Enhanced electronic gaming machine with dynamic gaze display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10198904-B2
Application number	US-201715696481-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2017
Priority date	Dec 11, 2015
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A method of operating an electronic gaming machine includes generating an interactive game environment in accordance with game data, the interactive game environment having a viewing area may include a plurality of visible game components as a subset of the interactive game environment, displaying the viewing area with the plurality of visible game components, monitoring eye gaze of a player to collect player eye gaze data, determining a location of the eye gaze of the player relative to the viewing area using the player eye gaze data, and in response to the location of the eye gaze of the player relative to the viewing area, changing a resolution of a portion of the viewing area other than a portion of the viewing area corresponding to location of the eye gaze of the player on the viewing area. Related electronic gaming machines are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic gaming machine comprising:
a data storage device that stores game data for an interactive game;
a display controller that generates an interactive game environment in accordance with the game data and defines a viewing area having a plurality of visible game components as a subset of the interactive game environment;
a display device that displays, via a user interface, the viewing area with the plurality of visible game components;
a data capture camera device that monitors eye gaze of a first player and a second player to collect player eye gaze data for the first player and/or the second player; and
a game controller that determines a location of the eye gaze of the first player and a location of the eye gaze of the second player relative to the viewing area using the player eye gaze data and that triggers a control command to the display controller to dynamically update the rendering of the viewing area based on the player eye gaze data;
wherein, in response to the control command, the display controller dynamically updates the rendering of the viewing area to provide a graphical animation effect displayed on the display device representative of a visual update to manipulate the display of at least one of the plurality of visible game components in the viewing area, the visual update based on the player eye gaze data.

2. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the game controller controls the interactive game to allow the first player and the second player to play the interactive game simultaneously in response to eye gaze data from both the first player and the second player.

3. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the player eye gaze data comprises a position and a focus, the position defined as coordinates of the eyes of at least one player relative to the display device, the focus defined as a line of sight of the at least one player's eyes relative to the display device.

4. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the game controller determines the location of the eye gaze of at least one of the first player and the second player relative to the viewing area by identifying coordinates on the display device corresponding to the player eye gaze data and mapping the coordinates to the viewing area.

5. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the game controller defines a filter movement threshold, and wherein the game controller, prior to determining the location of the eye gaze of at least one of the first player and the second player relative to the viewing area and triggering the control command to the display controller to dynamically update the rendering of the viewing area, determines that the eye gaze of the at least one player meets the filter movement threshold.

6. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the game controller predicts the location of the eye gaze of at least one of the first player and the second player relative to the viewing area at a future time using the player eye gaze data and historical data from the same or other players to facilitate dynamic predictive update of the rendering of the viewing area.

7. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the at least one data capture camera device monitors an area proximate to the electronic gaming machine to collect proximity data, wherein the game controller detects a location of at least one of the first player and the second player relative to the electronic gaming machine based on the proximity data, and triggers the display controller to display an advertisement on the display device.

8. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the display controller renders a gaze-sensitive user interface on the display device, wherein the game controller detects the location of the eye gaze of at least one of the first player and the second player relative to the gaze-sensitive user interface using the player eye gaze data, and triggers the display controller to dynamically update the rendering of the gaze-sensitive user interface to provide a graphical animation effect displayed on the display device representative of a visual update to the gaze-sensitive user interface.

9. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the graphics processor generates left and right eye images based on a selected three-dimensional intensity level, wherein the display device is a stereoscopic display device, and wherein the game controller triggers the control command to the display controller to dynamically update the rendering of the of the left and right eye images based on the player eye gaze data.

10. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the graphical animation effect and the visual update focuses on a portion of the visible game components and blurs another portion of the visible game elements.

11. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the viewing area has a plurality of invisible game components, and wherein the graphical animation effect and the visual update renders visible at least a portion of the invisible game components.

12. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the graphical animation effect and the visual update distorts a portion of the viewing area, distorts a portion of the visible game components, displays at least a portion of the visible game components in greater detail or higher resolution, magnifies a portion of the visible game components or hides a portion of the visible game components.

13. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the graphical animation effect and the visual update selects a portion of the visible game components or is representative of a magnetic attraction towards the location of the eye gaze of at least one of the first player and the second player relative to the viewing area.

14. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the at least one data capture camera device continuously monitors an eye gesture of the player to collect player eye gesture data, and wherein the game controller triggers the control command to the display controller to dynamically update the rendering of the viewing area based on the player eye gesture.

15. An electronic gaming machine comprising:
a data storage device to store game data for an interactive game;
a display controller that generates an interactive game environment in accordance with the game data and defines a viewing area having a plurality of visible game components as a subset of the interactive game environment;
a display device that displays, via a user interface, the viewing area with the plurality of visible game components;
a data capture camera device that monitors eye gaze of a first player and a second player to collect player eye gaze data for the first player and/or the second player; and
a game controller that determines a location of the eye gaze of the first player and/or a location of the eye gaze of the second player relative to the viewing area using the player eye gaze data and that triggers a control command to the display controller to dynamically update the rendering of the viewing area based on the player eye gaze data;
wherein in response to the control command, the display controller controls the display device using the graphics processor to change a resolution of a portion of the viewing area other than a portion of the viewing area corresponding to the location of the eye gaze of the first player on the viewing area and/or the location of the eye gaze of the second player on the viewing area.

16. The electronic gaming machine of claim 15 , wherein the player eye gaze

Assignees

• Igt Canada Solutions Ulc

Inventors

• Froy David
• Bowron Edward
• Dupuis Reuben
• Leblanc Vicky
• VAN NIEKERK Karen
• COREY Aaron
• Keilwert Stefan

Classifications

• A63F13/25

  Output arrangements for video game devices · CPC title

• A63F13/40

  Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment · CPC title

• G06Q20/3433

  the counter having monetary units · CPC title

• G06F3/013

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06Q30/0261

  based on user location · CPC title