REMOTE GAME PLAY IN A WIRELESS GAMING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20120309524A1
• Filed: 02/09/2012
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Rajaraman, Arun, Anantharaman, Sathish Kumar, Lewis, William
• Granted Patent: US 9,058,716 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• 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 17/3272 Games involving multiple players

Abstract

A system employs a server computing system with an integrated database and wireless communications devices. The wireless communications devices permits players to take a position on a potential outcome of a game and includes remote game play and remote backline playing (taking a position on a potential outcome of a position on game outcome taken by a primary player occupying a player position at a gaming table) and other types of positions not involving money. In response to the electronic indication that the primary player is no longer occupying the player position at the gaming table the system automatically initiates a period locking out players taking positions on the potential outcome of the game such as a position on game outcome lock out period for such proposed backline positions on game outcome and modifies the user interface on a wireless device of the dealer accordingly.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving input indicative of which primary player positions at a gaming table are occupied by at least one respective primary player; and

in response to the received input;

configuring a user interface to present at least one user-selectable game outcome position type icon for each of the occupied primary player positions at the gaming table, the game outcome position type icon selectable to indicate a type of position a player is taking on a potential outcome of a game; and

configuring the user interface to prevent entry of a game outcome position type for any unoccupied player position at the gaming table.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a selection of the at least one user-selectable game outcome position type icon logically associates at least one of the primary player or the primary player positions with a type of game outcome position in at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium for at least one instance of a game.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the user-selectable game outcome position type icons for a respective primary player position has a respective legend indicative of a type of game outcome position that is selectable by the primary player at the respective primary player position.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuring the user interface to prevent entry of the game outcome position type for any unoccupied primary player positions at the gaming table includes omitting any game outcome position type icons for the unoccupied primary player positions from the user interface.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuring the user interface to prevent entry of the game outcome position type for any unoccupied primary player positions at the gaming table includes presenting non-selectable game outcome position type icons for the unoccupied primary player positions.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving input indicative of which primary player positions at the gaming table are occupied includes detecting selection of at least one user-selectable icon of a plurality of user-selectable icons respectively representing each primary player position at the gaming table.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving input indicative of which primary player positions at the gaming table are occupied includes detecting by at least one sensor a physical presence or absence of at least one of a player or a game piece at the primary player positions.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

in response to the detecting the physical presence or absence of at least one of a player or a game piece at the primary player positions, detecting selection of one or more of the user-selectable game outcome position type icons; and

changing an appearance of the respective selected user-selectable game outcome position type icons to visually indicate a selected status or condition.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the changing the appearance includes highlighting or removing highlighting of the respective selected user-selectable game outcome position type icons.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

in response to the detecting selection of one or more of the user-selectable game outcome position type icons, transmitting game outcome position type selection information to a back end system.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising sending by the back end system an update to a secondary player operated wireless tablet device.

12. A method comprising:

receiving input indicative of which primary player positions at a gaming table are occupied by at least one respective primary player; and

in response to the received input, configuring a user interface to allow selection by a secondary player of an occupied primary player position via a number of user-selectable icons of the user interface and prevent selection by the secondary player of unoccupied primary player positions.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

determining if primary a player position previously selected by the secondary player is currently unoccupied; and

notifying the secondary player via the user interface.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising determining if a primary player position previously selected by a secondary player is currently unoccupied and resetting a primary player position selection of the secondary player in response.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the configuring the user interface includes configuring the user interface by presenting respective ones of the user-selectable icons for each of the occupied primary player positions without presenting any icon for each of the unoccupied primary player positions.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the configuring the user interface includes configuring the user interface by presenting respective ones of the user-selectable icons for each of the occupied primary player positions and presenting icons that are not user selectable for each of the unoccupied primary player positions.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the receiving input includes receiving a number of wireless signals from a back end system.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the wireless signals from the back end system are indicative of primary player position occupancy information received from a front end device operated by casino personnel.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, having computer computer-executable instructions stored thereon that when executed by a computer processor cause the computer processor to perform:

receiving input indicative of which primary player positions at a gaming table are occupied by at least one respective primary player; and

in response to the received input;

configuring a user interface to present at least one user-selectable game outcome position type icon for each of the occupied primary player positions at the gaming table, the game outcome position type icon selectable to indicate a type of position a player is taking on a potential outcome of a game; and

configuring the user interface to prevent entry of a game outcome position type for any unoccupied player position at the gaming table.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein a selection of the at least one user-selectable game outcome position type icon cause the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the computer processor, to further cause the computer processor to logically associate at least one of the primary player or the primary player positions with a type of game outcome position for at least one instance of a game.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein each of the user-selectable game outcome position type icons for a respective primary player position has a respective legend indicative of a type of game outcome position that is selectable by the primary player at the respective primary player position.

22. A wireless communication device operable to facilitate gaming, the wireless communication device comprising:

a processor;

a processor-readable memory that stores instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to;

receive input indicative of which primary player positions at a gaming table are occupied by at least one respective primary player; and

in response to the received input;

configure a user interface to present at least one user-selectable game outcome position type icon for each of the occupied primary player positions at the gaming table, the game outcome position type icon selectable to indicate a type of position a player is taking on a potential outcome of a game; and

configure the user interface to prevent entry of a game outcome position type for any unoccupied player position at the gaming table.

23. The wireless communication device of claim 22, wherein the executable instructions further cause the processor to:

determine if primary a player position previously selected by the secondary player is currently unoccupied; and

notify the secondary player via the user interface.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the executable instructions further cause the processor to determine if a primary player position previously selected by a secondary player is currently unoccupied and reset a primary player position selection of the secondary player in response.