Wide screen gaming apparatus

• US 9,437,071 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2015
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Wells, William, Griswold, Chan
• Primary Examiner(s): D'AGOSTINO, PAUL ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US14/694,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20150228149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming apparatus includes a display unit and has a display support structure that extends substantially vertically from a horizontal support base. The display unit includes a flat-panel display screen having a width (W) and a height (H) wherein W/His at least 16/10. The display unit is rotatable about a horizontal axis located in a plane substantially parallel to the display screen wherein, a player'"'"'s angle of viewing the display unit may be adjusted by vertical translation of the display unit on the display support structure, over a vertical range of motion, and by rotation of the display unit about the horizontal axis. A front face of the display structure presents, in a region proximate to the vertical range of motion, a concave side of a curved surface.

Claims

1. A gaming apparatus comprising:

a display support structure including a top, a bottom, a front side, and a back side, the front side including an entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section having a top end and a bottom end;

a display unit including a display screen having a top, a bottom, and a midpoint between the top and the bottom, the display screen configured to generate video images, the display unit attached to the display support structure in front of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section such that (1) at least part of a back surface of the display unit faces at least part of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section; and

(2) the midpoint of the display screen and at least part of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section are the same vertical distance from the bottom end of the of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section of the display support structure;

a control panel supported by the display support structure, the control panel including a plurality of buttons configured to enable play of a wager-based game;

a value input device supported by the display support structure; and

a controller operatively coupled to the display unit, the control panel, and the value input device, the controller including a processor and a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the controller programmed to, after a wager is received, determine any payout associated with an outcome of a play of the wager-based game.

2. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the back side of the display support structure includes an outwardly-curved section.

3. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section of the front side of the display support structure extends from the top of the display support structure to the bottom of the display support structure.

4. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display support structure has:

(1) a right side extending between the front and back sides and having a first curved section, and (2) a left side extending between the front and back sides and having a second curved section.

5. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit includes a touch screen sensor.

6. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display screen has a width and a height and the width of the display screen does not equal the height of the display screen.

7. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the value input device includes a paper currency acceptor supported by the display support structure.

8. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, which includes a ticket printer supported by the display support structure.

12. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bottom of the display unit is attached to the display support structure and the top of the display unit is not attached to the display support structure.

13. The gaming apparatus of claim 12, wherein the display unit is not rotatable about the axis.

14. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

(1) the top of the display screen and a first part of the inwardly-curved, non-planar section are the same first vertical distance from the bottom end of the of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section; and

(2) the bottom of the display screen and a second part of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section are the same second vertical distance from the bottom end of the of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section.

15. The gaming apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least part of the display screen is located within a space defined between a first horizontal reference plane passing through the top end of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section and a second horizontal reference plane passing through the bottom end of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section.

9. A gaming apparatus comprising:

a display support structure including a top, a bottom, a front side having an entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section a back side, a right side extending between the front and back sides and having a first curved section, and a left side extending between the front and back sides and having a second curved section;

a display unit including a display screen having a top and a bottom and configured to generate video images, the display screen having a width and a height not equal to the width, the display unit supported by the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section of the front side of the display support structure in front of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section such that (1) at least part of a back surface of the display unit faces at least part of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section;

(2) the top of the display screen and a first part of the inwardly-curved, non-planar section are the same first vertical distance from the bottom end of the of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section;

(3) the bottom of the display screen and a second part of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section are the same second different vertical distance from the bottom end of the of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section; and

(4) the entire display screen extends between the top end and the bottom end of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section;

a control panel supported by the display support structure, the control panel including a plurality of buttons configured to enable play of a wager-based game;

a value input device supported by the display support structure and including a paper currency acceptor supported by the display support structure;

a ticket printer supported by the display support structure; and

a controller operatively coupled to the display unit, the control panel, the value input device, and the ticket printer, the controller including a processor and a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the controller programmed to determine any payout associated with an outcome of a play of the wager-based game.

10. The gaming apparatus of claim 9, wherein the back side of the display support structure includes an outwardly-curved section.

11. The gaming apparatus of claim 9, wherein the display unit includes a touch screen sensor.

16. The gaming apparatus of claim 9, wherein the display unit is not rotatable about the first and second axes.

17. The gaming apparatus of claim 9, wherein the entire display screen is located within a space defined between a first horizontal reference plane passing through the top end of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section and a second horizontal reference plane passing through the bottom end of the entirely inwardly-curved, non-planar section.