Multiple wagering game displays from single input

• US 8,425,318 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2009
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Canterbury, Stephen A., Loose, Timothy C., Mercado, Victor, Rasmussen, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOSSER, ROBERT E
• Application Number:
  US12/543,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20100048288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463 31- 34, 345/2.2, 345/4, 345/619, 345/626
• US Class Current: 463/33
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means

Abstract

A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In embodiments, the operations can determine different objects and/or portions within a wagering game video image and split the wagering game video image into multiple video streams containing different parts of the wagering game video image. The operations can then present the multiple video streams on multiple displays. The multiple displays can show the different parts of the wagering game video image appearing as separate and distinct video images. In some embodiments, some of the multiple displays can be placed in front of other displays. The operations can generate transparent masks that allow images to be seen through a display.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a first data stream containing a wagering game video image;

determining a first portion of the wagering game video image;

determining a mask image in a correlated location to the first portion on the wagering game video image;

splitting the first data stream into

a second data stream containing video data for the first portion, and

a third data stream containing

video data for the mask image, and

video data for a second portion of the wagering game video image,

wherein the second portion is different from the first portion;

presenting, on a first display, the first portion; and

presenting, on a second display,

the mask image on the correlated location to the first portion on the first display, and

the second portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second data stream includes data only for the first portion and the third data stream includes data only for the mask image and the second portion.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second display is positioned in front of the first display and wherein the mask image is a transparent mask that, when presented on the second display, is aligned with the first portion on the first display along a viewing axis so that the first portion can be seen through the transparent mask.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein presentation of the first portion on the first display includes presentation of at least one dynamically changing pixel for the first portion at a first location of the first display, which dynamically changing pixel changes appearance according to movement displayed for the first portion of the wagering game video image, and wherein presentation of the mask image on the second display includes presentation of at least one static pixel at a second location on the second display that corresponds to the first location of the first display for the dynamically changing pixel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mask image is one or more of a buffered image, an opaque image, and a transparent image.

6. One or more tangible machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors causes the set of one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first video stream of a wagering game video image, wherein the wagering game video image includes one or more first video images at one or more first locations and one or more second video images at one or more second locations;

generating from the first video stream

a second video stream including the one or more first video images, and

a third video stream including

the one or more second video images at the one or more second locations, and

one or more transparent portions that correlate to the one or more first locations for the one or more first video images;

providing the second video stream to a first display;

for presentation of the one or more first video images on the first display, wherein the first display is behind a second display;

providing the third video stream to the second display;

for presentation of the one or more second video images and the one or more transparent portions on the second display, wherein presentation of the one or more transparent portions align with presentation of the one or more first video images presented via the first display to be viewable through the second display.

7. The one or more tangible machine-readable storage media of claim 6, wherein the one or more first video images include images that present wagering game results and wherein the one or more second video images include thematic and branding graphics.

8. The one or more tangible machine-readable storage media of claim 6, said operations further comprising:

determining the one or more first locations of the one or more first video images within the wagering game video image;

including within the second video stream the one or more first video images according to the one or more first locations;

determining the one or more second locations of the one or more second video images within the wagering game video image;

including within the third video stream the one or more second video images according to the one or more second locations; and

including within the third video stream the one or more transparent portions according to the one or more first locations.

9. The one or more tangible machine-readable storage media of claim 6, wherein the operations for generating the second video stream comprises:

determining first coordinates for the one or more first video images on the wagering game video image; and

replacing data at second coordinates of the third video stream with transparent display data, wherein the second coordinates correspond to the first coordinates.

10. The one or more tangible machine-readable storage media of claim 6, said operations further comprising presenting an overlay image on the second display that appears contiguously over the one or more first video images and the one or more second video images.

11. The one or more tangible machine-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein said operation for presenting the overlay image includes operations further comprising:

buffering a static image of the one or more first video images;

presenting the static image of the one or more first video images on the second display in place of the one or more transparent portions; and

presenting a pay line on the second display so that the pay line covers at least some portion of the one or more second video images and at least some portion of the static image of the one or more first video images.

12. A system, comprising:

a wagering game processor configured to generate a first video data stream containing a wagering game video image;

a first display and second display configured to display portions of the wagering game video image; and

a video controller configured to

receive the first video data stream,

split the first video data stream into

a second video data stream containing data for a first portion of the wagering game video image, and

a third video data stream containing data for a second portion of the wagering game video image,

generate a mask image,

include the mask image in the third video data stream at one or more locations that correspond to the first portion of the wagering game video image,

present, on the first display, the first portion of the wagering game video image,

present, on the second display, the mask image on a correlated location to the first portion on the first display, and

present, on the second display, the second portion of the wagering game video image.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second display is positioned in front of the first display and aligned so that the first portion of the wagering game video image, as presented on the first display, appears aligned with the mask image along a viewing axis.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first portion of the wagering game video image includes at least one dynamically changing pixel that changes appearance according to movement of content within the first portion of the wagering game video image, and wherein the mask image includes at least one static pixel that corresponds to the same location as the at least one dynamically changing pixel.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the video controller is further configured to

store first pixel coordinates and first visual characteristics for one or more wagering game play objects from the first portion of the wagering game video image in the second video stream,

store second pixel coordinates and second visual characteristics for one or more animated objects from the wagering game video image in the third video stream,

present the one or more wagering game play objects only on the first display according to the first pixel coordinates, and

present the one or more animated objects only on the second display according to the second pixel coordinates.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the mask image is one or more of a buffered image, an opaque colored image, and a transparent image.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the first display includes a projector configured to project the first portion of the wagering game video image on one or more projector screens.

18. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a mask coordinates store configured to store coordinates for where the first portion of the wagering game video image is located within the wagering game video image.

19. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

an account server configured to provide player account information to display on one or more of the first display and the second display; and

a wagering game server configured to provide wagering game content, wherein the wagering game processor is configured to generate the wagering game video image from the wagering game content.

20. A wagering game machine, comprising:

a wagering game processor configured to generate a first video stream including a wagering game video image of wagering game content; and

a video controller configured to

split the first video stream into a plurality of output video streams, and

determine to which of the plurality of output video streams to send input pixels from the first video stream via use of a mask template as a reference, being configured to

select one of the input pixels from the first video stream, wherein the first video stream has a given video resolution,

compare the one of the input pixels to a corresponding template pixel from the mask template, wherein the mask template has a same video resolution as the first video stream and the template pixel is in a same location on the mask template as the one of the input pixels is on the wagering game video image according to the video resolution,

determine a value associated with the template pixel, wherein the value indicates an assignment to one of the plurality of output video streams, wherein the plurality of output video streams have the same video resolution as the first video stream, and

send the one of the input pixels to the one of the plurality of output video streams indicated by the value.

21. The wagering game machine of claim 20, wherein the video controller is further configured to

send a static pixel image to all others of the plurality of output video streams which did not receive the input pixel;

send the input pixel to a rear display that is overlapping and aligned behind a front display, wherein the rear display is configured to display the input pixel as a live video pixel image on the rear display, and

send the static pixel image to the front display, wherein the front display is see-through in a portion in front of the live video pixel image, and wherein the static pixel image is transparent so that the live video pixel image can be seen through the portion of the front display.

22. The wagering game machine of claim 21, wherein the wagering game processor is further configured to provide a display mode for the wagering game machine that temporarily sends the input pixel to the front display in place of the static pixel image.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a first video stream of a wagering game image, wherein the first video stream has a given video resolution and pixel change rate;

means for reading a mask template file that indicates a plurality of portions of the wagering game image, wherein the mask template file is the same video resolution as the first video stream so that individual pixels in the first video stream correlate to individual mask template pixels in the mask template file;

means for generating a second video stream using a mask template file as a reference, said second video stream including video of a first portion of the wagering game image, wherein the second video stream has the same video resolution and the same pixel change rate as the first video stream; and

means for generating a third video stream using the mask template file as a reference, wherein the third video stream includes

a second portion of the wagering game image wherein the third video stream has the same video resolution and the same pixel change rate as the first video stream, and

one or more transparent masks that correlate to the location of the first portion of the wagering game image.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

means for presenting the first portion of the wagering game image on a first display, wherein the first display is behind a second display, and wherein the second display has see-through portions so that the first portion of the wagering game image is viewable through the second display; and

means for presenting the second portion of the wagering game image and the one or more transparent masks in the third video stream on the second display so that the one or more transparent masks align with the first portion of the wagering game image on the first display along a viewing axis so that the first portion of the wagering game image is viewable through the second display.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

means for comparing the wagering game image to the mask template;

means for determining that a location of a first pixel within the first portion of the wagering game image is associated with a location of a first mask template pixel within the mask template file based on the means for comparing the wagering game image to the mask template;

means for determining that the first mask template pixel assigned to a first value assigned to the second video stream;

means for sending the first pixel to the second video stream based on the means for determining that the first mask template pixel is assigned to the first value assigned to the second video stream;

means for determining that a location of a second pixel within the second portion of the wagering game image is associated with a location of a second mask template pixel within the mask template file based on the means for comparing the wagering game image to the mask template;

means for determining that the second mask template pixel assigned to a second value assigned to the third video stream, wherein the second value is different from the first value; and

means for sending the second pixel to the third video stream based on the means for determining that the second mask template pixel is assigned to the second value assigned to the third video stream.