality of cameras to move the lens of each of the plurality of cameras until imaging regions of the plurality of cameras are coincident with each other when the actual playing time of the player at the gaming machine exceeds the reference playing time and to stop the lens of each of the plurality of cameras after the imaging regions of the plurality of cameras are coincident with each other;

control the plurality of cameras to capture facial image data of the player after completing the movement of the lens of each of the plurality of cameras;

receive the captured facial image data from the plurality of cameras;

generate a resultant image data of the player based on the captured facial image data from the plurality of cameras, the resultant image data representing a face of the player stereoscopically; and

compare the output resultant image data with stored facial image data,

wherein the facial image data from each of the plurality of cameras includes at least identification information that can be specified for the gaming machine.

4. The illegal action monitoring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to, when the actual playing time of the player at the gaming machine exceeds the reference playing time, notify related information.

5. An illegal action monitoring apparatus installed adjacent to a gaming machine, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of cameras imaging a player playing a game at the gaming machine to output facial image data for stereoscopically specifying a face of the player imaged and acquired, each of the plurality of cameras including a lens and an actuator moving the lens to adjust an imaging direction; and

a controller configured to

compute reference time as consumption time of a number of gaming mediums consumed in association with time related to one time required for lottery of a specific playing state implemented at the gaming machine,

determine whether the consumption time of the gaming mediums consumed in association with actual time required for lottery at the gaming machine exceeds the reference time;

activate the actuator of each of the plurality of cameras to move the lens of each of the plurality of cameras until imaging regions of the plurality of cameras are coincident with each other when the consumption time of the gaming mediums consumed in association with the actual time required for lottery at the gaming machine exceeds the reference time and to stop the lens of each of the plurality of cameras after the imaging regions of the plurality of cameras are coincident with each other;

control the plurality of cameras to capture facial image data of the player after completing the movement of the lens of each of the plurality of cameras;

receive the captured facial image data from the plurality of cameras;

generate a resultant image data of the player based on the captured facial image data from the plurality of cameras, the resultant image data representing a face of the player stereoscopically; and

compare the output resultant image data with stored facial image data.

6. The illegal action monitoring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of cameras image a plurality of times a face of the player.

7. An illegal action monitoring apparatus comprising:

a plurality of cameras including a lens and an actuator moving the lens to adjust an imaging direction; and

a controller for operating the plurality of cameras,

wherein the plurality of cameras is positioned to capture a facial image of a player of an available machine,

wherein the controller is configured to;

(a) receive information from the available machine;

(b) determine whether the information from the available machine is illegal;

(c) when the player uses the available machine, and when it is determined that the information from the available machine is illegal, activate the actuator of each of the plurality of cameras to move the lens of each of the plurality of cameras until imaging regions of the plurality of cameras are coincident with each other and to stop the lens of each of the plurality of cameras after the imaging regions of the plurality of cameras are coincident with each other;

(d) control the plurality of cameras to capture facial image data of a face of the player a plurality of times; and

(e) receive the captured facial image data from the plurality of cameras;

(f) generate a resultant image data of the player based on the captured facial image data from the plurality of cameras, the resultant image data representing a face of the player stereoscopically; and

(g) compare the output resultant image data with stored facial image data.