U.S. patent application number 11/238676 was filed with the patent office on 2006-03-30 for crosstalk cancellation in a wagering game system.
Invention is credited to Eric M. Pryzby, Paul Radek, Alfred Thomas.
Application Number | 20060068908 11/238676 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36099971 |
Filed Date | 2006-03-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060068908 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pryzby; Eric M. ; et
al. |
March 30, 2006 |
Crosstalk cancellation in a wagering game system
Abstract
A computerized wagering game system has a gaming module
comprising a processor and gaming code which is operable when
executed on the processor to conduct a wagering game on which
monetary value can be wagered. An audio module comprising a part of
the computerized wagering game system is operable to play audio
through two or more speakers, and is further operable to apply
crosstalk cancellation to the audio played through the two or more
speakers.
Inventors: |
Pryzby; Eric M.; (Skokie,
IL) ; Radek; Paul; (Naperville, IL) ; Thomas;
Alfred; (Las Vegas, NV) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Schwegman, Lundberg, Woessner & Kluth, P.A.
P.O. Box 2938
Minneapolis
MN
55402
US
|
Family ID: |
36099971 |
Appl. No.: |
11/238676 |
Filed: |
September 29, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60614521 |
Sep 30, 2004 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/35 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/3227 20130101;
G07F 17/3202 20130101; G07F 17/32 20130101; G07F 17/3232
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/035 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A computerized wagering game system, comprising: a gaming module
comprising a processor and gaming code which is operable when
executed on the processor to present a wagering game on which
monetary value can be wagered; an audio module operable to play
audio through two or more speakers, and further operable to apply
crosstalk cancellation to the audio played through the two or more
speakers.
2. The computerized wagering game system of claim 1, the crosstalk
cancellation operable to reduce perception of audio from a left
speaker in a game player's right ear, and further operable to
reduce perception of audio from a right speaker in a game player's
left ear.
3. The computerized wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the
crosstalk cancellation comprises adding a portion of a left audio
signal to the right speaker, and adding a portion of a right audio
signal to the left speaker.
4. The computerized wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the
crosstalk cancellation is applied via an analog filter network.
5. The computerized wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the
crosstalk cancellation is applied via a digital signal
processor.
6. The computerized wagering game system of claim 1, further
comprising filtering sound applied to two or more speakers such
that the sound appears to a listener to come from a location not at
or between the two speakers.
7. The computerized wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the
crosstalk cancellation is optimized for an expected physical
location of a wagering game player.
8. A method of operating a wagering game, comprising: presenting a
wagering game on which monetary value can be wagered; and applying
crosstalk cancellation to an audio signal played through two or
more speakers.
9. The method of claim 8, the crosstalk cancellation operable to
reduce perception of audio from a left speaker in a game player's
right ear, and further operable to reduce perception of audio from
a right speaker in a game player's left ear.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the crosstalk cancellation
comprises adding a portion of a left audio signal to the right
speaker, and adding a portion of a right audio signal to the left
speaker.
11. The method of claim 8, wherein the crosstalk cancellation is
applied via an analog filter network.
12. The method of claim 8, wherein the crosstalk cancellation is
applied via a digital signal processor.
13. The method of claim 8, further comprising filtering sound
applied to two or more speakers such that the sound appears to a
listener to come from a location not at or between the two
speakers.
14. The method of claim 8, wherein the crosstalk cancellation is
optimized for an expected physical location of a wagering game
player.
15. A machine-readable medium with instructions thereon, the
instructions when executed on a computerized wagering game system
operable to cause the system to: present a wagering game on which
monetary value can be wagered; and apply crosstalk cancellation to
an audio signal played through two or more speakers.
16. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, the crosstalk
cancellation operable to reduce perception of audio from a left
speaker in a game player's right ear, and further operable to
reduce perception of audio from a right speaker in a game player's
left ear.
17. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the crosstalk
cancellation comprises adding a portion of a left audio signal to
the right speaker, and adding a portion of a right audio signal to
the left speaker.
18. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the crosstalk
cancellation is applied via an analog filter network.
19. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the crosstalk
cancellation is applied via a digital signal processor.
20. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, the instructions when
executed further operable to cause filtering the sound applied to
two or more speakers such that the sound appears to a listener to
come from a location not at or between the two speakers.
21. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the crosstalk
cancellation is optimized for an expected physical location of a
wagering game player.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) from
U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No 60/614,521 filed 30 Sep. 2004,
which application is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates generally to wagering gaming systems,
and more specifically to a wagering game machine employing
crosstalk cancellation.
LIMITED COPYRIGHT WAIVER
[0003] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material to which the claim of copyright protection is made. The
copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by
any person of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it
appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office file or records,
but reserves all other rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] A wide variety of gaming devices are now available to gamers
and to casino operators in computerized form, from slot machines to
games that are traditionally played live such as poker and
blackjack. These computerized games provide many benefits to the
game owner and to the gambler, including greater reliability than
can be achieved with a mechanical game or human dealer, more
variety, sound, and animation in presentation of a game, and a
lower overall cost of production and management.
[0005] Computerized video game systems must be designed with many
of the same concerns as their mechanical and table game
ancestors--they must be fair, they must provide sufficient feedback
to the gamer to make the game fun to play, and they must meet a
variety of gaming regulations to ensure that both the machine owner
and gamer are honest and fairly treated in implementing the game.
Further, they must provide a gaming experience that is at least as
attractive as the older mechanical gaming machine experience to the
gamer, to ensure success in a competitive gaming market.
[0006] Many computerized wagering game systems have a variety of
sound and graphical elements designed to attract and keep a game
player's attention, such as sound effects, music, and animation.
These game presentation features often include a variety of music,
sound effects, and voices presented to complement a video
presentation of the wagering game on a display.
[0007] Wagering game players typically stand or sit on one side of
a wagering game, and interact with the game such as by pushing
buttons, pulling levers, and operating a touchscreen. The wagering
game system in turn provides feedback to the game player via the
display and one or more speakers. Use of multiple speakers in some
wagering games allow playback of stereo audio in which each of the
two stereo audio channels plays a different signal. Because the
speakers are in different physical locations and are playing
different audio signals, the sound presented to the game player
through the speakers presents a soundstage in which instruments,
voices, and other sounds can sound as though they come from
different points between the speakers, creating the illusion of a
broad or spacious array of instruments or other audio sources.
[0008] But, because the speakers are typically not very far apart,
and because audio from each speaker is typically easily heard by
both ears, the separation in a stereo speaker system such as that
often employed in wagering game machines lacks the stereo channel
separation that is heard for example when using headphones, in
which each driver is heard by only one ear.
[0009] It is therefore desired to achieve greater stereo separation
in a wagering game machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present invention provides in one embodiment a
computerized wagering game system has a gaming module comprising a
processor and gaming code which is operable when executed on the
processor to conduct a wagering game on which monetary value can be
wagered. An audio module comprising a part of the computerized
wagering game system is operable to play audio through two or more
speakers, and is further operable to apply crosstalk cancellation
to the audio played through the two or more speakers. A
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0011] FIG. 1 shows a computerized reel slot gaming system having
audio crosstalk cancellation, consistent with an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a top view of a computerized reel slot gaming
system having audio crosstalk cancellation and a wagering game
player, consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a crosstalk cancellation system as
may be used to practice various embodiments of the present
invention.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a frequency response graph shows head response
characteristics as are used to derive a crosstalk cancellation
filter in various embodiments of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a diagram of a wagering game system employing
attached seating, consistent with an example embodiment of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] In the following detailed description of sample embodiments
of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings
which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of
illustration specific sample embodiments in which the invention may
be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail
to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and
it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and
that logical, mechanical, electrical, and other changes may be made
without departing from the spirit or scope of the present
invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to
be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the invention is
defined only by the appended claims.
[0017] The present invention provides in one embodiment a
computerized wagering game system having a gaming module comprising
a processor and gaming code which is operable when executed on the
processor to conduct a wagering game on which monetary value can be
wagered, and an audio module comprising a part of the computerized
wagering game system that is operable to play audio through two or
more speakers and to apply crosstalk cancellation to the audio
played through the two or more speakers. An example of such a
wagering game system is shown and described in FIG. 1.
[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a computerized wagering game machine
system, as may be used to practice various embodiments of the
present invention. The computerized gaming system shown generally
at 100 is a video wagering game system, which displays information
for at least one wagering game upon which monetary value can be
wagered on touchscreen video display 101. The touchscreen video
display 101 is in various embodiments a CRT display, a plasma
display, an LCD display, a field emission display, or any other
type of display suitable for displaying electronically provided
display information. Further embodiments include alternate or
additional displays which may or may not be touchscreen displays,
such as a second display located above the primary display, or
other displays coupled to the wagering game system. Alternate
embodiments of the invention will include other game indicators,
such as mechanical reels instead of or in addition to the video
graphics reels shown at 102 that comprise a part of a video slot
machine wagering game.
[0019] A game of chance is implemented using software within the
wagering game, such as through instructions stored on a
machine-readable medium such as a hard disk drive or nonvolatile
memory. In some further example embodiments, some or all of the
software stored in the wagering game machine is encrypted or is
verified using a hash algorithm or encryption algorithm to ensure
its authenticity and to verify that it has not been altered. For
example, in one embodiment the wagering game software is loaded
from nonvolatile memory in a compact flash card, and a hash value
is calculated or a digital signature is derived to confirm that the
data stored on the compact flash card has not been altered. The
game of chance implemented via the loaded software takes various
forms in different wagering game machines, including such
well-known wagering games as reel slots, video poker, blackjack,
craps, roulette, or hold 'em games. The wagering game is played and
controlled with inputs such as various buttons 103 or via the
touchscreen video display 101. In some alternate examples, other
devices such as pull arm 104 used to initiate reel spin in this
reel slot machine example are employed to provide other input
interfaces to the game player.
[0020] Monetary value is typically wagered on the outcome of the
games, such as with tokens, coins, bills, or cards that hold
monetary value. The wagered value is conveyed to the machine
through a changer 105 or a secure user identification module
interface 106, and winnings are returned via the returned value
card or through the coin tray 107. Sound is also provided through
speakers 108, typically including audio indicators of game play,
such as reel spins, credit bang-ups, and environmental or other
sound effects or music to provide entertainment consistent with a
theme of the computerized wagering game. In some further
embodiments, the wagering game machine is coupled to a network, and
is operable to use its network connection to receive wagering game
data, track players and monetary value associated with a player,
and to perform other such functions.
[0021] FIG. 2 shows a diagram of a wagering game system employing
two speakers and crosstalk cancellation, and a game player. A
wagering game system such as that of FIG. 1 is shown in top view at
201, such as a video slot machine, a video poker machine, or other
such wagering game. The wagering game system has two speakers 202
and 203 located on either side of the machine, which in this
example embodiment are located at the same height but spaced beside
one another. In alternate embodiments more speakers are present,
such as including a center channel speaker located between speakers
202 and 203, or including speakers located above or below a
horizontal plane. The speakers each convert an electrical audio
signal to an audible acoustic signal that the game player 204 can
hear. In a variety of embodiments, speakers 202 and 203 are fed
separate audio signals, creating a stereo or surround effect for
the game player in which the reproduced audible signal or portions
of the audible signal produced by the speakers appear to come from
different locations. But, the sound produced by left speaker 202
can be heard in both the left ear 205 of the game player and the
right ear 206 of the game player. This is an example of crosstalk,
in which sound intended for one ear is heard by the other ear, as
shown in FIG. 2. Such crosstalk limits the ability of the speakers
to present sounds that sound to the game player as though they come
from different positions, such as outside the area between the two
speakers 202 and 203.
[0022] The present invention in one example embodiment seeks to
remedy this crosstalk effect by employing crosstalk cancellation,
designed to limit the amount of sound intended for one of a game
player's ears that is heard by the other ear. This is achieved such
as by the filter processing method illustrated in FIG. 3, which
shows one way of constructing and applying a crosstalk cancellation
filter.
[0023] The left channel electrical signal 301 and the right channel
electrical signal 302 are each fed to a crosstalk canceller 303 and
304, which in many embodiments are derived from the known impulse
or frequency responses of a given ear's ability to hear sound from
a speaker producing a signal intended for that ear (s), and a known
impulse or frequency response of the game player's opposite ear not
intended to hear the speaker's sound (a). The signal paths (s) and
(a) are shown in FIG. 3 at 305 and 306, and the impulse or
frequency response can be determined, for example, by use of an
artificial head and ear apparatus and appropriate microphones.
[0024] In one example, the crosstalk cancellers 303 and 304 use the
Z-transform function C(z)=-A(z)/S(z), and provide the output C(z)
to the summers 307 and 308. The summers add the signals from the
left channel source 301 and the right channel source 302 to the
signals produced by the respective crosstalk cancellation circuits
304 and 303, which provide their additive output to equalizers 309
and 310. The equalizers are designed in some examples to ensure
that the spectral content of the signal provided to the left or
right speaker closely matches the spectral content of the
respective input signal 301 or 302. The z-transform formula often
used for equalization in crosstalk systems such as that of FIG. 3
is E(z)=(1/S(z))(1/(1-c 2(z))), but such equalization can be
performed by a variety of other ways, such as by using a digital
filter to provide equalized response derived from measurements
taken of a particular constructed crosstalk cancellation
network.
[0025] Many methods of crosstalk cancellation such as the filter of
FIG. 3 and some digital filtering techniques work because the
frequency response or the impulse response of a game player's left
and right ears hearing the same single source is different. The
difference between the left and right ear response is based on the
position of the sound source relative to the listener's head, which
allows come embodiments of the invention to use the varying
response characteristics of the listener's ears to apply filtering
to simulate the response characteristics so that sounds heard by
the game player appear to come from specific locations.
[0026] FIG. 4 illustrates one example of frequency response curves
characteristic of a game player's frequency response to a speaker
offset to one side of the player's head, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
The desired ear's response curve (a) when compared with the
undesired crosstalk ear's response (a) can help in understanding
how the head hears sounds from various directions, and how this can
be applied to crosstalk cancellation technology.
[0027] The functions appear to have nearly the same frequency
response at low frequencies, making crosstalk cancellation at low
frequencies a difficult task. At higher frequencies, the curves
diverge, and a boost of about 30 dB occurs centered around a
frequency of about 3 kHz. The auditory canal resonances and concha
resonance within the game player's ear combine to create this
increase in response, and contribute to the dips and peaks at
higher frequencies along with physical characteristics of the
pinna. These differences show how parameters for a crosstalk
cancellation module such as that of FIG. 3 can be determined for
various configurations of computerized wagering game machines. The
example method described here assumes a typical head in a typical
location for wagering game play, such as a wagering game player
sitting on a stool or in a chair having a known average head
position. Just as with normal stereo recordings, the effect of
crosstalk cancellation is best heard when the wagering game
player's head is in a predicted "sweet spot", or within a certain
range of physical locations. While the wavelength of audio signals
can be many feet at low frequencies, it is reduced to inches at
higher audible frequencies. Fortunately, the wagering game player's
head acts as a more effective baffle or sound blocker at high
frequencies, and reduces the need for sweet spot location for
effective crosstalk cancellation. Nevertheless, further embodiments
of the wagering game systems will employ built-in seating to ensure
that a game player's head position is within a desired range, or
will be able to estimate a game player's head position such as by
optical, sonic, or other wagering game player detection
methods.
[0028] One such example is shown in FIG. 5, which illustrates use
of an audio game chair to position the game player's head, and to
provide rear or surround speakers. The wagering game cabinet 501 is
similar to the wagering game cabinet shown generally in FIG. 1, but
here is placed on a stand 502. The stand couples the wagering game
system 501 to a chair 503, containing in some further embodiments
one or more speakers 504. The chair serves to position the head of
the wagering game player in a desired location during game play or
at other times when the game player is seated in the chair and
facing the wagering game machine cabinet 501, making audio effects
such as crosstalk cancellation filtering more effective. Further,
addition of speakers mounted in or on the audio chair enhances the
wagering game system's ability to present sounds as though they
come from different locations, and enables use of surround sound
technologies to supplement or enhance crosstalk cancellation.
[0029] The examples shown herein have illustrated how crosstalk
cancellation can be employed in a wagering game system to enhance
the ability of a speaker in a sound system having two or more
speakers to provide sound to a wagering game player with reduced
crosstalk. Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and
described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill
in the art that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the
same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown.
This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations
of the invention. It is intended that this invention be limited
only by the claims, and the full scope of equivalents thereof.
* * * * *