Patent Application
20080188293
The invention relates generally to computerized wagering game machines, and more specifically to lighting transmissive lcd panels in computerized wagering game machines.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material to which the claim of copyright protection is made. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any person of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but reserves all other rights whatsoever. Copyright 2006, WMS Gaming, Inc.
Computerized wagering games have largely replaced traditional mechanical wagering game machines such as slot machines, and are rapidly being adopted to implement computerized versions of games that are traditionally played live such as poker and blackjack. These computerized games provide many benefits to the game owner and to the gambler, including greater reliability than can be achieved with a mechanical game or human dealer, more variety, sound, and animation in presentation of a game, and a lower overall cost of production and management.
The elements of computerized wagering game systems are in many ways the same as the elements in the mechanical and table game counterparts in that they must be fair, they must provide sufficient feedback to the game player to make the game fun to play, and they must meet a variety of gaming regulations to ensure that both the machine owner and gamer are honest and fairly treated in implementing the game. Further, they must provide a gaming experience that is at least as attractive as the older mechanical gaming machine experience to the gamer, to ensure success in a competitive gaming market.
Computerized wagering games do not rely on the dealer or other game players to facilitate game play and to provide an entertaining game playing environment, but rely upon the presentation of the game and environment generated by the wagering game machine itself. Incorporation of audio and video features into wagering games to present the wagering game, to provide help, and to enhance the environment presented are therefore important elements in the attractiveness and commercial success of a computerized wagering game system. It is not uncommon for audio voices to provide instruction and help, and to provide commentary on the wagering game being played. Music and environmental effects are also played through speakers in some wagering game systems to enhance or complement a theme of the wagering game. These sounds typically accompany video presentation of the wagering game on a screen, which itself often includes animation, video, and three-dimensional graphics as part of presentation of the wagering game.
But, many people prefer to see mechanical reels rather than video rendering of a slot machine game, in part due to the more traditional appearance of the rotating slot reels. Presentation of mechanical reels makes the wagering game more enjoyable for some of these people, and so mechanical reel slot machines are still common in many wagering game facilities. But, use of reel slot machines limits the ability of a wagering game machine to present computer graphics and animation to enhance the theme of the wagering game or to provide other information, and so are often less entertaining than LCD (liquid crystal display) touchscreen wagering game systems.
It is therefore desired that the advantages of LCD displays be incorporated into mechanical reel slot machines.
One example embodiment of the invention comprises a computerized wagering game system including a gaming module comprising a processor and gaming code which is operable when executed on the processor to present a wagering game on which monetary value can be wagered via at least one mechanical reel and a liquid crystal display (LCD). The liquid crystal display has at least one transparent portion through which the mechanical reel or reels can be observed. A light source is configured to illuminate a back side of the at least one transparent portion of the LCD panel, selectively highlighting images shown on the transparent portion or portions of the LCD display panel.
In the following detailed description of example embodiments of the invention, reference is made to specific examples by way of drawings and illustrations. These examples are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and serve to illustrate how the invention may be applied to various purposes or embodiments. Other embodiments of the invention exist and are within the scope of the invention, and logical, mechanical, electrical, and other changes may be made without departing from the scope or extent of the present invention. Features or limitations of various embodiments of the invention described herein, however essential to the example embodiments in which they are incorporated, do not limit the invention as a whole, and any reference to the invention, its elements, operation, and application do not limit the invention as a whole but serve only to define these example embodiments. The following detailed description does not, therefore, limit the scope of the invention, which is defined only by the appended claims.
One example embodiment of the invention comprises a computerized wagering game system includes a gaming module comprising a processor and gaming code which is operable when executed on the processor to present a wagering game on which monetary value can be wagered via at least one mechanical reel and a liquid crystal display (LCD). The liquid crystal display has at least one transparent portion through which the mechanical reel or reels can be observed. A light source is configured to illuminate a back side of the at least one transparent portion of the LCD panel, selectively highlighting images shown on the transparent portion or portions of the LCD display panel.
A wagering game is implemented using software within the wagering game system, such as through instructions stored on a machine-readable medium such as a hard disk drive or nonvolatile memory. In some further example embodiments, some or all of the software stored in the wagering game machine is encrypted or is verified using a hash algorithm or encryption algorithm to ensure its authenticity and to verify that it has not been altered. For example, in one embodiment the wagering game software is loaded from nonvolatile memory in a compact flash card, and a hash value is calculated or a digital signature is derived to confirm that the data stored on the compact flash card has not been altered. The wagering game implemented via the loaded software takes various forms in different wagering game machines, but is in most example embodiments discussed herein a traditional reel slot game using mechanical reels visible through the transparent portions of the liquid crystal display. Other wagering games such as video poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, or hold 'em games that use mechanical elements can be used in a similar manner in further examples. The wagering game is played and controlled with inputs such as various buttons 103 or via a touchscreen overlay to video screen 101. In some alternate examples, other devices such as pull arm 104 used to initiate reel spin in this reel slot machine example are employed to provide other input interfaces to the game player.
Monetary value is typically wagered on the outcome of the games, such as with tokens, coins, bills, or cards that hold monetary value. The wagered value is conveyed to the machine through a changer 105 or a secure user identification module interface 106, and winnings are returned via the returned value card or through the coin tray 107. Sound is also provided through speakers 108, typically including audio indicators of game play, such as reel spins, credit bang-ups, and environmental or other sound effects or music to provide entertainment consistent with a theme of the computerized wagering game. The wagering game system takes alternate forms in other embodiments, such as a wireless portable wagering game system, or a user-supplied device operable to present a wagering game conducted remotely such as on a server. In some further embodiments, the wagering game machine is coupled to a network, and is operable to use its network connection to receive wagering game data, track players and monetary value associated with a player, and to perform other such functions.
A more detailed view of a liquid crystal display panel and mechanical reel slots is shown in
The LCD panel remains operational in this region, and is able to superimpose graphics over the visible reels behind the LCD panel. Each pixel in a typical LCD panel comprises a liquid crystal suspended between two polarizing filters with axes that are perpendicular to each other. In the absence of the liquid crystal presence, light passing through one polarized filter would not be able to pass through the other due to the difference in polarization direction. The liquid crystal element changes the polarization of light that has passed through the first polarizing filter so that its polarization has changed and it can pass through the second polarizing filter.
When an electrical charge is applied to a liquid crystal element in a liquid crystal display pixel, the natural twist of the liquid crystal is undone to a degree dependent on the charge applied as the liquid crystals align themselves parallel to the electric field, thereby reducing the change in polarization by a varying amount and blocking light from passing through both the first and second polarizing filters to a variable degree.
While some LCD displays such as those used in pocket calculators and wristwatches are simply reflective, and use ambient light reflected off a reflective backplane such as back reflective layer 202, most are transmissive panels that are lit via one or more backlights 204, such as are commonly found in LCD computer monitors and cellular telephones. These transmissive LCD panels rely on backlighting, which is usually distributed across the face of the liquid crystal display panel by a light carrying layer called a diffusion layer 205 that carries and diffuses light injected from the sides of the panel to ensure uniform illumination of the transmissive LCD panel.
This principle can be used to create a color display by using a red, green, and blue subpixel for each pixel location, so that a full color spectrum can be displayed for each pixel by varying the amount of these three light primary colors that is visible. This is done by varying the voltages applied to each of the three colored subpixels, thereby varying the amount of colored light from the backlight diffuser layer of the display panel that reaches the viewer.
The back side of the liquid crystal display panel is therefore almost always an opaque surface designed to reflect light, to illuminate the display pane. In some embodiments of the invention such as are shown in
The slot machine assembly of
In another example embodiment shown in
In an alternate embodiment, the diffusion layer 302 which is located between the LCD display pixel elements and the back reflective layer serves its normal backlight function, and an additional backlight layer is located behind the reflective backing of the LCD display panel to carry light and project it onto the transparent portion of the LCD display panel much as the diffusion layer 301 is configured to do in
The transparent section is lit selectively in some examples, so that the light can be turned off to allow easier viewing of the mechanical slot reel 304 or turned on to obscure the reel and make the image shown on the transparent portion of the LCD display panel more distinct.
In a further embodiment, the light box 402 and light pipes such as 405 are used to light other portions of the wagering game system, such as to backlight the LCD display panel 401's diffusion or illumination layer, or to selectively illuminate the mechanical reels 406 of the mechanical reel slot game. The light pipes illuminating the slot reels and the light pipes illuminating the back of the transparent area of the LCD display panel 401 can be lit alternately such as by using electronically controllable LCD shutters or other technology to control the amount of light distributed through each light pipe, enabling the wagering game system to selectively highlight either the slot reel 406 or the image displayed on the LCD display panel 401 at various times during game play.
The screen 503 shown in
The screen material rolls up on the rollers, much like a retractable roll-up movie screen. In other embodiments, the screen is a drop-down screen or is mechanically inserted ,but remains an illuminated screen with reflective properties operable to reflect light onto the back side of the LCD display panel to illuminate an image or graphics displayed on the panel.
In some embodiments, the transparent portion lights 605 are directed toward the back side of the transparent portion of the display, such as by use of light-emitting diode elements with lenses oriented to focus the light produced toward the back side of the transparent portion. In other embodiments, the light produced by lights 605 is directed toward the reel strip 606, or toward a screen or baffle such as screen 503 of
The user initiates a reel slot game event at 703, such as by pushing a play button or pulling a lever arm. The reels spin, and at 704 the reels stop one at a time with predetermined reel symbols facing forward and visible through the transparent portions of the LCD panel, indicating the result of the wagering game play.
Once sufficient time has passed for the results of the wagering game play to be observed, the wagering game system turns off the light configured to illuminate the reels, and turns on a light configured to illuminate the back side of the transparent portion of the LCD display panel at 705. Graphics or video can then be displayed and easily viewed across the entire LCD display panel at 706, including both the transparent and opaque portions of the panel. The change in lighting from light directed at the slot reels to light directed at the back of the transparent portion of the LCD display panel reduces the visibility of the slot reels, and increases the light shining on the back of the transparent portion of the LCD display panel, making the graphics or video displayed on the transparent portion of the LCD display panel more prominent.
Once the graphics displayed on the transparent portion of the LCD display screen are complete and the player's focus is to return to the slot reels, the light illuminating the back side of the transparent portion of the LCD display panel is turned off at 707. Graphics can be displayed on the opaque portion of the LCD display panel again at 701, and the reels are again visible when the slot reel light is reilluminated again at 702. In other wagering game systems, illumination of the back portion of the LCD display panel is triggered by various events, or is constant. The examples presented here illustrate how illuminating the back side of a transparent portion of an LCD display panel can be used to increase visibility of graphics or video displayed on the transparent portion of the display panel. Some examples further show how the light can be turned on and off, or alternated with a light illuminating a mechanical game element such as the reels of a mechanical reel slot machine, to emphasize either the slot reels or the image displayed on the LCD display panel. Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the example embodiments of the invention described herein. It is intended that this invention be limited only by the claims, and the full scope of equivalents thereof.
This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/682,162 filed May 18, 2005, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2006/019045 | 5/18/2006 | WO | 00 | 11/19/2007 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60682162 | May 2005 | US |
