Gaming machine having display with sensory feedback

• US 8,500,534 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2007
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Rasmussen, James M., Thomas, Alfred, Rigsby, Gene, Burak, Gilbert J. Q.
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORIMIRO, ADETOKUNBO OLUSEGUN
• Application Number:
  US11/983,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20080132313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,099 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/25, 463/30, 463/36, 463/37, 463/38
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable

Abstract

A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming machine includes the steps of displaying a selectable game element on a display and associating each potential outcome associated with the selectable game element with a predetermined haptic output selected from a plurality of predetermined haptic device outputs. The method also includes the steps of selecting the selectable game element to reveal an outcome associated therewith and causing a haptic device to output the predetermined haptic output corresponding to the outcome of the selectable game element.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a wagering game on a wagering game machine, comprising the steps of:

displaying, on a display device of the wagering game machine, a plurality of selectable haptic outputs available for assignment to a visual game element selected from a predetermined set of visual game elements from which a random selection is performed in association with a wagering game to randomly determine a wagering game outcome;

receiving an association of the visual game element with one player-selected haptic output selectable from a plurality of haptic device outputs;

storing the association of the visual game element with said one player-selected haptic output in a physical memory device operatively associated with the wagering game machine;

using a controller operatively associated with the wagering game machine, retrieving the association of the visual game element with one player-selected haptic output from the physical memory device in connection with the conducting of the wagering game on the wagering game machine; and

using the controller operatively associated with the wagering game machine, causing a haptic device to output the selected haptic output responsive to a corresponding display of a randomly determined wagering game outcome comprising the visual game element.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the haptic device is haptic display.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the visual game element must comprises a part of or an entirety of a winning outcome, as defined in a paytable associated with the wagering game, as a precondition for causing the haptic device to output the selected haptic output responsive to a corresponding visual game element.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the visual game element associated with the one player-selected haptic output is selectable from a plurality of haptic device outputs consists of a single game symbol utilized in the wagering game.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the visual game element associated with the one player-selected haptic output selectable from a plurality of haptic device outputs comprises a plurality of game symbols utilized in the wagering game.

6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an association of a plurality of interlocked visual game elements with one player-selected haptic output selectable from a plurality of haptic device outputs;

storing the association of the plurality of interlocked visual game elements in a physical memory device operatively associated with the wagering game machine;

conditionally activating the haptic device to output the selected haptic output responsive to a display of the plurality of interlocked visual game elements on the wagering game machine display.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

displaying on a display of the wagering game machine a plurality of user-selectable game elements comprising at least a first user-selectable visual game element and a second user-selectable visual game element; and

conditionally activating the haptic device, during subsequent wagering game play in a gaming session on the wagering game machine, in response to a user'"'"'s concurrent selection of the first and second user-selectable visual game elements.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the haptic device is a haptic pushbutton and wherein the haptic pushbutton lacks a Z-axis actuator.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the haptic pushbutton comprises a floating lens.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an association of a second visual game element with a second player-selected haptic output selectable from a plurality of haptic device outputs;

storing the association of the second visual game element with the second player-selected haptic output in a physical memory device operatively associated with the wagering game machine;

using a controller operatively associated with the wagering game machine, retrieving the association of the second visual game element with second player-selected haptic output from the physical memory device in connection with the conducting of the wagering game on the wagering game machine; and

using the controller operatively associated with the wagering game machine, causing a haptic device to output the second selected haptic output responsive to a corresponding display of a randomly determined wagering game outcome comprising the second visual game element.

11. A gaming machine for conducting a wagering game, comprising:

a display device;

a haptic device connected to a gaming machine input device configured to receive a player input; and

a controller coupled to the display device and the haptic device configured, upon execution of associated instructions, to

display on the display device a visual game element;

display on the display device, or on another display device, a plurality of selectable haptic outputs available for assignment to the visual game element;

receive an association of the selectable game element with one player-selected haptic output selectable from a plurality of haptic device outputs;

store the association in a physical memory device operatively associated with the wagering game machine;

use a controller operatively associated with the wagering game machine to retrieve the association of the visual game element with one player-selected haptic output from the physical memory device in connection with the conduct of the wagering game on the wagering game machine; and

cause a haptic device to output the player-selected haptic output responsive to a corresponding display of a randomly determined wagering game outcome comprising the visual game element.

12. The gaming machine according to claim 11, wherein the haptic device comprises a display-integrated haptic device disposed adjacent a display surface of the display device.

13. The gaming machine according to claim 11, wherein the visual game element must comprises a part of or an entirety of a winning outcome, as defined in a paytable associated with the wagering game, as a precondition for causing the haptic device to output the selected haptic output responsive to a corresponding visual game element.

14. The gaming machine according to claim 11, wherein wherein the visual game element associated with the one player-selected haptic output is selectable from a plurality of haptic device outputs comprises a game symbol utilized in the wagering game.

15. The gaming machine according to claim 14, wherein the haptic device is a haptic pushbutton and wherein the haptic pushbutton lacks a Z-axis actuator.

16. A gaming machine according to claim 11, further comprising:

a plurality of haptic devices, at least one haptic device being connected to a gaming machine user input device; and

a controller coupled to the at least one haptic device being connected to a gaming machine user input device, the controller being configured to activate the at least one haptic device in response to a user input using the user input device.

17. A gaming machine according to claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured, upon execution of associated instructions, to execute acts comprising:

receiving an association of a plurality of interlocked visual game elements with one player-selected haptic output selectable from a plurality of haptic device outputs;

storing the association of the plurality of interlocked visual game elements in a physical memory device operatively associated with the wagering game machine;

conditionally activating the haptic device to output the selected haptic output responsive to a display of the plurality of interlocked visual game elements on the wagering game machine display.

18. A gaming machine according to claim 11, wherein the haptic device comprises a haptic button.

19. A gaming machine according to claim 11, further comprising a plurality of haptic devices.

20. A wagering game system comprising a wagering game machine and a wagering game comprising an instruction set stored in a physical memory configured, upon processing by a processor of the wagering game system, to perform steps comprising:

associating a predetermined visual game element of the wagering game with one of a plurality of output signals to a haptic device of the wagering game machine;

randomly determining a wagering game outcome, using the processor;

displaying, on a display of the wagering game machine, a set of visual game elements corresponding to the randomly determined wagering game outcome;

outputting an output signal to the haptic device corresponding to an occurrence of said predetermined visual game element in the displayed wagering game outcome; and

activating the haptic device of the wagering game machine in response to the output signal corresponding to said predetermined visual game element to cause a corresponding predetermined physical output from the haptic device,

wherein the output signal to the haptic device is player-selectable from amongst said plurality of output signals.

21. A gaming machine for conducting a wagering game, comprising:

a display device;

at least one haptic device connected to a gaming machine input device configured to receive a player input; and

a controller coupled to the display device and the haptic device configured, upon execution of associated instructions, to

receive a wager to play a wagering game on the gaming machine;

receive a player input via a player input device,

randomly determine a wagering game outcome;

display on the display device the randomly determined wagering game outcome; and

synchronously output to the at least one haptic device a haptic output corresponding directly to the display of the randomly determined outcome,

wherein a different haptic output is associated with each of a plurality of different randomly determined outcomes that are each associated with a winning outcome of the wagering game and result in an award as defined in a paytable for the wagering game.