Transmissive Lcd Display System for Gaming Machine

• US 20080096655A1
• Filed: 09/27/2005
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Thomas, Alfred, Rasmussen, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,408,998 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49721 with disassembling

Abstract

An embodiment of a gaming machine has a primary game display operable to display the outcome of a game, and a secondary display overlaying the primary game display. The secondary display may have a stand alone transmissive LCD display and at least one backlight assembly, the backlight assembly spaced apart from the transmissive LCD display and located between the transmissive LCD display and the primary game display. With the backlight assembly spaced apart from the transmissive LCD display, the backlight assembly may be removed from or inserted into the gaming machine. This permits different games to be installed in the gaming machine during manufacture or as a retrofit.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a primary game display operable to display the outcome of a game;

a secondary display overlaying the primary game display; and

the secondary display having a stand alone transmissive LCD display and at least one backlight assembly, the backlight assembly spaced apart from the transmissive LCD display and located between the transmissive LCD display and the primary game display.

3. The gaming machine claim 1, wherein the secondary display is a secondary game display operable to display the results of a secondary game.

4. The gaming machine of claim 3, wherein the secondary game comprises a bonus game.

5. The gaming machine of claim 4, wherein the primary game display is operable to display a sequence of symbols in a symbol array having at least one column and a plurality of rows, the sequence defining a first award, and further wherein the bonus game comprises a reordering of the sequence of symbols in the symbol array.

6. The gaming machine of claim 4, wherein the primary game display is operable to display a sequence of symbols in a symbol array having at least one column and a plurality of rows, the sequence defining a first award, and further wherein the secondary game display is operable to change the appearance of at least one symbol in the primary game display.

9. The gaming machine of claim 3, wherein the primary game display is operable to display a sequence of symbols in a symbol array having at least one column and a plurality of rows, the sequence defining a first award, and further wherein the secondary game is operable to copy at least one symbol from the primary game display to a saved collection of symbols displayed on the secondary game display.

11. The gaming machine of claim 3, wherein the secondary game comprises one of a sports based game, a horse racing, an animated game, and a game selected from a group consisting of keno, bingo, video slots, and roulette.

12. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the stand alone transmissive LCD display has a touch screen.

13. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the stand alone transmissive LCD display has at least one non-transmissive display area, and at least one transmissive display area.

14. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the at least one backlight assembly is interchangeable with another backlight assembly.

15. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the primary display is at least one of a plurality of reels, a plurality of scrolling devices, a curved LCD display with segmented barrier, a fiber optic reel simulation, a paltronic display, and volumetric display.

18. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the backlight assembly is one of an edge lit panel, a surface LED panel, a surface OLED (organic light emitting diode) panel.

19. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the backlight assembly has at least one light source, a dispersion plate, and a diffuser.

20. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the backlight assembly has at least one light source, and a diffuser.

21. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the primary game display has at least one result region, and wherein the backlight assembly has at least one cutout in visual association with the result region of the primary game display.

22. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the primary game display has at least one result region, and wherein the backlight assembly has at least one cutout in visual association with the result region of the primary game display, and wherein the cutout has a perimeter with light cups that illuminate the result region of the primary game display.

23. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the primary game display has at least one result region, wherein the backlight assembly has at least one light source, and a diffuser, and wherein the backlight assembly has at least one non-diffused area in visual association with the result region of the primary game display.

24. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the primary game display has at least one result region, wherein the backlight assembly has at least one light source, and a diffuser, wherein the backlight assembly has at least one of a non-diffused area and a cutout in visual association with the result region of the primary game display, and wherein the primary game display has a source of illumination for the result region.

2. (canceled)

7-8. -8. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

16-17. -17. (canceled)

25. A gaming machine comprising:

a primary game display operable to display the outcome of a wagering game in response to a wager;

a secondary display overlaying the primary game display;

the secondary display having a stand alone transmissive LCD display and a plurality of interchangeable backlight assemblies, an installed backlight assembly of the plurality of backlight assemblies spaced apart from the transmissive LCD display and located between the transmissive LCD display and the primary game display; and

each backlight assembly of the plurality of backlight assemblies associated respectively with at least one of a predetermined display of a plurality of displays and a predetermined game of a plurality of games.

26-47. -47. (canceled)

48. A method for producing a gaming machine, comprising the steps of:

providing a primary game display that displays an outcome of a wagering game;

overlapping the primary game display with a stand alone transmissive LCD display;

providing a plurality of interchangeable backlight assemblies, each backlight assembly of the plurality of interchangeable backlight assemblies associated respectively with at least one of a predetermined display of a plurality of displays and a predetermined game of a plurality of games;

selecting a backlight assembly from the plurality of backlight assemblies; and

installing the selected backlight assembly of the plurality of backlight assemblies between the transmissive LCD display and the primary game display and spacing the selected backlight assembly of the plurality of backlight assemblies apart from the transmissive LCD display.

49-51. -51. (canceled)

52. A method for retrofitting a gaming machine, comprising the steps of:

providing a primary game display that displays an outcome of a wagering game;

overlapping the primary game display with a stand alone transmissive LCD display;

providing a plurality of interchangeable backlight assemblies, each backlight assembly of the plurality of interchangeable backlight assemblies associated respectively with at least one of a predetermined display of a plurality of displays and a predetermined game of a plurality of games;

selecting a backlight assembly from the plurality of backlight assemblies;

removing an existing backlight assembly from between the transmissive LCD display and the primary game display; and

installing the selected backlight assembly of the plurality of backlight assemblies between the transmissive LCD display and the primary game display and spacing the selected backlight assembly of the plurality of backlight assemblies apart from the transmissive LCD display.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the primary game display has a mechanical portion.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein the primary game display has at least one result region, wherein the backlight assembly has at least one light source, and a diffuser, and wherein the backlight assembly has at least one non-diffused area in visual association with the result region of the primary game display.

55. The method of claim 52, wherein the primary game display has at least one result region, wherein the backlight assembly has at least one light source, and a diffuser, wherein the backlight assembly has at least one of a non-diffused area and a cutout in visual association with the result region of the primary game display, and wherein the primary game display has a source of illumination for the result region.