Gaming Machine With Superimposed Display Image

• US 20090181758A1
• Filed: 03/17/2009
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Loose, Timothy C., Rothschild, Wayne H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,971,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• 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: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A spinning reel slot machine comprises a plurality of mechanical rotatable reels and a video display. In response to a wager, the reels are rotated and stopped to randomly place symbols on the reels in visual association with a display area. The video display provides a video image superimposed upon the reels. The video image may be interactive with the reels and include such graphics as payout values, a pay table, pay lines, bonus game features, special effects, thematic scenery, and instructional information.

Claims

1-28. -28. (canceled)

29. A gaming machine for playing a wagering game, the wagering game having a pay table that includes winning symbol combinations and awards associated with the winning symbol combinations, the gaming machine comprising:

a first image associated with the wagering game, the first image including an array of symbols;

a second image overlaying the first image during the wagering game, the second image being a video image, the video image being spatially separated from the first image, the first image being at least partially visible through the video image, the video image being adapted to interact with the first image; and

wherein in response to a winning symbol combination being aligned along a winning pay line, the video image including both (i) highlighted indicia along a winning pay line along which the winning symbol combination is aligned, and (ii) pay-table indicia related to a portion of the pay table to inform the player of the award amount associated with the winning symbol combination, the pay-table indicia being adjacent to the winning pay line.

30. The gaming machine of claim 29, wherein the video image further includes special effects for highlighting the symbols within the winning symbol combination.

31. The gaming machine of claim 30, wherein the special effects include a block image appearing around each symbol of the winning symbol combination.

32. The gaming machine of claim 31, wherein the block images are flashing.

33. The gaming machine of claim 30, wherein the special effects include animated explosions.

34. The gaming machine of claim 29, wherein the pay-table indicia is flashing.

35. The gaming machine of claim 29, wherein the pay-table portion is the award value.

36. The gaming machine of claim 29, wherein the first image is defined by a plurality of rotatable mechanical reels.

37. The gaming machine of claim 29, wherein the video image is produced by a transmissive video display.

38. The gaming machine of claim 37, wherein the transmissive video display displays a plurality of pay lines, the winning pay line being one of the plurality of pay lines.

39. The gaming machine of claim 29, wherein the video image is a virtual image.

40. A method of operating a wagering game in a gaming machine, the wagering game having a pay table that includes winning symbol combinations and awards associated with the winning symbol combinations, the method comprising:

receiving player input to select one or more pay lines from a plurality of pay lines that extend through a display region;

displaying, within the display region, a first image associated with the wagering game, the first image including symbols for indicating an outcome of the wagering game; and

in response to a winning symbol combination being aligned along a selected one of the plurality of pay lines, displaying a second image overlaying the first image, the second image being a video image and being spatially separated from the first image, the first image being at least partially visible through the video image, the displaying the second image including;

(i) highlighting the winning pay line along which the winning symbol combination is aligned,

(ii) displaying a portion of the pay table, the displayed portion of the pay table being adjacent to the winning pay line, and

(iii) displaying a block image around each symbol of the winning symbol combination.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the video image modifies the first image visually without altering the first image.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the video image is produced by a transmissive video display.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein the video image is a virtual image.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein the first image is defined by a plurality of rotatable mechanical reels.

45. The method of claim 40, wherein the displaying the block image around each symbol of the winning symbol combination includes flashing the block images.

46. The method of claim 40, wherein the portion of the pay table being displayed is the award value.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the portion of the pay table being displayed is flashing.

48. A gaming machine for playing a wagering game, comprising:

a plurality of mechanical rotatable reels that, in response to a wager, are rotated and stopped to place symbols on the reels in visual association with a display area, the displayed symbols indicating a randomly selected outcome of the wagering game; and

a video display providing video images overlaying the reels such that the video images are disposed in front of the reels between the reels and a player of the slot machine, a first video image interacting with the symbols on the mechanical reels and a second video image emphasizing a winning symbol combination along a winning pay line, the second video image including highlighted indicia along the winning pay line and award-amount indicia adjacent to the winning pay line.

49. The gaming machine of claim 48, further including a touchscreen adjacent to the video display, the touchscreen enabling a player to select player-selectable indicia.

50. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the second video image further includes special effects for highlighting the symbols within the winning symbol combination.

51. The gaming machine of claim 50, wherein the special effects include a block image appearing around each symbol of the winning symbol combination.

52. The gaming machine of claim 51, wherein the block images are flashing.

53. The gaming machine of claim 50, wherein the special effects include animated explosions.

54. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the award-amount indicia is flashing.

55. The gaming machine of claim 48, wherein the video display is a transmissive video display.

56. The gaming machine of claim 55, wherein the transmissive video display displays a plurality of pay lines, the plurality of pay lines including the winning pay line.