Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02816015 2016-07-25
GAMING MACHINE HAVING CAMERA FOR ADAPTING DISPLAYED
IMAGES TO A DETECTED PLAYER OR NON-PLAYER
FIELD
This disclosure relates to gaming machines and, in particular, to a gaming
machine
having a camera and software that causes a displayed image (e.g., animation)
to be adapted to a
detected player or observer.
BACKGROUND
Gaming machines, such as slot machines, are frequently video gaming machines
where
animated virtual reels are displayed on a flat panel screen. The screen may
also display
animated bonus games and any information needed to play the games. The screen
may be a
touch screen where the player can make selections by touching icons (e.g.,
virtual buttons)
displayed on the screen.
Conventional video gaming machines of the same theme (i.e., same proprietary
game),
made by the same manufacturer, display the same animation to all players. When
there is no
active player, the gaming machines of the same theme display the same attract
mode. In other
words, the display animation does not automatically adapt to the particular
player or to a
particular spectator, such as a passerby.
It is known to add a camera in a gaming machine for identifying a player for
security
reasons, where certain digitized optical features of a player are compared to
a stored image of
the player to ensure the player is using her own player tracking card.
Cameras, microphones,
and speakers have also been installed in gaming machines for enabling one
player to
communicate, verbally and visually, with another player in the casino. Such
cameras and their
software do not affect the game animation or attract mode animation.
It may be useful to draw more attention to a particular gaming machine, and to
promote
additional play of that gaming machine, by automatically customizing the
gaming machine's
display animation for a particular player or spectator.
CA 02816015 2016-07-25
It also may be useful to make a particular gaming machine more fun to play by
detecting
movements of the player and adapting such movements in the displayed
animation.
SUMMARY
In one embodiment, gaming machine console (included in the term "gaming
machine")
incorporates a conventional video and/or still-frame camera at the front of
the console. The
camera periodically takes a picture or takes a video of the player or other
people in its field of
view, and software processes the frames. The frames are then analyzed and are
used to adapt
the gaming machine's displayed animation to the player or people detected.
In one embodiment, the player's face is analyzed by face recognition software
to
determine the player's age. The displayed game animation and the game itself
may then
automatically be adapted to the player's detected age.
In another embodiment, the face recognition software also detects the gender
of the
player, and the displayed game animation and the game itself may then
automatically be
adapted to the player's detected gender.
The player's detected face (i.e., a set of standard digital markers) may also
be compared to
stored images (stored digital markers) of registered players. If there is a
match, the player's
identification and stored gaming history are then known to the system. The
gaming machine
may then display a personalized message such as, "Welcome Back" and offer the
player the
option to present content based on the player's previous playing preferences
(e.g., specific
games in a multigame). The message may also identify the player by name.
The camera and software may also detect non-players that are spectators or
just passing
by the gaming machine. In such a case, it is desirable for the gaming machine
to attract that
potential player by adapting its display to the particular detected person.
For example, a stored
character "looks" in the direction of a moving spectator and may address the
spectator, such as
by referring to the spectator's actual appearance (e.g., refer to a detected
logo on the spectator's
clothes, etc.). A particular amusing character may selected that generally
looks like the detected
player, and the software may combine stored features to generally recreate the
detected player.
2
Motion detection software may also be applied to video frames taken by the
camera to
adapt the player's motions to animations displayed on the gaming machine.
In one embodiment, there is provided a gaming machine comprising: at least one
display screen for displaying a game of chance; an image capture device for
taking at least one
picture of at least one non-player in a field of view of the image capture
device while the
gaming machine is in an inactive game state; a processor for: controlling the
at least one display
screen to display, when the gaming machine is in an active game state, the
game of chance, the
game of chance having a pseudo-random element, and an award to a player based
on an
outcome of the game; detecting physical characteristics of the non-player from
the picture, the
physical characteristics detected comprising a direction of walking by the non-
player past the
gaming machine and at least one of gender, age, clothing, body type, and
movement; and
displaying on the at least one display screen, when the gaming machine is in
the inactive game
state, a customized animation emulating detected physical features of the non-
player, where the
detected features used for customizing the animation comprise a direction of
walking by the
non-player past the gaming machine and at least one of gender, age, clothing,
and body type of
the non-player.
The animation may include images that are displayed by linked gaming machines
in a
coordinated fashion as the non-player walks past the linked gaming machines.
The detected physical characteristics of the non-player may include the non-
player's
clothing, and the animation may include characters with clothing similar to
that worn by the
non-player.
The detected physical characteristics of the non-player may include the non-
player's facial
or body features, and the animation may include a character with face or body
type similar to
that of the non-player.
The machine may include a housing, housing the at least one display screen and
processor, and a plurality of sets of alternative audio files stored in a
computer readable
memory accessible by the processor to cause an audio file to be reproduced by
a speaker
mounted on the housing. The machine may further include audio rules
instructions stored in
the memory for causing the processor to associate detected physical
characteristics of the non-
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player with one or more certain sets of the audio files, and sound generation
instructions stored
in the memory for causing the processor to control the speaker to reproduce
the one or more
certain sets of audio files selected by the audio rules instructions based on
the detected physical
characteristics of the non-player.
The machine may include a housing, housing the at least one display screen and
processor, a plurality of sets of alternative audio files stored in a computer
readable memory
accessible by the processor to cause an audio file to be reproduced by a
speaker mounted on the
housing, and a microphone in communication with the processor, the processor
and microphone
being configured to detect audio responses of the non-player. The machine may
further include
audio rules instructions stored in the memory for causing the processor to
associate detected
audio responses of the non-player with one or more certain sets of the audio
files, and sound
generation instructions stored in the memory for causing the processor to
control the speaker to
reproduce the one or more certain sets of audio files selected by the audio
rules instructions
based on the detected audio responses of the non-player.
The camera may be mounted on a housing of the gaming machine.
The processor may be configured to detect physical characteristics of the non-
player by
comparing a picture of the non-player's face to stored images and determining
an identity of the
non-player if a match is found.
The processor may be configured to control the display screen to display a
personalized
message on the display screen.
The processor may be configured to operate in an attract mode for a game
presented to
the identified non-player based on stored playing preferences of the non-
player.
The processor may be further configured to detect physical characteristics of
the non-
player from the picture, the physical characteristics detected may include
facial features, and
the detected features used for customizing the animation further may include
facial features of
the non-player.
In another embodiment, there is provided a method performed by a gaming
machine
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having a digital camera comprising: causing a processor of the gaming machine
to cause the
camera to take at least one picture of at least one non-player in a field of
view of the camera
while the gaming machine is in an inactive game state; causing the processor
to detect physical
characteristics of the non-player from the picture, the physical
characteristics detected
comprising a direction of walking by the non-player past the gaming machine
and at least one
of gender, age, clothing, body type, and movement; and causing the processor
to produce
signals for causing a display screen of the gaming machine to display, during
an attract mode of
the gaming machine when the gaming machine is in the inactive game state, a
customized
animation emulating detected physical features of the non-player, where the
detected features
used for customizing the animation comprise a direction of walking by the non-
player past the
gaming machine and at least one gender, age, clothing, and body type of the
non-player.
The method may involve causing the processor to produce signals for causing
the
animation to involve images that may be displayed by linked gaming machines in
a coordinated
fashion as the non-player walks past the linked gaming machines.
The detected physical features of the non-player may involve the non-player's
clothing,
and the animation may involve one or more characters with clothing similar to
that worn by the
non-player.
The detected physical characteristics of the non-player may involve the non-
player's facial
or body features, and the animation may involve a character with a face or
body type similar to
that of the non-player.
The detected physical characteristics of the non-player may involve facial
features and the
method may involve causing the processor to compare a picture of the non-
player's face to
stored images and to determine an identity of the non-player if a match is
found.
The method may involve causing the processor to produce signals for causing
the display
to display a personalized message for the identified non-player.
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The method may involve causing the processor to detect physical
characteristics of the
non-player from the picture, the physical characteristics detected comprising
facial features, and
causing the processor to use facial features of the non-player for customizing
the animation.
Many other examples are given herein. The embodiments may also be applied to
home
computers, laptops, smartphones, and other computing devices with cameras that
are
temporarily used a gaming machines for carrying out a game of chance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a particular gaming machine console containing
a camera,
speakers, a microphone, and suitable software for one embodiment.
to Fig. 2 illustrates various functional units in the gaming machine of
Fig. 1.
Fig. 3A is a side view of a gaming machine console, such as in Fig. 1,
illustrating the
camera's detection of the player's face.
Fig. 3B is a top down schematic view of the camera detecting the player's
face.
Fig. 4 is a flowchart identifying various examples of adaptions of the display
animation to
the player's detected gender or age.
Fig. 5 is a flowchart identifying an example of an adaption of the display
animation when
the player's identity is detected.
Fig. 6 is a schematic top down view of the camera detecting spectators or
passersby.
Fig. 7 is a flowchart identifying examples of adaptions of the display
animation to
spectators or to the specific appearance or identities of spectators.
Fig. 8 is a flowchart identifying examples of adaptions of the display
animation to
movements of the player.
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Elements that are the same or equivalent are labeled with the same numeral.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Although embodiments can typically be implemented by installing a software
program
and camera in most types of modern video gaming machines, one particular
gaming machine
platform will be described in detail.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a gaming machine 10, which is a gaming machine
console.
Machine 10 includes a display 12 that may be a thin film transistor (TFT)
display, a liquid
crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), or any other type of display.
In one
embodiment, the display 12 displays the main game, which may be an animated
video reels-
to type game that emulates the spinning and random stopping of physical
reels. The display 12
may also display an attention-getting attract mode animation when the machine
10 is not being
used by a player.
A second display 14 provides game data or other information in addition to
display 12.
Display 14 may provide information such as an advertisement for the game, an
attract mode
animation, the rules of the game, pay tables for each bet amount and winning
symbol
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combination, or other information, or may even display the main game or the
bonus games
along with display 12. Possible other uses of the displays in accordance with
the invention
are discussed below. Alternatively, the area for display 14 may be a display
glass for
conveying relevant information.
Display 12 or 14 may have a touch screen lamination that includes a
transparent grid
of conductors. Touching the screen changes the capacitance between the
conductors, and
thereby the X-Y location of the touch may be determined. The processor
associates this X-Y
location with a function to be performed. Such touch screens are very well
known in the
field of slot machines.
A coin slot 16 accepts coins or tokens in one or more denominations to
generate
credits within machine 10 for playing games. An input slot 18 for an optical
reader and
printer receives machine readable printed tickets and outputs printed tickets
for use in
cashless gaming. A bill acceptor 20 accepts various denominations of
banknotes.
A coin tray 22 receives coins or tokens from a hopper upon a win or upon the
player
cashing out.
A card reader slot 24 accepts any of various types of cards, such as smart
cards,
magnetic strip cards, player tracking cards, or other types of cards conveying
machine
readable information. The card reader reads the inserted card for player and
credit
information for cashless gaming. The card reader may also include an optical
reader and
printer for reading and printing coded barcodes and other information on a
paper ticket.
A keypad 26 accepts player input, such as a personal identification number
(PIN) or
any other player information. A display 28 above keypad 26 displays a menu for
instructions
and other information and provides visual feedback of the keys pressed.
Player control buttons 30 include any buttons needed for the play of the
particular
game or games offered by machine 10 including, for example, one or more bet
buttons, a
repeat bet button, a spin reels button, a maximum bet button, a cash-out
button, a display
payout tables button, select icon buttons, free game play buttons, and any
other suitable
button. Buttons 30 may be replaced by a touch screen with virtual buttons. In
one
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embodiment, to simplify betting, there are only a limited number of betting
options, such as
five, and each betting option has a separate button 30.
Speakers 32 generate stereo sound. A microphone 34 may allow the player to
interact
with the gaming machine software.
A camera 36 periodically takes digital pictures and video frames, as described
in detail
below.
Fig. 2 illustrates basic circuit blocks in a suitable gaming device. A control
unit (CPU 40)
runs gaming programs stored in a program RAM/ROM 43. The programs also include
software
files used to carry out the methods described herein, including a face
recognition program 44, a
motion detection program 45, and a clothing/appearance detection program 46.
Multiple
alternative animations (images) are also stored in the RAM/ROM 43 and are
selected for
display based on the visual detection of a player or spectators, as described
below. The rules
software for determining which stored animation should be displayed based on
the analysis
performed by the programs 44-46 is also contained in the RAM/ROM 43. The
RAM/ROM 43
also contain any audio files and audio rules software for selecting audio
files based on the
visual detection of the player or spectator. All memory accessed by the gaming
machine, even
if distributed, is grouped herein in the single term "memory" since the
specific hardware used
for the memory is not relevant to any particular embodiment.
A coin/credit bet detector 48 enables the CPU 40 to initiate a next game and
generate
credits. A paytable ROM 49 detects the outcome of the game and identifies
awards to be paid to
the player. A payout device 50 pays out an award to the player in the form of
coins, a coded
paper ticket, credits on a smart card or magnetic strip card, or any other
form upon termination
of the game or upon the player cashing out. A display controller 52 receives
commands from
the CPU 40 and generates signals for the various displays 54. If a display 54
is a touch screen,
player commands may be input through the display screen into the CPU 40. All
components
may be connected to a single bus.
=
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Operation
In one embodiment, the player's face is analyzed using the digital camera 36
and the face
recognition program 44 to determine the player's age.
Fig. 3A and the top down view of Fig. 3B illustrate the typical position of a
player's 58
face relative to the camera 36. Although the camera 36 may have a wide field
of view, in the
face recognition phase only the central portion of the picture frame is
analyzed since it contains
the player's facial features.
The operation of the gaming machine 10 when using face recognition of the
player 58 is
described with respect to the flowchart of Fig. 4.
In step 60, the software detects that a new player 58 has just deposited money
for credits
or has inserted her player tracking card into the gaming machine 10. and the
camera 36 is
controlled to take a picture of the player (step 62).
The picture is analyzed using any suitable face recognition software (step
64), such as the
SHORETM (Sophisticated High-Speed Object Recognition Engine) program
commercially
available from Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits. This particular
program detects the
positions of the person's face and eyes, determines the gender and age,
determines the
expression (e.g., happy, surprised, confused, etc.), and other information.
In the example of Fig. 4, the player's gender and approximate age are detected
(step 66).
The detected age may be categorized into one of the following groups, for
example: below 40.
40-60, and above 60, since the specific age is not important. The different
groups of players are
generally assumed to have different preferences for style, music, and culture
and have different
physical attributes.
The gaming program contains a variety of rules that are automatically
triggered by the
player's detected gender and age group. These different rules cause the
displayed animation on
the displays 12 and 14 to change as described below.
Regarding age-related rules, the displayed game animation, sounds, and the
game itself
may automatically be adapted to what are typical characteristics of a player
in one of
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the age groups. The changes in the animation, sound, or game may relate to the
music (or
sound effects) presented, the game theme (e.g., themes relating to
events/styles from the
1950s, 1960s, 1980s, 2000s, etc.), the increasingly poor eyesight as a player
ages, the
complexity of the game, etc. For example, as shown in step 68, the following
features may
be adapted to the detected age group: the selection of games (e.g., in a
multigame gaming
machine); the game content (game characters, symbols, game theme, sounds,
rumble feature,
haptic responses, etc...); alpha-numeric font sizes (enlarged with detected
ages over 40);
color scheme and screen contrast/brightness; the user interface and game
symbols
(size/position of buttons, varying timeouts for decision making, size of
symbol/reels/reel
shape, etc.); and sound volume adjustments may be made.
Regarding gender-related rules, the displayed game animation and the game
itself
may automatically be adapted to what are typical preferences of a male or
female player in
the detected age group. For example, as shown in step 70, the game theme
and/or graphic
style changes accordingly such as the use of male/female game-characters and
male game
themes (e.g., car, sport, action) vs. female themes (e.g., nature, fantasy);
the color scheme
adapts to gender; voice-overs of game change accordingly such as from male to
female;
cabinet ergonomics adapt accordingly; and sound volume adapts accordingly
(assuming
males want louder sounds).
The various adaptions that are most preferred for certain ages and genders may
be
determined by empirical testing.
The game designer may have any number of stored alternative animations
(displayed
images) in the RAM/ROM 43 for each combination of age and gender. The
animation may
be part of the main game, the bonus game, and/or the user interface. In the
context of this
disclosure, the term "animation" refers to any displayed image (including
letters, numbers,
characters, etc.) on the display screen.
The animation may also be adapted to the player's detected facial expression.
For
example, a message or animation may be selected in an attempt to cause the
player to smile,
and the animation adapts to whether the software recognizes that the player is
smiling.
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As shown in the flowchart of Fig. 5, the player's face (i.e., a set of
standard digital
markers generated by the face recognition software) may also be compared to
stored images
(stored digital markers) of registered players (steps 72-75). The stored
images may have
been obtained when the player played other gaming machines with the camera
feature, or the
stored images may be from when the player initially registered for a player
tracking card. If
there is a match (step 78), the player's stored gaming history is then known
to the system.
The gaming machine may then display a personalized message (step 80) such as,
"Welcome
Back", and offer the player the option to present content based on the
player's previous
playing preferences (e.g., specific games in a multigame machine). If there is
no match, the
game may be carried out without such a personalized message (step 82).
The camera and software may also detect non-players that are spectators or
just
passing by the gaming machine. Fig. 6 is a top down view showing various
spectators or
passersby 86-88 and the wide field viewing angle of the camera 36. In such a
case, it is
desirous for the gaming machine 10 to attract those potential players by
adapting its display
to one or more of the detected people. Fig. 7 illustrates certain steps
performed by the
gaming machine in its attract mode (step 92). The camera 36 periodically
(e.g., every 0.1
second) takes a picture frame encompassing a wide angle to detect nearby
people (step 94).
The face recognition software analyzes the peoples' faces, clothing, body
types, and
movement. The rules are then applied to a selected one of the spectators to
determine the
spectator's identification, gender, clothing, body type, movement, etc. (step
96). The
detected features are then categorized and applied to the attract mode
animation rules to
modify the attract mode images accordingly (step 98). In other words, the
recognition
software is used to select one or a combination of stored animations to
display. For example,
as shown in step 100, a selected stored character (which most looks or dresses
like the
spectator) "looks" in the direction of a moving spectator and may address the
spectator, such
as by referring to the spectator's actual appearance (clothing); a displayed
character follows
the spectator in a coordinated fashion across several linked gaming machines'
displays; a
displayed character selected from a library of characters that appears most
similar to the
spectator appears on screen; and a displayed character interacts with a
spectator by
recognizing the spectator's speech (via a microphone 34 in the GM) and
responding via the
speakers 32.
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Spectators who are recognized from a comparison to stored images (step 102)
may be
identified on screen and asked to play by an animated character or a message.
If the
spectator is recognized, the game offered by the GM may be changed to be a
historically
preferred game by the spectator. The GM may present a customized message to a
recognized
spectator on an overhead display (e.g., during a community game with linked
GMs).
As shown in Fig. 8, motion detection software may also be applied to video
frames
taken by the camera 36 while the player 58 is actively playing a game. The
player's motions
are applied rules to adapt the animations displayed on the gaming machine to
the player's
motions. In Fig. 8, the player initiates the game by inserting money or a card
and obtaining
credits (step 110). At any point in a game, such as during a bonus game that
involves player
input, the camera takes a video of the player (step 112) and the software
detects the motions
of a recognized object (step 114), such as the player moving her finger or
hand to wave a
magic wand in the bonus game. The motion detection software then triggers
various
animation rules that causes the animated object to move in accordance with the
player's
movement, or causes an animated character to move (step 116). Various examples
are given
in step 118, including: player moving a finger or hand causes the display of
moving action to
correspond to finger movement; player pointing finger selects icon player
points to, such as
in a bonus game; raising a smartphone in front of the GM lowers the sound
volume
automatically; lighting a cigarette lighter ignites torches in an ancient
themed bonus round;
detecting a player turning her head away from the GM causes important
events/situations of
the game play to be delayed until the player's attention is present again;
player's eyes (gaze
direction) are detected to cause important information to be displayed exactly
at the spot the
player is looking at; tracking the gaze of players allows the analysis of
points of interest to
optimize visual game content (evaluation of alternative graphics); and
detecting a new player
sitting down (new player's head sufficiently proximate and centered to camera)
automatically
causes the screen to present an active welcoming of the new player (e.g., game
instructions
displayed rather than normal attract mode).
The various animations may be displayed on either of the displays 12 or 14 in
Fig. 1.
In one embodiment, the adaption only affects the images on the top display 14
so as not to
affect the game displayed on the bottom display 12.
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Other examples of using a visual capture by the camera include:
= The camera system detects the brightness of its environmental light and
adjusts
screen settings accordingly to increase player convenience and save energy
= If a group of spectators observes a community game playoff, they get
recognized
as such, they get specific content (messages, games, etc.) on the overhead
display
to "onboard" them to the community game
= Use of an array of several cameras that are viewing different areas of a
room
o to track players across a venue
o to detect their skeletons even if their bodies are partly hidden by
objects
(desk, cupboard, etc.)
o Even cameras in players' devices could be used and integrated
(smartphone, tablets)
= The camera recognizes brands of player's clothing and adapts animation to
show
characters with similar clothing (e.g., by modification of game content)
= If a player's glass gets empty, the GM recognizes this early enough to
automatically call for the waiter to come to the player
= The camera acts as a mirror, so the player and spectators can see the
player's face
on the gaming machine's display screen or on an overhead display
= The camera reads various codes (QR, barcode, logos, etc.) and processes
the data
and/or modifies the displayed content
= The camera records special moments of the players sessions (audio, video,
stills)
and provides a functionality
o to share these moments via social media channels
o to send the data to other devices (smartphone, tablet, etc.)
= Offer a "replay" functionality of important game situations
= Use a 360 degree rotatable chair in combination with a camera to record a
3D-
model of a player's head or body
= Use two cameras on both edges of a gaming machine to create a
stereoscopic 3D-
picture/video of a player
12
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The term gaming machine, as used herein, includes any computer device that is
a
dedicated gaming machine, typically housed in a special cabinet for security,
or any computing
device that has multiple uses but is temporarily configured (by programming)
as a gaming
device, such as a home computer, a laptop computer, or a smartphone. The term
gaming
machine console, as used herein, refers to a gaming machine console of the
type used in a
licensed establishment (e.g., a casino). The gaming machine displays at least
a game of chance
involving a pseudo-random element, such as a video reels game, a card game, a
wheel spinning
game, or any other game of chance.
A gaming machine, in the context of this disclosure, is distinguished from an
interactive
amusement game (not considered "gaming") where the player's movements directly
control an
image (an avatar), such as for playing a simulated sports game. It is known to
use a camera for
directly controlling an avatar in an amusement game to emulate movement of the
player;
however, such controlling of an avatar does not relate to the very different
uses of the
embodiments described above in the field of gaming, such as configuring a game
of chance for
the detected age or gender of the player, or attracting passersby to a gaming
machine, etc.
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