Virtual glass for a gaming machine

• US 8,016,670 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2004
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Schlottmann, Gregory A., LeMay, Steven G., Goodman, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall; Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US10/756,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20050153776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,801 Days
• Field of Search: 463/30, 463/16, 463/20, 463/22, 463/25, 463 31- 34, 463/46, 273/145.E, 273/148.B, 273/269, 273/280, 273/138.1, 273/139, 361/679.21, 361/679.26, 361/679.27, 361/679.28, 361/679.29
• US Class Current: 463/30
• 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 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions

Abstract

Various virtual glasses for providing visual and audio displays in a gaming machine are disclosed. Such virtual glasses may replace traditional gaming machine displays such as silk-screened glasses and secondary video screens. A virtual glass system comprises at least a host adapted to provide video content, a host storage unit adapted to store video content for the host, and a virtual glass in communication with the host. A standard virtual glass comprises at least a logic device, a storage unit, and a video display device. Multiples of each item may be present in each virtual glass system and/or virtual glass. In particular, the combined capacity of all virtual glass storage units is substantially less than the combined video content capacity of the host storage units. Additional devices can include remote hosts, remote virtual glasses, multiple hosts, networked systems and advanced logic devices capable of providing prioritization and increased functionality.

Claims

1. A gaming machine configured to accept wagers and grant monetary awards, comprising:

a master gaming controller configured to process gaming machine state information and event commands;

a main display device;

at least one virtual glass;

a first host configured to transmit video content to the at least one virtual glass, each said at least one virtual glass being separate from the main display device, and the first host; and

at least one host storage unit being separate form said at least one virtual glass, the at least one host storage unit configured to communicate with said first host, each said at least one host storage unit having a video content capacity that stores the video content;

wherein;

the at least one virtual glass is configured to communicate with said first host, said at least one virtual glass comprising at least one virtual glass storage unit, a display device, and at least one logic device configured to process the video content transmitted by said first host, each said at least one virtual glass storage unit having a capacity;

a combined capacity of all said at least one virtual glass storage units within said virtual glass is substantially less than a combined video content capacity of all said at least one host storage units; and

said at least one virtual glass is an exclusively media-driven device configured to operate without receiving communications of the gaming machine state information and the event commands.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said first host comprises the master gaming controller.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said at least one virtual glass storage unit comprises flash RAM.

4. The gaming machine of claim 3, wherein said flash RAM is configured to be readily erasable or overwritable, and is also sufficiently nonvolatile so as to be retrievable after a machine shutdown or other malfunction.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said at least one virtual glass storage unit comprises dynamic RAM.

6. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said at least one host storage unit comprises at least one of a hard disk, a disk drive, and a flash drive.

7. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said at least one host storage unit stores video content specific to an establishment operating the gaming machine.

8. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said display device is selected from the group consisting of cathode ray tubes, liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, field emission displays, digital micromirror devices, touchscreens, and combinations thereof.

9. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising:

a master gaming controller, wherein said virtual glass is configured to implement a communication protocol that allows the at least one virtual glass to be identified by said master gaming controller as a device authorized to connect to said master gaming controller.

10. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said at least one virtual glass is provided in a top box portion of the gaming machine, said top box portion being located above a main cabinet portion of the gaming machine.

11. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said at least one virtual glass is provided in a belly glass region of the gaming machine, said belly glass region being located on a main cabinet portion of the gaming machine.

12. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said at least one virtual glass is provided in a side panel region of the gaming machine, said side panel region being located on a main cabinet portion of the gaming machine.

13. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said at least one virtual glass is provided in a remote location from the gaming machine, said remote location being separate and apart from the remainder of the gaming machine.

14. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said at least one virtual glass is configured to decompress video content presented in a compressed format.

15. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said at least one virtual glass is configured to scale video content presented in an undesirable size.

16. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said at least one virtual glass comprises one or more anti-aliasing algorithms and is configured to utilize at least one of said algorithms to alter presented video content.

17. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said at least one virtual glass is configured to execute scripts in association with presented video content.

18. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said at least one virtual glass is configured to render presented video content in a 3-D format into a 2-D format.

19. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said first host is provided in a remote location from the remainder of the gaming machine, said remote location being separate and apart from the remainder of the gaming machine.

20. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said gaming machine is incorporated into a network of gaming machines comprising at least one of an additional host and an additional virtual glass.

21. A virtual glass comprising:

a display device;

at least one logic device; and

at least one virtual glass storage unit, each said at least one virtual glass storage unit having a capacity, wherein;

the virtual glass is configured to be part of a gaming machine, said gaming machine being configured to accept wagers and grant monetary awards, and comprising a master gaming controller configured to process gaming machine state information and event commands, a main display device, the virtual glass, a first host configured to transmit video content to the virtual glass, and at least one host storage unit;

the virtual glass is separate from the main display device, the first host, and the at least one host storage unit;

the at least one logic device is configured process the video content transmitted by said first host;

a combined capacity of all virtual glass storage units within said virtual glass is substantially less than a combined video content capacity of all said at least one host storage units, and

the at least one virtual glass is an exclusively media-driven device configured to operate without receiving communications of the gaming machine state information and the event commands.

22. The virtual glass of claim 21, wherein said at least one virtual glass storage unit comprises flash RAM.

23. The virtual glass of claim 21, wherein said at least one virtual glass storage unit comprises dynamic RAM.

24. The virtual glass of claim 21, wherein said virtual glass is incorporated into a network comprising at least one of an additional host and an additional virtual glass.

25. A method of displaying content associated with a gaming machine, the method comprising:

transmitting video content from a first host to a virtual glass, the virtual glass comprising a display device, at least one logic device, and at least one virtual glass storage unit, each said at least one virtual glass storage unit having a capacity, wherein;

the virtual glass is configured to be part of a gaming machine, said gaming machine being configured to accept wagers and grant monetary awards, and comprising a master gaming controller configured to process gaming machine state information and event commands, a main display device, the virtual glass, the first host, and at least one host storage unit;

the virtual glass is separate from the main display device, the first host, and the at least one host storage unit;

the at least one logic device is configured process the video content transmitted by said first host;

a combined capacity of all virtual glass storage units is substantially less than a combined video content capacity of all said at least one host storage units; and

the virtual glass is an exclusively media-driven device configured to operate without receiving communications of the gaming machine state information and the event commands; and

displaying said video content on said virtual glass.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of:

storing said video content in said at least one virtual glass storage unit.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein said at least one virtual glass storage unit comprises flash RAM.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein said at least one virtual glass storage unit comprises dynamic RAM.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein said virtual glass is incorporated into a network comprising at least one of an additional host and an additional virtual glass.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein a communication protocol stored on said virtual glass allows the virtual glass to be identified by the master gaming controller of said gaming machine as a device authorized to connect to said master gaming controller.