Gaming device display having a digital image and silkscreen colors and process for making same

• US 8,556,730 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2002
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Jo, Jeffrey H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frisby, Kesha
• Application Number:
  US10/210,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20030073484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,094 Days
• Field of Search: 463/46, 402/19
• US Class Current: 463/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means

Abstract

A panel or reel strip of a gaming device that selectively enables light to shine through the panel or reel strip and enables the intensity of the light to be varied. The present invention also provides an efficient and productive method for developing and producing the panel or reel strip, and which provides a bright and rich color quality. In one embodiment, a transparent medium has a digital image produced on one side and has a layer of silk-screened ink placed on the opposite side. The non-inked areas enable back-lighting to make matching colors of the digital image appear to glow, that is, let a high amount of light pass through the medium. The inked areas enable outside light to reflect off the matching colors of the digital image, brightening such colors and making them appear rich and full of color.

Claims

1. A gaming device comprising:

a housing;

a display device supported by the housing and configured to display a game operable upon a wager;

a light source positioned within the housing; and

a panel supported by the housing, said panel including a single medium having a viewable side and an opposing side, the opposing side of the panel positioned adjacent to the light source, a digital image disposed directly on said viewable side of the single medium, a first silk-screened layer disposed directly on the opposing side of the single medium from the digital image, a second silk-screened layer disposed on the opposing side of the single medium from the digital image, the second silk-screened layer overlapping at least a portion of the first silk-screened layer, the first silk-screened layer including a non-overlapping portion which is not overlapped by the second silk-screened layer, the first silk-screened layer and the second silk-screened layer having different degrees of opacity to cause more light from the light source to pass through the non-overlapping portion than the overlapping portion, said digital image having a shape, wherein at least a portion of said digital image is highlighted by the light from the light source passing through the non-overlapping portion of the first silk-screened layer.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the non-overlapping portion of the first silk-screened layer has a shape that is formed around a projection of the shape of the digital image on the opposing side of the single medium.

3. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the non-overlapping portion of the first silk-screened layer has a shape that is formed around selected portions of a projection of the shape of the digital image on the opposing side of the single medium.

4. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the digital image includes half-tones and flesh tones.

5. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the first silk-screened layer includes white ink.

6. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the non-overlapping portion of the first silk-screened layer has a shape that coincides with the shape of the digital image.

7. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the digital image includes a plurality of portions and wherein the non-overlapping portion of the first silk-screened layer enables light to shine through at least one of the portions of the digital image.

8. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the digital image includes a plurality of portions and wherein the overlapping portion of the first and second silk-screened layer-layers at least partially prevents light from shining through at least one of the portions of the digital image.

9. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the single medium includes a polymeric material and a layer of emulsion.

10. The gaming device of claim 9, wherein the polymeric material is transparent or translucent.

11. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the digital image is produced through a photographic process.

12. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the digital image is produced through an RA-4 process.

13. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the first and second silk-screened layers are covered by a protective laminate.

14. The gaming device of claim 13, wherein the protective laminate includes a polymeric material.

15. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the first silk-screened layer is applied uniformly onto the entire opposing side of the medium.

16. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein the second silk-screened layer is disposed directly on the first silk-screened layer which is disposed directly on the single medium opposite the digital image.

17. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein the non-overlapping portion of the first silk-screened layer causes a portion of the digital image to be translucent and the overlapping portion of the first and second silk-screened layers causes a portion of the digital image to be opaque.

18. A gaming device comprising:

a housing;

a display device supported by the housing and configured to display a game operable upon a wager; and

a panel supported by the housing, said panel including a single medium, a digital image disposed directly on a first side of the single medium, a first silk-screened layer disposed directly on a second side of the single medium, a second silk-screened layer disposed on the first silk-screened layer, the first silk-screened layer and the second silk-screened layer having different degrees of opacity, and a panel substrate disposed on the first side of the single medium, said digital image including a shaped symbol and said second silk-screened layer including a shaped symbol related to the shaped symbol of the digital image, wherein at least a portion of said digital image, at least a portion of said first silk-screened layer and at least a portion of said second silk-screened layer are each simultaneously viewable from the first side of the single medium, and wherein said shaped symbol of said digital image and said shaped symbol of said second silk-screened layer form one of a plurality of different parts of a composite image viewable from the first side of the single medium.

19. The gaming device of claim 18, wherein the panel substrate includes glass.

20. The gaming device of claim 18, wherein the panel substrate includes tempered glass.

21. The gaming device of claim 18, which includes an adhesive release liner that adheres the single medium to the panel substrate.

22. The gaming device of claim 18, which includes a protective laminate disposed on the second side of the single medium.

23. A gaming device comprising:

a housing;

a display device supported by the housing and configured to display a game operable upon a wager;

at least one reel strip supported by the housing, said reel strip including a single medium, a digital image disposed directly on a first side of the single medium, a first silk-screened layer disposed directly on a second side of the single medium, and a second silk-screened layer disposed on a portion of the first silk-screened layer, the first silk-screened layer including a non-overlapping portion which is not overlapped by the second silk-screened layer, the first silk-screened layer and the second silk-screened layer having different degrees of opacity, said digital image having including a shaped symbol and said non-overlapping portion of the first silk-screened layer having a shape related to the shape of the digital image, wherein at least a portion of said digital image and at least a portion of said overlapping first and second silk-screened layers are each simultaneously viewable from the first side of the single medium, and wherein the shaped symbol of the digital image and the shape of the non-overlapping portion of the first silk-screened layer form one of a plurality of different parts of a composite viewable image of said reel strip when said reel strip is viewed from the first side of the single medium; and

a back-light disposed in the housing behind the silk screened layer of the single medium.

24. The gaming device of claim 23, wherein the non-overlapping portion of the first silk-screened layer causes a portion of the composite viewable image to be translucent and the overlapping portion of the first and second silk-screened layer-layers causes a portion of the composite viewable image to be opaque.

25. The gaming device of claim 23, which includes a protective laminate disposed over the first and second silk-screened layers on the second side of the single medium.

26. A method of producing a gaming device having a housing, a game operable upon a wager, and a composite viewable image formed on a single medium connected to the housing, the method comprising the steps of:

disposing a digital image directly on a first side of the single medium, the digital image including a shaped symbol;

silk-screening a first layer directly on a second side of the single medium, silk-screening a second layer on the first layer, the first silk-screened layer and the second silk-screened layer having different degrees of opacity, the second silk-screened layer including a shaped symbol related to the shaped symbol of the digital image, and the second side of the single medium opposing the first side of the single medium such that at least a portion of the digital image, at least a portion of the first silk-screened layer, and at least a portion of the second silk-screened layer are each simultaneously viewable from the first side of the single medium, and wherein the shaped symbol of the digital image and the shaped symbol of the second silk-screened layer form one of a plurality of different parts of said composite viewable image formed on the single medium;

mounting the single medium to the housing; and

back-lighting the second silk-screened layer from behind the second silk-screened layer to allow at least some light to pass through both the digital image and the second silk-screened layer when said single medium is viewed from the first side of the single medium.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of mounting the single medium includes mounting the single medium on a panel attached to the housing.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of mounting the single medium includes mounting the single medium on a reel rotatably connected to the housing.

29. A method of producing a gaming device having a housing, a game operable upon a wager, a display device supported by the housing and operable to display the game and a composite viewable image formed on a single medium connected to the housing, the method comprising the steps of:

creating a digital image;

exposing the digital image directly onto an imaged side of the single medium, the digital image including a shaped symbol;

photographically developing the digital image exposed directly onto the imaged side of the single medium;

silk-screening a first layer directly on a non-imaged side of the single medium, silk-screening a second layer on the first silk-screened layer, the first silk-screened layer and the second silk-screened layer having different degrees of opacity, the second silk-screened layer including a shaped symbol related to the shaped symbol of the digital image, and the non-imaged side of the single medium being opposite from the imaged side of the single medium such that at least a portion of the first silk-screened layer, at least a portion of the second silk-screened layer, and at least a portion of the digital image are each simultaneously viewable from the imaged side of the single medium and the shaped symbol of the digital image and the shaped symbol of the second silk-screened layer form one of a plurality of different parts of said composite viewable image formed on the single medium when said composite viewable image is viewed from the imaged side of the single medium;

moving the single medium through an ultraviolet reactor;

protecting the first silk-screened layer; and

mounting the single medium to the housing.

30. The method of claim 29, which includes the step of converting the digital image to a format readable by a digital imaging device and thereafter exposing the image onto one side of the single medium using the digital imaging device.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the gaming device is a slot machine and which includes the step of cutting the single medium to a size of a slot machine reel.

32. The method of claim 29, which includes the steps of applying a protective layer to the imaged side of the single medium and cutting the single medium to a size of a slot machine panel.

33. The method of claim 32, which includes the further steps of removing a releasable liner from the protective layer, wherein the protective layer includes a double adhesive protective layer, and adhering the single medium, via the released side of the adhesive layer, to the slot machine panel.