SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FLEXIBLE BANKING OF WAGERING GAME MACHINES

• US 20140057716A1
• Filed: 02/21/2013
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Massing, Scott A., Gagner, Mark B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,005,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games

Abstract

A method of altering a wagering game theme for a flexible bank of wagering game machines, the flexible bank including a first sub-portion, a second sub-portion, and one or more display elements disposed between the first and second sub-portions, includes the acts of displaying graphical content relating to a first wagering game theme on the first and second sub-portions and on the one or more display elements and using a controller, responsive to a trigger, to switch the second sub-portion to display a second wagering game theme different than the first wagering game theme and to cause the one or more display elements to display a blank display or graphical content different than the first and second wagering game themes.

Claims

1. A flexible bank comprising:

a first sub-portion comprising one or more first wagering game machines;

a second sub-portion comprising one or more second wagering game machines,

one or more display elements, disposed between the first and second sub-portions;

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the flexible bank to;

display a first game theme on the first sub-portion;

display a second game theme on the second sub-portion;

responsive to a first triggering event, switch the second theme presented on the second sub-portion to the first theme of the first sub-portion; and

responsive to the first triggering event, change a state of the one or more display elements from a first state, displaying a blank display or displaying graphical content different than the first theme or the second theme, to a second state, displaying graphics relating to the first theme to thereby unify a thematic presentation between the first and second sub-portions.

2. The flexible bank according to claim 1, wherein the first triggering event is a player selection of a theme corresponding to the resulting theme via at least one of the one or more input devices.

3. The flexible bank according to claim 1, wherein the first triggering event comprises an occupancy condition for the flexible bank.

4. The flexible bank according to claim 3, wherein the occupancy condition for the flexible bank comprises a full occupancy of at least one of the first sub-portion of the flexible bank or the second sub-portion of the flexible bank.

5. The flexible bank according to claim 1, wherein the first triggering event comprises an occupancy condition for an area of the flexible bank or an occupancy condition for a casino.

6. The flexible bank according to claim 1, wherein the one or more memory devices store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the flexible bank to:

responsive to a second triggering event, switch the first theme presented on the second sub-portion to the second theme; and

responsive to the second triggering event, change a state of the one or more display elements from the second state, displaying graphics relating to the first theme, to the first state, displaying a blank display or displaying graphical content different than the first theme or the second theme to thereby visually separate the first and second sub-portions.

7. The flexible bank according to claim 1, wherein the one or more memory devices store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the flexible bank to:

responsive to a second triggering event, switch the first theme presented on the first sub-portion to the second theme;

responsive to a third triggering event, switch the first theme presented on the second sub-portion to the second theme; and

responsive to the third triggering event, change a state of the one or more display elements from the second state, displaying graphics relating to the first theme, to a third state, displaying graphical content consistent with the second theme to thereby visually unify a display of the second theme across the first and second sub-portions.

8. The flexible bank according to claim 6, wherein the second triggering event comprises at least one of a player selection of the second theme, an occupancy condition for the flexible bank, an occupancy condition for an area of the flexible bank, an occupancy condition for a casino.

9. The flexible bank according to claim 8, wherein the second triggering event comprises an occupancy condition for the flexible bank, and wherein the occupancy condition further comprises no occupancy of the second sub-portion of the flexible bank.

10. A method of altering a wagering game theme for a flexible bank of wagering game machines, the flexible bank including a first sub-portion, a second sub-portion, and one or more display elements disposed between the first and second sub-portions, comprising the acts of:

configuring the flexible bank to display a first wagering game theme on the first and second sub-portions and on the one or more display elements disposed between the first and second sub-portions;

using the one or more processors, monitoring an occupancy condition;

using the one or more processors, determining if the occupancy condition falls below a predetermined threshold and, if the occupancy condition falls below the predetermined threshold, reconfigure the flexible bank to display, on the second sub-portion, a second wagering game theme; and

using one or more processors, displaying graphical content on the one or more display elements that is different from the first wagering game theme and the second wagering game theme.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the occupancy condition comprises an occupancy level of the flexible bank.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the occupancy condition comprises a null set of players at the flexible bank.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein the occupancy condition comprises an occupancy condition for an area of the flexible bank or an occupancy condition for a casino.

15. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

using the one or more processors, reconfiguring the flexible bank to display the first wagering game theme on the first sub-portion and the second wagering game theme or a third wagering game theme on the second sub-portion responsive to another occupancy condition.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the another occupancy condition comprises an occupancy condition of the flexible bank falling to a predetermined threshold level.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the act of displaying graphical content on the one or more display elements that is different from the first wagering game theme and the second wagering game theme comprises displaying a blank screen.

12. A method according to claim 12, wherein the occupancy condition comprises an occupancy level of at least one of the first sub-portion or the second sub-portion.

18. A method of altering a wagering game theme for a flexible bank of wagering game machines, the flexible bank including a first sub-portion, a second sub-portion, and one or more display elements disposed between the first and second sub-portions, comprising the acts of:

displaying graphical content relating to a first wagering game theme on the first and second sub-portions and on the one or more display elements; and

using a controller, responsive to a trigger, to switch the second sub-portion to display a second wagering game theme different than the first wagering game theme and to cause the one or more display elements to display a blank display or graphical content different than the first and second wagering game themes.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the trigger comprises a player input or inputs, via a user input device, to select an available wagering game theme from a set of available wagering game themes inclusive of the second wagering game theme.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the trigger comprises an occupancy condition.