REEL BLUR FOR GAMING MACHINES HAVING SIMULATED ROTATING REELS

• US 20090082083A1
• Filed: 09/21/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Wilson, Zachery Tyler, Yi, Jae Man
• Granted Patent: US 8,012,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means

Abstract

Gaming machines, systems and methods for emulating rotating physical reels on a display screen are disclosed. Graphics for “static” reel symbols are intentionally blurred for those reel symbols “in motion.” Gaming machines include an exterior housing, master gaming controller, display device and virtual reels. Virtual reels include reel stops, static reel symbols and corresponding dynamic blurred reel symbols. A blurred reel symbol generator provides corresponding blurred reel symbols for existing static reel symbols, and can be located at a remote host and/or within the gaming machine. A remote host can provide downloadable virtual reel strips, reel symbols and blurred reel symbols to gaming machines. The blurred reel symbol generator can accept manually entered blurred reel symbol images, and/or can also generate blurred reel symbol images itself in automated fashion. Blurred reel symbols can be generated on the fly at runtime, or can be taken from a stored location.

Claims

1. A processor-based gaming machine adapted for accepting a wager, playing a reel-type game based on the wager and granting a payout based on the result of the wager-based reel-type game, comprising:

an exterior housing arranged to contain a plurality of internal gaming machine components therein;

a master gaming controller in communication with at least one of said plurality of internal gaming machine components and adapted to execute or control one or more aspects of said wager-based reel-type game;

a display device in communication with said master gaming controller and adapted to present a plurality of simulated rotating reels, said plurality of simulated rotating reels including a plurality of reel symbols distributed on a plurality of reel stops thereupon; and

a reel blur generator in communication with at least one of said master gaming controller and said display device, wherein said reel blur generator is adapted to facilitate the display of said simulated rotating reels upon said display device, and wherein said reel blur generator is adapted to reconfigure at least one of said simulated rotating reels such that one or more of said plurality of reel symbols are replaced by one or more corresponding substitute blurred reel symbols when said simulated rotating reels are depicted in motion on said display device.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said one or more corresponding substitute blurred reel symbols appears blurry regardless of whether said one or more blurred reel symbols are static or moving on said display device.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein each of said one or more substitute blurred reel symbols is designed to simulate the appearance of its corresponding reel symbol when said corresponding reel symbol is moving on said display device.

4. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the size of each of said one or more substitute blurred reel symbols is larger than its corresponding reel symbol in the direction of rotation of its respective simulated rotating reel.

5. The gaming machine of claim 4, wherein the size of each of said one or more substitute blurred reel symbols is the same as its corresponding reel symbol in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of rotation of its respective simulated rotating reel.

6. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of reel symbols is replaced by a corresponding substitute blurred reel symbol when said simulated rotating reels are depicted in motion on said display device.

7. The gaming machine of claim 6, wherein each of said substitute blurred reel symbols is designed to simulate the appearance of its corresponding reel symbol when said corresponding reel symbol is moving on said display device.

8. The gaming machine of claim 6, wherein one or more of said substitute blurred reel symbols is stretched with respect to its corresponding reel symbol in the direction of rotation of its respective simulated rotating reel.

9. The gaming machine of claim 8, wherein said substitute blurred reel symbols are collectively stretched such that each substitute blurred reel symbol substantially contacts another substitute blurred reel symbol at both of its top and bottom ends.

10. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said gaming machine is adapted to present said plurality of simulated rotating reels on said display device such that said rotating reels appear to be in motion, and wherein the elapsed time for one reel stop to pass through a given point on said display device is from about 35 to 100 milliseconds.

11. The gaming machine of claim 10, wherein each of said plurality of reel stops are substantially equal in size.

12. The gaming machine of claim 10, wherein said elapsed time is about 50 to 60 milliseconds.

13. The gaming machine of claim 10, wherein said elapsed time is about 57 milliseconds.

14. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said reel blur generator is adapted to generate said one or more corresponding substitute blurred reel symbols automatically.

15. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said reel blur generator is adapted to reconfigure said at least one of said simulated rotating reels with one or more substitute blurred reel symbols that have already been created.

16. The gaming machine of claim 1, further including:

a storage device in communication with said reel blur generator, said storage device adapted to store a plurality of files with respect to substitute blurred reel symbols.

17. The gaming machine of claim 1, further including:

a network interface coupling said gaming machine to one or more remotely located networked components, said network interface adapted to facilitate the downloading of substitute blurred reel symbols to said gaming machine.

18. A virtual gaming reel adapted for use in a processor-based, wager-based, gaming environment, comprising:

a display region distributed about a virtual outer circumference of said virtual gaming reel, said display region including a plurality of reel stops;

a plurality of static reel symbols, wherein said plurality of static reel symbols are adapted for display on said virtual gaming reel at an associated gaming terminal display when said virtual gaming reel is at rest, and wherein each of said static reel symbols is located at one or more of said plurality of reel stops; and

a plurality of substitute blurred reel symbols, wherein each of said plurality of plurality of substitute blurred reel symbols corresponds to one of said plurality of static reel symbols, and wherein said plurality of static reel symbols are replaced by said plurality of substitute blurred reel symbols when said virtual gaming reel is in motion.

19. The virtual gaming reel of claim 18, wherein said plurality of substitute blurred reel symbols appear blurry regardless of whether said substitute blurred reel symbols are static or moving on said associated gaming terminal display.

20. The virtual gaming reel of claim 18, wherein each of said plurality of substitute blurred reel symbols is designed to simulate the appearance of its corresponding static reel symbol when said corresponding static reel symbol is moving on said associated gaming terminal display.

21. A method of presenting simulated reels on a processor-based gaming machine, comprising:

displaying on a display of said processor-based gaming machine a plurality of simulated static reels in a static, non-rotating position, wherein said plurality of simulated static reels shows to a player of said processor-based gaming machine a first set of static reel symbols visibly located at a plurality of static reel stops;

accepting a monetary value wager from said player;

accepting a game-related input from said player;

initiating the play of a wager-based game as a result of said game-related input; and

displaying on said display a plurality of simulated dynamic reels in rotational motion as an aspect of said wager-based game, wherein said plurality of simulated dynamic reels includes a plurality of substitute blurred reel symbols located at a plurality of dynamic reel stops, and wherein at least some of said plurality of substitute blurred reel symbols are designed to simulate the appearance of a corresponding static reel symbol.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

determining an outcome for said wager-based game; and

redisplaying on said display said plurality of simulated static reels in a static, non-rotating position, wherein said plurality of simulated static reels shows to said player a second set of static reel symbols visibly located at a plurality of static reel stops, and where said second set of static reel symbols are different from said first set of static reel symbols and are determined as a result of said wager-based game outcome.

23. A wager-based gaming machine, comprising:

an exterior housing arranged to contain a plurality of internal gaming machine components therein;

a display region adapted to present a plurality of rotating reels; and

a plurality of gaming reels adapted to be rotated about an axis, wherein at least one of said plurality of gaming reels includes;

a plurality of reel stops,

a plurality of static reel symbols, wherein said plurality of static reel symbols are adapted for display when said gaming reel is at rest, and wherein each of said static reel symbols is located at one or more of said plurality of reel stops, and

a plurality of substitute blurred reel symbols, wherein each of said plurality of plurality of substitute blurred reel symbols corresponds to one of said plurality of static reel symbols, and wherein said plurality of static reel symbols are replaced by said plurality of substitute blurred reel symbols when said gaming reel is in motion.

24. A wager-based gaming system, comprising:

a plurality of processor-based gaming machines adapted for accepting a wager, playing a game based on the wager and granting a payout based on the result of the game, each of said plurality of processor-based gaming machines including;

an exterior housing arranged to contain a plurality of internal gaming machine components therein,

a master gaming controller in communication with at least one of said plurality of internal gaming machine components and adapted to execute or control one or more aspects of said wager-based reel-type game, and

a display device in communication with said master gaming controller and adapted to present a plurality of simulated rotating reels, said plurality of simulated rotating reels including a plurality of reel symbols distributed on a plurality of reel stops thereupon;

a remote host in communication with each of said plurality of processor-based gaming machines, said remote host being adapted to download static reel symbols, substitute blurred reel symbols, full reel strips, or any combination thereof to one or more of said plurality of processor-based gaming machines; and

at least one reel blur generator in communication with at least one of said remote host and said plurality of processor-based gaming machines, wherein said at least one reel blur generator is adapted to facilitate the display of said simulated rotating reels upon at least one of said display devices, and wherein said reel blur generator is adapted to reconfigure at least one of said simulated rotating reels such that one or more of said plurality of reel symbols are replaced by one or more corresponding substitute blurred reel symbols when said simulated rotating reels are depicted in motion on said at least one of said display devices.

25. The wager-based gaming system of claim 24, wherein said at least one reel blur generator is located at said remote host.