Interprocess communication regarding movement of game devices

• US 8,784,189 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2009
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Miller, Mark A., Alderucci, Dean P., Bradshaw, Thomas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pandya, Sunit
• Application Number:
  US12/479,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20100311493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,870 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 25, 463/29, 463 39- 43, 463/11, 463/31, 463/37
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/02 Cards; Special shapes of cards card-printing methods B41K, B41M
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00643 Electric board games; Electric features of board games electric word or number games A63F3/0421; computer chess G06F; electric raffle games A63F3/081

Abstract

Various card devices and methods involving card devices are described. Other embodiments are also described.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising

a first set of mobile devices, each mobile device of the first set of mobile devices comprising a respective first display, in which the first set of mobile devices includes a plurality of mobile devices;

a second mobile device comprising a second display; and

a system configured to;

receive respective information identifying a respective first location of each of the first set of mobile devices;

determine a respective hand of a plurality of hands of a same round of a card game to which each of the first set of mobile devices belongs based on the respective first locations;

receive information identifying a second location of the second mobile device;

determine to which hand of the plurality of hands the second mobile device belongs based on the second location, in which the second location is proximate to the at least one first location of a mobile device of the first set of mobile devices that belongs to a first hand of the plurality of hands;

determine a gaming action in the round based on the second location in comparison to at least one first location, in which the gaming action includes adding the second mobile device to the first hand based on the second location being proximate to the first location; and

determine which hand of the plurality of hands is a winning hand of the round of the card game based on the hands to which each of the respective mobile devices of the first set of mobile devices and the second mobile device are determined to belong.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the system is configured to

determine a respective card value for each of the mobile devices of the first set of mobile devices based on at least one random event generation,

control each of the mobile devices of the first set of mobile devices to display the respective card value,

determine a second card value for the second mobile device based on the at least one random event generation, and

control the second mobile device to display the second card value.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, in which determining which hand is a winning hand includes comparing respective sets of card values displayed on the respective mobile devices that make up each respective hand, and in which each hand is made up of a respective plurality of mobile devices that belong to the hand.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, in which each of the respective first locations includes a respective area of a plurality of areas of a table, and in which each mobile device of the first set of mobile devices that is associated with a same respective area as any other mobile devices of the first set of mobile devices is determined to be in the same respective hand as the other mobile devices based on sharing a respective area of the plurality of areas of the table.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, in which the second location includes a respective one area of the plurality of areas in which the mobile devices of the first set of mobile devices that belong to the same hand to which the second mobile device belongs are located based on sharing a respective area of the plurality of areas of the table.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, in which each of the respective first locations includes a respective side of a communication device, and in which each mobile device of the first set of mobile devices that is in a same respective side as any other mobile devices of the first set of mobile devices is determined to be in the same respective hand as the other mobile devices based on sharing a same side of the communication device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, in which each mobile device of the first set of mobile devices and the second mobile device has a respective combined thickness less than about 0.02 inches.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, in which each mobile device of the first set of mobile devices and the second mobile device has a respective combined thickness less than about 0.011 inches.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, in which each mobile device of the first set of mobile devices and the second mobile device includes a respective location device configured to facilitate a determination of a respective location of the mobile device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, in which each first mobile device includes a respective first substrate having a front face and a back face;

in which each respective first display is coupled to a respective front face of a respective substrate;

in which each first mobile device has a combined length, width, and height substantially similar to a playing card;

in which the second mobile device includes a respective second substrate having a front face and a back face, in which the second display is coupled to the front face of the second substrate, and in which the second mobile device has a combined length, width, and height substantially similar to a playing card.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, in which each substrate is bendable without interfering with operation of a respective display.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, in which each mobile device has a combined structure that is flexible.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the system is configured to:

determine gaming information resulting from taking the action; and

control at least one of at least one of the first set of mobile device and the second mobile device to display, on a respective display, the gaming information.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the system is configured to:

receive information identifying a first orientation of at least one first mobile device of the first set of mobile devices;

receive information identifying a second orientation of the second mobile device;

determine a second action to be taken in the round based on the first orientation and the second orientation;

determine gaming information resulting from taking the second action; and

control at least one of the at least one first mobile device and the second mobile device to display, on a respective display, the gaming information.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a first mobile device comprising a first display;

a second mobile device comprising a second display; and

a system configured to;

receive information identifying a first location of the first mobile device;

receive information identifying a second location of the second mobile device, in which the second location is proximate to the first location of the first mobile device of that belongs to a first hand of a plurality of hands in a round of a game;

determine a gaming action to be taken in the round of a game based on the first location in comparison to the second location in which the gaming action includes adding the second mobile device to the first hand based on the second location being proximate to the first location;

determine gaming information resulting from taking the action; and

control at least one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device to display, on a respective at least one of the first display and the second display, the gaming information, in which both the first mobile device and the second mobile device belong to a respective hand in the round of the game when the gaming information is displayed, and in which each respective hand includes a respective plurality of mobile devices that belong thereto.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the comparison of the first location and the second location includes a distance away between the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the comparison of the first location and the second location includes a direction that the first mobile device is in from the second mobile device.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the system is further configured to receive information identifying a third location of the first mobile device, in which the third location includes a location associated with a later time than the first location, and in which determining the action includes determining the action based on the third location compared to both the second location and the first location.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the system is configured to

determine a first card value for the first mobile device based on at least one random event generation,

determine a second card value for the second mobile device based on the at least one random event generation,

control the first mobile device to display the first card value before determining the action;

and

control the second mobile device to display the second card value before determining the action.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, in which controlling the at least one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device to display, on a respective at least one of the first display and the second display, information identifying the result, includes controlling the second mobile device to display an indication of the gaming information in place of the second card value.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the system is configured to determine which hand of the round of the game is a winning hand based on the gaming information.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, in which each mobile device has a respective combined thickness less than about 0.02 inches.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, in which each mobile device has a respective combined thickness less than about 0.011 inches.

24. The apparatus of claim 15, in which each mobile device includes a respective location determination device configured to facilitate a determination of a respective location of the mobile device.

25. The apparatus of claim 15, in which each mobile device has a combined structure that is flexible.

26. The apparatus of claim 15, in which each mobile device includes a respective substrate having a front face and a back face, in which each respective display is coupled to a respective front face;

and in which each mobile device has a combined length, width, and height substantially similar to a playing card.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, in which each substrate is bendable without interfering with operation of a respective display.

28. The apparatus of claim 15, comprising a first set of mobile devices made up of a plurality of mobile devices, each mobile device of the first set of mobile devices comprising a respective first display, in which the first mobile device is a part of the first set of mobile devices;

in which the system is configured to;

receive respective information identifying a respective first location of each of the first set of mobile devices;

determine a respective hand of a plurality of hands of the round to which each of the first set of mobile devices belongs based on the respective first locations; and

determine which hand of the plurality of hands is a winning hand of the game based on the hands to which each of the respective mobile devices of the first set of mobile devices and the second mobile device are determined to belong.

29. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the system is configured to:

receive information identifying a first orientation of the first mobile device;

receive information identifying a second orientation of the second mobile device; and

in which determining the action includes determining the action to be taken based on the first orientation and the second orientation.