U.S. patent application number 16/104348 was filed with the patent office on 2018-12-13 for gaming system and method.
The applicant listed for this patent is SOFTWEAVE LTD.. Invention is credited to Roy GREENBAUM, Doron MIDRASHI.
Application Number | 20180357852 16/104348 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50023014 |
Filed Date | 2018-12-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180357852 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
GREENBAUM; Roy ; et
al. |
December 13, 2018 |
GAMING SYSTEM AND METHOD
Abstract
Gaming systems and methods for online gaming are disclosed. A
method includes providing and streaming a video of the gaming
machine, which is to be remotely played by a user; displaying the
video at a client station of the user; and receiving from the
client station input data including data indicative of the user's
interaction with controls of the gaming machine which appearing in
the video; and activating the gaming machine based on the input
data. Activation of the gaming machine based on the input data can
be based on mapping data associating regions of the video with
controls of the machine, which appearing at these regions of the
video, and includes processing the input data by using the mapping
data to thereby map the one or more regions of the video with which
the user had interacted to respective controls of the gaming
machine that appear in those regions.
Inventors: |
GREENBAUM; Roy; (Herzliya,
IL) ; MIDRASHI; Doron; (Kefar Vitkin, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SOFTWEAVE LTD. |
Kfar Vitkin |
|
IL |
|
|
Family ID: |
50023014 |
Appl. No.: |
16/104348 |
Filed: |
August 17, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
15035702 |
May 10, 2016 |
10055931 |
|
|
PCT/IL2014/050991 |
Nov 16, 2014 |
|
|
|
16104348 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/3223 20130101;
G07F 17/3225 20130101; G07F 17/3211 20130101; G07F 17/3244
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G07F 17/32 20060101
G07F017/32 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 17, 2013 |
IL |
229464 |
Claims
1. An online gaming system configured to obtain a video of at least
one gaming machine and streaming said video for display at a client
station of a user, receiving an input data from the user, and
activating said gaming machine based on the input data; wherein
said input data is indicative of interactions of said user with one
or more regions in said video at which one or more respective
controls of said at least one gaming machine appear; and wherein
the online gaming system comprises a game controls mapping module
that is adapted for associating said controls of the at least one
gaming machine with said one or more respective regions at which
said controls appear, and to thereby map said user interactions
with the one or more respective regions in said video to determine
operational instructions for activating said one or more respective
controls in accordance with said user interactions with said one or
more regions in the video at which the one or more respective
controls of the at least one gaming machine appear.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a video streaming
module connectable to at least one camera and adapted for receiving
from said at least one camera a video of said at least one gaming
machine and for streaming said video via a network to said client
station being remote from said gaming machine; a game machines
manager module comprising the game controls mapping module and
adapted for receiving said input data from said client station, and
for processing said input data to determine said operational
instructions for operating said at least one gaming machine; and a
relay module connectable to said at least one gaming machine and
adapted for receiving said operational instructions from the game
machines manager module and for accordingly operating said at least
one gaming machine, the system thereby enabling remote operation of
gaming machines.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein at least some of the controls of
said at least one gaming machine are dynamic controls dynamically
appearing on a display screen of said at least one gaming machine
in accordance with a game state of a game executed by said at least
one gaming machine; said control mapping data comprises one or more
control maps associated with different game states respectively;
said game controls mapping module is adapted to obtain data
indicative of a current game state of said gaming machine and
utilizing said data to select a corresponding control map for use
in said determining of said operational instructions.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein said controls mapping module
comprises a video processing module adapted to process one or more
frames of said video to recognize controls of said at least one
gaming machine appearing in said regions of the video; and wherein
said game controls mapping module is adapted to utilize said video
processing module and said data indicative of the one or more
regions in said video, for determining the operational instructions
for activating controls of said gaming machine with which the user
interacted in the video.
5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a calibration module
configured and operable for obtaining control-association data
indicative of associating one or more of said regions in said video
of the at least one gaming machine with respective controls of the
at least one gaming machine.
6. The system of claim 2 wherein said relay module comprises one or
more relay devices, and wherein each relay device is specifically
configured and operable for activating a respective gaming machine
of said at least one gaming machine.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein said relay device is configured
and operable for operating its respective gaming machine by
relaying said operational instructions to electrical connections of
peripherals of said gaming machines that are associated with the
controls of said gaming machine which correspond to said
operational instructions.
8. The system of claim 7 wherein said peripherals of said gaming
machines include at least one of the following: (i) static controls
associated with said gaming machine, or (ii) at least one screen
for display of dynamic controls of said gaming machine; and wherein
said relay module includes relay circuits for relaying said
operational instructions to electrical connections associated with
at least one of said static control elements and said screen.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein said game machines manager module
comprises a game state module for data communication with a data
terminal of said gaming machine, and wherein said game state module
is adapted for communicating with said at least one gaming machine
for carrying out at least one of the following: (a) providing said
at least one gaming machine with data indicative of a gambling
amount to be gambled in a game session conducted with said at least
one gambling machine; (b) obtaining game-state data from said at
least one gaming machine indicative of at least one of the
following states: off-line state of said gaming machine; on-line
state of said gaming machine; game initiated state; or game
terminated state. (c) obtaining from said at least one gaming
machine a bonus data indicative of a bonus to which said user is
entitled; (d) obtaining game result data indicative of the gambling
results of a game session.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein said input data comprises billing
data indicative of billing account of said user; the system
comprises a billing module that is connectable to a billing system
of a casino and to said game machines manager module and adapted to
receive therefrom game result data indicative of the gambling
results of one or more game sessions conducted by said user and for
utilizing said billing account for billing said billing account
based on said game results.
11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an application-server
module connectable to said video streaming module and to said game
machines manager module and adapted to communicate with one or more
client stations for providing said one or more client stations with
computer readable code indicative of a user interface presenting
said video of the at least one gaming machine, and for receiving
said user input data from said one or more client stations whereby
said user input data comprises data indicative of one or more user
interactions with regions of said video.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein said user interface comprises an
area for presenting said video and one or more user interface
controls including static and/or dynamic controls of the gaming
machine itself presented in the video.
13. The system of claim 12 wherein said one or more user interface
controls comprise one or more of the following controls: (a) one or
more controls for selecting from a plurality of gaming machines at
least one selected gaming machine to be video-displayed in said
area. (b) one or more controls for placing bets on a game in said
gambling machine; (c) one or more controls for providing billing
data; or (d) one or more controls for operation of said gaming
machine.
14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a session manager
connectable to said game machines manager module and to said
billing server and adapted to monitor game sessions conducted by
each client station connected to the system, to determine a
gambling balance for each of said client stations and providing
said gambling balance to said billing module.
15. A method for online gaming, the method comprising: providing a
video of at least one gaming machine and streaming said video for
display at a client station of a user; responsive to said
streaming, receiving input data from the user including data
indicative of the user's interaction with controls of said at least
one gaming machine appearing in said video; and activating said at
least one gaming machine based on said input data; wherein said
input data is indicative of one or more regions of the video at
which controls of the at least one gaming machine appear and with
which the user interacted; and wherein said activating comprises:
providing mapping data associating said regions of said video with
the controls of said at least one gaming machine appearing at said
regions respectively; utilizing said mapping data to process said
input data and map the one or more regions with which the user
interacted to the respective controls of the at least one gaming
machine that appear in said regions, and thereby determining
operational instructions for operating said at least one gaming
machine based on the user interactions with said regions of the
video at which said controls of the at least one gaming machine
appear.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein said activating of said at least
one gaming machine comprises processing said input data received
from said client station to determine operational instructions for
operating said at least one gaming machine, and operating said at
least one gaming machine based on said operational instructions by
utilizing a relay device configured and operable for connecting to
said at least one gaming machine, thereby enabling remote operation
of gaming machines.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein said relay device is configured
and operable for connecting to electrical connections associated
with said controls of said at least one gaming machine; said
controls including at least one of the following peripherals:
physical button controls coupled to the casing of the at least one
gaming machine, or dynamic controls displayed on a screen of said
at least one gaming machine.
18. The method of claim 15 wherein said mapping data includes at
least one of the following: (i) predetermined data stored in a
memory, or (ii) data provided from a video processing module that
is adapted for processing one or more frames of the video of said
at least one gaming machine for identifying said controls in said
video and the regions in said video in which said controls are
located.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising a calibration stage
for receiving and storing said predetermined data in said
memory.
20. The method of claim 15, further comprising communicating with a
data terminal of said gaming machine for carrying out the
following: (a) providing said gaming machine with data indicative
of a gambling amount to be gambled in a game session conducted with
said gambling machine; (b) obtaining game-state data from said
gaming machine indicative of at least one of the following states:
off-line state of said gaming machine; on-line state of said gaming
machine; game initiated state, game terminated state; and (c)
obtaining game result data indicative of the gambling results of a
game session; wherein said input data comprises: (i) billing data
indicative of billing account of said user, and (ii) gambling data
indicative of amounts to be gambled-on in one of more game sessions
conducted by the user with said at least one gambling machine; the
method includes operating said at least one gaming machine based on
said gambling data, obtaining gambling results from said at least
one gaming machine and utilizing said billing data to credit or
debit said user based on said gambling results.
Description
TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to gaming systems and more
specifically, to a system and method for delivering gaming services
over a network.
BACKGROUND
[0002] There are many gaming sites and applications that are used
by game users for playing and possibly also gambling on-line. In
some cases the majority of games provided on-line by such sites
and/or applications resemble conventional casino games/gaming
machines. For example, typical on-line gaming/casino sites may
include virtual video slot machines, virtual video poker machines,
and even virtual mechanical slot machines.
[0003] Actual/physical gaming machines, such as those placed in
casinos, are typically, in many jurisdictions, kept under strict
regulations for ensuring that such gaming machines are reliable and
that they provide predetermined typically a-priori known (e.g.
published) return rates and/or winning chances/gambling odds. For
example, a game of an actual casino gaming machine may be
implemented by computer software that is stored on computer chips,
which are regulated/supervised and are associated with serial
numbers to prevent their forgery and/or unauthorized replacement.
For example, the relocation and/or replacement of a computer chip
carrying the game logic/software in a gaming cabinet, and/or
updating the software on the chip are performed under strict
regulations which ensure reliability of the gaming machine.
[0004] Indeed, there are some known techniques that are aimed at
improving the versatility of gaming machines, and more particularly
improving the versatile use of gaming machines cabinets, located on
a casino house. For example U.S. patent publication No. 20070265094
provides a system and method for streaming games and services to
gaming devices, such as gaming cabinets. According to this
technique the gaming system provides a game and/or gaming services
to a player or user at a gaming or gaming services device. The
device receives streaming audio-video representing the game or
gaming services and plays streaming audio-video at a device. The
device also receives input related to the play of the game or the
gaming services from the user/player and relays the input to the
gaming system. The system includes a storage device and a
controller. The storage device stores elements of the game and/or
gaming services. The game controller receives the input from the
user/player and responsively retrieving the elements of the game
and/or gaming services from the storage device, dynamically creates
an audio-video stream as a function of the retrieved elements and
the input, and broadcasts the audio-video stream to the gaming
and/or gaming services device.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
[0005] Many existing on-line gaming sites and/or gaming
applications are aimed at providing users with an experience
similar to that of a real life casino. To this end, typically such
sites/applications offer their users games similar to those
existing in actual casino gaming machines, and also provide users
with gambling options similar to those available at conventional
casinos.
[0006] Yet a major difference between actual/physical casino
games/gaming machines and their virtual implementations provided by
such on line sites, stems from that actual casino gaming machines
typically provide predetermined and in many cases a-priori
known/published gambling odds (e.g. gambling return rates and/or
winning chances), which are, as noted above, are under strictly
regulations in at least some jurisdictions. However, in some
virtual on-line gaming sites/applications (e.g. offering virtual
casino experience), the virtual games/gaming machines are not under
strict regulations and are not supervised, and their users cannot
determine reliability of the virtual gaming machine and/or its
actual gambling odds. Also, in jurisdictions, which do impose some
regulation on such on-line gaming sites/applications, the
on-line/virtual machines are typically more loosely regulated than
actual casino gaming machines. In this connection, often the users
of such on-line sites/application fail to distinguish between the
un-regulated virtual gaming machines and
regulated/loosely-regulated virtual gaming machines.
[0007] Consequently, as land-base/actual casino gaming machines
typically go through better regulatory process than the online
games, are often perceived by users as being more
reliable/repayable than their counterpart virtual machines,
typically offered by on-line sites/applications. Accordingly the
user's experience when playing actual casino gaming machines is
often better than that obtained when the user engage with the
counterpart virtual machines.
[0008] Moreover, actual casino gaming machines often offer higher
entertainment value than their counterpart virtual/on-line gaming
machines. This is because in many cases the virtual/on-line
machines are restricted in their processing requirements and files'
sizes, and accordingly the games they provide are stripped of a lot
of the qualities and/or functionalities existing in the actual
machines. This results with reduced quality of the overall look and
feel and/or sound, and accordingly the quality of the users
experience when engaged with such virtual gaming machines.
[0009] Techniques, such as that of U.S. patent publication No.
20070265094, which are aimed at centralizing the logic of gaming
machines on centralized gaming servers, are in some cases used for
providing conventional on-line games, and/or for improving the
versatility of gaming cabinets in the casino-house and the
diversify the games offered thereby, without requiring regulatory
inspection. As noted above, even if the on-line games provided by
such systems are strictly regulated, they are often conceived
un-reliable by the users, since they appear similar to the other
on-line games which may be not regulated.
[0010] In light of the above, the present invention provides for
improving the user's experience when playing and/or gambling
on-line by providing methods and systems for enabling users to
conduct on-line games on actual/physical gaming machines (e.g.
allowing users to engage from afar with gaming machines/cabinets,
which may be placed in actual casino halls). The systems and
methods of the invention are adapted for providing the remote users
with video footage of the actual gaming machine cabinets, and for
receiving form the users input data indicative of their interaction
with the video-footage, and more specifically with the controls of
the gaming machine, which appear in the video-footage of the actual
gaming machine cabinets. The user's interactions with the
video-footage, are than mapped to the controls of the gaming
machines (e.g. based on predetermined/calibration data associated
with the location of these controls in the video of the gaming
machines/cabinets), and the mapped interactions are relayed to the
gaming machine (e.g. to the gaming machine's computer/server
carrying the logic of the gaming machine), where typically the
relay is performed via external circuitry connectable to gaming
machine's computer (e.g. circuitry connecting the gaming machine's
computer to the physical controls of the gaming machine, which are
located in the cabinet). In this way the systems improve
reliability of the experience provided to on-line users by allowing
the users to play real gaming machines which gaming cabinets are
visualized to the users at their client stations and interacted by
the users.
[0011] Also the system of the present invention enables casino
operators to maximize/optimize the return they get from the gaming
machines located at their casino. Currently, typically gaming
machines in a casino are occupied only between 30-50% of the time.
By enabling casino operators to offer on-line games on one or more
of their gaming machines, the present invention allows the casino
operators to get more traffic onto the gaming machines to increase
their utilization.
[0012] It should be noted here that in the present disclosure the
term online and/or on-line gaming relates to playing the actual
casino gaming machines remotely from the gaming machines, while
communicating a video of the gaming machine and possibly additional
data required for the game via a communication network. The network
may be the Internet/Ethernet network, and/or any communication
network enabling data and video transfer between the client station
of a user and the system of the invention. For example such network
may include a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN),
wireless network such as cellular network and WIFI, and/or any
other suitable combination networks.
[0013] Thus, according to a broad aspect of the invention there is
provided an online gaming system that is configured to obtain a
video of at least one gaming machine and streaming the video for
display at a client station of a user. The online gaming system is
adapted for receiving input data from the user, including data
indicative of the user's interaction with controls (e.g.
buttons/touch screen) of the gaming machine appearing in the video.
The online gaming system is configured and operable for activating
the gaming machine based on the user input.
[0014] It should be noted that in the present application the term
video should be construed as including imagery data/signals and
possibly also audio data/signals of the gaming machine. In
particular, the imagery data may be data obtained from a camera
directed to capture the gaming machine and may include images at
least partially presenting the gaming machines cabinet with the
display and the controls of the gaming machine on the cabinet. The
audio data may be obtained from a microphone placed for capturing
sound emanating from the speakers of the gaming machine or its
cabinet (e.g. a microphone associated with the camera), and/or it
may be obtained from a sound relay module connectable to the
circuitry of the gaming machine (e.g. to the circuitry associated
with the speakers of the gaming machine and/or to the sound card of
the gaming machine).
[0015] In some embodiments of the present invention the online
gaming system includes:
[0016] a video streaming module that is connectable to at least one
camera and adapted for receiving from the at least one camera a
video of said at least one gaming machine and for streaming the
video via a network to a client station being remote from the
gaming machine;
[0017] a game machines manager module that is adapted for receiving
the input data from the client station, and for processing the
input data to determine operational instructions (analogue/digital
data/signal) for operating said gaming machine; and
[0018] a relay module that is connectable to the gaming machine and
adapted for receiving the operational instructions from the game
manager module and for accordingly operating the gaming
machine.
[0019] In some embodiments of the present invention, data
indicative of the user's interaction with the controls of the
gaming machine that appear in the video, is included in the input
data obtained from the users. Particularly in some cases the data
indicative of the user's interaction with the controls of the
gaming machine includes and/or is in the form of data indicative of
the user's interaction with one or more regions of the video. The
game machines manager module may include a game controls mapping
module that is configured and operable to process a user's
interactions with the one or more regions of the video and to
associate them with activation of controls of the gaming machine
that appear in these regions of the video. Accordingly the
operational instructions for activating controls of the gaming
machines are determined by the game machines manager module.
[0020] In another aspect of the present invention there is provided
a method for online gaming. The method includes (i) providing a
video of at least one gaming machine and streaming that video for
display at a client station of a user; (ii) receiving input data
from the user, including data indicative of the user's interaction
with controls of the gaming machine appearing in the video; and
(iii) activating the gaming machine based on said input data.
[0021] In some embodiments of the present invention the method
includes receiving video from a camera arranged for capturing said
gaming machine. The camera may be included as part of the system of
the present invention, and/or it may be a peripheral module
connected to the system. The received video is streamed via a
network to the client station being remote from the gaming
machine.
[0022] In some embodiments of the present invention the activation
of the gaming machine includes processing the input data received
from the client station to determine operational instructions for
operating the gaming machine. The activation of the gaming machine
also includes operating the gaming machine based on the operational
instructions determined from the input data, by utilizing a relay
device that is configured and operable for connecting to the gaming
machine.
[0023] In some embodiments of the present invention the data
indicative of the user's interactions with the controls of a gaming
machine includes data indicative of the user interactions with one
or more regions of the video, in which one or more of the controls
of the gaming machine appear. The method includes processing the
input data by mapping the regions of the video with respective
controls of the gaming machines appearing therein to thereby
associate the user interactions with activation of the respective
gaming machine's controls.
[0024] Thus, the present invention provides methods and systems for
remote/on-line operation of gaming machines (actual gaming machines
such as those located at casino houses). The technique of the
invention allows providing the users of the system with improved
gaming experience and with the gaming reliability compared to those
provided by the real casino gaming machines by allowing the users
to interact with the gaming machines remotely. Additional aspects
and embodiments of the present invention are further described in
more details in the detailed description section below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] In order to better understand the subject matter that is
disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in
practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting
example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
[0026] FIG. 1 is a block diagram 100 illustrating an on-line gaming
system configured and operable according to an embodiment of the
present invention;
[0027] FIG. 2 is a flow chart schematically illustrating a method
for providing on-line gaming services according to an embodiment of
the present invention;
[0028] FIGS. 3A and 3B are two exemplary screen shots of a client
station's display utilizing the technique of the present invention
for presenting a gaming machine/cabinet to the user and receiving
the user interactions therewith.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0029] Reference is made together to FIGS. 1 and 2 respectively
illustrating a block diagram 100 of a system configured and
operable according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a
flow chart 200 of the method operable according to an embodiment of
the present invention. In the following description system 100 and
method 200 are described together, yet it should be understood that
in some embodiments of the present invention method 200 may be
implemented by systems having somewhat different configuration than
that presented in the embodiment of system 100, and conversely, the
system 100 may implement a method somewhat different from the
method 200 presented herein.
[0030] System 100 is an example of an online gaming system of the
present invention. System 100 is configured to obtain a video of
one or more gaming machines 190.1 to 190.n and for streaming the
video for display at one or more client stations (users) 170.1 to
170.m. In response to providing a video stream of a gaming machine
190.i to a client station 170.k, the system 100 may be adapted for
receiving from the client station 170.k input data indicative of
interaction(s) of a user of the client station 170.k with the
gaming machine 190.i presented in the video. For example, the input
data may include data indicative of the user's interaction with
controls (e.g. buttons/touch screen) of the gaming machine 190.i
appearing in the video of the gaming machine displayed at its
client station 170.k. Based on this input data, the system 100
operates/activates the gaming machine 190.i. Accordingly, the user
can operate and play the gaming machine 190.i on-line from a remote
location of its client station 170.k.
[0031] In the present embodiment, the system 100 includes a video
streaming module 110, a gaming machines manager module 120, and a
relay module 130. The video 30 streaming module 110 is connectable
to one or more cameras 180.1-180.n, which are respectively arranged
to capture videos of one or more gaming machines 190.1-190.n.
[0032] The gaming machines manager module 120 is configured and
operable for receiving/obtaining and processing the input data
obtained from one or more of the client stations 170.1-170.m that
are connected to the system 100, and for determining/generating
operational instructions (e.g. instructions formed as analogue
signals and/or digital data) for accordingly operating such one or
more gaming machines.
[0033] The relay module 130 is connectable to the gaming machines
190.1-190.n and is adapted for utilizing the operational
instructions to operate the gaming machines with which the client
stations' users interacted and to thereby enable remote operation
of the gaming machines 190.1-190.n.
[0034] In some embodiments of the present invention, the method 200
for conducting remote online gaming on actual gaming machines
includes operations 210 to 230 as follows: operation 210 for
providing a video of at least one gaming machine (e.g. from camera
180.i) and streaming the video (e.g. by video streaming module 110)
for display at a client station (e.g. 170.k) of a user. Operation
215 includes receiving input data from the client station 170.k,
the input data including data indicative of the user's interaction
with controls of a gaming machine 190.i appearing in the video
presented at the client station. Operation 220 is performed based
on the input data received from a user of a client station (e.g.
170.k) in response to the video stream displayed thereto. The input
data received from the client station 170.k is used for controlling
and/or managing the operation of the gaming machine 190.i. The
input data includes data indicative of the user's interaction with
controls of the gaming machine which appears in the video displayed
thereto by the client station. Operation 220 includes processing
such data to yield/generate operational instructions (e.g. in the
form of digital data and/or analogue signals) usable for operating
the gaming machines according to the user's integrations with the
video thereof at the client station(s). The processing of 220 may
be performed by the gaming machines manager module 120, which may
include a processor/micro-processor and a memory (not specifically
shown in FIG. 1) that are operable for storing and/or executing
computer readable instructions for carrying out operation 220. The
computer readable instructions may be hard- and/or soft coded and
may include several sets of computer readable instructions for each
type of gaming machine connectable to the system 100. In some
cases, the gaming machines manager module 120 may be customizable
for various types of machines, and may be configured and operable
for custom installation of computer readable instructions for
various machine types. Operation 230 includes utilizing the
operational instructions obtained in 220 for operation/activating
the respective gaming machines according to the input data from
client stations' users. Operation 230 may for example be performed
by the relay module 230.
[0035] Typically, the video streaming module 110 is connectable to
the cameras 180.1-180.n and is operable in accordance with
operation 220 of method 200 for receiving videos of one or more of
the gaming machines 190.1-190.n from one or more of the cameras
180.1-180.n, and streaming the videos via a network to one or more
remote client station(s) 170.1 to 170.m. To this end, selection of
a gaming machine video to be streamed to a particular client
station in 170.k may be indicated/included in the input data
received from the client station 170.k. and the video streaming
module 110 may be adapted to accordingly generate respective video
streams of the videos of the requested gaming machines, and
communicates the video streams to the respective client stations
(e.g. typically via a network such as the Internet). The video
streaming module 110 may include/utilize a
processor/micro-processor and a memory (not specifically shown in
the figure) for receiving and processing videos from the cameras
180.1-180.n, identifying which video should be transmitted to which
client station 170.1 -170.m, and streaming the video thereto, for
example by dividing the video data into packets, possibly also
compressing them, and transmitting them utilizing a suitable
protocol (e.g. UDP) via the network.
[0036] In some embodiments of the present invention, a user of a
client station may select any gaming machine he would like to watch
and/or play (e.g. regardless of whether the gaming machine is being
played/occupied on/off-line or not). In other embodiments a user
may be allowed to watch and/or play only those gaming machines
whose status is marked as on-line status (designating that the
machine can be played on-line). In yet other embodiments the user
may be allowed to watch and/or play only those gaming machines
which are non-occupied and whose status is marked as on-line status
(namely only the machines with which the user may engage in a
game). To this end, in some cases the video streaming module 110,
may be configured and operable to obtain information regarding the
gaming machines' statuses (e.g. on-line/offline statuses and/or
occupied/non-occupied statuses) and/or information regarding which
videos to transmit to the client stations from the gaming machines
manager module 120. For example, the gaming machines manager module
120 may be operable for allocating the online/offline statuses to
the gaming machines associated therewith. The on-line and/or
off-line statuses may be determined based on definitions which may
be set/inputted to the system by an operator of the specific casino
(e.g. by the casino floor manager), and/or it may be determined by
the gaming machines manager module 120, based on the game states of
the gaming machines (as may be obtained from the game state module,
and/or as may be determined form the relay devices 130.i of the
relay module 130). Utilizing this information, and possibly also
utilizing input data from the client station(s)/user(s), the gaming
machines manager module 120 may provide the video streaming module
110 with instructions/information indicative of which gaming
machine video should be streamed to each of the client stations.
Alternatively or additionally, the video streaming module 110 may
be adapted for generating the video streams and not transmitting
them directly to the client stations, but transmitting them
indirectly (e.g. by providing the video streams to another module,
such as the gaming machines manager module 120 and/or an optional
application server module 150 which has logic functionality for
determining which video streams should be transmitted to the client
stations).
[0037] The gaming machines manager module 120 is configured and
operable for managing the remote activation/operation of the gaming
machines 190.1-190.n by the client stations 170.1-170.m that are
connected to the system 100 via the network. To this end the gaming
machines manager module 120 is adapted to obtain (receive
directly/indirectly from the client stations) input data indicative
of the interactions of the client stations' users with the controls
of the gaming machines 190.1-190.n that are respectively appearing
in the videos/video-streams of the gaming machines 190.1-190.n
which are displayed at the client stations 170.1 -170.m. More
particularly, according to some embodiments of the invention the
input data obtained from a client station 170.k includes data
indicative of the interaction of the client station's user with one
or more regions in the video displayed by that client station.
[0038] As noted above, the gaming machines manager module 120
operates in accordance with method operation 220 for processing the
input data received from the client station to determine the
operational instructions for the gaming machine. According to some
embodiments of the invention, the data indicative of the user's
interactions with the gaming machine controls (which is included in
the input data) includes, or is formed as data indicative of the
user interactions with one or more regions of the video that is
displayed at the client station of the user. For example, it may
include coordinates of a computer mouse position (e.g. when
clicking/double-clicking/hovering with the mouse), and/or
coordinate of a finger touch/hover on a touch screen of the client
station.
[0039] Accordingly, in some cases in method operation 220, the
gaming machines manager module 120 may process the input data by
mapping the regions of the video to respective controls of the
gaming machine appearing in the video. As a result of the mapping,
the gaming machines manager module 120 associates the user
interactions with activation/operation of the respective gaming
machine's controls.
[0040] In some embodiments of the invention the mapping in
operation 220 is performed by carrying out operation 220.2 for
providing mapping data associating controls of the gaming machine
with the respective regions of the video. This operation may be
performed for example by a game controls mapping module 120.2,
which is illustrated in FIG. 1 as an optional part of the gaming
machines' manager module 120. The mapping data may include
predetermined data stored in a memory (e.g. in mapping memory
module 120.21 of the gaming machines manager module 120), and/or it
may be data that is obtained from a video processing module 120.22
that is configured and operable for processing one or more frames
of the video (e.g. utilizing by pattern recognition techniques
and/or by other techniques) to identify the controls of the gaming
machine in the video/frames and determine the regions/locations at
which the controls are presented in the video. In this way an
association/mapping between the user's interactions with the video
and its intended actions on the controls of the gaming machine may
be obtained. Accordingly, the game controls mapping module provides
for associating the user interactions with regions of the video
with the activation of respective controls of the gaming
machine.
[0041] It should be noted that in some cases/embodiments of the
present invention, the gaming machines 190.1-190.n connected to the
system may include only static controls 190.SC (e.g. which may
constitute physical peripherals, such as push-buttons and/or
joystick of the gaming machine, which may be furnished on a cabinet
of the gaming machine). In such embodiments, the control mapping
data stored in the memory 120.21 of game controls mapping module
120.2 may include static/predetermined data associating the
location of the physical peripherals of the gaming machine with
their location in the video. As will be further described below,
this data may be provided during an optional calibration operation
205, which may be performed after/during setting up the positions
and orientations of the cameras 180.1-180.n with respect to their
associated gaming machines 190.1-190.n.
[0042] Alternatively or additionally, in some cases, the controls
of the machines 190.1-190.n may include dynamic controls 190.DC
(namely controls which may be displayed dynamically on a screen(s),
such as touch screen(s) of the gaming machine(s) 190.1-190.n in
accordance with the state of a game played/executed thereby). In
such cases, the control mapping data stored in the memory 120.21,
may include for each gaming machine, one or more control-maps (also
referred to below as dynamic control maps), such that each
control-map is associated with a certain game state/status of the
gaming machine and includes data associating regions of the video
with at least the dynamic controls 190.DC dynamically appearing in
that game state/status controls. The association of the static
controls 190.SC of a certain gaming machine with the regions of the
video of the gaming machine may be stored in a different control
map (e.g. static control map), and/or stored together with the
dynamic controls 190.DC in the dynamic control maps.
[0043] Thus, the control mapping data may include
association/mapping data associating regions of the video with
different game controls appearing thereat at different game states
respectively, and the game controls mapping module 120.2 may be
configured and operable for obtaining data indicative of a current
game state of a gaming machine played by a user and for utilizing
this data for selecting a corresponding controls-map(dynamic or
static) to be used for determining the operational instruction for
the gaming machine. Data indicative of the current game state may
be obtained from a game state module 120.4. The game state module
120.4, which is described in more detail below, may optionally be
included/associated with the gaming machines manager module 120.
Providing the suitable controls-map, the gaming machines manager
module 120 may be adapted to utilize it for processing the data
indicative of the user interaction with one or more regions of the
video for determining operational instructions for activating
dynamic and/or static controls of a gaming machine 190.i played by
the user.
[0044] In this connection with the calibration operation 205
indicated above, it should be noted that in some embodiments of the
present invention the system 100 includes a calibration module 105
that is configured and operable for receiving/obtaining and storing
calibration instructions/data to calibrate the system based on the
types of gaming machines connected/associated with the system,
and/or in accordance with positioning of the video-cameras which
are associated with the gaming machines for capturing their video.
In implementing calibration operation 205, the calibration module
140 may obtain calibration instructions including at least one of
the following: [0045] (1) The calibration instructions may include
mapping data associating the controls of a gaming machine with
their appearance/location in a respective video of the gaming
machine, and possibly with a state of the gaming machine (in case
of dynamic controls). For example, the mapping data may include a
lookup table (LUT) associating one or more of the regions in a
video of a gaming machine with respective controls of the gaming
machine, and possibly also with a certain state/game state of the
gaming machine. [0046] (2) The calibration instructions may include
computer readable code for generating operational instructions for
operating one or more gaming machine types.
[0047] The calibration module 140 may for example include a data
input terminal (not specifically shown in the figure; e.g.
data/network interface and/or user interface) for receiving the
mapping data and/or the computer readable code for the gaming
machine types. The mapping data may include data associating static
controls 190.SC for the gaming machine with their static/fixed
locations/regions in the video, and/or it may include data
associating the locations of dynamic control 190.DC in the video
with particular states of the gaming machines. The computer
readable code may include computer executable instructions for
processing certain types of user interactions with the regions of
the video of a gaming machine (e.g.) with operational instructions
to be activated-by/relayed-to the gaming machine. Thus, by
utilizing the mapping data, the gaming machines manager module 120
may map the regions of the video, with which the user interacted,
to respective controls of the gaming machine, and, utilizing the
computer readable code associated with the type of the gaming
machine, the gaming machines manager module 120 may determine how
the respective controls should be operated and also determine the
operational instructions required for operating these controls by
the relay module 130. In other words, the gaming machines manager
module 120 may utilize the calibration instructions to process the
input data received from a user in relation to a gaming machine, to
accordingly determine the operational instructions for operation of
the gaming machine. Accordingly, in some embodiments of the present
invention system 100 may be configurable for various types of
gaming machines and may be implemented as a calibrate-able system
allowing addition and/or subtraction of connections to gaming
machines of different types and numbers.
[0048] As noted above, in some embodiments the controls mapping
module comprises a video processing module 120.22 that is adapted
to process one or more frames of said video to recognize controls
of the gaming machine appearing in the regions of the video, with
which the user's interacts. Also here, the controls may include
dynamic and/or static controls. The video processing module 120.22
may utilize reference/image data indicative of the controls
appearance (e.g. whose data may be stored the memory 120.21), for
processing the video and recognizing the appearance of one or more
of the controls therein, and for determining the locations of the
controls in the video. In some cases, in order to reduce the
computational overhead, pattern recognition techniques or other
video processing techniques may be applied only to the regions in
the video with which the user interacts (e.g. as indicated in the
input data). Accordingly, automatic recognition of the appearance
of controls in these regions may be performed quickly and with
moderate computational resources. As will be appreciated by those
versed in the art of video processing, there are various known
video processing and/or pattern recognition techniques which may be
used/employed by the present invention for automatically
identifying objects such as the controls of a gaming machine, in
the video of the gaming machine. In some embodiments of the present
invention, the game controls mapping module 120.2 utilizes the
video processing module 120.4, and optionally also utilizes data
indicative of the video region(s) with which the user has
interacted, to determine the operational instructions for
activating controls of the gaming machine.
[0049] Operation 230 of method 200 is conducted upon determining
the operational instructions for a gaming machine 190.i. The
operational instructions, which may be digital/analogue
signals/data, are used for operating the respective gaming machine
190.i according to the user's interaction with the controls of the
gaming machine 190.i, which appears in the video. As noted above,
the gaming machine 190.i is typically operated by a relay module
130 that is adapted for connecting to the gaming machines
190.1-190.m and is configured and operable for receiving the
operational instructions from the gaming machines manager module
120 and operating them accordingly.
[0050] In some embodiments of the present invention the relay
module 130 actually includes one or more relay devices 130.1 to
130.n. For example each relay device 130.i may be associated with a
respective gaming machine 190.i and may be configured and operable
for operating the controls of the respective gaming machine 190.i
based on the operational instructions that are associated with that
gaming machine 190.i.
[0051] In some embodiments of the present invention, the relay
module 130, and/or the relay devices 130.1 to 130.n thereof, are
specifically configured and operable for connecting to electrical
connections associated with the controls of the gaming machine
190.i. The controls include for example physical/static controls
190.SC such as buttons, joystick, gesture controls (e.g. movement
capturing camera) and/or other physical control elements which may
be located/mounted on a casing/cabinet of the gaming machine.
Alternatively or additionally, the controls may include dynamic
controls 190.DC, which may be dynamically displayed, when needed,
on a screen/touch-screen of the gaming machine 190.i, in accordance
with the state of the game. The physical/static control elements
190.SC and/or the screen, on which the dynamic controls 190.DC may
be displayed, typically constitute and/or are part of the
peripherals of the gaming machine 190.i. Thus, a relay device 130.i
for the gaming machine 190.i may be configured and operable for
operating its respective gaming machine 190.i by relaying the
operational instructions to electrical connections of one or more
of the peripherals of the gaming machines 190.i, which are
associated with the gaming machine's 190.i controls. By relaying
the operational instructions to the gaming machine in this way
(e.g. via the electrical circuits of its peripherals) the system
100 does not interfere, and does not need to be implemented as a
part of the gaming machine's logic (software or hardware of the
gaming machine). Accordingly reliability and authenticity of the
gaming machine's operation is preserved, and the system 100 can be
implemented as a plug-in to the gaming machines.
[0052] As noted above, in certain embodiments of the present
invention, the system 100 is configured for connecting to and
operating gaming machines 190.1-190.n of various/different types.
In such cases, the respective relay devices 130.1-130.n, which are
connected to the gaming machines 190.1-190.n, may each be
specifically adapted for operating its respective gaming machine.
For example, as different gaming machines may have different
control peripherals (e.g. a certain gaming machine 190.i may be
equipped with a joystick, and/or with a touch-screen and/or with
different numbers of buttons and/or with gesture capturing
controls), accordingly the respective relay device 130.i of the
gaming machine may be configured and operable for connecting to the
circuits associated with the specific peripherals of its respective
gaming machine 190.iand adapted for relaying the operational
instructions provided by the gaming machines manager module 120 to
these circuits, seamlessly, as if these operational instructions
are actually manifested by a player operating the peripherals of
the gaming machine 190.i.
[0053] To this end, the gaming machines manager module 120, may be
adapted for operating each gaming machine connected thereto, in
accordance with the type of the gaming machine. The mapping data
for each gaming machine associates the controls of the gaming
machine with their appearance/location in the video of the gaming
machine. The gaming machines manager module 120 may also utilize,
for each type of gaming machine, a computer readable code for
processing the input data received from a client station's user
remotely playing a gaming machine of a certain type, to
convert/determine from that input data, based on the gaming machine
type, the operational instructions for operating the gaming machine
of that type. In turn, the relay receives the operational
instructions for operating the gaming machine and relays them to
the appropriate circuits of the machine's peripherals.
[0054] As also noted above, the operational instructions provided
by the gaming machine's manager module 120 may be in the form of
analogue signals and/or digital data. Accordingly the relay devices
130.1-130.n may include analogue and/or digital circuits. For
example, the gaming machines manager module 120 may include a
digital processing means for generating a digital representation of
the operational instructions. The relay device may include a
controller/micro-processor and/or a digital to analogue convertor
for processing the digital representation of the operational
instructions to convert them, when needed, to analogue signals
which are to be relayed to the peripherals of the gaming machine.
In some cases, where the peripherals or some of them are digital,
such conversion of the operational instructions to analogue signals
may not be required.
[0055] According to some embodiments of the present invention, one
or more of the gaming machines may be equipped with a data terminal
through which certain aspects of a game played on the machine may
be controlled/adjusted and/or data related to the game state, or in
general the state of the gaming machine, may be obtained. In some
cases operation 220 also includes communicating game state data
with a data terminal of a gaming machine. For example, in some
embodiments of the present invention the gaming machines manager
module 120 includes a game state module 120.4 that is connectable
to data terminals of the gaming machines and adapted for
communicating one or more of the following game-state data pieces:
[0056] (a) Communicating to and/or from the gaming machine
game-state data indicative of an off-line state and/or on-line
state of the gaming machine of the gaming machine. An off-line
state indicates that the gaming machine is not available for
on-line games by the client stations (although in some cases client
stations may be allowed to view a video of the gaming machine). For
example, in some cases the gaming machine may be locally
occupied/used by a gamer, and accordingly, it may provide the game
state module 120.4 with data indicating that it is currently
in-use. In turn, the gaming machines manager module 120 may
determine that it is being used off-line (e.g. in cases where it is
not being used by on-line client stations). In some cases,
on-line/offline states of the gaming machines may be controlled via
the game state module 120.4, for making one or more gaming machines
available for on-line use, off-line use, for both, or for neither
of these uses. For example, this feature of the invention may allow
an operator of the gaming machines to manage and control the use of
the gaming machines (e.g. allocating some machines for local use
(i.e. off-line use) and others for remote use (i.e. on-line use).
The gaming machines on-/off-line states may also be used for
generating suitable operational instructions for the relay devices
130.i of the relay modules, for example for blocking operation of
the gaming machine 190.i via its local controls (e.g. in an on-line
state of the gaming machine 190.i). [0057] (b) Obtaining data
indicative of game initiated state or game terminated state from
the gaming machine. These game state data pieces may provide the
gaming machines manager module 120 with the ability to monitor the
operation and use of the gaming machines, to ensure proper
operation thereof and to identify problems/malfunctions as they
occur. For example, once a game is initiated, e.g. on-line by a
client station's user, the gaming machines manager module 120 may
generate suitable operational instructions for operating the gaming
machine 190.ivia its associated relay device 130.i. In such a case,
a game initiated state may provide the gaming machines manager
module 120 with feedback indicating that the game was actually
initiated and that no malfunction occurred. At the end of the game,
a game terminated indication may be obtained, allowing the gaming
machines manager module 120 to monitor the game session of a client
station with the gaming machine. It should be noted that in some
case the relay module 130 and/or the game state module 120.4 and or
their combination may be used by the gaming machines manager module
120 to determine/identify problem(s)/malfunction(s) in one or more
of the gaming machines. [0058] (c) In certain embodiments of the
invention, gaming machines may be used for gambling of real/fake
money on-line. In such cases, the game state module 120.4 may
communicate game-state data indicative of the gambling amount to
the gaming machine 190.i. The gaming amount may indicate the amount
of money which is gambled on a game session conducted by the user
of a client station with the gambling machine. In some cases these
amount(s) are displayed on the screen of the gaming machine, such
that the user of the remote client station may see them via the
video of a gaming machine that is presented to him At the end of a
game, or a session of one or more games, the game state module
120.4 may be adapted to receive the gambling results data from the
gaming machine, and/or bonus data. Gambling results data indicate
the winnings (or losses) obtained during a game, and bonus data may
for example indicate if the user is entitled to a bonus game or
other benefits.
[0059] Thus, in view of the above, according to some embodiments of
the present invention, the gaming machines manager module 120 is
adapted to operate the gaming machines 190.1-190.n without altering
the logic/software of the gaming machines, by utilizing the relay
module 130 (e.g. relays 130.1-130.n) to connect to the electrical
circuits of the gaming machines' peripherals. Accordingly the
gaming machines remain authentic and reliable, and a remote client
user may trust/know their betting odds. Yet, in order to monitor
the states of games played on the gaming machines, to place bets
(gambling amounts) and monitor the gambling results, the system 100
(gaming machines manager module 120) utilizes standard data
terminals of the gambling machines. In this manner the system 100
provides an efficient and trustable technique for conducting remote
gaming on actual gaming machines.
[0060] As indicated above, input data that is provided from a user
of client station 170.k for operating a gaming machine 190.i
typically includes data indicative of one or more user interactions
with regions of the video of the gaming machine 190.i. Yet, in some
embodiments of the present invention, the input data may include
additional data which is needed for selecting a gambling machine,
and/or operating the gambling machine, and/or
gambling/placing-a-bet on a game to be played on the gambling
machine. In some cases, this type of additional data may not be
obtained via the user's interaction with the video of the gaming
machine. In such cases, system 100 may be configured and operable
for providing the user/the client stations with a user interface
including an area for presenting the video of the gaming machine
and possibly including one or more additional user interface
controls usable for entering such additional data. For example such
user interface controls may include one or more of the following
controls: [0061] (a) One or more controls for selecting from a
plurality of gaming machines at least one selected gaming machine
to be video-displayed in the video area. [0062] (b) One or more
controls for placing bets on a game to be played on a selected
gaming machine; [0063] (c) One or more controls for providing
billing data of the user for debiting and/or crediting the user
based on his gambling results; and [0064] (d) Optionally, in
certain cases not all of the controls of a gaming machine may be
controlled by interacting with the video, and the user interface
controls may include controls for operating the gaming machine, for
conducting games.
[0065] In some embodiments of the present invention, the system 100
includes an application-server module 150 (e.g. a network server
such as a web server and/or other server providing application
interface to the client stations 170.1-170.m via a communication
network). In this connection it should be understood that the
client stations 170.1-170.m are typically computerized devices,
such as PC's, laptops, tablet computers, mobile/smart phones,
gaming consoles, TVs, and/or any other suitable device that may be
connected to the network and that may be equipped/connected to a
display and to one or more user interface input peripherals (e.g.
keyboard, mouse, touch-screen, joystick, and/or gesture capturing
peripherals) allowing the user to watch and control the gaming
machine. The application-server module 150 is typically connectable
to the video streaming module 110 and to the game machines manager
module 120. The application-server module 150 is adapted to
communicate with the one or more client stations 170.1-170.m, which
are connected to the system 100 via the network, for providing the
one or more client stations with computer instructions indicative
of a user interface for presenting a video of at least one of the
gaming machines 190.i, and for receiving the user input data from
one or more of the client stations 170.1-170.m. The computer
instructions provided to a client station 170.k of a certain type
may include for example computer readable code, such as a web page
and/or a web/smart-phone application, that can be executed by that
client station 170.k for displaying the video contents and possibly
also additional controls of one or more of the gaming machines
190.1-190.n. Alternatively or additionally, the computer
instructions may include data (e.g. content data) for presenting a
video of one or more of the gaming machines 190.1-190.n and data
for presenting user interface controls for selection of a gaming
machine 190.i and/or for operation of a gaming machine 190.i by a
user of the client station 170.k. Alternatively or additionally,
the computer instructions may include data for presenting user
interface controls allowing the user of the client station 170.k to
place gambling bets, and to provide his billing information to the
system 100. To this end, the user interface controls may include
virtual controls (i.e. which are not presented and/or are not
usable from the video of the gaming machine presented to the user).
For example the virtual controls of the user interface may include
controls for obtaining from the user information related to a
navigation/selection of the gaming machine he would like to play,
billing and/or gambling data input controls and/or other
controls.
[0066] Thus according to some embodiments of the invention, the
input data obtained 25 from a client station 170.k in operation 215
of method 200 may include one or more of the following: (i) billing
data indicative of billing account of a user of the client station
170.k, and (ii) gambling data indicative of amounts to be
gambled-on in one of more game sessions conducted by the user. In
operation 220.4 of method 200, the gaming machine 190.i may be
provided with such gambling data, and the gambling results may be
obtained from the gaming machine.
[0067] Optional operation 240 includes billing a user of a client
station 170.k based on the results of his interaction with one or
more of the gaming machines 190.1-190.n. For example, optionally,
system 100 includes a billing module 140 that is connectable to,
and adapted to obtain therefrom, a game result data indicative of
the gambling results of one or more game sessions conducted by the
user. The billing module 140 is configured and operable to utilize
billing data indicative of a billing account of the user for
billing that billing account based on the user's game results. To
this end, in various embodiments of the system, the billing data
indicative of one or more different types of billing accounts, and
the billing module 140 may be adapted for debiting and/or crediting
these billing accounts according to the game results. The billing
accounts may for example be associated with different types of
clearing houses and may include, a credit card account of the user,
a paypal account, and/or a local account of the user at a casino to
which the gaming machines 190.1-190.n belong. The billing module
140 may be connectable to the respective clearing house with which
the billing account is associated, for accordingly debiting and/or
crediting the user. It is noted that in some embodiments
conventional clearing houses are used and the billing module 140
may utilize conventional modules and interfaces for communicating
with these clearing houses. Yet, a special embodiment relates to
the case where the billing account may be an account of the user at
the casino itself. In such cases a billing module 140 may include a
specifically designed interface module adapted for communicating
with the billing system of the casino.
[0068] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present invention the
system 100 also includes a session manager module 160 configured
and operable for monitoring the users/clients station's activity in
the system. For example, the session manager module 160 may be
connectable to the game machines manager module 120 and may be
adapted for receiving therefrom data indicative of the
users/client-stations activities in the system and manage data
records for the client stations and/or for the users for recording
and tracking/monitoring game sessions conducted by each
client-station and/or user. Optionally, the session manager module
160 may also be connectable to the billing module/server 140, and
may be adapted for recording the gambling results of the users
and/for determining a gambling balance (e.g. a total amount of the
winnings and losses of a user) for each of the client
stations/users and/or for some of them. In this connection the
session manager module 160 may be configured and operable for
communicating the gambling balance to the billing module 140, for
crediting/debiting the users thereby. Alternatively or
additionally, the session manager module 160 may be configured and
operable for providing statistics on the user's activity in the
system 100, for identification of user habits, favorite gaming
machines and/or other statistical information relating to the
user's preferences. Such statistical data may be used for example
for optimizing the system's operation (e.g. the types and numbers
of gaming machines to be made available on-line), and/or it may be
used for providing users with bonuses, such as bonus games, and/or
with other benefits.
[0069] Yet alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments of
the present invention the session manager module 160 monitors the
operation of the gaming machines, which are connected to the
system, and stores gaming activity information/data indicative of
the gaming machines that are connected to the system. For example,
the session manager module 160 may be adapted to monitor the
sessions of the users/clients-stations with the gaming machine(s),
and receive (for example from the game state module 120.4 and/or
directly via data terminals of the gaming machine(s)) gaming
activity data indicative of the gaming machine state (e.g. gambled
amounts win/loose states). The session manager module 160 may be
adapted to store/record (e.g. in a database) the gaming activity
data. The recorded/stored gaming activity data may for example
include raw data describing the operations of the users on the
gaming machines and/or the results of such operations (e.g.
wining/loosing -amounts and/or -ratio and/or -number-of times).
Alternatively or additionally the session manager module 160 may be
adapted to process this data and store only statistical
business-intelligence (BI) data indicative of the gaming machines
operation and/or the users operations. In the following the
recorder/stored data, be it raw or processed/statistical data is
referred to as gaming activity data. The gaming activity data
recorded by the session manager module 160 may be further analyzed
to provide statistical information relating the gaming machines,
for example to the rate/chances of winning in a gaming machine,
and/or data indicative of the gaming machine types which are
favorable to a certain user. In some embodiments, such gaming
activity data is acquired by application-server module 150 from the
session manager module 160, which in turn utilize this data to
present the user with recommendations on the gaming machines he
might want to play and/or with the statistics of the gaming
machines offered by the system, to thereby enhance the user's
experience. To this end application-server module 150 may
dynamically updates display portions on the client station with
updated BI information which may be of interest to the user.
Alternatively/or additionally, in certain embodiments the session
manager module 160 may be associated with an interface allowing
operators of the on-line gaming system 100 to access and/or
process/analyze the stored gaming activity data to obtain valuable
BI information relating to the gaming machines themselves (e.g.
which gaming machines are most played by users; which gaming
machines are most profitable; the average time durations user
spends in each gaming machine), and/or BI data indicative of the
users/clients of the system. Even more generally the session
manager module 160 may use the stored gaming activity information
to analyze and possibly display information regarding a player's or
a game machine business parameters such as performance, life time
value, utilization rate, win per unit Etc.
[0070] Referring now together to FIGS. 3A and 3B, illustrated in
self-explanatory manner are two exemplary screen shots of a display
of a client station, in which the technique of the present
invention is used for presenting a gaming machine's cabinet to the
user and for receiving the user interactions therewith. As shown in
these figures, the gaming machine's cabinet 190.CAB, and the game
190.GM displayed thereby on its screen are presented in a video
frame displayed at the client station. Also displayed to the user
as part of the video, are the actual controls of the gaming machine
190, including the static controls 190.SC, which are located (e.g.
fixedly-mounted) on the cabinet of the gaming machine, and dynamic
controls 190.DC, which are presented on the screen of the gaming
machine itself.
[0071] Also, in this example additional controls 190.VC are
displayed/presented on the screen of the client station. The
additional controls 190.VC are virtual controls, which are provide
the client station's user with functionality that may not be
available to him via interaction with the static/dynamic controls
of the gaming machine itself. For example, the additional/virtual
controls 190.VC may include navigation controls allowing the user
to navigate between gaming machines, video and/or audio controls
allowing the user to control the presentation and sounds provided
to him at the client station, billing and gambling controls
allowing the user to place bets and/or provide his billing account,
and possibly also controls which are aimed at replacing some of the
controls which actually exists in the cabinet of the gaming
machine, to improve their usability by the user of the client
station which uses the machine from remote. In this particular
example, the virtual controls 190.VC, are presented as an overlay
over the video of the gaming machine. In this regards, it should be
noted that the location of the virtual controls in this case is
selected/determined based on the mapping data associated with the
gaming machine, such that the virtual controls 190.VC do not
overlay static 190.SC and or dynamic 190.DC controls of the gaming
machine itself, at states at which the operation of these
static/dynamic controls may be needed. It should also be noted that
alternatively or additionally, the virtual controls 190.VC, and/or
some of them, may be presented at a separate region of the display
of the client station. Also in some cases the presentation of
certain of the virtual controls 190.VC may depend on the type of
game/gaming cabinet being played, and/or on the game's state.
[0072] For example, FIG. 3A shows the gaming machine while it is
being played by the user. Here some of the virtual controls 190.VC,
which are not needed during the play, are hidden. However, in FIG.
3B, the gaming machine is shown in between plays, and additional
virtual controls 190.VC are overplayed on the screen. In this case
some of the virtual controls 190.VC also cover the locations of
some of the static controls 190.SC of 15 the gaming cabinet, which
are not needed at that state of the gaming machine.
[0073] Thus, the system 100 and method 200 presented in the
embodiments above, provide a novel technique for providing users
with on-line games on real/actual gaming machines. The technique of
the invention may be used for providing casino services on-line
based on actual casino gaming machines, and/or it may be used for
controlling other types of games by capturing and streaming a video
of the game and obtaining the interactions of a user with the video
of the game and translating/mapping these interactions to actual
operations the user wishes to perform in the game. A person of
ordinary skill in the art would readily appreciate various
modifications which may be applied to the embodiments presented
above without departing from the scope of the present invention as
defined in the claims.
* * * * *