Video processing and signal routing apparatus for providing picture in a picture capabilities on an electronic gaming machine

• US 8,968,086 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: Leap Forward Gaming, Inc. (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Wells, William R., Saffari, Ali, Lundy, Christopher, Paulsen, Craig A., Novotak, Andrew George Jr., Quick, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): LARSEN, CARL VICTOR
• Application Number:
  US14/027,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20140031119A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: 463/29, 463/31, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/0235 the arrangements being full-front touchscreens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A gaming system used in a wager-based electronic gaming machine is described. The gaming system is configured to provide picture in a picture capabilities on the electronic gaming machine. In one embodiment, the gaming system can include a first gaming device and a second gaming device where the first gaming device controls the second gaming device. The first gaming device can be configured to receive data and/or communicate with an electronic gaming machine controller, a value input device and value output device. The second gaming device can be configured to receive touchscreen data from a touchscreen display and first video data from the first gaming device and second video data from the EGM controller. Under control of the first gaming device, the first video data and second video data can be output in various sizes and locations on the touchscreen display.

Claims

1. A gaming system including a first gaming device and a second gaming device for a wager-based electronic gaming machine (EGM), the gaming system comprising:

a first gaming device including;

a first housing;

a first gaming device controller including a first processor and a first memory disposed within the first housing wherein the first gaming device controller is configured to, a) via a first data connector disposed within the first housing, transmit first video data and commands to the second gaming device and receive touch screen data from the second gaming device;

b) via a second data connector disposed within the first housing, receive accounting data associated with a play of the wager-based game from an EGM controller disposed within an EGM cabinet of the EGM;

c) via a third data connector disposed within the first housing, communicate with a value input device disposed within the EGM cabinet and communicatively coupled to the EGM controller;

d) via a fourth data connector disposed within the first housing, communicate with a value input output device disposed within the EGM cabinet and communicatively coupled to the EGM controller; and

e) via a network connector disposed within the first housing, communicate with one or more remote devices via the network connector; and

a power connector disposed within the first housing, configured to receive power from a power source within the EGM cabinet wherein the processor receives the power via the power connector; and

a second gaming device including;

a second housing;

a second gaming device controller including a second processor and a second memory disposed within the second housing wherein the second gaming device controller is configured to i) via a fifth data connector, disposed within the second housing, receive the touch screen data from a touch screen display;

ii) via a sixth data connector, disposed within the second housing, send modified touch screen data to the EGM controller;

iii) via a seventh data connector disposed within the second housing, receive second video data from the EGM controller associated with the play of the wager-based game;

iv) via an eighth data connector disposed within the second housing, receive the commands and the first video data from the first gaming device; and

v) via a ninth video connector disposed within the second housing, based upon the commands, output third video data to the touch screen display wherein the third video data includes portions of the first video data and the second video data.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein a portion of the first housing includes a first plurality of apertures wherein the first data connector, the second data connector, the third data connector, the fourth data connector, the network connector and the power connector are each accessible via one of the first plurality of apertures in the portion of the first housing.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the first housing is box-shaped and wherein the first plurality of apertures of the first housing are each located on a first side of the box so that the first housing is mountable to a surface within the EGM cabinet on any one of remaining sides of the box.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first data connector, the second data connector, the third data connector, the fourth data connector, the network connector and the power connector each face in a common direction.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first gaming device controller is configured to communicate via a tenth connector with a card reader.

6. The gaming system of claim 5, wherein tenth connector is coupled to a communication pathway between the card reader and a player tracking controller and wherein the player tracking controller and the first gaming device controller are configured to receive and respond to card reader data from the card reader.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first gaming device includes a configuration interface, separate from first data connector, the second data connector, the third data connector, the fourth data connector and the network connector, configured to receive configuration instructions and output configuration data during an installation of the first gaming device.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the configuration interface including a video connector to output the configuration data.

9. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the configuration interface includes one or more of a keyboard connector, a mouse connector or combinations thereof.

10. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the configuration interface includes a connector used to download software to the first gaming device, the software executed by at least the first gaming device controller.

11. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first gaming device includes a second power connector configured to output power to the second gaming device and wherein the second gaming device includes a third power connector configured to receive the power output from the first gaming device.

12. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first gaming device controller is further configured to receive audio data from a microphone via a tenth connector.

13. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein, via a tenth data connector disposed within the first housing, send first audio data to an audio amplifier disposed within the EGM cabinet wherein the audio amplifier is communicatively coupled to the EGM controller and configured to receive second audio data from the EGM controller to output.

14. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first gaming device controller is configured to receive the first video data from the one or more network devices.

15. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein a portion of the second housing includes a second plurality of apertures wherein the fifth data connector, the sixth data connector, the seventh data connector, the eighth data connector and the ninth connector are each accessible via one of the second plurality of apertures in the second housing.

16. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the second gaming device controller is configured to receive the second video data in a native resolution and based upon the commands received from the first gaming device controller, scale the second video data to a second resolution different from the native resolution and output the scaled second video data as part of the third video data.

17. The gaming system of claim 16, wherein the second resolution is less than the native resolution.

18. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the second gaming device controller is configured to receive in the commands, a location on the touch screen display to output the scaled second video data and generate the third video data such that the scaled second video data is output to the location.

19. The gaming system of claim 16, wherein the scaled second video data is output, as part of the third video data, on a portion of the touch screen video display and wherein the second gaming device controller is configured to determine a portion of the touch screen data which maps to the portion of the touch screen display, scale the portion of the touch screen data to the native resolution of the second video data and send the scaled portion of the touch screen data as the modified touch screen data.

20. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the fifth data connector is configured to receive the touch screen data in a first format and the sixth data connector is configured to output the modified touch screen data in the first format and wherein the second gaming device controller is configured to receive the touch screen data in a second format via a tenth data connector coupled to the second housing and output the modified touch screen data to the EGM controller in the second format via an eleventh data connector coupled to the second housing where only the fifth data connector and the sixth data connector or the tenth data connector and the eleventh data connector are connected at one time.

21. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the second gaming device controller is configured to receive in the commands, one or more locations on the touch screen display to output the first video data and generate the third video data such that the first video data is output to the one or more locations on the touch screen display.

22. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first gaming device and the second gaming device are installed after the EGM is deployed in an operating environment as part of a retrofit of the EGM and wherein the first gaming device and the second gaming device are configured to operate without modification to software executed by the EGM controller prior to the retrofit.

23. The gaming system of claim 1, further comprising a power reset device coupled to a power source for the EGM controller wherein the power reset device is configured to receive command from the first gaming device controller and in response to the command, interrupt the power from the power source to the EGM controller.

24. The gaming system of claim 23, wherein the first gaming device controller is configured to communicate with the power reset device via a tenth connector disposed within the first housing.