Mobile gaming systems for noise suppression and selective sound amplification

• US 9,569,923 B1
• Filed: 06/07/2016
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Video Gaming Technologies Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Video Gaming Technologies Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Inventors: Milligan, Dan, Lechlitner, Ben, Jarrell, Chris, Thacker, Chris, Winzeler, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Coburn, Corbett B
• Application Number:
  US15/175,910
• Time in Patent Office: 252 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3204 Player-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/175 using interference effects; Masking sound
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/009 Signal processing in [PA] systems to enhance the speech intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/30 Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field

Abstract

A mobile gaming device is configured for dynamic and location-specific noise suppression. The device samples ambient sounds via a sound receiver, and identifies a profile of ambient sounds and exception sound signatures for a current location. Resident sound emitters are directed to emit sound waves which locally suppress ambient sounds, but local suppression may be disabled for sounds associated with the exception sound signatures. The device may further locally amplify sounds associated the gaming application, and in some embodiments may locally amplify sounds associated with the exception sound signatures, such as for example location-specific alerts. In various embodiments, a plurality of mobile gaming devices in a common location may exchange ambient sound information. In various embodiments, the mobile gaming devices are coupled to a central server which generates a baseline profile for each gaming zone and directs local noise suppression.

Claims

1. A mobile gaming device comprising:

a gaming user interface;

a sound receiver;

one or more sound emitters; and

a processor configured in association with user execution of a mobile gaming application to sample ambient sounds with respect to the device via the sound receiver,

identify a profile of ambient sounds and exception sound signatures associated with a current location of the mobile device,

disable local suppression of sounds associated with the exception sound signatures,

direct one or more of the sound emitters to emit sound waves effective to locally suppress one or more ambient sounds for which local suppression is not disabled.

2. The mobile gaming device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to direct one or more of the sound emitters to emit sound waves effective to locally amplify sounds associated with the mobile gaming application.

3. The mobile gaming device of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to direct one or more of the sound emitters to emit sound waves effective to locally amplify sounds associated with the exception sound signatures.

4. The mobile gaming device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to enable user input regarding the location-specific profile via the gaming user interface.

5. The mobile gaming device of claim 4, wherein the gaming user interface enables user selection from one or more predefined profiles that are presented based on the current location.

6. The mobile gaming device of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to locally suppress one or more ambient sounds based on a default profile associated with the current location and one or more preferences associated with a user of the mobile gaming application.

7. The mobile gaming device of claim 6, wherein the gaming user interface presents a default profile associated with the current location and further enables user confirmation or modification of one or more associated user preferences.

8. The mobile gaming device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically generate noise suppression settings based on the user preferences and the location-specific ambient sounds.

9. The mobile gaming device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify one or more sampled ambient sounds as persistent external sounds or temporary external sounds with respect to the current location, and

automatically direct the emission of sound waves to locally suppress the persistent external sounds.

10. The mobile gaming device of claim 9, wherein the persistent external sounds are periodically identified based on a date, a time of day and the current location of the device.

11. The mobile gaming device of claim 10, wherein the persistent external sounds are compared to respective ambient noise thresholds with respect to any one or more of the date, time of day or current location of the device.

12. A mobile gaming system comprising:

a central server linked to each of a plurality of mobile gaming devices via a communications network, the server configured to generate and transmit baseline audio files corresponding to a current location or type of location for a respective one or more mobile gaming devices; and

each of the mobile gaming devices further comprising a gaming user interface, a sound receiver, one or more sound emitters, and a processor configured in association with a mobile gaming application to

sample ambient sounds with respect to the current location of the respective device via the sound receiving device,

identify one or more exception sound signatures from the baseline audio file received from the server,

disable local suppression of sounds associated with the exception sound signatures, and

direct one or more of the sound emitters to emit sound waves effective to locally suppress one or more ambient sounds for which local suppression is not disabled.

13. The mobile gaming system of claim 12, wherein each mobile gaming device is further configured to direct one or more of the respective sound emitters to emit sound waves effective to locally amplify sounds associated with the respective mobile gaming application.

14. The mobile gaming system of claim 13, wherein each mobile gaming device is further configured to direct one or more of the respective sound emitters to emit sound waves effective to locally amplify sounds associated with the exception sound signatures.

15. The mobile gaming system of claim 12, wherein the respective processor for each of the plurality of mobile gaming devices is further configured to:

identify one or more sampled ambient sounds as persistent external sounds or temporary external sounds with respect to the current location or type of location, and

automatically direct the emission of sound waves to locally suppress the persistent external sounds.

16. The mobile gaming system of claim 15, wherein the persistent external sounds are periodically identified based on a date, a time of day and the current location of the device.

17. The mobile gaming system of claim 16, wherein the persistent external sounds are compared to respective ambient noise thresholds with respect to any one or more of the date, time of day or current location of the device.

18. A mobile gaming system comprising:

a central server linked to each of a plurality of mobile gaming devices via a communications network,

each of the mobile gaming devices further comprising a gaming user interface, a sound receiver, one or more sound emitters, and a processor configured in association with a mobile gaming application to

sample ambient sounds with respect to the current location of the respective device via the sound receiving device, and

transmit audio data representative of the sampled ambient sounds to the central server;

the central server further comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program instructions residing thereon, the program instruction executable by a processor to direct the performance of

defining one or more gaming zones as locations currently comprising one or more of the mobile gaming devices,

receiving the audio data from the one or more devices in each of the one or more gaming zones,

identifying one or more exception sound signatures with respect to each of the one or more gaming zones, and

for each of the defined gaming zones,

disabling local suppression of sounds associated with the exception sound signatures,

directing one or more of the sound emitters for the mobile gaming devices in the gaming zone to emit sound waves effective to locally suppress one or more ambient sounds for which local suppression is not disabled, and

directing one or more of the sound emitters for the mobile gaming devices in the gaming zone to emit sound waves effective to locally amplify sounds associated with the respective mobile gaming application.

19. The mobile gaming system of claim 18, wherein the server further directs one or more of the sound emitters for mobile gaming devices in a respective gaming zone to emit sound waves effective to locally amplify sounds associated with the exception sound signatures.

20. The mobile gaming system of claim 19, wherein the server further directs one or more of the sound emitters for mobile gaming devices in a respective gaming zone to emit sound waves effective to locally amplify sounds associated with the respective mobile gaming application.