Video switcher and touch router system for a gaming machine

• US 8,475,273 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2009
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kelly, Bryan M., Pallon, Stephen, Brahmandam, Kiran, Crowder, Robert W. Jr., Kompella, Vijay, Allen, Jeffrey Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): STARK, JARRETT J
• Application Number:
  US12/350,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20090149254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: 463/30, 463/31, 463/33, 463/34, 463/37, 463/40, 463/16, 463/20, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/36
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games

Abstract

A Display Manager is placed between the Master Gaming Controller and its Main Game Display and any Secondary Display and between the Player Tracking Unit connected to the casino system network (e.g., player tracking device) and its System display. The Display Manager receives one or more video signals from the Master Gaming Controller and one or more video signals from the system device and displays one or multiple video signals on one or more shared displays. One of the video signals may be presented alone on one of the displays, with the other signal absent from that shared display, or multiple signals may be simultaneously displayed on one of the shared displays. The screen may be split between multiple signals, or one or more signals may overlay one or more background signals. The overlaid signals may completely obscure the background signals, or they may provide a level of transparency by allowing the background signal to be partially or completely visible. Also, the overlaid signal may provide different levels of transparency in different areas of the display, effectively superimposing an image on top of the background signal. The Display Manager receives commands from a device, directing it how to split, overlay, superimpose, and otherwise share the display among the video input signals.

Claims

1. A gaming system for presenting both gaming machine-based video signals and casino system-based video signals on a single display, the gaming system comprising:

a touch screen game display that displays video signals;

a gaming controller that generates gaming machine-based video signals;

a player tracking device that generates casino system-based video signals;

a touch router device in communication with the touch screen game display;

a display manager including a scaler chip in communication with the gaming controller, the player tracking device, and the touch screen game display, wherein the display manager receives a first video signal from the gaming controller and a second video signal from the player tracking device, and wherein the scaler chip of the display manager scales or shifts at least one of the first video signal or the second video signal to a reduced size and renders the first video signal from the gaming controller with the second video signal from the player tracking device; and

a coordinate transformation calculation device that receives coordinates from an input on the touch screen game display which correspond to a determined source and accommodates any scaling or shifting performed on at least one of the first video signal or the second video signal, wherein the coordinate transformation calculation device determines transformed coordinates corresponding to the reduced size of the rendered video signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the display manager simultaneously displays the first video signal from the gaming controller and the second video signal from the player tracking device on the touch screen game display.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the display manager scales the touch screen game display to a reduced size and renders the first video signal from the gaming controller in a shifted position on the touch screen game display, enabling the second video signal from the player tracking device to be displayed adjacent to the first video signal that has been scaled and shifted on the touch screen game display.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the display manager overlays the second video signal from the player tracking device on the first video signal from the gaming controller on the touch screen game display.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the overlaid second video signal from the player tracking device obscures at least a portion of the first video signal from the gaming controller.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the overlaid second video signal from the player tracking device includes a level of transparency enabling the first video signal from the gaming controller to be at least partially visible through the second video signal.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the display manager overlays the second video signal from the player tracking device on the first video signal from the gaming controller with different levels of transparency in different areas of the touch screen game display.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the display manager receives commands from at least one of the gaming controller and the player tracking device directing the display manager to simultaneously display the first and second video signals from the gaming controller and the player tracking device.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a secondary display in communication with the display manager, and wherein the display manager displays at least one of the first and second video signals from the gaming controller and player tracking device on the secondary display.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a game monitoring unit in communication with the gaming controller and the player tracking device.

11. A gaming system for presenting both game content-based video signals and secondary video signals on a single display, the gaming system comprising:

a touch screen game display that displays video signals;

a gaming controller generating a first video signal including game content to be viewed on the touch screen game display;

a secondary video source generating a second video signal including secondary content to be viewed on the touch screen game display;

a touch router device in communication with the touch screen game display;

a display manager including a scaler chip in communication with the gaming controller, the secondary video source, and the touch screen game display, wherein the display manager receives a first video signal from the gaming controller and a second video signal from the secondary video source, and wherein the scaler chip of the display manager scales at least one of the first video signal or the second video signal to a reduced size and renders the first video signal from the gaming controller with the second video signal from the secondary video source on the touch screen game display; and

a coordinate transformation calculation device that receives coordinates from an input on the touch screen game display which correspond to a determined source and accommodates any scaling or shifting performed on at least one of the first video signal or the second video signal, wherein the coordinate transformation calculation device determines transformed coordinates corresponding to the reduced size of the rendered video signal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the display manager simultaneously displays the first video signal from the gaming controller and the second video signal from the secondary video source on the touch screen game display.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the display manager scales the touch screen game display to a reduced size and renders the first video signal from the gaming controller in a shifted position on the touch screen game display, enabling the second video signal from the secondary video source to be displayed adjacent to the first video signal that has been scaled and shifted on the touch screen game display.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the display manager overlays the second video signal from the secondary video source on the first video signal from the gaming controller on the touch screen game display.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the overlaid second video signal from the secondary video source obscures at least a portion of the first video signal from the gaming controller.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the overlaid second video signal from the secondary video source includes a level of transparency enabling the first video signal from the gaming controller to be at least partially visible through the second video signal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the display manager overlays the second video signal from the secondary video source on the first video signal from the gaming controller with different levels of transparency in different areas of the touch screen game display.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the display manager receives commands from at least one of the gaming controller and the secondary video source directing the display manager to simultaneously display the first and second video signals from the gaming controller and the secondary video source.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising a secondary display in communication with the display manager, and wherein the display manager displays at least one of the first and second video signals from the gaming controller and secondary video source on the secondary display.

20. The system of claim 11, further comprising a game monitoring unit in communication with the gaming controller and the secondary video source.

21. A gaming system for presenting both game content based video signals and secondary video signals on a single display, the gaming system comprising:

a touch screen game display that displays video signals;

a gaming controller generating a first video signal including game content to be viewed on the touch screen game display;

a secondary video source generating a second video signal including secondary content to be viewed on the touch screen game display;

a touch router device in communication with the touch screen game display;

a display manager including a scaler chip in communication with the gaming controller, the secondary video source, and the touch screen game display, wherein the display manager receives a first video signal from the gaming controller and a second video signal from the secondary video source, wherein the scaler chip of the display manager scales at least one of the first video signal or the second video signal to a reduced size and renders the first video signal from the gaming controller with the second video signal from the secondary video source on the touch screen game display; and

a coordinate transformation calculation device that receives coordinates from an input on the touch screen game display which correspond to a determined source and accommodates any scaling or shifting performed on at least one of the first video signal or the second video signal, wherein the coordinate transformation calculation device determines transformed coordinates corresponding to the reduced size of the rendered video signal.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the display manager simultaneously displays the first video signal from the gaming controller and the second video signal from the secondary video source on the touch screen game display.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the display manager scales the touch screen game display to a reduced size and renders the first video signal from the gaming controller in a shifted position on the touch screen game display, enabling the second video signal from the secondary video source to be displayed adjacent to the first video signal that has been scaled and shifted on the touch screen game display.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the display manager overlays the second video signal from the secondary video source on the first video signal from the gaming controller on the touch screen game display.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the overlaid second video signal from the secondary video source obscures at least a portion of the first video signal from the gaming controller.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the overlaid second video signal from the secondary video source includes a level of transparency enabling the first video signal from the gaming controller to be at least partially visible through the second video signal.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the display manager overlays the second video signal from the secondary video source on the first video signal from the gaming controller with different levels of transparency in different areas of the touch screen game display.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the display manager receives commands from at least one of the gaming controller and the secondary video source directing the display manager to simultaneously display the first and second video signals from the gaming controller and the secondary video source.

29. The system of claim 21, further comprising a secondary display in communication with the display manager, and wherein the display manager displays at least one of the first and second video signals from the gaming controller and secondary video source on the secondary display.