METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING A LIGHT VALVE TO REDUCE THE VISIBILITY OF AN OBJECT WITHIN A GAMING APPARATUS

• US 20080064497A1
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Wilder, Richard, Mattice, Harold, Griswold, Chauncey
• Granted Patent: US 8,118,670 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming apparatus is disclosed that includes a housing, a value input device, a transparent panel having an outer surface and an inner surface, and a plurality of mechanically rotatable slot reels disposed in the housing so that the mechanically rotatable reels are visible to a player through the transparent panel. The gaming apparatus also having a light valve that includes a suspended particle device disposed between the inner surface and the slot reels, and a controller coupled to the light valve to cause the light valve to become opaque to substantially block the view of the slot reels to the player.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a housing;

a transparent panel associated with the housing that comprises an outer surface and an inner surface;

a first transparent electronic display unit for displaying images and disposed inside of the transparent panel relative to the housing;

a second electronic display unit for displaying images and disposed inside the first electronic display unit relative to the housing;

a light valve disposed between the inner surface of the first transparent panel and the first electronic display unit, coupled to a power source, adapted to become substantially transparent with a first voltage, and adapted to become substantially opaque with a second voltage, wherein the light valve substantially is configured to block visibility of the first transparent electronic display unit and second electronic display unit to a person proximate to the outer surface of the transparent panel when the light valve receives the second voltage;

a controller comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled to the processor.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1 wherein the second voltage is applied to the light valve when the gaming machine is in a tilt condition.

3. The gaming machine of claim 2 further comprising a relay device operatively coupled to the light valve and the controller and configured to provide the second voltage to the light valve when the gaming machine is in the tilt condition.

4. The gaming machine of claim 2 wherein the tilt includes a mechanical malfunction in the operation of the gaming apparatus.

5. The gaming machine of claim 2 wherein the tilt includes an electrical malfunction in the operation of the gaming apparatus.

6. The gaming machine of claim 5 wherein the electrical malfunction includes a loss of power to the gaming machine.

7. The gaming machine of claim 1 wherein the second voltage is substantially zero volts.

8. The gaming machine of claim 1 wherein the light valve includes a suspended particle device.

9. The gaming machine of claim 1 wherein the light valve is operatively coupled to the controller.

10. The gaming machine of claim 9 wherein the controller is configured to apply the second voltage when the game is in a bonus mode.

18. The gaming method of claim 1 further comprising a relay device operatively coupled to the light valve and the controller and configured to provide the second voltage to the light valve when the gaming machine is in the tilt condition.

11. A gaming method, comprising:

allowing a person to make a wager on a gaming apparatus for a game associated with a first transparent electronic display unit disposed within the gaming apparatus and associated with a second electronic display unit disposed within the gaming apparatus;

displaying the game on the first transparent electronic display unit and the second electronic display unit;

causing a light valve, disposed between the first transparent electronic display unit and a transparent display panel disposed closer to the person than the first transparent electronic display unit, to become substantially transparent so that the first transparent electronic display unit and the second electronic display unit are visible to the person through the light valve;

providing a value payout associated with an outcome of the game associated with the first transparent electronic display unit and the second electronic display unit; and

causing the light valve to become substantially opaque so that visibility of the first transparent electronic display unit and the second electronic display unit is substantially blocked by the light valve when the gaming apparatus is in a tilt condition.

12. The gaming method of claim 11 wherein the tilt includes a mechanical malfunction in the operation of the gaming apparatus.

13. The gaming method of claim 11 wherein the tilt includes an electrical malfunction in the operation of the gaming apparatus.

14. The gaming method of claim 13 wherein the electrical malfunction includes a loss of power to the gaming machine.

15. The gaming method of claim 11 further comprising causing the light valve to become substantially opaque when the gaming apparatus is in a bonus mode.

16. The gaming method of claim 11 wherein the second voltage is substantially zero volts.

17. The gaming method of claim 11 wherein the light valve includes a suspended particle device.