Gaming machine with surround sound features

• US 9,005,023 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2013
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Bonney, James, Pryzby, Eric M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pandya, Sunit
• Application Number:
  US13/965,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20130331188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• US Class Current: 463/35
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters

Abstract

A gaming machine for conducting a wagering game includes selective application of surround sound. The selective application of surround sound allows certain key gaming events to be emphasized over other gaming events. The surround sound may be varied to produce certain effects, such as a tactile effect and a gradual building up of suspense and anticipation that increases player excitement and enjoyment. A surround sound decoder may be added in some embodiments to convert monophonic and stereo wagering games into surround sound. The surround sound may be implemented as true surround sound or as virtual surround sound.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a gaming machine configured to display a wagering game, the gaming machine including at least one front speaker;

a gaming chair positioned in front of the gaming machine, the gaming chair including at least one rear speaker; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, selectively enable gaming sounds to be played through the at least one rear speaker, thereby enabling surround sound relative to a player sitting in the gaming chair, in response to one or more achievements selected from a group consisting of (a) a wager amount being increased from an initial wager amount to a threshold wager amount, (b) a win amount meeting a certain level of winnings, and (c) achieving eligibility to play a special even.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the one or more memory devices store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, initially enable gaming sounds to be played only through the at least one front speaker, thereby enabling non-surround sound relative to the player sitting in the gaming chair.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the threshold wager amount is at least one of two, three, and four times the initial wager amount.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the gaming sounds are arranged in a pattern associated with a specific achievement of the one or more achievements.

5. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the pattern includes changes selected from a group consisting of sound frequency changes and sound tone changes.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the surround sound flows from one spatialization to another spatialization.

7. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the flow of the surround sound for a first achievement is gradual and the flow of the surround sound for a second achievement is sudden.

8. A gaming system comprising:

a gaming machine having a cabinet housing and a display mounted thereto for displaying a wagering game;

a gaming chair positioned in front of and next to the display;

a speaker arrangement including at least one front speaker mounted to the cabinet housing and at least one rear speaker mounted to the gaming chair; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, and in response to achieving a special gaming condition, selectively enables surround sound emitted by the speaker arrangement relative to a player sitting in the gaming chair, the special gaming condition being selected from a group consisting of (a) a wager amount being increased from an initial wager amount to a threshold wager amount, (b) a win amount meeting a certain level of winnings, and (c) achieving eligibility to play a special event.

9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the threshold wager amount is an amount that at least doubles the initial wager amount.

10. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the surround sound is emitted in a pattern associated with a specific special gaming condition.

11. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the pattern includes changes selected from a group consisting of sound frequency changes and sound tone changes.

12. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the surround sound flows from one spatialization to another spatialization.

13. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein the flow of the surround sound for the special gaming condition being a first special gaming condition is gradual and the flow of the surround sound for the special gaming condition being a second special gaming condition is sudden.

14. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the at least one front speaker includes a left front speaker, a right front speaker, and a center front speaker, and wherein the at least one rear speaker includes a left rear speaker and a right rear speaker.

15. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the one or more memory devices store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, initially enable gaming sounds to be played only through the at least one front speaker, thereby enabling non-surround sound relative to the player sitting in the gaming chair.

16. A computer-implemented method in a gaming system including a gaming machine and a gaming chair, the gaming machine having at least one front speaker, the gaming chair being positioned in front of the gaming machine and having at least one rear speaker, the method comprising:

receiving, via an input device of the gaming machine, an input indicative of a wager to play a wagering game via the gaming machine;

presenting, via a display device of the gaming machine, a randomly selected outcome of the wagering game; and

in response to achieving a special game condition selected from a group consisting of (a) a wager amount being increased from an initial wager amount to a threshold wager amount, (b) a win amount meeting a certain level of winnings, and (c) achieving eligibility to play a special event, selectively enabling gaming sounds to be played through the at least one rear speaker, thereby enabling surround sound relative to a player sitting in the gaming chair.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising initially enabling gaming sounds to be played only through the at least one front speaker, thereby enabling non-surround sound relative to the player sitting in the gaming chair.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising arranging the gaming sounds in a pattern associated with a specific achievement of the one or more achievements, the pattern including changes selected from a group consisting of sound frequency changes and sound tone changes.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising emitting the surround sound with a flow from one spatialization to another spatialization.