Game history for wagering games using handheld devices

• US 9,646,452 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2014
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Parra, Jacqueline F., Smith, Jesse M., Sylla, Craig J., Yarger, Brian L.
• Primary Examiner(s): TORIMIRO, ADETOKUNBO OLUSEGUN
• Application Number:
  US14/299,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20140364217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: 463 9, 463 26, 463 31, 463 34, 463 39, 463 42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players

Abstract

A computerized method includes presenting a community game on a display device of a wagering game system that comprises a wagering game machine associated with a handheld device for use in conducting the community game, wherein the presenting of the community game comprises presenting movements of a game element in response to movements of the handheld device. The computerized method includes, at periodic time intervals during the community game, storing, in a memory device, data indicating a current position of the handheld device.

Claims

1. A computerized method comprising:

presenting, via at least one of one or more electronic processors, a community game on a display device of a wagering game system that comprises a wagering game machine associated with a handheld device for use in conducting the community game, wherein the presenting of the community game comprises presenting movements of a game element in response to movements of the handheld device, wherein the wagering game machine includes a money input device configured to receive physical money, wherein a value for the physical money is added to a credit balance for placement of one or more wagers on the community game, and wherein the game element is presented, at least in part, in response to the one or more wagers; and

at periodic time intervals during the community game, storing, via at least one of the one or more electronic processors, in a memory device, data indicating a current position of the handheld device.

2. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the periodic time intervals are defined independent of game events of the community game.

3. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising storing, in the memory device, game events of the community game.

4. The computerized method of claim 3, wherein the handheld device comprises a button, wherein the game events comprise data indicating actuation of the button.

5. The computerized method of claim 3, further comprising storing, in response to the game events of the community game, data indicating the current position of the handheld device.

6. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the data indicating the current position of the handheld device comprises data indicating a location and an orientation of the handheld device in three-dimensional space.

7. The computerized method of claim 3, further comprising:

replaying, on the display device, the community game based on the game events and the data indicating the current position of the handheld device.

8. The computerized method of claim 7, wherein the replaying of the community game is without video captured during the presenting the community game on the display device.

9. A gaming system comprising:

one or more display devices;

a money input device;

a handheld device including a sensor configured to detect inputs for a community game occurring during a wagering game;

one or more memory devices; and

one or more processors configured to execute instructions to cause the gaming system to

detect movements of the handheld device, wherein the money input device is configured to receive physical money, wherein a value for the physical money is added to a credit balance for placement of one or more wagers on the community game, and wherein a game element is presented, at least in part, in response to the one or more wagers,

present, in response to the movements of the handheld device, movements of the game element in the community game on the one or more display devices, and

at periodic time intervals during the community game, store, in the one or more memory devices, data that indicates a current position of the handheld device.

10. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the periodic time intervals are defined independent of game events of the community game.

11. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions to cause the gaming system to store game events of the community game.

12. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions to cause the gaming system to:

replay, on the one or more display devices, the community game based on the game events and the data indicating the current position of the handheld device.

13. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions to cause the gaming system to replay the community game without video recorded during the community game.

14. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions to cause the gaming system to store, in the one or more memory devices, the current position of the handheld device in response to game events of the community game.

15. A community gaming system comprising:

a first wagering game machine including one or more first display devices configured to display a first wagering game;

a second wagering game machine including one or more second display devices configured to display a second wagering game, wherein one or more of the first wagering game machine or the second wagering game machine includes a money input device configured to receive physical money, wherein a value for the physical money is added to a credit balance for placement of one or more wagers on a community game, and wherein one or more of a first game element or a second game element is presented, at least in part, in response to the one or more wagers;

one or more community game display devices configured to display the community game that is initiated during play of the first wagering game and the second wagering game;

a first handheld device associated with the first wagering game machine, wherein the first handheld device includes at least one first sensor configured to detect movements of the first handheld device at periodic intervals during the community game;

a second handheld device associated with the second wagering game machine, wherein the second handheld device includes at least one second sensor configured to detect movements of the second handheld device at the periodic intervals during the community game;

a community game presentation unit configured to present, on the one or more community game display devices, video of the community game, wherein the video includes movements of the first game element in response to the movements of the first handheld device, and wherein the video includes movements of the second game element in response to the movements of the second handheld device; and

a game history recorder unit configured to store, in a memory device, data indicating positions of the first handheld device and data indicating positions of the second handheld device.

16. The community gaming system of claim 15, wherein the data indicating the positions of the first handheld device comprises data indicating locations and orientations of the first handheld device in three-dimensional space, and wherein the data indicating the positions of the second handheld device comprises data indicating locations and orientations of the second handheld device in three-dimensional space.

17. The community gaming system of claim 15, wherein the at least one first sensor is configured to detect first inputs to the community game from the first handheld device, wherein the at least one second sensor is configured to detect second inputs to the community game from the second handheld device, and wherein the game history recorder unit is configured to store the first inputs and the second inputs.

18. The community gaming system of claim 15, wherein the game history recorder unit is further configured to store the data indicating the positions of the first handheld device and the data indicating the positions of the second handheld device during periodic time intervals independent of game events of the community game.

19. One or more machine-readable storage devices including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations for replaying a community game, the operations comprising:

receiving game data for creating video for a replay of the community game, wherein the community game is presented via a wagering game machine that includes a money input device configured to receive physical money, wherein a value for the physical money is added to a credit balance for placement of one or more wagers on the community game;

receiving recorded data indicating positions of a handheld device used in playing the community game, wherein the recorded data indicating the positions of the handheld device was recorded at periodic intervals during an earlier presentation of the community game; and

presenting, on a display device, the replay of the community game based on the game data and the recorded data indicating the positions of the handheld device.

20. The one or more machine-readable storage devices of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors are to perform operations comprising:

retrieving recorded data of positions of the handheld device that was recorded in response to game events of the community game.

21. The one or more machine-readable storage devices of claim 20, wherein the presenting the replay of the community game comprises presenting the replay of the community game based on the recorded data of the positions of the handheld device that was recorded in response to the game events of the community game.

22. The one or more machine-readable storage devices of claim 19, wherein the periodic intervals are defined independent of game events of the community game.

23. The one or more machine-readable storage devices of claim 19, wherein the presenting the replay of the community game is without video captured during presenting of the community game on the display device during a live play of the community game.

24. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more machine-readable storage devices configured to store;

first instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the apparatus to present a community game on a display device of a wagering game system that includes a wagering game machine and a handheld device, wherein presentation of the community game includes presentation of movements of a game element in response to movements of the handheld device, wherein the wagering game machine includes a money input device configured to receive physical money, wherein a value for the physical money is added to a credit balance for placement of one or more wagers on the community game, and wherein the game element is presented, at least in part, in response to the one or more wagers; and

second instructions that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to periodically, during the community game, store, in a memory device, data indicating a current position of the handheld device.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein storage of the data indicating the current position of the handheld device occurs independent of game events of the community game.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the one or more machine-readable storage devices are configured to store third instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the apparatus to store, in the memory device, game events of the community game.