Video switcher and touch router method for a gaming machine

• US 8,684,838 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2012
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Kelly, Bryan M., Patton, Stephen, Brahmandam, Kiran, Crowder, Robert W. Jr., Kompella, Vijay, Allen, Jeffrey Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickey, Thomas L
• Application Number:
  US13/527,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20120258803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 312/7.2, 463/20, 463/30, 463/31, 463/34, 463/45
• US Class Current: 463/34
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• 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 gaming method for presenting both gaming content based video signals and secondary video signals over a single display using a Display Manager is disclosed. The Display Manager receives one or more video signals from a Gaming Controller and one or more video signals from a system device, and then displays one or multiple video signals on one or more 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. The Display Manager splits, overlays, superimposes, or otherwise shares the display among the video input signals. A touch router device interprets touches at a touch screen shared display to transform coordinates to enable interpretation of the player'"'"'s touch inputs.

Claims

1. A method for presenting a plurality of video signals on a single display, the method comprising:

providing a touch screen display that displays video signals;

generating a first video signal including game content from a gaming controller and sending the first video signal to a display manager;

generating a second video signal including secondary content from a secondary video source and sending the second video signal to the display manager;

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

displaying the game content from the first video signal and the secondary content from the second video signal onto the touch screen display, and wherein the display manager scales or shifts one of at least the first video signal or the second video signal to alter the size and to render the first video signal with the second video signal; and

calculating, using the touch router device, a coordinate transformation on coordinates received from the touch screen display that correspond to a determined source to accommodate any scaling or shifting performed on the first video signal or the second video signal, wherein the coordinate transformation results in transformed coordinates.

2. A method for presenting a plurality of video signals on a single display, the method comprising:

providing a display device that displays video signals;

providing a user input device configured to capture user input;

generating a first video signal including game content from a gaming controller and sending the first video signal to a display manager;

generating a second video signal including secondary content from a secondary video source and sending the second video signal to the display manager;

providing a touch router device in communication with the user input device;

displaying the game content from the first video signal and the secondary content from the second video signal on the display device, and wherein the display manager scales or shifts at least one of the first video signal or the second video signal to alter the size and to render the first video signal with the second video signal; and

calculating, using the touch router device, a coordinate transformation on coordinates received from the user input device that correspond to a determined source to accommodate any scaling or shifting performed on the first video signal or the second video signal, wherein the coordinate transformation results in transformed coordinates.

3. A method for presenting a plurality of video signals on a single display, the method comprising:

providing a touch screen display that displays video signals;

generating a first video signal including first content from a first video source and sending the first video signal to a display manager;

generating a second video signal including secondary content from a secondary video source and sending the second video signal to the display manager;

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

displaying the first content from the first video signal and the secondary content from the second video signal onto the touch screen display, and wherein the display manager scales or shifts the first video signal or the second video signal to alter the size and to render the first video signal with the second video signal; and

calculating, using the touch router device, a coordinate transformation on coordinates received from the touch screen display that correspond to a determined source to accommodate any scaling or shifting performed on the first video signal or the second video signal, wherein the coordinate transformation results in transformed coordinates.

4. A method for presenting a plurality of video signals on a single display, the method comprising:

providing a display device that displays video signals;

providing a user input device configured to capture user input;

generating a first video signal including first content from a first video source and sending the first video signal to a display manager;

generating a second video signal including secondary content from a second video source and sending the second video signal to the display manager;

providing a touch router device in communication with the user input device;

displaying the first video signal content from the first video signal and the secondary content from the second video signal on the display device, and wherein the display manager scales or shifts the first video signal or the second video signal to alter the size and to render the first video signal with the second video signal; and

calculating, using the touch router device, a coordinate transformation on coordinates received from the user input device that correspond to a determined source to accommodate any scaling or shifting performed on the first video signal or the second video signal, wherein the coordinate transformation results in transformed coordinates.

5. A gaming method for presenting gaming content based upon a first video signal from a gaming controller and second video signal from a second video source at a single touch screen display, the method comprising:

receiving one or more video signals from a gaming controller and one or more video signals from a second video source at a display manager, the display manager in communication with a touch screen display;

providing a touch router device in communication with the touch screen display to receive input from the touch screen display, the received input corresponding to touch screen coordinates;

controlling the touch screen display, using the display manager, to present the one or more video signals from the gaming controller and the one or more video signals from the second video source on said touch screen display, and to scale and shift one or more of the video signals to a reconfigured size and render a display presentation that is representative of the video signals at the touch screen display; and

calculating a coordinate transformation, using the touch router device, on the coordinates that corresponds to a determined input source and accommodates any scaling or shifting performed on the video signals.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising configuring the display manager to simultaneously display the first video signal from the gaming controller and the second video signal on the display.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising configuring the display manager to scale the display of the first video signal and the second video signal to be adjacent on the display.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising configuring the display manager to scale the display of the first video signal and the second video signal to be at least partially overlaid on the display.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising configuring the display manager to display an overlaid second video signal from a player tracking device including a level of transparency enabling the first video signal from the gaming controller to be at least partially visible through the second video signal.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising configuring the display manager to receive a command to simultaneously display the first and second video signals.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising configuring the display manager to receive the second video signal from a remote secondary video source.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising configuring the display manager to receive the second video signal from a player tracking device in communication with said secondary video source over a communication network.

13. The method of claim 5, further comprising configuring the touch router device to receive touch signals including physical coordinates of a touch from the touch screen display and determine a source of a video signal displayed on the display at the physical coordinates of the touch and to determine any coordinate transformation on the coordinates and pass a de-scaled or de-shifted coordinate signal in connection with the video signal.

14. A method for presenting a plurality of video signals from a first video source and one or more second video sources on a single touch screen display, the method comprising:

providing a display manager device for receiving said video signals from the sources;

providing a touch router device in communication with the touch screen display to receive input from the touch screen display;

displaying primary content from a first video signal and secondary content from at least a second video signal on the touch screen display, using the display manager, in one or more of an adjacent or overlapping condition by scaling or shifting one of at least the first video signal or the one or more second video signals to alter the size and to render the first video signal with the one or more second video signals; and

calculating a coordinate transformation, using the touch router device, on coordinates received from the touch screen display that correspond to the presentation at the touch screen display of the video signals and to accommodate any scaling or shifting performed on the first video signal or the one or more second video signals, wherein the coordinate transformation results in transformed coordinates.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising configuring the display manager for displaying game content as said first video source.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising configuring the display manager to display at least one of said second video signals in a condition of transparency enabling the first video signal from the gaming controller to be at least partially visible through the at least one of said second video signals.

17. A method for presenting a plurality of video signals on a single touch screen display at a gaming machine, the method comprising:

providing a display manager configured to receive a first video signal including game content from a gaming controller and to receive a second video signal including secondary content from a secondary video source;

controlling a presentation on the touch screen display, using the display manager, of the first video signal and the second video signal to scale and shift one or more of the first video signal or the second video signal to alter the size and to render the first video signal from the gaming controller with the second video signal from the secondary video source at the touch screen display; and

enabling a touch router device, which is in communication with the touch screen display, to determine a coordinate transformation on coordinates received from the touch screen display that corresponds to a determined video signal source and accommodates any scaling or shifting performed on the video signals, wherein the coordinate transformation results in transformed coordinates.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising configuring the display manager to scale the display of the first video signal and the second video signal to be adjacent on the touch screen display.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising configuring the display manager to scale the display of the first video signal and the second video signal to be at least partially overlaid on the touch screen display.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising configuring the display manager to display an overlaid second video signal from a player tracking device including a level of transparency enabling the first video signal from the gaming controller to be at least partially visible through the second video signal.

21. A method for presenting a plurality of video signals on a single touch screen display, the method comprising:

generating a first video signal including game content from a gaming controller and sending the first video signal to a display manager;

configuring the display manager to receive a second video signal including secondary content from a secondary video source;

displaying the game content from the first video signal and the secondary content from the second video signal on the touch screen display, the display manager configured to scale or shift at least one of the first video signal or the second video signal to alter the size and to render the first video signal with the second video signal at the touch screen display; and

calculating, using a touch router device, a coordinate transformation on coordinates received from a user input device that corresponds to a determined source and accommodates any scaling or shifting performed on the first video signal or the second video signal, wherein the coordinate transformation results in transformed coordinates.

22. A method for presenting a plurality of video signals on a single touch screen display of a gaming device, the method comprising:

providing a gaining device having a gaming controller for generating gaming content based video signals;

arranging a display manager to receive the video signals from the gaming controller and secondary video signals from a secondary video source, the display manager in communication with the touch screen display;

configuring the display manger to control a presentation on the touch screen display of the gaming content based video signals and the secondary video signals to scale and shift one or more of the video signals to a reconfigured size and render a display representative of the video signals at the touch screen display; and

enabling a touch router device to perform a coordinate transformation on coordinates received from the touch screen display that corresponds to a determined video source and accommodates any scaling or shifting performed on the first video signal or the second video signal, wherein the coordinate transformation results in transformed touch screen coordinates.