The present invention relates generally to gaming terminals and, more particularly, to a video gaming machine having a player-selectable banner.
Gaming terminals, such as slot machines, video poker machines, and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such terminals among players depends on the perceived likelihood of winning money at the terminal and the intrinsic entertainment value of the terminal relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing terminals and the expectation of winning each terminal is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are most likely to be attracted to the more entertaining and exciting of the terminals.
Consequently, gaming terminal operators strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting terminals available because such terminals attract frequent play and, hence, increase profitability for the operators. Thus, in the highly competitive gaming terminal industry, there is a continuing need to develop new types of games, or improvements to existing games, that will enhance the entertainment value and excitement associated with the games.
Traditional gaming machines use mechanical slot reels or video depictions of such reels to display games and outcomes to players. Further, many traditional gaming machines use simulations of standard casino games such as cards, dice, bingo and the like to attract players. These traditional machines may become repetitive over time, and it is believed that more innovative displays and gameplay features will find success by offering players an interesting and exciting alternative to traditional games. Accordingly, in the competitive gaming machine industry, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to produce new types of games, or enhancements to existing games, which will attract frequent play by enhancing the entertainment value and excitement associated with the game. In particular, there is a need for engaging and entertaining games that can hold a player's interest more than existing games. The present invention is directed to satisfying this need.
Video gaming terminals typically have a banner across which information concerning the game, such as what outcomes trigger bonus play, is scrolled at random or pre-selected intervals. For example, some video gaming terminals automatically change the content of the banner following every three plays, or spins. Moreover, video gaming terminals generally include a help button which activates a help screen through which a player may scroll or search for information on the game. Therefore, a player cannot view specific information concerning the game which the player wishes to view while the wagering game is being played. Thus, there is a need for a video gaming machine on which a player may select the information to be displayed while the wagering game is being conducted. Embodiments of the present invention are directed to satisfying this need.
A video gaming machine having a player-selectable banner on which information concerning the game is disclosed. Information displayed may include any information which may be useful to the player regarding the game, including for example, the name of the game, symbol functions, bonus triggering events, and payout related communications.
In general, in one aspect, the invention is directed to a video gaming machine on which a player selects information concerning the game by pressing a soft button on a touch screen overlying the main display. Depression of the soft button activates a change of information on a portion of the main display.
In general, in another aspect, the invention is directed to a video gaming machine wherein depression of the soft button causes the information to scroll from the left to the right, from the right to the left, downward, or upward.
In general, in yet another aspect, the invention is directed to a video gaming machine wherein depression of the soft button activates a drop down menu of information from which a player may select the displayed information.
In general, in another aspect, the invention is directed to a method of displaying information to a player of a wagering game wherein the player changes the information displayed by selecting other information to be displayed.
The above summary of the present invention is not intended to represent each embodiment or every aspect of the present invention. The detailed description and Figures will describe many of the embodiments and aspects of the present invention.
The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.
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.
As shown, the gaming terminal 10 has a number of typical gaming terminal components, including input devices, such as the wager acceptors 16a and 16b, and the push buttons 22. In some embodiments, a player-identification card reader 24 may also be present, although such a player-identification card reader 24 is not necessary to the practice of the present invention. For outputs, the gaming terminal 10 includes a main display 26 for displaying information about the basic wagering game and a secondary display 27 for displaying information about the bonus wagering game. While these typical components found in the gaming terminal 10 are described below, it should be understood that numerous other elements may exist and may be used in any number of combinations to create various forms of a gaming terminal.
The wager acceptors 16a and 16b may be provided in many forms, including a card wager acceptor 16a and a cash wager acceptor 16b. The cash wager acceptor 16b may include a coin slot acceptor or a note acceptor to input value to the gaming terminal 10. The card wager acceptor 16a may include a card-reading device for receiving a stored value card and reading a recorded monetary value associated with the card. The card wager acceptor 16a may also receive a card that authorizes a transfer of money from a player's credit or banking account to the gaming terminal 10.
The player-identification card reader 24, if present, is designed to read an identification card and extract information therefrom regarding the player's identity. The identification may then be used by casinos for rewarding certain players with complimentary services or special offers. For example, a player may be enrolled in the gaming establishment's players' club and may be awarded certain complimentary services as that player collects points in his or her player-tracking account. When the player inserts his or her card into the player-identification card reader 24, the casino's computers can register that player's wagering at the gaming terminal 10.
The push buttons 22, which may be mechanical push buttons, allow players to select various options with respect to the games played on the gaming terminal 10. The gaming terminal 10 may also include soft buttons on a touch screen 21 located over the main display 26 that serve similar functions.
A payout mechanism 23 is also provided to deliver awards to a player. Such awards may be in the form of cash, tokens, magnetic cards or the like. Thus, the payout mechanism 23 may be any of a number of known types of delivery mechanisms for such awards.
The main display 26 displays the outcome of the video game and may take a variety of forms. For example, the main display 26 may be a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, or any other type of display that is suitable for a main video game. The secondary display 27, which may also be a CRT, LCD, plasma display, or other type of suitable display, displays a secondary or bonus game that is often played on the gaming terminal 10 in addition to the main game.
Communication between the components of the gaming terminal 10 and the CPU 30 occur through input/output (I/O) circuits 35. As such, the CPU 30 also controls and receives inputs from the various components of the gaming terminal 10.
The gaming terminal 10 may be operated as part of a wagering game control network 40 (not shown) that includes several gaming terminals. An example of such a wagering game control network 40 is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/502,762, filed on Sep. 12, 2003, and entitled “Restricted Access Progressive Game For A Gaming Terminal,” which is commonly owned and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The gaming terminal 10 often has multiple ports, each port dedicated to providing data to a specific host computer system that performs a specific function (e.g., accounting, player-tracking, or a progressive game control system, etc). These ports may take the form of one or more custom interface boards mounted in the gaming terminal 10. The ports may also take the form of, for example, network interface cards designed to establish an Ethernet connection from the gaming terminal 10 to the wagering game control network 40.
In some embodiments, the wagering game control network 40 may include a server 41 that controls one or more functions of the gaming terminal 10. The server 41 may be any computer capable of executing programs for controlling slot machines and other types of gaming terminals. In such embodiments, the gaming terminal 10 may be a simple input/output terminal with regard to the functions controlled by the server 41. For example, instead of the random selection being performed by the CPU 30, the random selection of outcomes for the basic game and the bonus game may be functions performed by the server 41 and subsequently provided to the gaming terminal 10. Functions that are not provided by the server 41, such as control of the local lights, sounds, and displays of the gaming terminal 10, are handled by the local CPU 30.
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In some embodiments of the invention, the banner 52 is adapted to display symbol function information. In other embodiments of the invention, the banner 52 is adapted to display information on bonus, triggering events. In yet other embodiments of the invention, the banner 52 is adapted to display payout related communications. In yet other embodiments of the invention, the banner 52 is adapted to provide all such information or any pre-selected subset of such information. In some embodiments of the invention, by touching the soft button 53, a player causes the banner information to scroll to the next phrase in a pre-selected list of informational phrases. In such embodiments, the informational phrases may scroll from the left or right of the main display 26. In other embodiments, the informational phrases may scroll upward or downward within the banner 52. In yet other embodiments, the informational phrases may dissolve and reappear or be changed using any type of video transitional modes.
In some embodiments of the invention, a player activates a drop down menu of informational phrases or categories of informational phrases by pressing soft button 53. A player may then select a particular informational phrase or category of informational phrases to be displayed by selecting such from the drop down menu. A player may select from the drop down menu using the push buttons 22 or by pressing additional soft buttons located on the touch screen 21 over the main display 26.
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It will be understood that the wagering game may utilize one or more reels and that each reel may contain a plurality of symbols. The symbols may take any form, including numbers, numerals, icons, pictures, logos, colors, words, and phrases. Such symbols may further include, for example, those symbols typically used on the reels of a slot machine. Alternatively, non-traditional symbols may include, for example, illustrations of animals or playing cards. In some embodiments, a bonus symbol is included in the possible symbols, and its occurrence may trigger one or more bonus games. Moreover, it will be understood that the video gaming machine of the present invention is not limited to reel-type video wagering games but rather may be adapted to play any video wagering game for which banner information may be useful. It will be further understood that the awarding of credits to a player will vary from game to game. The occurrence an event which triggers providing a player with an award to a player is referred to as a “winning event.”
In a further embodiment, the banner 52 can be used to display information regarding a progressive game that the player is eligible to play by playing the wagering game at the gaming terminal 10. For example, the player may select to display the types of progressive jackpots that are eligible to be won, the triggering events that result in a progressive jackpot, the amounts of the most recently awarded jackpots, etc.
It will be understood that many of the aspects of the gaming machine and method described above may be varied to optimize player enjoyment and/or operator profit. For example, the number of reels may be increased or decreased. Similarly, the number of symbols per reel may be increased or decreased.
While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 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.