Patent Application
20210366231
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. Copyright 2020, SG Gaming, Inc.
The present invention relates generally to gaming machines and methods of operating the same and, more particularly, relates to a multi-tiered user interface for operating a gaming machine.
The competitive landscape among gaming machine suppliers is fueled by accelerated product life cycles, increased product supply, continued entry of competitors, and increased investment in advanced development resources. To compete in the space of premium gaming machines with more expensive or extravagant components, suppliers have sought to differentiate such gaming machines with unique hardware configurations, game play mechanics, and third-party branded content. Such hardware configurations often include one or more large display devices in a landscape and/or portrait orientation. As display devices have grown larger, the machines have grown taller and/or occupied a larger footprint which, in turn, has compromised player comfort and ergonomics and restricted where such machines can be installed on the casino floor. For example, when sitting in front of a machine with a tall display, the player may experience eyestrain from the display being “in the player's face” or neck strain associated with “looking up” to view the entire display. Further, because the tall machines can block sightlines across a casino floor and impair a player's ability to walk through floor aisles and find a desirable machine to play, such machines may need to be installed against a wall or column, away from mainstream areas of the casino floor. These factors do not support long-term play and casino floor share growth.
A need therefore exists for a premium gaming machine that overcomes one or more of these drawbacks.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a gaming machine comprises a cabinet, a display device coupled to the cabinet, a control unit housed within the cabinet, and a multi-tiered user interface coupled to the cabinet. The control unit is configured to direct the display device to display a wagering game. The user interface includes lower and upper tiers disposed at respective lower and upper elevations. The upper tier at least partially overhangs the lower tier. The lower and upper tiers bear respective first and second types of input devices for operating the wagering game.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method of operating the gaming machine with the multi-tiered user interface is disclosed herein.
Additional aspects of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. For purposes of the present detailed description, the singular includes the plural and vice versa (unless specifically disclaimed); the words “and” and “or” shall be both conjunctive and disjunctive; the word “all” means “any and all”; the word “any” means “any and all”; and the word “including” means “including without limitation.”
For purposes of the present detailed description, the terms “wagering game,” “casino wagering game,” “gambling,” “slot game,” “casino game,” and the like include games in which a player places at risk a sum of money or other representation of value, whether or not redeemable for cash, on an event with an uncertain outcome, including without limitation those having some element of skill. In some embodiments, the wagering game involves wagers of real money, as found with typical land-based or online casino games. In other embodiments, the wagering game additionally, or alternatively, involves wagers of non-cash values, such as virtual currency, and therefore may be considered a social or casual game, such as would be typically available on a social networking web site, other web sites, across computer networks, or applications on mobile devices (e.g., phones, tablets, etc.). When provided in a social or casual game format, the wagering game may closely resemble a traditional casino game, or it may take another form that more closely resembles other types of social/casual games.
Referring to
The gaming machine 10 further comprises a multi-tiered user interface 16 mounted to the base unit 12 by a pair of opposing arms 18a and 18b. The arms 18a and 18b are connected to the user interface 16 at one end and the base unit 12 at the other end by hooks, hinges, latches, fasteners, or the like. The left arm 18a contains a first peripheral device such as a ticket dispenser (not shown). The right arm 18b contains a second peripheral device such as a bill acceptor/validator (not shown). As shown in
Referring to
The lower tier 22 bears a first type of input device for operating a wagering game via the gaming machine. The first type of input device may be a pair of round or oval push buttons 26a and 26b on respective left and right flat surfaces 28a and 28b of the lower tier 22. In response to a user pressing either push button 26a or 26b, the CPU may conduct a first action associated with the wagering game. If the push buttons 26a and 26b are “spin” or “play” buttons, the first action may be to initiate the wagering game.
The upper tier 24 is generally parallel to, and partially overhangs, the lower tier 22. The upper tier 24 bears a second type of input device for operating the wagering game via the gaming machine. The second type of input device may be a touchscreen video display 30 mounted to a center section of the upper tier 24. The video display 30 may be flat, faceted, or curved and may be oriented in a landscape or portrait configuration. In the illustrated embodiment, the video display 30 is a 15.6″ LCD or OLED having a concave shape and oriented in a landscape configuration. The video display 30 may display credit meters, selected game options, and game play features. In response to the user pressing touch keys on the video display 30, the CPU may conduct one or more second actions associated with the wagering game. For example, the second actions may be to select a denomination, select a wager amount, select a number of pay lines, initiate the wagering game (as an alternative to pressing the push buttons 26a and 26b), request a service attendant, cash out or collect credits on a credit meter, adjust the audio volume, or open help/pays/game rules screens. The upper tier 24 also includes left and right flat surfaces 32a and 32b on opposite sides of the video display 30. The left surface 32a serves as a charging pad for charging a mobile device and bears a charging infographic/icon to indicate this functionality to the user. The right surface 32b serves as a beverage support and bears a drink infographic/icon to indicate this functionality to the user. Left and right speakers 33a and 33b extend upwardly from the rear edges of the respective left and right surfaces 32a and 32b.
As described above, the left arm 18a contains a first peripheral device such as a ticket dispenser, and the right arm 18b contains a second peripheral device such as a bill acceptor. An exit slot 34 of the ticket dispenser is disposed behind the push button 26a between the lower tier 22 and the upper tier 24. An entry slot 36 of the bill acceptor is disposed behind the push button 26b between the lower tier 22 and the upper tier 24. A player tracking module 38 is mounted to a center section of the lower tier 24 and disposed between the lower tier 22 and the upper tier 24. Front portions 29a and 29b of the respective surfaces 28a and 28b are transparent or transmissive to enable a player to view the respective exit slot 34 and entry slot 36 (and illuminated visual cues like directional arrows associated therewith) from above through the respective front portions 29a and 29b. The visual cues provide valuable indications so that ticket retrieval from the exit slot 34 and cash entry into the entry slot 36 are as low friction as comparable gaming machines.
The multi-tiered user interface 16 may be configured to accommodate devices in addition to those described herein, including but not limited to additional push buttons, an additional video display, a mouse, a joystick, a trackball, a gesture-sensing device, and a voice-recognition device.
The multi-tiered user interface 16 of the gaming machine 10 offers a superior level of interaction, comfort, and convenience in an aesthetically attractive package. The user interface 16 provides superior ergonomics, visibility, and usability that works with, not against, player anatomy and physical limitations. For example, when an average height player is seated in front of the gaming machine 10 as shown in
The gaming machine 10, including but not limited to the multi-tiered user interface 16, the primary display device 14, and their relative positioning, may use alternative designs to achieve the same functionality described herein. For example, while maintaining lower and upper tiers 22 and 24, the shapes of the edges and surfaces of those tiers may be varied from what is illustrated in the drawings. And the shapes, locations, quantities, and types of components on and between the tiers may be varied from what is illustrated in the drawings.
Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims. Moreover, the present concepts expressly include any and all combinations and subcombinations of the preceding elements and aspects.
