Gaming machine with surround sound features

• US 7,766,747 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2005
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Bonney, James, Pryzby, Eric M.
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan; James S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pandya; Sunit
• Application Number:
  US11/181,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20050282631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,846 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/35, 463/43, 381/99
• US Class Current: 463/35
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters

Abstract

A gaming machine for conducting a wagering game includes selective application of surround sound. The selective application of surround sound allows certain key gaming events to be emphasized over other gaming events. The surround sound may be varied to produce certain effects, such as a tactile effect and a gradual building up of suspense and anticipation that increases player excitement and enjoyment. A surround sound decoder may be added in some embodiments to convert monophonic and stereo wagering games into surround sound. The surround sound may be implemented as true surround sound or as virtual surround sound.

Claims

1. An electronic gaming system having a single-player sound environment for distinguishing, in an audio manner, between different gaming events occurring during a single game play of a wagering game, comprising:

a gaming machine for a single player playing a wagering game, the gaming machine including a

a cabinet housing,

a display for displaying the wagering game, the display being mounted to the cabinet housing,

a button panel for accepting game inputs from the single player, the button panel being mounted to the cabinet housing below the display, and

front speakers including a first front speaker and a second front speaker mounted to the cabinet housing, the front speakers emitting audio toward the single player of the gaming system;

an upright chair on which the single player sits for playing the wagering game, the upright chair including

a base extending upwardly from a floor on which the upright chair is situated,

a seating section mounted to the base and being generally horizontal to the floor, the seating section being offset from the floor,

a back-supporting section extending upwardly from the seating section and having a top-most portion,

at least one bracket extending upwardly from the top-most portion of the back-supporting section,

rear speakers including a first rear speaker and a second rear speaker mounted to the at least one bracket such that the rear speakers are above the back-supporting section, the rear speakers facing toward the gaming machine such that sound is emitted toward the gaming machine, and

a subwoofer for vibrating the upright chair in response to certain events in the wagering game, the subwoofer providing the player with an enhanced tactile experience;

wherein in response to receiving a wager from the single player, a randomly selected outcome occurs during the wagering game, the randomly selected outcome including presenting to the single player a non-special event and a special event;

wherein the non-special event is presented to the single player with non-surround sound transmitted only from the front speakers of the gaming cabinet; and

wherein the special event is presented in an emphasized manner to the single player with surround sound transmitted from both the front speakers and the rear speakers of the upright chair such that the single player perceives the surround sound of the wagering game as occurring in front of and behind the single player.

2. An electronic gaming system for conducting a wagering game, the system comprising:

a gaming terminal at which a single player plays the wagering game, the gaming terminal including a display and at least one front speaker, the display being operable to display a game outcome randomly selected from a plurality of possible game outcomes of the wagering game;

an upright chair configured to permit the single player to sit in an upright position in front of the gaming terminal to play the wagering game, the chair including a generally horizontal seat and a generally vertical back extending upwardly from the seat, the chair including at least one rear speaker positioned behind a listening position of the player; and

an audio system operable to produce gaming sounds directed toward the player of the wagering game, the gaming sounds associated with a first of the possible game outcomes of the wagering game not being transmitted from the rear speaker, the gaming sounds associated with a second of the possible game outcomes of the wagering game being transmitted from the rear speaker, thereby enhancing the second of the possible game outcomes;

wherein the front and rear speakers define a single-player surround sound environment.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one front speaker is associated with at least a first audio channel and the at least one rear speaker is associated with at least a second audio channel.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the gaming sounds associated with the first of the possible game outcomes are derived from first audio data files stored in a non-surround sound format, and the gaming sounds associated with the second of the possible game outcomes are derived from second audio data files stored in a surround sound format, such that the audio system plays back the first and second audio data files using their respective native formats.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the gaming sounds associated with the first and second of the possible game outcomes are derived from respective first and second audio data files stored in a non-surround sound format, such that the audio system converts the second audio data files from the non-surround sound format to a surround sound format.

6. The system of claim 2, further including a user interface permitting a player to disable the audio system from producing any of the gaming sounds in surround sound.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the second of the possible game outcomes is selected from a group consisting of achieving a certain game enhancement symbol, winning outcome, bonus game, wagering level, level of winnings, and game play eligibility status.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the audio system is operable to vary the spatialization of the gaming sounds associated with the second of the possible game outcomes.

9. The system of claim 2, further including a subwoofer for vibrating the chair, thereby providing the player with an enhanced tactile experience.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one rear speaker is mounted to, and disposed above, the generally vertical back.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising at least one bracket extending upwardly from a top portion of the vertical back, the at least one rear speaker being mounted to the at least one bracket.

12. An electronic gaming system having a single-player sound environment for distinguishing, in an audio manner, between different gaming events occurring during a single game play of a wagering game, comprising:

a gaming machine for a single player playing a wagering game, the gaming machine including a

a cabinet housing,

a display for displaying the wagering game, the display being mounted to the cabinet housing,

a button panel for accepting game inputs from the single player, the button panel being mounted to the cabinet housing below the display, and

front speakers including a first front speaker and a second front speaker mounted to the cabinet housing and for emitting audio toward the single player of the gaming system;

an upright chair on which the single player sits for playing the wagering game, the upright chair including

a base extending upwardly from a floor on which the upright chair is situated,

a seating section mounted to the base and being generally horizontal to the floor, the seating section being offset from the floor,

a back-supporting section extending upwardly from the seating section, and

rear speakers including a first rear speaker and a second rear speaker mounted to the back-supporting section, the rear speakers extending upwardly from a top portion of the back-supporting section and facing toward the gaming machine such that sound is emitted toward the gaming machine;

wherein in response to receiving a wager from the single player, a randomly selected outcome occurs during the wagering game, the randomly selected outcome including presenting to the single player a non-special event and a special event;

wherein the non-special event is presented to the single player with non-surround sound transmitted only from the front speakers of the gaming cabinet; and

wherein the special event is presented in an emphasized manner to the single player with surround sound transmitted from both the front speakers and the rear speakers of the upright chair such that the single player perceives the surround sound of the wagering game as occurring in front of and behind the single player.

13. The electronic gaming system of claim 12, wherein the non-surround sound is stored in a non-surround sound format in a first audio data file, the surround sound being stored in a surround sound format in a second audio data file, the first audio data file and the second audio data file being played back in their respective native formats.

14. The electronic gaming system of claim 12, wherein the surround sound is derived from audio data files stored in a non-surround sound format, the audio data files being converted from the non-surround sound format to a surround sound format.

15. The electronic gaming system of claim 12, further comprising a player interface providing the player an option to disable the surround sound from being produced.

16. The electronic gaming system of claim 12, wherein the special event during which the surround sound is produced is selected from a group consisting of achieving a certain game enhancement symbol, a winning outcome, a bonus game, a wagering level, a level of winnings, and a game play eligibility status.

17. The electronic gaming system of claim 12, wherein spatialization of the surround sound associated with the special event is variable.

18. The electronic gaming system of claim 12, further comprising a subwoofer for vibrating the upright chair, the subwoofer providing the player with an enhanced tactile experience.

19. The electronic gaming system of claim 12, further comprising at least one bracket extending upwardly from the top portion of the back-supporting section, the rear speakers being mounted to the at least one bracket.

20. The electronic gaming system of claim 19, further comprising two brackets, each of the two brackets for mounting a corresponding one of the rear speakers.

21. The electronic gaming system of claim 19, wherein the front speakers are located above the display of the gaming machine.

22. The electronic gaming system of claim 21, wherein the front speakers are located at a first level above the floor and the rear speakers are located at a second level above the floor, the first level being higher than the second level.

23. The electronic gaming system of claim 12, wherein first front speaker is associated with a first front channel and the second front speaker is associated with a second front channel.

24. The electronic gaming system of claim 12, wherein the first rear speaker is associated with a first rear channel and the second rear speaker is associated with a second rear channel.

25. An electronic gaming system for conducting a wagering game, the system comprising:

a gaming terminal at which a single player plays the wagering game, the gaming terminal including a display and at least one front speaker, the display being operable to display a randomly selected outcome selected from a plurality of possible game outcomes of the wagering game;

an upright chair including a generally horizontal seat and a generally vertical back extending upwardly from the seat, the chair being configured to permit the single player to sit in an upright position offset from a floor plane, the chair including at least one rear speaker positioned behind a listening position of the single player; and

an audio system operable to produce gaming sounds directed toward the single player during the wagering game, the gaming sounds associated with first events of the randomly selected outcome being transmitted from only one of either the front speaker and the rear speaker, the gaming sounds associated with second events of the randomly selected outcome being transmitted from both the front speaker and the rear speaker;

wherein the front speaker and the rear speaker define a single-player surround sound environment.

26. The electronic gaming system of claim 25, further including at least one bracket extending upwardly from a top portion of the vertical back, the at least one rear speaker being mounted to the at least one bracket.

27. The electronic gaming system of claim 26, wherein an entire portion of the at least one rear speaker is positioned above the vertical back.

28. The electronic gaming system of claim 26, further including two brackets extending upwardly from a top portion of the vertical back, the chair including two rear speakers positioned behind the listening position of the single player and mounted to a corresponding one of the two brackets.

29. The electronic gaming system of claim 25, further including a subwoofer within the upright chair for vibrating the upright chair, the subwoofer providing the single player with an enhanced tactile experience.