Auto-blanking screen for devices having multi-layer displays
First Claim
1. A multi-layer display apparatus, comprising:
- a logic device adapted to transmit display signals;
at least one display controller in communication with and configured to receive at least one display signal from said logic device, said at least one display controller comprising a display signal analyzer configured to analyze the at least one display signal for one or more screen blanking criteria;
a first display screen in communication with said at least one display controller and adapted to present a first graphical display based on the at least one display signal; and
a second display screen in communication with said at least one display controller and adapted to present a second graphical display based on the at least one display signal, said second display screen being positioned behind said first display screen such that said first and second graphical displays are adapted to combine for a single visual presentation to a viewer, and wherein said at least one display controller is adapted to facilitate the presentation of a substantially transparent display on said first display screen when a first of the one or more screen blanking criteria is present with respect to the at least one display signal and to facilitate the presentation of a substantially transparent display on said second display screen when a second of the one or more screen blanking criteria is present with respect to the at least one display signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system to automatically blank a screen from a multi-layer display is disclosed. The system includes a multi-layer display, an associated logic device and a display controller in communication therewith and configured to receive signals from the logic device. The multi-layer display includes at least a first display screen and a second display screen positioned behind the first display screen, with both display screens in communication with the display controller. The display controller has a signal analyzer configured to analyze received signals, which are sent to one or both of the first and second display screens depending upon the results from the signal analyzer. Analysis results can involve whether signal resolution is greater than a predetermined amount. Signals sent to both display screens results in a multi-layer display presentation, while signals sent to only one screen results in the auto-blanking of the other screen for a single screen display presentation.
182 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A multi-layer display apparatus, comprising:
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a logic device adapted to transmit display signals; at least one display controller in communication with and configured to receive at least one display signal from said logic device, said at least one display controller comprising a display signal analyzer configured to analyze the at least one display signal for one or more screen blanking criteria; a first display screen in communication with said at least one display controller and adapted to present a first graphical display based on the at least one display signal; and a second display screen in communication with said at least one display controller and adapted to present a second graphical display based on the at least one display signal, said second display screen being positioned behind said first display screen such that said first and second graphical displays are adapted to combine for a single visual presentation to a viewer, and wherein said at least one display controller is adapted to facilitate the presentation of a substantially transparent display on said first display screen when a first of the one or more screen blanking criteria is present with respect to the at least one display signal and to facilitate the presentation of a substantially transparent display on said second display screen when a second of the one or more screen blanking criteria is present with respect to the at least one display signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of making a visual presentation to a viewer of a multi-layer display device, said method comprising:
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selecting a first display screen and a second display screen, wherein each of the first and second display screens are adapted to present a separate graphical display to a viewer; positioning the second display screen behind the first display screen such that the separate graphical displays are adapted to combine for a single visual presentation to the viewer; receiving at least one display signal at a display controller, wherein the display controller is electrically coupled to the first and second display screens; analyzing the at least one display signal for one or more screen blanking criteria at the display controller; when a first of the one or more screen blanking criteria is present with respect to the at least one display signal, presenting a first display based on the at least a portion of the at least one display signal at the first display screen and displaying a substantially transparent display on the second display screen; and when a second of the one or more screen blanking criteria is present with respect to the at least one display signal, presenting a second display based on the at least a portion of the at least one display signal at the second display screen and displaying a substantially transparent display on the first display screen. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus to automatically blank one display screen within a multi-layer display device, said apparatus comprising:
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means for receiving at least one display signal; means for analyzing the at least one display signal for one or more screen blanking criteria; means for transmitting at least a portion of the at least one display signal to one of a first display screen and a second display screen within the multi-layer display device, wherein the first and second display screens are positioned front-to-back such that respective first and second graphical displays of the first and second display screens are adapted to combine for a single visual presentation to a viewer; and means for automatically displaying a substantially transparent display on one of the first display screen and the second display screen of the multi-layer display device, such that when a first of the one or more screen blanking criteria has been analyzed to be present with respect to the at least one display signal, the first display screen displays the substantially transparent display and the second display screen displays the second graphical display, and when a second of the one or more screen blanking criteria is present with respect to the at least one display signal, the second display screen displays the substantially transparent display and the first display screen displays the first graphical display. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A gaming machine adapted to accept a wager, administer a game based on the wager, and award a monetary prize based upon the outcome of the game, said gaming machine comprising:
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a cabinet defining an interior region of said gaming machine, said cabinet adapted to house a plurality of gaming machine components within said interior region; a first display device, disposed within said interior region, configured to output a visual image in response to a control signal; a second display device, arranged relative to said first display device such that a common line of sight passes through a portion of said first display device to a portion of said second display device; at least one logic device configured to execute instructions to transmit display signals adapted to for display on each of said first display device and said second display device; and at least one display controller in communication with said at least one logic device, said first display device, and said second display device and configured to transmit the display signals from said at least one logic device to said first display device and said second display device, said at least one display controller comprising a signal analyzer configured to analyze the display signals for one or more screen blanking criteria, and wherein said at least one display controller is adapted to facilitate the presentation of a substantially transparent display on said first display device when a first of the one or more screen blanking criteria is present with respect to the display signals and to facilitate the presentation of a substantially transparent display on said second display device when a second of the one or more screen blanking criteria is present with respect to the display signals. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A gaming system adapted to accept wagers, administer games based on the wagers, and award monetary prizes based upon the outcomes of the games, said gaming system comprising:
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a plurality of processor-based gaming machines, each processor-based gaming machine having a cabinet defining an interior region, a first display device disposed within said interior region and configured to output a visual image in response to a control signal, a second display device arranged relative to said first display device such that a common line of sight passes through a portion of said first display device to a portion of said second display device, a logic device configured to execute instructions to transmit display signals adapted for display on each of said first and second display devices, and a display controller in communication with said logic device, said first display device, and said second display device and configured to transmit the display signals from said logic device to said first display device and said second display device; a remote host in communication with each of said plurality of processor-based gaming machines, said remote host being adapted to provide one or more of the display signals to each of said plurality of processor-based gaming machines; and at least one display signal analyzer configured to analyze the display signals for one or more screen blanking criteria, said at least one display signal analyzer adapted to communicate the presence of the one or more screen blanking criteria to said plurality of processor-based gaming machines, and wherein said display controller of each of said processor-based gaming machines is adapted to facilitate the presentation of a substantially transparent display on said first display device of its respective gaming machine when a first of the one or more screen blanking criteria is present with respect to the display signals being transmitted to its respective gaming machine and to facilitate the presentation of a substantially transparent display on said second display device of its respective gaming machine when a second of the one or more screen blanking criteria is present with respect to the display signals being transmitted to its respective gaming machine. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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Specification