Electronic game system with player-controllable security for display images

Abstract

Electronic game systems with player-controllable security for display images are described. In one implementation, an exemplary multiplayer system hides the identity of virtual game artifacts, such as playing cards, being displayed as images, but allows the player to whom the virtual game artifacts are assigned to view the identities of the virtual game artifacts at will. A sensor or a player-controlled device, such as a switch or a touch screen display, can change a display image in order to hide or reveal at least part of the identity of the virtual game artifact. The display image being secured by the system can be a virtual representation of a playing card, die, dice, domino, game tile, game-piece, roulette number, slot symbol, icon, or token. The system can also shield the identity of the virtual game artifact while the display image is at one visual size, and reveal the identity of the virtual game artifact when shrinking the visual size of the display image to afford security.

1 . A system, comprising:
 multiple video displays associated with an electronic table game, each video display for a participant playing at the electronic table game, the multiple video displays controllable to provide changeable display images assigned to the participants;   a processor to perform at least the following functions:
 providing game rules which at least partially administer play of the electronic table game; 
 defining display images for playing the electronic table game; 
 assigning the display images to the participants according to the game rules; 
 presenting the display images assigned to a participant on one of the video displays; and 
   a device to accept input from a participant to reveal to only the participant at least part of an identity of a virtual game artifact represented by one of the display images.   
     
     
         2 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a player-controlled switch to reveal at least part of the identity of the virtual game artifact to only the participant. 
     
     
         3 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the virtual game artifact represented by the display image comprises one of a playing card, a die, a pair of dice, a domino, a game tile, a game-piece, a roulette number, a token, an icon, or a slot symbol. 
     
     
         4 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a touch screen display controlled by touch to reveal at least part of the identity of the virtual game artifact represented by one of the display images to only the participant. 
     
     
         5 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a touch screen display controlled by touch to turn on and turn off part of the display image. 
     
     
         6 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a touch screen display controlled by touch to gradually reveal at least part of the identity of the virtual game artifact. 
     
     
         7 . The system as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the touch screen display hides the identity of the virtual game artifact by frosting, blurring, or disfiguring the display image representing the virtual game artifact and gradually reveals at least part of the identity of the virtual game artifact by defrosting, unblurring, or refiguring the display image. 
     
     
         8 . The system as recited in  claim 6 , wherein a degree of the touch determines a degree of revealing at least part of the identity of the virtual game artifact. 
     
     
         9 . The system as recited in  claim 6 , wherein decreasing a degree of the touch increases a degree of hiding at least part of the identity of the virtual game artifact. 
     
     
         10 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a touch screen display wherein a touch movement across a surface of the touch screen display determines a degree of revealing at least part of the identity of the virtual game artifact. 
     
     
         11 . The system as recited in  claim 10 , wherein an opposing touch movement comprising an approximate reverse of the touch movement determines a degree of gradually hiding at least part of the identity of the virtual game artifact. 
     
     
         12 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a touch screen display wherein a direction of a touch movement across a surface of the touch screen display determines a degree of revealing at least part of the identity of the virtual game artifact. 
     
     
         13 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a touch screen display controlled by touch to reveal and to shield the part of the display image;
 wherein the processor defines a first display image of a virtual game artifact, the first display image showing an anonymous representation of the virtual game artifact;   wherein the processor defines a second display image of the virtual game artifact, the second display image showing at least part of an identity of the virtual game artifact; and   wherein when the first display image is displayed, a touch on the touch screen displays at least a part of the second display image while the touch screen is being touched.   
     
     
         14 . The system as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the first display image represents the back of a virtual playing card and the second display image represents the front of a virtual playing card. 
     
     
         15 . The system as recited in  claim 14 , wherein when the touch screen is touched, a movement of the touch on the touch screen changes a part of the first display image to become a corresponding part of the second display image to reveal at least part of the identity of the virtual playing card. 
     
     
         16 . The system as recited in  claim 14 , wherein when the touch screen is touched, a movement of the touch on the touch screen visually rolls a corner of the first display image of the virtual playing card to reveal a corresponding corner of the second display image of the virtual playing card to reveal at least part of the identity of the virtual playing card. 
     
     
         17 . The system as recited in  claim 14 , wherein when the touch screen is touched, a movement of the touch on the touch screen morphs a corner of the first display image into a corresponding part of the second display image to represent an animation of a corner of the playing card being lifted. 
     
     
         18 . A system, comprising:
 multiple video displays associated with an electronic table game, each video display for a participant playing at the electronic table game, the multiple video displays controllable to provide changeable display images assigned to the participants;   a processor to perform at least the following functions:
 providing game rules which at least partially administer play of the electronic table game; 
 defining display images for playing the electronic table game; 
 assigning the display images to the participants according to the game rules; 
 presenting the display images assigned to a participant on one of the video displays; and 
   a device to block at least part of a display image assigned to a participant from other participants.   
     
     
         19 . The system as recited in  claim 18 , wherein the device comprises a physical cover to block a first view of the display image from a first direction while allowing a second view of the display image from a second direction. 
     
     
         20 . The system as recited in  claim 18 , wherein the physical cover is moveable. 
     
     
         21 . The system as recited in  claim 18 , wherein the device comprises a fixed cowling to block a first view of the display image from a first direction while allowing a second view of the display image from a second direction. 
     
     
         22 . The system as recited in  claim 18 , wherein the device comprises:
 a directional display screen, wherein the directional display screen allows viewing of the display image from a field of view or from viewing angles available only to the participant to whom the display image is assigned.   
     
     
         23 . A system, comprising:
 multiple video displays associated with an electronic table game, each video display for a participant playing at the electronic table game, the multiple video displays controllable to provide changeable display images assigned to the participants;   a processor to perform at least the following functions:
 providing game rules which at least partially administer play of the electronic table game; 
 defining display images for playing the electronic table game; 
 assigning the display images to the participants according to the game rules; 
 presenting the display images assigned to a participant on one of the video displays; 
   a device to accept user input to switch between a visually enlarged form of one or more display images and a visually compressed form of the one or more display images; and   wherein the visually enlarged form secures the identities of one or more virtual game artifacts represented by the display image, while the visually compressed form reveals the identities of the one or more virtual game artifacts.   
     
     
         24 . The system as recited in  claim 23 , wherein the display image represents one of a playing card, a die, a pair of dice, a domino, a game tile, a game-piece, a roulette number, or a slot symbol. 
     
     
         25 . The system as recited in  claim 23 , wherein the device accepts user input to zoom a magnification power or a visual size between the visually compressed form and the visually enlarged form. 
     
     
         26 . The system as recited in  claim 23 , wherein the display image comprises a virtual representation of a game piece having two or more sides;
 wherein the visually enlarged form shows a first view of the virtual game piece that secures at least part of an identity of the game piece; and   wherein the visually compressed form shows a second view of the virtual game piece that reveals at least part of the identity of the game piece.   
     
     
         27 . The system as recited in  claim 23 ,
 wherein the visually compressed form shows a set of virtual playing cards with the identity of at least one playing card revealed; and   wherein the visually enlarged form reveals the set of virtual playing cards with the identities of the playing cards secured.   
     
     
         28 . The system as recited in  claim 23 , wherein the device to accept user input initiates a toggle function for transitioning back and forth between two or more of the display images; and
 wherein when the display is toggled to show the identities of a set of the virtual game artifacts in a secure mode, the player can further designated individual virtual game artifacts out of the set.