Environment controller, an environment control system and environment control method

• US 10,241,529 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2015
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia PTY Limited (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia PTY Limited (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Inventors: Frerking, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Von Buhr, M. N.
• Application Number:
  US14/833,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20150362930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 700276
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/20 Feedback from users
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1934 each space being provided with one sensor acting on one or more control means

Abstract

An example environment control system for a venue includes a controllable device arranged to perform at least one of heating, cooling or ventilation of the venue so as to affect the environment of the venue; a plurality of input devices disposed throughout the venue, each input device operable by a user to input environment feedback; and an environment controller arranged to control the at least one controllable device based on the environment feedback.

Claims

1. An environment control system for a venue, the environment control system comprising:

a controllable device configured to perform at least one of heating, cooling, and ventilation of the venue;

a plurality of input devices disposed throughout the venue, each input device associated with a gaming device in the venue and operable by a user to input qualitative environment feedback, each input device comprising a display;

a feedback prompter configured to transmit a message for display on at least one display, the message including a plurality of survey options and a request to the user to provide the qualitative environment feedback by selecting one of the plurality of survey options;

a venue management system configured to receive the qualitative environment feedback and add location information to the qualitative environment feedback based on the input device from which the qualitative environment feedback is received; and

an environment controller configured to control the at least one controllable device by adjusting a control parameter of the at least one controllable device based on the qualitative environment feedback and location information and control the feedback prompter to transmit the message in response to at least one prompt condition.

2. An environment control system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of controllable devices, each controllable device configured to perform at least one of heating, cooling, and ventilation of the venue.

3. An environment control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the environment controller determines which of the plurality of controllable devices to control based on the environment feedback.

4. An environment control system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the environment controller is configured to select at least one controllable device of the plurality of controllable devices to control based on the location information associated with the environment feedback.

5. An environment control system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising at least one sensor disposed within the venue to provide sensor data to the environment controller, and wherein the environment controller is configured to control the at least one controllable device by adjusting the control parameter based on the sensor data.

6. An environment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each input device is part of a user interface, and the user interface comprises the display.

7. An environment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one prompt condition includes at least one of a temporal condition, a number of players condition, a temperature condition, and a temperature change condition.

8. An environment control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the venue is a gaming venue, and wherein the plurality of input devices is disposed at respective ones of a plurality of gaming devices disposed in the gaming venue such that each of the plurality of input devices is operable by a player at a respective one of the plurality of gaming devices.

9. An environment control system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the environment controller is further configured to receive usage data indicative of use of at least one of the plurality of gaming devices within the venue from a gaming device management system, and wherein the environment controller is further configured to control the at least one controllable device by adjusting the control parameter based on the usage data.

10. An environment control system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the environment controller is further configured to select at least one controllable device to control based on location information associated with the environment feedback, and wherein the gaming device management system is configured to provide the location information to the environment controller.

11. An environment control system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the venue management system is further configured to receive the environment feedback from a subset of the plurality of input devices, and wherein the environment controller is further configured to adjust the control parameter of the at least one controllable device according to an average feedback value associated with the environment feedback from the subset of the plurality of input devices.

12. An environment control system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the venue includes a plurality of regions and the location information identifies a region associated with each input device of the plurality of input devices, wherein the environmental control system further comprises a plurality of controllable devices, each controllable device configured to perform at least one of heating, cooling, and ventilation of a respective region to the plurality of regions, and wherein the environment controller is further configured to:

select at least one controllable device of the plurality of controllable devices to control based on the location information associated with the environment feedback from the subset of the plurality of input devices; and

adjust the control parameter of each at least one controllable device according to an average feedback value associated with the environment feedback received from at least one input device within each region of the plurality of regions.

13. An environment controller for a venue, the environment controller comprising:

a processor configured to;

control a feedback prompter to transmit a message for display at at least one input device disposed throughout the venue in response to at least one prompt condition, the message including a plurality of survey options and a request to a user to input qualitative environment feedback by selecting one of the plurality of survey options, each input device associated with a gaming device in the venue and operable by the user to input the qualitative environment feedback;

receive qualitative environment feedback input via the at least one input device;

receive location information with respect to the qualitative environment feedback based on the input device from which the qualitative environment feedback is received; and

process the qualitative environment feedback to generate at least one control output to control at least one controllable device in the venue by adjusting a control parameter of the at least one controllable device, based on the qualitative environment feedback and location information, to perform at least one of heating, cooling, and ventilation of the venue.

14. An environment controller as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one control output is output to a display to enable an operator to control the at least one controllable device configured to perform at least one of heating, cooling, and ventilation of the venue based on the displayed control output.

15. An environment controller as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to determine which of a plurality of controllable devices to control based on the environment feedback.

16. An environment controller claimed in claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to select at least one controllable device to control based on the location information associated with the environment feedback.

17. An environment controller claimed in claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to generate the at least one control output by adjusting the control parameter based on sensor data from at least one sensor disposed within the venue.

18. An environment controller as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one prompt condition includes at least one of a temporal condition, a number of players condition, a temperature condition, and a temperature change condition.

19. An environment controller as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive usage data indicative of use of respective ones of a plurality of gaming devices within the venue from a gaming device management system; and

generate the at least one control output, the control output including adjusting the control parameter based on the usage data.

20. A method of controlling an environment of a gaming venue, the method comprising:

detecting at least one prompt condition;

controlling a feedback prompter to transmit a message for display at at least one input device disposed throughout the gaming venue in response to the at least one prompt condition, the message including a plurality of survey options and a request to a user to input qualitative environment feedback by selecting one of the plurality of survey options, each input device associated with a gaming device in the gaming venue and operable by the user to input the qualitative environment feedback;

receiving the qualitative environment feedback input from the at least one input device;

adding location information to the qualitative environment feedback based on the input device from which the qualitative environment feedback is received; and

controlling at least one controllable device configured to perform at least one of heating, cooling, and ventilation of the venue by adjusting a control parameter of the at least one controllable device based on the qualitative environment feedback and location information.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20 further comprising determining which of a plurality of controllable devices to control based on the environment feedback.

22. A method as claimed in claim 20 further comprising selecting at least one controllable device to control based on the location information associated with the environment feedback.

23. A method as claimed in claim 20 further comprising:

receiving sensor data from at least one sensor disposed within the gaming venue; and

controlling the at least one controllable device by adjusting the control parameter based on the sensor data.

24. A method as claimed in claim 20 further comprising:

receiving usage data indicative of use of respective ones of a plurality of gaming devices within the venue from a gaming device management system; and

controlling the at least one controllable device by adjusting the control parameter based on the usage data.

25. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein detecting at least one prompt condition comprises detecting at least one of a temporal condition, a number of players condition, a temperature condition, and a temperature change condition.

26. A tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer program code that, when executed by at least one processor, configures the at least one processor to implement a method of controlling an environment of a gaming venue, the method comprising:

detecting at least one prompt condition;

controlling a feedback prompter to transmit a message for display at at least one input device disposed throughout the gaming venue in response to the at least one prompt condition, the message including a plurality of survey options and a request to a user to input qualitative environment feedback by selecting one of the plurality of survey options, each input device associated with a gaming device in the gaming venue and operable by the user to input the qualitative environment feedback;

receiving the qualitative environment feedback input from the at least one input device;

adding location information to the qualitative environment feedback based on the input device from which the environment feedback is received; and

controlling at least one controllable device configured to perform at least one of heating, cooling, and ventilation of the venue by adjusting a control parameter of the at least one controllable device based on the qualitative environment feedback and location information.