Gaming machine and display device with fail-tolerant image displaying

• US 8,096,867 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Okada, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bumgarner, Melba
• Assistant Examiner(s): PINHEIRO, JASON PAUL
• Application Number:
  US10/697,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20040209683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,000 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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

A slot machine 10 is provided with a display device 30 for displaying an image and display control means for causing the display device 30 to display an image relating to a game. The slot machine 10 is further provided with a subsidiary control board 74 having the display control means packaged therein, and a scale board 76 having control means packaged therein for accepting image signals fed from the display control means, to convert the image signals into enlarged image signals having a larger display size than that displayed by the image signals, thereby to feed the enlarged image signals to the display device 30.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a display device with a variable display adjacent a transmissive display, the variable display being operable to display one or more reels each having symbols associated with an outcome of a wagering game, and at least some portions of the transmissive display being operable to transition between a transparent condition and a non-transparent condition;

a display control device configured to control the display device to display an image relating to a game;

an image control device having the display control device;

an image state keeping device configured to;

monitor a signal of an image fed from the display control device,

detect whether the signal is in a normal state thereby rendering the image as a normal image or an abnormal state thereby rendering the image as an abnormal image being different from the normal image, and

control the display device such that when the image state keeping device detects that the signal is in the abnormal state, the display device is controlled to display the image as the normal image;

a power source feeding device; and

a power source relay device configured to relay power fed from the power source feeding device so as to independently supply the power to the image control device, the image state keeping device, and the display device,

wherein, if the power source relay device fails to feed the relayed power to the display device while the power source feeding device remains operative, the power source relay device is operative to feed the relayed power to the image control device and the image state keeping device, and the image control device commands the transmissive display to transition the portions to the transparent condition such that the outcome of the wagering game is visible through the portions of the transmissive display.

2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the one or more reels include a rotatable reel having a plurality of the symbols drawn on an outer periphery thereof, and wherein the transmissive display is disposed in the front of the rotatable reel.

3. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the image state keeping device further includes an image enlarging conversion device configured to convert the received signal of the image into a signal of an enlarged image.

4. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the transmissive display is configured to display an image of relatively high transparency when the image state keeping device detects abnormality of the signal of the image, wherein the relative high transparency of the image is sufficient to enable a player to see through the image and view at least one of the symbols on the one or more reels.

5. The gaming machine according to claim 4, wherein the display control device has a function to display a colored image on the display device so that a player sees the colored image in lieu of the plurality of symbols drawn on the periphery of the reel.

6. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the image control device and the image state keeping device are connected to an upper portion of the inside of the gaming machine, the upper portion being vertically spaced from a lower portion of the gaming machine to which is attached the display device.

7. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the power source feeding device and the power source relay device are located inside the lower portion of the gaming machine.

8. A display device apparatus for a gaming machine with one or more reels each having symbols associated with an outcome of a wagering game, the display device apparatus comprising:

a transmissive display device adjacent the one or more reels, at least some portions of the transmissive display device being operable to transition between a transparent condition and a non-transparent condition;

a display control device configured to control the transmissive display device to display an image relating to a game;

an image control device having the display control device;

an image state keeping device configured to;

monitor a signal of an image fed from the display control device,

detect whether the signal is in a normal state thereby rendering the image as a normal image or an abnormal state thereby rendering the image as an abnormal image being different from the normal image, and

control the transmissive display device such that when the image state keeping device detects that the signal is in the abnormal state, the transmissive display device is controlled to display the image as the normal image;

a power source feeding device; and

a power source relay device configured to relay power fed from the power source feeding device to supply the power to the transmissive display device, the image state keeping device, and the image control device;

wherein, if the power source relay device fails to feed the relayed power to the display device while the power source feeding device remains operative, the power source relay device is operative to feed the relayed power to the image control device and the image state keeping device, and the portions of the transmissive display device transition to the transparent condition such that the outcome of the wagering game is visible through the portions of the transmissive display device.

9. The display device apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the one or more reels include a rotatable reel having a plurality of the symbols drawn on an outer periphery thereof, the transmissive display being disposed in front of the rotatable reel; and

the transmissive display is configured to display an image of relatively high transparency on the display device when the image state keeping device detects abnormality of the signal of the image, the relative high transparency of the image being sufficient to enable a player to see through the image and view at least one of the plurality of symbols on a front-most portion of the reel.

10. A display device apparatus for a gaming system with one or more reels each having symbols associated with an outcome of a wagering game, the display device apparatus comprising:

a transmissive display device adjacent the one or more reels, portions of the transmissive display device being operable to transition between a transparent condition and a non-transparent condition;

a display control device configured to control the transmissive display device to display an image relating to a game;

an image control device having the display control device;

an image state keeping device configured to;

monitor a signal of an image fed from the display control device,

detect whether the signal is in a normal state thereby rendering the image as a normal image or an abnormal state thereby rendering the image as an abnormal image being different from the normal image, and

control the transmissive display device such that when the image state keeping device detects that the signal is in the abnormal state, the transmissive display device is controlled to display the image as the normal image; and

a power source feeding device configured to feed power to the transmissive display device, the image state keeping device, and the image control device independently from each other,

wherein, if the power source feeding device fails to feed power to the display device while the power source feeding device remains operative, the power source feeding device is operative to feed power to the image control device and the image state keeping device, and the portions of the transmissive display device transition to the transparent condition such that the outcome of the wagering game is visible through the portions of the transmissive display device.