GAMING MACHINE HAVING A CURVED DISPLAY WITH A VIDEO SWITCHER AND TOUCH ROUTER SYSTEM

• US 20090258697A1
• Filed: 05/11/2009
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Kelly, Bryan M., Wudtke, Karl E., Bernard, Vernon H. II, Crowder, Robert W. JR., Anderson, Frank R., Vallejo, John R., McAllister, Lawrence C., Patton, Stephen, Kompella, Vijay, Allen, Jeffrey Lee, Brahmandam, Kiran
• Granted Patent: US 8,241,124 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

Abstract

Gaming machines projecting video images onto a curved display are disclosed herein. A Display Manager receives one or more video signals from a Master Gaming Controller and one or more video signals from the system device and displays one or multiple video signals on the curved display. The Display Manager sends the multiple video signals to a digital light emitting projector which projects the multiple video signals simultaneously on the curved display. The curved display may be split between multiple signals, or one or more signals may overlay one or more background signals. The overlaid signals may completely obscure the background signals, or they may provide a level of transparency by allowing the background signal to be partially or completely visible. The Display Manager receives commands from a device, directing it how to split, overlay, superimpose, and otherwise share the display among the video input signals.

Claims

1. A gaming system for presenting both game content-based video signals and secondary video signals over a single display, the gaming system comprising:

a curved display system including a curved transparent material and a light emitting diode projector for projecting video images onto the curved transparent material;

a master gaming controller generating a first video signal including game content to be viewed on the curved display system;

a secondary video source generating a second video signal including secondary content to be viewed on the curved display system; and

a display manager in communication with the master gaming controller, the secondary video source, and the light emitting diode projector, wherein the display manager receives a first video signal from the master gaming controller and a second video signal from the secondary video source, and wherein the display manager arbitrates, renders, mixes, or maps the first and second video signals and displays the first and second video signals on the curved transparent material using the light emitting diode projector.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the curved transparent material of the curved display system having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a radius of curvature similar to a mechanical reel, the curved transparent material further having a glossy finish on the outer surface of the curved transparent material to provide a reflective surface.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary video source is a player tracking device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the display manager simultaneously displays the first video signal from the master gaming controller and the second video signal from the secondary video source on the curved transparent material using the light emitting diode projector.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the display manager scales the first and second video signals to a desired size that conforms to the size and shape of the curved transparent material and renders the first video signal from the master gaming controller adjacent to the second video signal from the secondary video source in a split screen format.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the display manager overlays the second video signal from the secondary video source on the first video signal from the master gaming controller on the curved display system.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the overlaid second video signal from the secondary video source obscures at least a portion of the first video signal from the master gaming controller.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the overlaid second video signal from the secondary video source includes a level of transparency enabling the first video signal from the master gaming controller to be at least partially visible through the second video signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the display manager overlays the second video signal from the secondary video source on the first video signal from the master gaming controller with different levels of transparency in different areas of the curved display system.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the display manager receives commands from at least one of the master gaming controller and the secondary video source directing the display manager to simultaneously display the first and second video signals from the master gaming controller and the secondary video source.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a touch router device in communication with a touch display positioned in front of the curved transparent material, and wherein the master gaming controller, the secondary video source, and the touch router device receive touch signals including physical coordinates of a touch from the touch display, and determine a source of a video signal displayed on the curved display system at the physical coordinates of the touch.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a liquid crystal display having an opening, wherein the curved transparent material extends through the opening of the liquid crystal display.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a lens positioned in front of the light emitting diode projector, wherein the lens is a short-throw lens or an anamorphic lens.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the light emitting diode projector projects video images of one or more reels onto the curved transparent material.

15. A gaming system for presenting both game content-based video signals and secondary video signals over a single display, the gaming system comprising:

a curved display system including a curved transparent material having a radius of curvature similar to a mechanical reel, the curved display system also includes a light emitting diode projector for projecting video images onto the curved transparent material and a lens positioned between the light emitting diode projector and the curved transparent material;

a master gaming controller generating a first video signal including game content to be viewed on the curved display system;

a player tracking device generating a second video signal including secondary content to be viewed on the curved display system; and

a display manager in communication with the master gaming controller, the player tracking device, and the light emitting diode projector, wherein the display manager receives a first video signal from the master gaming controller and a second video signal from the player tracking device, and wherein the display manager arbitrates, renders, mixes, or maps the first and second video signals and simultaneously sends the video signals from the master gaming controller and secondary video source to the light emitting diode projector to project the video signals on the curved transparent material.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the curved display system further includes a first mirror positioned in the front of the light emitting diode display and a second mirror positioned adjacent to the curved transparent material, wherein the video images from the light emitting diode projector are reflected off the first and second mirrors onto the curved transparent material.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the display manager scales the first and second video signals to a desired size that conforms to the size and shape of the curved transparent material and renders the first video signal from the master gaming controller adjacent to the second video signal from the player tracking device in a split screen format.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the display manager overlays the second video signal from the player tracking device on the first video signal from the master gaming controller on the curved display system.

19. A gaming system for presenting both game content-based video signals and secondary video signals over a single display, the gaming system comprising:

a curved display system including a curved transparent material and a light emitting diode projector for projecting video images onto the curved transparent material;

a touch screen system including a touch screen positioned in front of the curved transparent material;

a master gaming controller generating a first video signal including game content to be viewed on the curved display system;

a secondary video source generating a second video signal including secondary content to be viewed on the curved display system; and

a display manager in communication with the master gaming controller, the secondary video source, and the light emitting diode projector, wherein the display manager receives a first video signal from the master gaming controller and a second video signal from the secondary video source, and wherein the display manager arbitrates, renders, mixes, or maps the first and second video signals and sends the first and second video signals to the light emitting diode projector for simultaneously displaying the first and second video signals on the curved transparent material, and

wherein the display manager further includes a touch router device in communication with the touch screen system, and wherein the master gaming controller, the secondary video source, and the touch router device receive touch signals including physical coordinates of a touch from the touch display, and determine a source of the video image displayed on the curved display system at the physical coordinates of the touch.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the display manager scales the first and second video signals to a desired size that conforms to the size and shape of the curved transparent material and renders the first video signal from the master gaming controller adjacent to the second video signal from the player tracking device in a split screen format.