Present wagering game content in multiple windows

• US 9,336,649 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2013
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Agarwal, Vijay K., Buchholz, Dale R., Burke, Mary M., Dinovo, Timothy F., Gangadharan, Magesh, Grabiec, Jacek A., Halprin, James S., Pace, Mark C., Parra, Jacqueline F., Pryor, David M., Ward, Matthew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): D'AGOSTINO, PAUL ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US13/861,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20130244761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games

Abstract

In some embodiments, a method including determining a first wagering game content and a second wagering game content, wherein the first wagering game content is related to a first wagering game, and wherein the second wagering game content is related to a second wagering game. The method can also include determining, based on priority rules, a first display priority for the first wagering game content, and a second display priority for the second wagering game content. The method can also include presenting, based on the first display priority, the first wagering game content. The method can also include presenting, based on the second display priority, the second wagering game content after the presenting of the first wagering game content, and detecting player inputs. The method can also include assigning priority values to the player inputs, and responding to the player inputs in an order related to the priority values.

Claims

1. A method for presenting content on a display device in a wagering game machine, the method comprising:

determining one or more electronic requests to present a first wagering game content and a second wagering game content, wherein the first wagering game content is related to a first wagering game, and wherein the second wagering game content is related to a second wagering game;

determining, via an electronic processing unit, a first importance value of a first state of the first wagering game and a second importance value of a second state of the second wagering game that occurs, at least in part, concurrently with the first state of the first wagering game;

determining, based on the first importance value and the second importance value, a first display priority for the first wagering game content, and a second display priority for the second wagering game content, wherein the first display priority is more significant than the second display priority;

detecting a player input that corresponds to the second wagering game content while the first state and the second state occur, at least in part, concurrently; and

delaying a response to the player input until the first state of the first wagering game changes to a third state of the first wagering game that has a third importance value that is less significant than or is of equivalent significance to the second importance value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the player input includes one or more of a button press, a touchscreen input, and a keyboard input.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a first activity occurs in the first wagering game having the first importance value, wherein a second activity occurs in the second wagering game having the second importance value, wherein the first state of the first wagering game changes to the third state of the first wagering game after the first activity completes, and wherein the delaying the response to the player input comprises delaying the response to the player input until after the first activity is completed.

4. A non-transitory, machine readable storage medium including instructions that when executed by a machine cause the machine to perform operations for presenting content on a display device in a wagering game machine, the instructions comprising:

instructions for determining one or more electronic requests to present a first wagering game content and a second wagering game content, wherein the first wagering game content is related to a first wagering game, and wherein the second wagering game content is related to a second wagering game;

instructions for determining, based on priority rules for one or more active game states that occur in the first wagering game and the second wagering game, a first display priority for the first wagering game content, and a second display priority for the second wagering game content, wherein the first display priority is greater than the second display priority;

instructions for presenting, based on the first display priority, the first wagering game content;

instructions for presenting, based on the second display priority, the second wagering game content at least concurrently with presenting of the first wagering game content;

instructions for detecting a player input that corresponds to the second wagering game content;

instructions for assigning a response priority value to the player input based on the first display priority being greater than the second display priority;

instructions for rejecting the player input according to the response priority value assigned to the player input until after the first display priority becomes less than or equal to the second display priority.

5. The non-transitory, machine readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the response priority value is assigned based on relative importance of activities in the first wagering game and the second wagering game, and wherein the rejecting the player input includes delaying, at least partially, an automatic response to the player input until after completion of one or more activities in one or more of the first wagering game and the second wagering game.

6. A gaming system comprising:

one or more electronic processing units;

a value input device configured to receive monetary value for placement of one or more wagers on a first wagering game and a second wagering game;

a display device; and

a memory storage device configured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more electronic processing units cause the gaming system to perform operations to

determine one or more electronic requests to present a first wagering game content and a second wagering game content via the display device, wherein the first wagering game content is related to the first wagering game, and wherein the second wagering game content is related to the second wagering game,

determine a first importance value of a first activity of the first wagering game and a second importance value of a second activity of the second wagering game that occurs, at least in part, concurrently with the first activity of the first wagering game,

determine, based on the first importance value and the second importance value, a first display priority for the first wagering game content, and a second display priority for the second wagering game content, wherein the first display priority is greater than the second display priority,

detect an event that corresponds to the second activity, and

prevent a response to the event until one or more of the first activity of the first wagering game is completed or the first importance value of the first activity becomes less than or equal to the second importance value of the second activity.

7. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the memory storage device is configured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more electronic processing units cause the gaming system to perform operations to:

present the first wagering game content in a first graphical-user-interface (GUI) window on the display device;

present the second wagering game content in a second GUI window on the display device, wherein the first wagering game content occupies the first GUI window during a time duration that the second wagering game content occupies the second GUI window, wherein the first GUI window is associated with a first wagering game provider, and wherein the second GUI window is associated with a second wagering game provider; and

wherein the instructions to cause the gaming system to prevent the response to the event include instructions to cause the gaming system to disable performance of the event within the second GUI window while the first activity occurs in the first GUI window.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the instructions to cause the gaming system to prevent the response to the event include instructions to cause the gaming system to:

present the first GUI window partially overlaying the second GUI window.

9. A method of operating a wagering game machine, the method comprising:

determining, via at least one of one or more electronic processing units, one or more electronic requests to present a first wagering game content and a second wagering game content via an electronic display device of the wagering game machine, wherein the first wagering game content is related to a first wagering game, wherein the second wagering game content is related to a second wagering game, and wherein the wagering game machine includes a value input device configured to receive monetary value for placement of one or more wagers on the first wagering game and the second wagering game;

determining, via at least one of the one or more electronic processing units, a first importance value of a first activity of the first wagering game and a second importance value of a second activity of the second wagering game that occurs, at least in part, concurrently with the first activity of the first wagering game;

determining, based on the first importance value and the second importance value, a first display priority for the first wagering game content, and a second display priority for the second wagering game content, wherein the first display priority is greater than the second display priority;

detecting, via at least one of the one or more electronic processing units, an event that corresponds to the second activity; and

preventing, via at least one of the one or more electronic processing units, a response to the event until one or more of the first activity of the first wagering game is completed or the first importance value of the first activity becomes less than or equal to the second importance value of the second activity.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

presenting the first wagering game content in a first graphical-user-interface (GUI) window on the electronic display device; and

presenting the second wagering game content in a second GUI window on the electronic display device, wherein the first wagering game content occupies the first GUI window during a time duration that the second wagering game content occupies the second GUI window, wherein the first GUI window is associated with a first wagering game provider, and wherein the second GUI window is associated with a second wagering game provider,

wherein the preventing the response to the event comprises disabling performance of the event within the second GUI window while the first activity occurs in the first GUI window.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the preventing the response to the event comprises presenting the first GUI window partially overlaying the second GUI window.