US 10,764,660 B2Granted

Electronic gaming machine and method with selectable sound beams

AssigneeIgt

InventorsStefan Keilwert, David Small, David Froy, Klaus Achmueller

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Abstract

An electronic gaming machine and methods of operating an electronic gaming machine that provide selectable sound beams. In various embodiments, the electronic gaming machine includes a housing having a front side, a head position tracker supported by the housing, a first speaker array supported by the housing, and a second speaker array supported by the housing. The first speaker array includes a plurality of independently operable first speakers that are positioned at different angles to direct sound beams at different angles relative to the front side of the housing. The second speaker array includes a plurality of independently operable second speakers that are positioned at different angles to direct sound beams at different angles relative to the front side of the housing.

Claims16

Dependent claims

An electronic gaming system comprising:

an electronic gaming machine comprising:
a housing having a front side;
a head position tracker supported by the housing;
a first speaker array supported by the housing and including a plurality of first speakers, wherein the plurality of first speakers are positioned at different angles to direct sound beams at different angles relative to the front side of the housing;
a second speaker array supported by the housing and including a plurality of second speakers, wherein the plurality of second speakers are positioned at different angles to direct sound beams at different angles relative to the front side of the housing;
a processor;
and
a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to, for a play of a game:
operate with the head position tracker to capture player head position information;
identify a subset of the plurality of first speakers of the first speaker array to activate based on the captured player head position information;
identify a subset of the plurality of second speakers of the second speaker array to activate based on the captured player head position information;
cause the identified subset of the plurality of first speakers to output a first sound beam associated with audio associated with the play of the game;
and
cause the identified subset of the plurality of second speakers to output a second sound beam associated with audio associated with the play of the game.

11 more elements

An electronic gaming system comprising:

an electronic gaming machine comprising:
a housing having a front side;
a head position tracker supported by the housing;
a first speaker supported by the housing, wherein the first speaker is movable to different positions relative to the front side of the housing and configured to direct sound beams at different directions relative to the front side of the housing based on the respective position of the first speaker;
a second speaker supported by the housing, wherein the second speaker is movable to different positions relative to the front side of the housing and configured to direct sound beams at different directions relative to the front side of the housing based on the respective position of the second speaker;
a processor;
and
a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to, for a play of a game:
operate with the head position tracker to capture player head position information;
identify a direction of the first speaker to direct sound beams based on the captured player head position information;
identify a direction of the second speaker to direct sound beams based on the captured player head position information;
cause the first speaker to move to a position relative to the front side of the housing based on the identified direction of the first speaker;
cause the second speaker to move to a position relative to the front side of the housing based on the identified direction of the second speaker;
cause the first speaker to output a first sound beam associated with audio associated with the play of the game;
and
cause the second speaker to output a second sound beam associated with audio associated with the play of the game.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/053,201Filed 2 Aug 2018
Published: US 2020/0045396 A16 Feb 2020
Granted: 1 Sep 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification20 codes

G07F 17/3204
Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof: player-machine interfaces
H04R 1/025
Casings; Cabinets ; Supports therefor; Mountings therein: arrangements for fixing loudspeaker transducers, e.g. in a box, furniture
G06F 3/012
Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality: head tracking input arrangements
G06F 3/013
Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality: eye tracking input arrangements

Family

US 2020/0045396 A1Pre-grant publication · published 6 Feb 2020
US 10,764,660 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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