REEL BLUR FOR GAMING MACHINES HAVING SIMULATED ROTATING REELS
First Claim
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.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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.
-
Citations
25 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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
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. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
-
-
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. - View Dependent Claims (22)
-
-
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. - View Dependent Claims (25)
-
Specification