COORDINATED GAMING MACHINE ATTRACT VIA GAMING MACHINE CAMERAS

• US 20150087413A1
• Filed: 09/20/2013
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Traphagen, Brandon
• Granted Patent: US 9,412,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• 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 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• 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 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• 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

Systems and methods for initiating attract sequences on gaming machines based on a determined presence of a player through a camera are described. The gaming machine includes a cabinet. The gaming machine further includes a display coupled to the cabinet. The gaming machine includes a user input coupled to the cabinet. The gaming machine includes a video camera coupled to the cabinet, the video camera configured to output video data, wherein the video camera is positioned to capture video data of players walking by the gaming machine. The gaming machine includes a master gaming controller. The master gaming controller is configured to receive the video data from the video camera, determine the presence of a player in the vicinity of the gaming machine, and initiate an attract feature based on the determined presence of the player.

Claims

1. A gaming machine configured to perform an attract feature based on a determined presence of a player, the gaming machine comprising:

a cabinet;

a display coupled to the cabinet;

a user input coupled to the cabinet;

a video camera coupled to the cabinet, the video camera configured to output video data, wherein the video camera is positioned to capture video data of players walking by the gaming machine;

a master gaming controller configured to;

receive the video data from the video camera,

determine the presence of a player in the vicinity of the gaming machine, and

initiate an attract feature based on the determined presence of the player.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the master gaming controller is further configured to determine a line of sight of the player.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the master gaming controller is further configured to determine a direction of travel of the player.

4. The gaming machine of claim 3, wherein the master gaming controller is further configured to send information relating to the presence of the player to an adjacent gaming machine predicted to be within a line of sight of the player based at least in part on the direction of travel of the player.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the attract feature is part of a coordinated attract feature performed by a plurality of gaming machines.

6. A gaming system configured to perform an attract feature on a gaming machine based on a determined presence of a player in the vicinity of the gaming machine, the gaming system comprising:

a plurality of electronic gaming machines, each of the plurality of gaming machines comprising;

a cabinet,

a display coupled to the cabinet,

a user input coupled to the cabinet,

a video camera coupled to the cabinet, the video camera configured to output video data, wherein the video camera is positioned to capture video data of players walking by the gaming machine, and

a master gaming controller;

a server configured to receive video data from each of the plurality of electronic gaming machines, the server including a processing circuit configured to analyze the video data, determine the presence of a player in the vicinity of the plurality of gaming machines, and initiate an attract feature on at least one of the plurality of gaming machines based on the determined presence of the player.

7. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of gaming machines are arranged in a bank such that each camera of each gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines has a field of view that overlaps with at least another field of view of another camera.

8. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the server further comprises a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store the video data from the plurality of electronic gaming machines on a first-in first-out basis.

9. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to determine a location of the player with respect to the plurality of gaming machines.

10. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to determine a direction of travel of the player with respect to the plurality of gaming machines.

11. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to predict a gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines that will be within a line of sight of the player based at least in part on the direction of travel of the player.

12. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the attract feature is initiated on the predicted gaming machine.

13. A method in a gaming system of performing an attract feature on a gaming machine based on a detected presence of a player, the method comprising:

receiving, at a processing circuit of the gaming system, data from a camera of the gaming machine;

analyzing, by the processing circuit, the data;

determining, by the processing circuit, the presence of the player in the vicinity of the gaming machine;

instructing, by the processing circuit, an attract sequence to be performed by the gaming system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the processing circuit is located on a server in communication with the gaming machine.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the processing circuit is part of the gaming machine.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining a direction of travel of the player.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining a line of sight of the player based at least in part on the direction of travel of the player.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining a line of sight of the player based on a facial recognition analysis of the player.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising performing, by the gaming machine, the attract feature.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the player is a first player, wherein the method further comprises:

presenting a wager-based game to a second player through a first display of the gaming machine;

performing, by the gaming machine, the attract feature through a second display of the gaming machine.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the gaming system comprises a plurality of gaming machines, wherein the plurality of gaming machines includes the gaming machine, and wherein the receiving step comprises receiving data from a plurality of cameras of the plurality of gaming machines.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the attract feature is performed on a subset of the plurality of gaming machines.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the attract feature is a coordinated attract feature performed on the plurality of gaming machines.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the attract feature is independently performed by each gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines.

25. The method of claim 13, further comprising selecting the attract feature from a plurality of attract features.