Multigame gaming machine with transmissive display

• US 8,231,464 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gelber, Philip B., Joshi, Shridhar P., Pacey, Larry J., Rasmussen, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pandya, Sunit
• Application Number:
  US12/086,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20090117977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,057 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463 30- 31, 463/25, 463/34, 463/43
• US Class Current: 463/31
• 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

Gaming machine is disclosed having a primary display and a secondary display mounted over the primary display. In one implementation, the primary display is a mechanical display and the secondary display is a transmissive display. This arrangement allows a wagering game to be displayed on the mechanical display alone, the mechanical display and the transmissive display together, or the transmissive display alone. As a result, players and casino operators have access to multiple wagering games on the same display area of the gaming machine. All three options need not be present on the gaming machine, however, and any two of the three will suffice. It is important, however, that the wagering game displayed on the transmissive display be separate and distinct from the wagering game displayed on the mechanical display.

Claims

1. A gaming system configured to conduct gaming operations while modifying a wagering game by updating, downloading, and replacing game content, the system comprising:

a gaming machine including a mechanical display device and a transmissive display device, the mechanical display device being operable to display first game images during play of a first wagering game, the transmissive display device being operable to display second game images during play of a second wagering game displayed in front of and independently of the first wagering game, the transmissive display device being positioned in a player'"'"'s line of sight between the player and the mechanical display device, the transmissive display device being distinct and spatially separated from the mechanical display device, the transmissive display device being further operable to display at least one overlying third game image during play of a third wagering game, wherein the at least one overlying third game image enhances one or more underlying third game images displayed by the mechanical display device during play of the third wagering game;

one or more processors;

one or more game content memory storage locations;

at least one memory device storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to operate with the mechanical and transmissive display devices to;

disable a selected one or two of the first, second, and third wagering games;

while the selected one or two games are disabled, conduct one or two still-enabled, unselected wagering games by displaying one or two of the first, second, and third game images on the corresponding display devices;

receive, from the one or more game content memory storage locations, game content for modifying the selected one or two games;

modify the selected one or two games in accordance with the received game content; and

after modifying the selected one or two games, enable the selected one or two games for play on one or both of the display devices of the gaming machine.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first wagering game is displayed using the mechanical display device only, the second wagering game is displayed using the transmissive display device only, and the third wagering game is displayed on both the mechanical and transmissive display devices.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the at least one overlying third game image superimposes at least one game enhancement on the one or more underlying third game images during play of the third wagering game.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the third wagering game comprises a base game and a bonus game.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game content comprises one or two different games that replace the selected one or two games.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game content comprises updates for the selected one or two games.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors and the at least one memory device reside in the gaming machine.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the one or more game content memory locations reside on a game server on a communications network, and wherein the game content is received via downloading from the game server.

9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the downloading occurs according to one or more of the following:

as needed, a regular schedule, and an irregular schedule.

10. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the one or more game content memory locations reside in local memory of the gaming machine.

11. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the one or more game content memory locations reside in the at least one memory device.

12. The gaming system of claim 11, wherein the at least one memory device resides on a game server on a communications network.

13. A computer-implemented method of modifying a wagering game on a gaming machine including a mechanical display device and a transmissive display device while providing concurrent gaming operations, the method comprising:

receiving game content, from one or more game content memory storage locations, for modifying one or two of a first, second, and third wagering game, the first wagering game being displayed as first game images on the mechanical display device, the second wagering game being displayed, in front of and independently of the first wagering game, as second game images on the transmissive display device, wherein the transmissive display device is positioned in a player'"'"'s line of sight between the player and the mechanical display device and is distinct and spatially separated from the mechanical display device, the third wagering game being displayed as at least one overlying third game image on the transmissive display device and as one or more underlying third game images on the mechanical display device, wherein the at least one overlying third game image enhances the one or more underlying third game images during play of the third wagering game;

disabling, via one or more processors, a selected one or two of the first, second, and third wagering games;

while the selected one or two games are disabled, conducting, via the one or more processors, one or two still-enabled, unselected games by displaying one or two of the first, second and third game images on the corresponding display devices of the gaming machine;

modify, via the one or more processors, the selected one or two games in accordance with the received game content; and

after modifying the selected one or two games, enable, via the one or more processors, the selected one or two games for play on one or both of the display devices.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first wagering game is displayed using the mechanical display device only, the second wagering game is displayed using the transmissive display device only, and the third wagering game is displayed on both the mechanical and transmissive display devices.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one overlying third game image superimposes at least one game enhancement on the one or more underlying third game images during play of the third wagering game.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the third wagering game comprises a base game and a bonus game.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the game content comprises one or two different games that replace the selected one or two games.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the game content comprises updates for the selected one or two games.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more game content memory storage locations reside on a game server on a communications network, and wherein the game content is received via downloading from the game server.

20. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein the one or more game content memory locations reside in the local memory of the gaming machine.

21. A computer-readable, non-transitory medium storing instructions that, when executed by a gaming system including a gaming machine with a mechanical display device and a transmissive display device, cause the gaming system to perform a method comprising:

receiving game content, from one or more game content memory storage locations, for modifying one or two of a first, second, and third wagering game, the first wagering game being displayed as first game images on the mechanical display device, the second wagering game being displayed, in front of and independently of the first wagering game, as second game images on the transmissive display device, wherein the transmissive display device is positioned in a player'"'"'s line of sight between the player and the mechanical display device and is distinct and spatially separated from the mechanical display device, the third wagering game being displayed as at least one overlying third game image on the transmissive display device and as one or more underlying third game images on the mechanical display device, wherein the at least one overlying third game image enhances the one or more underlying third game images during play of the third wagering game;

disabling, via one or more processors, a selected one or two of the first, second, and third wagering games;

while the selected one or two games are disabled, conducting, via the one or more processors, one or two still-enabled, unselected games by displaying one or two of the first, second and third game images on the corresponding display devices of the gaming machine;

modify, via the one or more processors, the selected one or two games in accordance with the received game content; and

after modifying the selected one or two games, enable, via the one or more processors, the selected one or two games for play on one or both of the display devices.

22. The gaming system of claim 21, wherein the first wagering game is displayed using the mechanical display device only, the second wagering game is displayed using the transmissive display device only, and the third wagering game is displayed on both the mechanical and transmissive display devices.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the one or more game content memory locations reside in a game server on a communications network.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the medium resides on the game server.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein disabling the selected one or two games comprises blocking out the mechanical display device by making the transmissive display device opaque.