Gaming system having reduced appearance of parallax artifacts on display devices including multiple display screens

• US 8,605,114 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2012
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Schlottmann, Gregory A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): YEN, JASON TAHAI
• Application Number:
  US13/399,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20130217486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 345/6, 345629-631, 348/46, 349/73, 359/630, 463/20, 463/32
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/373 for tracking forward-backward translational head movements, i.e. longitudinal movements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/395 with depth sampling, i.e. the volume being constructed from a stack or sequence of 2D image planes

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide gaming systems having reduced appearance of parallax artifacts on display devices including multiple display screens. In one embodiment, the gaming system determines a location on a first display screen of a display device at which to display a portion of a first image and subsequently determines, based on that determined location and one or more other variables, a location on a second display screen of the display device at which to display a portion of a second image such that the appearance of parallax artifacts associated with the first image and the second image is reduced or eliminated.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a housing;

at least one processor;

a display device supported by the housing, the display device including a first display screen and a second display screen, wherein the first display screen and the second display screen are aligned such that at least one line of sight of a player extends through both the first display screen and the second display screen; and

at least one memory device storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device to;

(a) determine a first location on the first display screen at which to display a portion of a first image, wherein;

(i) the first location is a first distance from a first reference plane and a second distance from a second reference plane, and

(ii) the first reference plane and the second reference plane are perpendicular;

(b) determine a second location on the second display screen at which to display a portion of a second image, wherein;

(i) the second location is a third distance from the first reference plane and a fourth distance from the second reference plane, and at least one of;

(A) the first distance from the first reference plane and the third distance from the first reference plane are different, and (B) the second distance from the second reference plane and the fourth distance from the second reference plane are different; and

(ii) the at least one processor determines the second location based on a distance separating the player from the first display screen and the determined first location on the first display screen at which to display the portion of the first image; and

(c) display the portion of the first image at the determined first location on the first display screen and the portion of the second image at the determined second location on the second display screen.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein both:

(A) the first distance from the first reference plane and the third distance from the first reference plane are different, and (B) the second distance from the second reference plane and the fourth distance from the second reference plane are different.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first reference plane is a horizontal reference plane and the second reference plane is a vertical reference plane.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first display screen is an exterior display screen and the second display screen is an interior display screen.

5. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor determines the second location based on a distance separating the exterior display screen from the interior display screen.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first display screen is an interior display screen and the second display screen is an exterior display screen.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first image and the second image are a same image, and the portion of the first image and the portion of the second image are a same portion of said image.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first image and the second image are different images sharing a common image portion, and the portion of the first image and the portion of the second image are said common image portion.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to, when the first distance from the first reference plane is equal to zero, determine the second location based on the second distance from the second reference plane.

10. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to, when the second distance from the second reference plane is equal to zero, determine the second location based on the first distance from the first reference plane.

11. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to, when the second distance from the second reference plane is not equal to zero and the first distance from the first reference plane is not equal to zero, determine the second location based on the second distance from the second reference plane and the first distance from the first reference plane.

12. The gaming system of claim 1, which includes a sensor configured to determine the distance separating the player from the first display screen.

13. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first display screen and the second display screen are of a same size and a same shape.

14. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first distance from the first reference plane and the second distance from the second reference plane are one of:

(a) the same, and (b) different.

15. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the third distance from the first reference plane and the fourth distance from the second reference plane are one of:

(a) the same, and (b) different.

16. A method of operating gaming system, the gaming system including a housing and a display device supported by the housing, the display device including a first display screen and a second display screen, wherein the first display screen and the second display screen are aligned such that at least one line of sight of a player extends through both the first display screen and the second display screen, said method comprising causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions stored in at least one memory device to:

(a) determine a first location on the first display screen at which to display a portion of a first image, wherein;

(i) the first location is a first distance from a first reference plane and a second distance from a second reference plane, and

(ii) the first reference plane and the second reference plane are perpendicular;

(b) determine a second location on the second display screen at which to display a portion of a second image, wherein;

(i) the second location is a third distance from the first reference plane and a fourth distance from the second reference plane, and at least one of;

(A) the first distance from the first reference plane and the third distance from the first reference plane are different, and (B) the second distance from the second reference plane and the fourth distance from the second reference plane are different; and

(ii) the at least one processor determines the second location based on a distance separating the player from the first display screen and the determined first location on the first display screen at which to display the portion of the first image; and

(c) operate with the display device to display the portion of the first image at the determined first location on the first display screen and the portion of the second image at the determined second location on the second display screen.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein both:

(A) the first distance from the first reference plane and the third distance from the first reference plane are different, and (B) the second distance from the second reference plane and the fourth distance from the second reference plane are different.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first reference plane is a horizontal reference plane and the second reference plane is a vertical reference plane.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first display screen is an exterior display screen and the second display screen is an interior display screen.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor determines the second location based on a distance separating the exterior display screen from the interior display screen.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the first display screen is an interior display screen and the second display screen is an exterior display screen.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the first image and the second image are a same image, and the portion of the first image and the portion of the second image are a same portion of said image.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the first image and the second image are different images sharing a common image portion, and the portion of the first image and the portion of the second image are said common image portion.

24. The method of claim 16, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to, when the first distance from the first reference plane is equal to zero, determine the second location based on the second distance from the second reference plane.

25. The method of claim 16, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to, when the second distance from the second reference plane is equal to zero, determine the second location based on the first distance from the first reference plane.

26. The method of claim 16, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to, when the second distance from the second reference plane is not equal to zero and the first distance from the first reference plane is not equal to zero, determine the second location based on the second distance from the second reference plane and the first distance from the first reference plane.

27. The method of claim 16, which includes a sensor configured to determine the distance separating the player from the first display screen.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein the first display screen and the second display screen are of a same size and a same shape.

29. The method of claim 16, wherein the first distance from the first reference plane and the second distance from the second reference plane are one of:

(a) the same, and (b) different.

30. The method of claim 16, wherein the third distance from the first reference plane and the fourth distance from the second reference plane are one of:

(a) the same, and (b) different.