IP Library Granted Patent US 8,636,598
Granted Patent B2
US 8,636,598 · App. 13/286,425 · Granted Jan 28, 2014

Wagering game control of a motion capable chair

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,636,598
App. No.
13/286,425
Granted
Jan 28, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems described herein include wagering game systems having a motion capable chair. The disclosure addresses example systems and methods to control the motion capable chair, including utilization of user preferences, applying output of a physic engine, and monitoring safety conditions for the motion capable chair. In addition, movement of chairs on multiple wagering game systems may be coordinated in response to events occurring on one or more machines in the system.

Claims (48)

1. A wagering game system comprising:

one or more processors;

a motion-capable chair coupled to a wagering game machine, wherein the motion-capable chair moves in response to commands received from the one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions including a scripting language interpreter, the instructions, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, causing the wagering game machine to:

load, into at least one of the one or more memory devices, a wagering game application and at least one script associate with a wagering game presented by the wagering game application, the wagering game including at least one motion-related event;

read, via the scripting language interpreter, the at least one script and define chair motion commands corresponding to the at least one motion-related event in accordance with the at least one script;

in response to receiving, via at least one of one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager that initiates the wagering game, present the wagering game on the wagering game machine; and

in response to an occurrence of the motion-related event during the wagering game, send, via an interface between the wagering game machine and the motion-capable chair, the chair motion commands to the motion-capable chair to cause the motion-capable chair to move in response to the motion-related event.

2. The wagering game system of claim 1 , wherein the chair motion commands include motion resource data identified by the at least one script.

3. The wagering game system of claim 1 , further comprising a physics engine to determine motion and interaction of graphical objects presented by the wagering game, wherein output of the physics engine is used to cause the motion-capable chair to move in accordance with the output of the physics engine.

4. The wagering game system of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, from at least one of an input device and one or more of the one or more memory devices, preference data for a player, the preference data modifying, at least in part, the chair motion commands associated with the motion-related event.

5. The wagering game system of claim 4 , wherein the preference data includes one or more of a preferred initial position of the motion-capable chair and a scaling factor to be applied to the chair motion commands for the motion-capable chair.

6. The wagering game system of claim 1 , further comprising an audio analyzer to receive audio data for a wagering game; analyze the audio data; and create chair motion commands in accordance with the audio data, the chair motion commands causing the motion-capable chair to move in response to a sound-related event.

7. The wagering game system of claim 1 , further comprising a safety module to control the motion-capable chair upon determining that operation of the motion capable would violate one or more safety parameters.

8. A method comprising:

presenting, by at least one of one or more processors, a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered;

reading, via a scripting language interpreter executed by at least one of the one or more processors, at least one script associated with the wagering game, and defining, via at least one of the one or more processors, chair motion commands corresponding to at least one motion-related event in the wagering game, in accordance with the at least one script; and

in response to an occurrence of the motion-related event during the wagering game, sending, by the one or more processors, the chair motion commands to a motion-capable chair, to cause the motion-capable chair to move in accordance with the chair motion commands.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the chair motion commands include motion resource data identified by the at least one script.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the chair motion commands include data defining a pitch, yaw, or roll for a scene of the wagering game.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

receiving preference data for the user; and

utilizing the preference data to modify the chair motion commands sent to the motion-capable chair.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

setting a height of the motion-capable chair in accordance with the preference data.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising scaling the chair motion commands sent to the motion-capable chair in accordance with the preference data.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

upon determining an unsafe operating condition for the motion-capable chair, modifying the chair motion commands sent to the motion-capable chair.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein modifying chair motion commands sent to the motion-capable chair includes setting a position of the motion-capable chair to a neutral position.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein modifying the chair motion commands sent to the motion-capable chair includes scaling the chair motion commands.

17. The method of claim 8 , further comprising coordinating movement of the motion-capable chair with movement of at least one other motion-capable chair in response to an event occurring during the presentation of the wagering game.

18. A machine-readable non-transitory medium having executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

loading, into at least one or more memory devices of a wagering game machine connected to a motion-capable chair, a wagering game application and at least one script associated with a wagering game presented by the wagering game application, the wagering game including at least one motion-related event;

reading, via a scripting language interpreter, the at least one script and defining chair motion commands corresponding to the at least one motion-related event in accordance with the at least one script;

in response to receiving, via at least one of one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager that initiates the wagering game, presenting the wagering game on the wagering game machine; and

in response to an occurrence of the motion-related event during the wagering game, sending, by at least one of the one or more processors, the chair motion commands to the motion-capable chair causing the motion-capable chair to move in accordance with the chair motion commands.

19. A wagering game system comprising:

one or more processors configured to present a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered;

a motion-capable chair coupled to the wagering game assembly, wherein the motion-capable chair moves in response to signals received from the one or more processors; and

a scripting language interpreter configured to receive scripting language data including chair motion data;

a physics engine configured to determine motions and interaction of graphical objects presented by the wagering game; and

wherein the one or more processors cause the motion-capable chair to move in accordance with chair motion data as well as an output of the physics engine.

20. A computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting, by at least one of one or more processors, a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered;

receiving scripting language data, the scripting language data including chair motion data;

determining, by a physics engine executed by at least one of the one or more processors, one or more motion parameters associated with one or more graphical objects in a scene of the wagering game;

determining, via at least one of the one or more processors, physics-related data to be sent to the motion-capable chair in accordance with the one or more motion parameters; and

sending, via at least one of the one or more processors, chair motion data as well as the physics-related data to the motion-capable chair, and causing the motion-capable chair to move in accordance with the chair motion data and the physics-related data.

Assignments (7)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 21, 2022
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
To: SCIENTIFIC GAMES INTERNATIONAL, INC.; WMS GAMING INC.; BALLY GAMING, INC.; DON BEST SPORTS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 059756/0397 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 20, 2020
From: BALLY GAMING, INC.
To: SG GAMING, INC.
Reel/Frame 051649/0139 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS (RELEASES REEL/FRAME 034530/0318) Recorded Nov 5, 2018
From: DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS
To: SCIENTIFIC GAMES INTERNATIONAL, INC.; BALLY GAMING, INC.; WMS GAMING INC.
Reel/Frame 047924/0701 →
MERGER Recorded Jul 29, 2015
From: WMS GAMING INC.
To: BALLY GAMING, INC.
Reel/Frame 036225/0464 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 4, 2014
From: BALLY GAMING, INC; SCIENTIFIC GAMES INTERNATIONAL, INC; WMS GAMING INC.
To: DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 034530/0318 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 18, 2013
From: SCIENTIFIC GAMES INTERNATIONAL, INC.; WMS GAMING INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 031847/0110 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 8, 2013
From: RADEK, PAUL; BRUNELL, EDWARD; LOOSE, TIMOTHY C.
To: WMS GAMING INC.
Reel/Frame 029785/0143 →