Video switcher and touch router system for a gaming machine

• US 8,884,945 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• 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): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): YEN, JASON TAHAI
• Application Number:
  US13/932,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20130310179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/213
• 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 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• 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 system is disclosed for presenting both game content and secondary content on a single display. The gaming system includes: a touch screen game display configured to display content, a gaming controller configured to generate game content, and a secondary controller configured to generate secondary content. The display manager scales at least one of the game content and the secondary content to an altered size, enabling the game content from the gaming controller to be rendered with the secondary content from the secondary controller on the touch screen game display. The gaming system also includes a coordinate transformation calculation device that receives coordinates from an input on the touch screen game display and accommodates any scaling or shifting performed on at least one of the game content and the secondary content to determine transformed coordinates corresponding to the altered size of the rendered content.

Claims

1. A gaming system for presenting both game play video signals and secondary video signals on a single display, the gaming system comprising:

a touch screen game display that displays video signals, the touch screen game display in communication with a touch router device;

a gaming controller that generates a game play video signal;

a secondary controller that generates a second video signal;

a display manager including a scaler chip in communication with the gaming controller, the secondary controller, and the touch screen game display, wherein the display manager receives the game play video signal from the gaming controller and the second video signal from the secondary controller, and wherein the scaler chip of the display manager scales or shifts at least one of the first video signal and the second video signal to an altered size, enabling the first video signal from the gaming controller to be rendered with the second video signal from the secondary controller; and

a coordinate transformation calculation device that receives coordinates from an input on the touch screen game display and accommodates any scaling or shifting performed on at least one of the first video signal and the second video signal to determine transformed coordinates corresponding to the altered size of the rendered video signals.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the display manager simultaneously displays the first video signal from the gaming controller and the second video signal from the secondary controller on the touch screen game display.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the display manager scales the touch screen game display to a reduced size and renders the first video signal from the gaming controller in a shifted position on the touch screen game display, enabling the second video signal from the secondary controller to be displayed adjacent to the first video signal that has been scaled and shifted on the touch screen game display.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the display manager overlays the second video signal from the secondary controller on the first video signal from the gaming controller on the touch screen game display.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the overlaid second video signal from the secondary controller obscures at least a portion of the first video signal from the gaming controller.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the overlaid second video signal from the secondary controller includes a level of transparency enabling the first video signal from the gaming controller to be at least partially visible through the second video signal.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the display manager overlays the second video signal from the secondary controller on the first video signal from the gaming controller with different levels of transparency in different areas of the touch screen game display.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the display manager receives commands from at least one of the gaming controller and the secondary controller directing the display manager to simultaneously display the first and second video signals from the gaming controller and the secondary controller.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a secondary display in communication with the display manager, and wherein the display manager displays at least one of the first and second video signals from the gaming controller and secondary controller on the secondary display.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a game monitoring unit in communication with the gaming controller and the secondary controller.

11. A gaming system for presenting both game content and secondary content on a single display, the gaming system comprising:

a touch screen game display configured to display content, the touch screen game display in communication with a touch router device;

a gaming controller configured to generate game content to be viewed on the touch screen game display;

a secondary controller configured to generate secondary content to be viewed on the touch screen game display;

a display manager including a scaler chip in communication with the gaming controller, the secondary controller, and the touch screen game display, wherein the display manager receives game content from the gaming controller and a secondary content from the secondary controller, and wherein the scaler chip of the display manager scales at least one of the game content and the secondary content to an altered size, enabling the game content from the gaming controller to be rendered with the secondary content from the secondary controller on the touch screen game display; and

a coordinate transformation calculation device that receives coordinates from an input on the touch screen game display and accommodates any scaling or shifting performed on at least one of the game content and the secondary content to determine transformed coordinates corresponding to the altered size of the rendered content.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the display manager simultaneously displays the game content from the gaming controller and the secondary content from the secondary controller on the touch screen game display.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the display manager scales the touch screen game display to a reduced size and renders the game content from the gaming controller in a shifted position on the touch screen game display, enabling the secondary content from the secondary controller to be displayed adjacent to the game content that has been scaled and shifted on the touch screen game display.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the display manager overlays the secondary content from the secondary controller on the game content from the gaming controller on the touch screen game display.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the overlaid secondary content from the secondary controller obscures at least a portion of the game content from the gaming controller.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the overlaid secondary content from the secondary controller includes a level of transparency enabling the game content from the gaming controller to be at least partially visible through the secondary content.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the display manager overlays the secondary content from the secondary controller on the game content from the gaming controller with different levels of transparency in different areas of the touch screen game display.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the display manager receives commands from at least one of the gaming controller and the secondary controller directing the display manager to simultaneously display the game content and secondary content from the gaming controller and the secondary controller.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising a secondary display in communication with the display manager, and wherein the display manager displays at least one of the game content and secondary content from the gaming controller and secondary controller on the secondary display.

20. The system of claim 11, further comprising a game monitoring unit in communication with the gaming controller and the secondary controller.

21. A gaming system for presenting both game content and secondary content on a single display, the gaming system comprising:

a touch screen game display configured to display content, the touch screen game display in communication with a touch router device;

a gaming controller configured to generate game content to be viewed on the touch screen game display;

a secondary controller configured to generate secondary content to be viewed on the touch screen game display;

a display manager in communication with the gaming controller, the secondary controller, and the touch screen game display, wherein the display manager receives game content from the gaming controller and a secondary content from the secondary controller, and wherein the display manager scales at least one of the game content and the secondary content to an altered size, enabling the game content from the gaming controller to be rendered with the secondary content from the secondary controller on the touch screen game display; and

a coordinate transformation calculation device that receives coordinates from an input on the touch screen game display and accommodates any scaling or shifting performed on at least one of the game content and the secondary content to determine transformed coordinates corresponding to the altered size of the rendered content.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the display manager simultaneously displays the game content from the gaming controller and the secondary content from the secondary controller on the touch screen game display.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the display manager scales the touch screen game display to a reduced size and renders the game content from the gaming controller in a shifted position on the touch screen game display, enabling the secondary content from the secondary controller to be displayed adjacent to the game content that has been scaled and shifted on the touch screen game display.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the display manager overlays the secondary content from the secondary controller on the game content from the gaming controller on the touch screen game display.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the overlaid secondary content from the secondary controller obscures at least a portion of the game content from the gaming controller.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the overlaid secondary content from the secondary controller includes a level of transparency enabling the game content from the gaming controller to be at least partially visible through the secondary content.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the display manager overlays the secondary content from the secondary controller on the game content from the gaming controller with different levels of transparency in different areas of the touch screen game display.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the display manager receives commands from at least one of the gaming controller and the secondary controller directing the display manager to simultaneously display the game content and secondary content from the gaming controller and the secondary controller.

29. The system of claim 21, further comprising a secondary display in communication with the display manager, and wherein the display manager displays at least one of the game content and secondary content from the gaming controller and secondary controller on the secondary display.

30. The system of claim 21, further comprising a game monitoring unit in communication with the gaming controller and the secondary controller.

31. The system of claim 21, wherein the display manager includes a scaler chip.