Wagering game machine with three-dimensional wagering game effects

• US 8,182,339 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2007
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Anderson, Peter R., Ansari, Marwan, Hornik, Jeremy, Jaffe, Joel R., Sylla, Craig J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickey, Thomas L
• Application Number:
  US12/514,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20100029361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 463 30- 33
• US Class Current: 463/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication

Abstract

Systems and methods provide three-dimensional transformations on graphical images. The transformations may vary in accordance with various wagering game functions.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system, the gaming system including one or more display devices, one or more processors, and at least one memory device, the method comprising:

executing, via the one or more processors, instructions stored on the at least one memory device that cause the gaming system to initiate the wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered, the wagering game defining a plurality of three-dimensional graphical objects;

rendering, in real time via the one or more processors, the plurality of three-dimensional graphical objects to produce a first image;

displaying the first image on the one or more display devices;

postprocessing the first image, in real time via the one or more processors, to provide a graphical effect for a wagering game function of the wagering game, the postprocessing including inserting a live video image into the first image by projecting the live video image onto a surface of at least one of the three-dimensional graphical objects of the plurality to produce a final image; and

displaying the final image on the one or more display devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wagering game function includes a transition.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the transition comprises one or more of a transition to a bonus game, a transition to a game episode, a transition from a game selection menu to the wagering game, a transition to a second wagering game, a transition to attract mode, a transition to a help screen, a transition to a payline description, a transition to a tutorial or a transition to game play instructions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein postprocessing the first image further includes applying one or more transformations, the one or more transformations including a ripple transformation, funhouse mirror transformation, posterization, dissolve, rotation, scaling, color space conversion, iris transformation or FFT.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wagering game function includes pick detection and wherein the postprocessing further includes applying an edge detection transformation within a pick region.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wagering game function includes revealing a graphical object of the plurality of three-dimensional graphical objects.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein postprocessing the first image further includes one or more of applying a flashlight transformation to reveal the graphical object, removing a shading from the graphical object, applying a particle transformation to a cloth object covering the graphical object, or removing a picture in a picture over the graphical object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein postprocessing the first image further includes removing the cloth object from the graphical object to reveal the graphical object.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein postprocessing the first image further includes causing a tear to appear in the cloth object over the graphical object.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the postprocessing further includes performing a background subtraction to inserting the live video image onto bits defining a texture updated with frames of a second video image to produce the final image.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the postprocessing further includes performing a background subtraction to insert the live video image.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the postprocessing further includes defining a texture using a frame of the live video image and mapping the texture to the at least one three-dimensional a graphical object of the plurality of graphical objects.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the wagering game function includes displaying a first symbol and a second symbol, and wherein the postprocessing further includes applying a transformation to the first symbol to produce the second symbol.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the transformation is one or more of a scaling, rotation, mirror, or color space transformation.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the postprocessing uses non-graphical data to drive a transformation of the first image to the final image.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein music playing on the game system drives a ripple transformation of the first image to the final image.

17. A gaming system configured to conduct a wagering game, the gaming system comprising:

one or more display devices;

one or more processors and

at least one memory device storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to;

present a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered, wherein the wagering game defines a plurality of three-dimensional graphical objects stored in the at least one memory device;

render, in real time, the plurality of three-dimensional graphical objects to produce a first image;

display the first image on the one or more display devices;

postprocess the first image, in real time, to provide a graphical effect for a wagering game function of the wagering game, the postprocessing including inserting a live video image into the first image by projecting the live video image onto a surface of at least one of the three-dimensional graphical objects of the plurality to produce a final image; and

display the final image on the one or more display devices.

18. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the wagering game function includes a transition.

19. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the transition comprises one or more of a transition to a bonus game, a transition to an game episode, a transition from a game selection menu to the wagering game, a transition to a second wagering game, a transition to attract mode, a transition to a help screen, a transition to a payline description, a transition to a tutorial or a transition to game play instructions.

20. The gaming system of claim 18, wherein the graphical effect includes one or more of a ripple transformation, funhouse mirror transformation, posterization, dissolve, rotation, scaling, color space conversion, iris transformation or FFT.

21. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the wagering game function includes pick detection and wherein the postprocessing applies an edge detection transformation within a pick region.

22. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the wagering game function reveals a graphical object of the plurality of three-dimensional graphical objects.

23. The gaming system of claim 22, wherein the postprocessing further includes one or more of applying a flashlight transformation to reveal the graphical object, removing a shading from the graphical object, applying a particle transformation to a cloth object covering the graphical object, or removing a picture in a picture over the graphical object.

24. The gaming system of claim 23, wherein the postprocessing further includes removing the cloth object from the graphical object to reveal the graphical object.

25. The gaming system of claim 23, wherein the postprocessing further includes causing a tear to appear in the cloth object over the graphical object.

26. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein postprocessing the first image further includes performing a background subtraction to inserts the live video image onto bits defining a texture updated with frames of a second video image to produce the final image.

27. The gaming system of claim 26, wherein postprocessing the first image includes performing a background subtraction to insert the live video image.

28. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the wagering-game function displays a first symbol and a second symbol, and wherein the gaming system further postprocesses the first image by applying a transformation to the first symbol to produce the second symbol.

29. The gaming system of claim 28, wherein the transformation includes one or more of a scaling, rotation, mirror, or color space transformation.

30. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the postprocessing further includes defining a texture using a frame of the live video image and mapping the texture to a graphical object of the plurality of graphical objects.

31. A computer-readable, non-transitory medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, causing a gaming system to perform a method comprising:

executing, via the one or more processors, a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered, the wagering game defining a plurality of three-dimensional graphical objects;

rendering, in real time via the one or more processors, the plurality of three-dimensional graphical objects to produce a first image;

displaying the first image on one or more display devices of the gaming system;

postprocessing the first image, in real time via the one or more processors, to provide a graphical effect for a wagering game function, the postprocessing including inserting a live video image into the first image by projecting the live video image onto a surface of at least one of the three-dimensional graphical objects of the plurality to produce a final image; and

displaying the final image on the one or more display devices.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the postprocessing further includes defining a texture using a frame of the live video image and mapping the texture to a graphical object of the plurality of graphical objects.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the postprocessing further includes performing a background subtraction to insert the live video image.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the postprocessing further includes performing a background subtraction to insert the live video image onto bits defining a texture updated with frames of a second video image to produce the final image.