Gaming machine having a curved display with a video switcher and touch router system

• US 8,550,913 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2012
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kelly, Bryan M., Patton, Stephen, Brahmandam, Kiran, Crowder, Robert W. Jr., Kompella, Vijay, Allen, Jeffrey Lee, Vallejo, John R., Bernard, Vernon H. II, Wudtke, Karl E., Anderson, Frank R., McAllister, Lawrence C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickey, Thomas L
• Application Number:
  US13/470,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20120220360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 312/7.2, 463/20, 463/30, 463/31, 463/34, 463/46
• US Class Current: 463/34
• 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 machines projecting video images onto a curved display are disclosed herein. A display manager receives one or more video signals from a controller and one or more video signals from the system device and displays one or multiple video signals on the curved display. The display manager sends the multiple video signals to a projector which projects the multiple video signals on the curved display. The curved display 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. The display manager the video signals regarding how to split, overlay, superimpose, and otherwise share the display among the video input signals.

Claims

1. A gaming system for presenting both game content-based video signals and secondary video signals in a single presentation, the gaming system comprising:

a touch screen display that displays video signals;

a curved display system including a curved transparent material and a projector for projecting video images onto the curved transparent material;

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

a secondary video source generating a second video signal including secondary content to be viewed on the curved display system;

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

a display manager configured to scale 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;

wherein the touch screen display receives an input that corresponds to coordinates and calculates a coordinate transformation on the coordinates that correspond to a determined source to accommodate any scaling performed on at least one of the first video signal or the second video signal, resulting in transformed coordinates.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the curved transparent material of the curved display system having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a radius of curvature similar to a mechanical reel, the curved transparent material further having a glossy finish on the outer surface of the curved transparent material to provide a reflective surface.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary video source is a player tracking device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the display manager receives commands from at least one of the master 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.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a liquid crystal display having an opening, wherein the curved transparent material extends through the opening of the liquid crystal display.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a lens positioned in front of the projector, wherein the lens is a short-throw lens or an anamorphic lens.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the projector projects video images of one or more reels onto the curved transparent material.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the display manager simultaneously displays the first video signal from the master gaming controller and the second video signal from the secondary video source on the curved transparent material using the projector.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the display manager scales the first and second video signals to a desired size that conforms to the size and shape of the curved transparent material and renders the first video signal from the master gaming controller adjacent to the second video signal from the secondary video source in a split screen format.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the display manager overlays the second video signal from the secondary video source on the first video signal from the master gaming controller on the curved display system.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the overlaid second video signal from the secondary video source obscures at least a portion of the first video signal from the master gaming controller.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the overlaid second video signal from the secondary video source includes a level of transparency enabling the first video signal from the master gaming controller to be at least partially visible through the second video signal.

13. 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 master gaming controller with different levels of transparency in different areas of the curved display system.

14. A gaming system for presenting primary video signals and secondary video signals in a single presentation, the gaming system comprising:

a touch screen display that displays video signals;

a curved display system including a curved transparent material, a projector for projecting video images onto the curved transparent material, and a lens positioned between the projector and the curved transparent material;

a primary video source generating a first video signal to be viewed on the curved display system;

a secondary video source generating a second video signal including secondary content to be viewed on the curved display system;

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

a display manager configured to scale at least one of the first video signal or the second video signal to a modified size and render the first video signal with the second video signal;

wherein the touch screen display receives an input that corresponds to coordinates and calculates a coordinate transformation on the coordinates that correspond to a determined source to accommodate any scaling performed on at least one of the first video signal or the second video signal, resulting in transformed coordinates.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the curved display system further includes a first mirror positioned in the front of the display system and a second mirror positioned adjacent to the curved transparent material, wherein the video images from the projector are reflected off the first and second mirrors onto the curved transparent material.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the display manager scales the first and second video signals to a desired size that conforms to the size and shape of the curved transparent material and renders the first video signal from the master gaming controller adjacent to the second video signal from the secondary video source in a split screen format.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the display manager overlays the second video signal from the player tracking device on the first video signal from the master gaming controller on the curved display system.

18. A gaming system for presenting both game content-based video signals and secondary video signals in a single presentation, the gaming system comprising:

a curved display system including a curved transparent material and a projector for projecting video images onto the curved transparent material;

a touch screen system including a touch screen positioned in front of the curved transparent material;

a gaming controller generating first video signal to be viewed on the curved display system;

a secondary video source generating a second video signal including secondary content to be viewed on the curved display system; and

a display manager configured to scale at least one of the first video signal or the second video signal to a reduced size and render the first video signal with the second video signal, wherein the display manager sends the first and second video signals to the projector for simultaneously displaying the first and second video signals on the curved transparent material, and

wherein the touch screen display receives an input that corresponds to coordinates and calculates a coordinate transformation on the coordinates that correspond to a determined source to accommodate any scaling performed on at least one of the first video signal or the second video signal.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the display manager scales the first and second video signals to a desired size that conforms to the size and shape of the curved transparent material and renders the first video signal from the gaming controller adjacent to the second video signal from the secondary video source in a split screen format.

20. A gaming system for presenting first video signals and second video signals, comprising:

a video display having an associated touch screen interface configured to receive user input at touch coordinates on the touch screen interface;

a gaming controller configured to generate game-content related video signals for display on the video display;

a secondary video source for generating second video signals;

a touch router in communication with the touch screen interface;

a display manager in communication with the display, the controller and the secondary video source, the display manager configured to receive the video signals and scale at least one signal to a different size and present the first video second with the second video signal; and

wherein the touch screen display receives an input that corresponds to coordinates and calculates a coordinate transformation on the coordinates that correspond to a determined source to accommodate any scaling performed on the video signals.